FORT LEE, Va. – The 16th Ordnance Battalion S-4 supply shop is among the winners of Training and Doctrine Command’s FY21 Supply Excellence Award.
Making the achievement more noteworthy is the ability of the section to pull together their entry in only five days due to delayed notification of their eligibility. Ordinarily, supply elements pursuing the award spend up to five months preparing for the competition that recognizes units and organizations for their adherence to Army supply policies and procedures.
The battalion’s logisticians were confident their ongoing, consistent efforts exceeded standards and its less-than-ideal entry point would generate minimal stress to personnel and operations. Put more succinctly by Staff Sgt. Zjhyvoriah E. Wood, one of the shop’s three NCOs, “We had our act together and didn’t really have much to worry about.”
The Soldiers and their superiors of the “Train to Maintain” battalion were notified late last year that they had distinguished themselves as being among the best of roughly 50 other Army battalions across the United States, and thus worthy of a TRADOC SEA bid. It was the first time the 16th Ord. Bn. had qualified for the honor.
“It’s an extremely important accomplishment for the battalion,” acknowledged Maj. Tynishia Jones, the training organization’s executive officer. “It shows the breadth of our focus beyond being an ordnance battalion – that our command teams are very supportive and understand the importance of supply discipline in their units. It demonstrates how commanders have put emphasis on certain programs within our footprint that are meaningful to the Army and the Soldiers in the quartermaster field.”
The S-4 supply shop is comprised of Sgt. 1st Class Wendy Honeycutt, its NCO in charge, Staff Sgt. Hazel Lipsey and Wood. Chief among their responsibilities are overseeing company-level supply operations and helping to administer the Command Supply Discipline Program, which promotes fiscal responsibility and accountability for supplies and equipment.
In pursuit of their day-to-day missions, Jones said the three unit supply specialists moved as a team, extended themselves to units, and generally worked hard at their crafts.
“It’s a testament to the drive of SSG Lipsey, SSG Wood and SFC Honeycutt and their ability to bring together the team, help the organization understand what supply discipline actually means, and resourcing things in the battalion,” she said. “Without them, none of this would have been possible.”
Lipsey, acting NCOIC while Honeycutt is on leave, said participating in the SEA has been a goal since attending the Advanced Leader Course where an instructor asked if anyone had been part of an SEA submission, and no one had. It was a watershed moment.
“I wanted to challenge myself,” she said of embracing plans for a SEA submission. “I wanted to get this done, and I felt like being here at Fort Lee, how can I not do it?”
Jones said the noncoms – through their TRADOC triumph – have broadened the boundaries of capability within the battalion.
“They are an example of the type of NCOs we want,” she said. “We want them to have a competitive spirit, a spirit of excellence and want them to build something and have a legacy. At the same time, we want them to train and mentor these junior NCOs who will one day take their places.”
The trio is awaiting the results of the Army level SEA, which is due for release in the coming months.
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