CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, Iraq - Twelve Soldiers from seven battalions around northern Iraq competed for the title of 16th Sustainment Brigade Warrior or Warrior Leader of the Quarter title during a board here April 22.
Each Soldier answered a multiple-choice test covering Army topics and then faced a panel of battalion command sergeants major, and Command Sgt. Maj. James Spencer, command sergeant major, 16th Sust. Bde., individually.
During the board, Soldiers disassembled their weapons and answered questions on topics such as map reading, land navigation, combat lifesaver, Army customs and courtesies, current events, and several others Army warrior topics. The competitors were required to arrange military ribbons in the order of precedence, recite the "Creed of the Non-commissioned Officer," and sing the 3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) song.
One Mannheim, Germany-based transportation company from Contingency Operating Base Speicher, outshone all other Sustainers at the quarter board. Soldiers from the 70th Transportation Co., 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sust. Bde., took home both the brigade's warrior titles.
Spc. Jonathan Patton, gun truck driver, 70th Trans. Co., 391st CSSB, performed five other battalion board winners to earn the Warrior of the Quarter title. Sgt. Ahmad Mahmoud, gun truck commander, 70th Trans. Co., 391st CSSB, who competed with five of his peers to earn the Warrior Leader of the Quarter title.
Both Soldiers will advance and participate in the upcoming 3d ESC quarter board.
"It felt good to represent our command sergeant major and battalion and be a part of the great things we do," said Patton, a native of Ft. Worth, Texas.
The Warrior Leader of the Quarter, Mahmoud, a Houston, native, said he was already looking forward to the next board.
"I'm excited by the fact that I won, and I'm looking forward to the responsibility of representing the 16th Sustainment Brigade at the 3d ESC board," Mahmoud said.
Mahmoud, who is Egyptian and in the process of getting American citizenship, said he came to the U.S. with his family when he was 12-years-old. He joined the Army in 2002 to travel, and this is his third deployment.
Mahmound distinguished himself recently when he served on the 391st CSSB's team at the 3d ESC's 2009 Sustainer Challenge at Joint Base Balad from March 18 to 19. His team finished third in the competition out of 22 teams, the highest finish for any 16th Sust. Bde. team, however, placed first in the combatives portion of the competition.
Mahmoud said he was proud of his service in the Army and wants to make it a career. But wants to change his Military Occupational Specialty and become an Army linguist once he gets his citizenship.
Staff Sgt. Carleuna Hawkins, who sponsored Patton and Mahmoud at the board, said she constantly quizzed the two (Soldiers) in order to prepare them for the board.
"They had to carry index cards on them," said Hawkins, an Austin, Texas, native. "Regardless of what they were doing throughout the day, they'd get drilled, and they'd maintain their weapons and (would) clean them every day."
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