FORT HOOD, Texas - According to one field artillery Soldier, Fort Hood's 15-day Warrior Leaders Course was like going through a second basic training.
Sgt. Jonathan Staab assigned to Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, was recognized as his class' distinguished honor graduate.
"We woke up at 4 a.m. every morning for physical training," Staab explained. "There was a lot of good instruction; I thought it was going to be a bunch of field training, but it was more classroom orientated."
The WLC Soldiers were required to pass two exams on Army leadership, lead and instruct a physical fitness session and complete a land navigation course within a prescribed time.
Staab, along with 320 Soldiers, graduated the course Feb. 7 at Fort Hood's Howze Theater where he earned the top honors.
"It felt good," Staab said, referring to being recognized as distinguished honor graduate. "I was standing there (delivering my acceptance speech) with all eyes on me and I felt like a stallion."
The 21-year-old field artilleryman from Lewiston, Idaho, graduated the course with a 99.85 grade point average and he broke the unofficial 45-minute record time for completing the III Corps Non-Commissioned Officer Academy's land navigation course by finishing in 44 minutes.
"Sgt. Staab is an outstanding asset to the United States Army and especially Bravo Battery," said 1st Sgt. Jonathan Ballard, the battery's senior enlisted service member. "I'm honored to have the distinguished honor graduate in my ranks, and not only did we have the distinguished honor graduate, but we also had three Soldiers recognized on the commandant's list during the same class.
"That lets me know we are leading our Soldiers in the right direction," he added.
Staab said when he's home on leave, he likes to hunt and go snow boarding, but when he's here at Fort Hood with his fellow Soldiers, his focus is on the 4th Brigade's scheduled summer deployment to Iraq.
"I try to lead from the front," Staab added. "That is something they teach at the course."
Staab received an Army Achievement Medal, two plaques and numerous certificates of achievements for his leadership during his III Corps' Warrior Leaders Course class.
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