Duty, honor and country. Those were the ideals that General of the Army Douglas MacArthur stood for and Eighth Army sees the general's legacy alive and well in Capt. Nestor Lugo-Viera and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Levi Ingersoll. The two were selected as Eighth Army's nominees for the prestigious General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award in a ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Nov. 1.
The award is presented annually to an outstanding captain or warrant officer two in the U.S. Army.
Seven finalists were selected from units across the Korean peninsula after being nominated by their commanders and then facing a selection board where their military expertise and bearing were assessed.
In the end, a board of leaders selected Lugo-Viera and Ingersoll as best of the best for Eighth Army.
"I'm very humbled to be even considered in the first place," said Lugo-Viera, commander of A Company, 532nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 501st Military Intelligence Brigade. "To me the biggest thing is the Soldiers; it's the troops and taking care of their everyday needs. At the end of the day, Soldiers are our most precious resource and I think even though there's a mentality of mission first, without the Soldiers there wouldn't be a mission."
Ingersoll serves as a network management technician with the 304th Expeditionary Signal Battalion. He helps provide tactical communications for customers across the peninsula.
"Personally, it's very humbling to see my mission and what I do is recognized as making an impact," Ingersoll said. "It's going to act as a reminder to me of the impact of what my subordinates have and to recognize them as well."
Lugo-Viera hails from St. Augustine, Florida, and Ingersoll claims Ardmore, Oklahoma, as his hometown.
The two will represent Eighth Army at the U.S. Army Pacific level competition for the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. Nominees from USARPAC will then compete at the Dept. of the Army level with the ultimate winner presented at the Pentagon later.
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