09/27/2024 - Andrew's Official Boot Camp Graduation from Ft. Sill, OK

["Pomp and Circumstance"] Honor Guard! Salter! Honor Guard! Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. At this time, it is my pleasure to introduce the commander of Alpha Battalion, 1st Battalion, 22nd Field Artillery, Captain Harrison A. Young. Honor Guard! Honor Guard! I'm Chief Pellos and Greg Bridges. Good morning. On the right, Command Sergeant Major Kelsey, Mr. Lucas, Lieutenant Colonel Fairfield, Lieutenant Colonel Gomez, and Command Sergeant Major Diaz. And the senior guests, I am Captain Young, and I am an American soldier. On behalf of 4th Seal Command Team, welcome to 4th Seal and the 434th Field Artillery Brigade's graduation ceremony. Thank you for joining us today as we commemorate the accomplishments of your warriors and our newest American soldiers. Before we continue to move forward in celebration of the Army's next generation, we must take the time to honor those who served before us. On behalf of the 434th Field Artillery Brigade Team, we would like for all veterans to stand and be recognized for the service to our country. Ten weeks ago, these 489 warriors standing before you left home, leaving for the first time to become part of something bigger than themselves. Although they arrived as individuals, they are leaving as members of a time-honored team. Twenty-six of these warriors will also be leaving as nationalized citizens of the United States. They have worked and succeeded in every task that was put before them because failure was not an option. As they tell you, it takes more than boots and a uniform to make an American soldier. They have been instilled with fundamentals of discipline. They have embodied the core Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, self-service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. These fundamentals and values are acquired and put into practice every day through tough, realistic, and safe training. You may have already heard the stories about the steam on the gas chamber, the nervousness of throwing a live hand grenade, and the pride of passing the final Army combat fitness test. These stories are just a small representation of their overall experience. In just over 67 days, they trained on their primary weapon system, pulled marches more than 60 miles, learned how to perform life-saving measures, and experienced the beautiful, ever-changing weather of Oklahoma. Every training event is a good walk towards forming a foundation of skills these soldiers will use in everyday life in combat. They have shaped these skills by training like their lives and the lives of their fellow buddies depend on them. Furthermore, they understand those soldiers' creed and warrior ethos and are not just words to memorize, but words that American soldiers live by. These soldiers have met every challenge head-on and succeeded due in large part to the positive leadership and demanding environment created by our Army's finest noncommissioned officers. These outstanding coaches, mentors, and role models taught those soldiers the true meaning of discipline and teamwork. The drill sergeant's professionalism, competence, and dedication to standards have made a lifelong impression on your soldier. Most importantly, these soldiers would not be here today if not for the undying love and support of their families. I applaud you all and ask that you continue to support your soldier throughout their military careers. They became American soldiers for you, their families, and friends. Soldiers of Apple Battery and Charlie Battery, I extend my gratitude to you for the sacrifices you have made to become an American soldier. By taking this courageous step during a period of global uncertainty, you have truly set yourself apart from our fellow citizens as defenders of freedom and American way of life. You are all well trained. You are mentally, physically, and emotionally tough. I will be honored to meet each and every one of you on today's battlefield. Godspeed and good luck. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a round of applause for our newest American soldier. At this time, it is my pleasure to introduce our guest speakers. Lt. Col. Daniel Thurgood first entered military service as a infantryman when he enlisted in the Indiana Army National Guard in 1998. While in the Guard, Lt. Col. Thurgood enrolled in the ROTC at Ball State University. In May of 2002, he graduated and received a commission in the Army as a field artillery officer. Most recently, Lt. Col. Thurgood served as the commander of the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment here at Fort Steele, Oklahoma, and is currently the director of the Commanders Planning Group at the Fire Center for Excellence. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Lt. Col. Thurgood. All right, so I'm going to face this way because my message today is for the soldiers standing in front of me. All right, soldiers, listen to me. Without moving too much, rest. Okay, rest. Shake it out a little bit. Go ahead, rest. Shake it out. All right, I've done a number of these before. Turn your body to your left and right and say, Don't fall out. All right? Okay, hey, so I trimmed my 60-minute speech that I wrote last night down to about 30 minutes, so bear with me here, man. In all seriousness, give me about five to seven minutes of your time. Good morning, distinguished guests, families, friends, and, of course, our graduates in front of me. It is truly an honor to be here today to celebrate this incredible milestone with you. Today is a day that marks not only the end of a challenging journey, but the beginning of your life as a soldier. For many of you, this has been the hardest thing that you have ever done, but you did it. And I couldn't be more proud to stand before you right now. As I reflect on the lessons that I've learned over the course of my nearly 26-year Army career, one phrase comes to mind, something that I've said to soldiers and leaders alike throughout my time in uniform about how to be successful, and it goes like this. To be successful, you have to be able to do your job, do it well, care about people, and care about the mission. That four-part phrase has guided me through deployments, commands, and every challenge the Army has thrown my way, and I want to share why I believe it's just as important for you as you move forward. First, do your job. What does that really mean anyways? In its simplest form, it's really about accountability. The Army is a team, and every one of you has a role to play ensuring that our team is successful. Whether you're handling a rifle or managing logistics, whether you're an artilleryman or a mechanic, your role matters. Do what you've been trained to do and do it with pride. The Army will give you the tools, but it's up to you to put those tools to use. I'll note there will be times when the Army asks you to do a job that may be well outside your comfort zone. That's when the core skills that you learn right here in basic combat training will come into play. I remember during my third combat deployment to Iraq when I was a battery commander of a cannon artillery unit out of Fort Lewis. We, of course, trained our standard mission of artillery, but prior to that deployment, we were informed that we would be tasked as an infantry maneuver force. It wasn't a surprise, but we adapted. We trained hard for it. However, right when we touched down in Iraq, we were yet handed another mission set, working with the State Department on governance and civil capacity of Moudiniya in the Diyala province of Iraq. Now, listen, none of us had ever imagined as artillerymen about doing that kind of work. I mean, we're talking about microeconomics, city infrastructure, and assisting the local government with reconstruction and revitalization, but it didn't matter. We were soldiers, and we were there to do our job, whatever we were handed, to do it well, to care about people, and to care about the mission, even though in this particular case, that mission was absolutely outside our comfort zone. In the end, we learned new skills, we adapted, and we accomplished that mission because we focused on doing the task and that job at hand to the best of our ability. By the time we left, we had executed one of the largest reconstruction efforts and microgrant surges in that region, which revitalized the area and provided grants to Iraq's small business owners to reopen shops that had been destroyed or had shut down during the conflict. Next up, do it well. The story that I just told you, I think, is a prime example of doing a job well. Mediocrity has no place in the Army. Your training has shown you that good enough isn't enough. We are called to be excellent in everything that we do because lives depend on it. Doing your job well means staying sharp, maintaining high standards, and seeking improvement. It means being ready, being ready for the unexpected, ready to lead, ready to follow. Excellence is not a one-time thing. It's a mindset that you carry with you every day. Next up, care about people. This is probably the most important part of that phrase. The Army may be no time discipline and training, but it's held together by people. Your brothers and sisters in arms are your family now. They will look to you in times of need, just as you will lean on them. The bonds you formed here in training are the beginning of lifelong relationships built on trust, respect, and shared hardship. Take care of the people around you. Look out for them. Listen to them. And when needed, lead them with compassion and strength. I firmly believe there are really only two types of people in the Army. There are leaders, and there are future leaders. You, standing in front of me, are the future leaders of the United States Army. Lastly, thank you. Right there. They are. The Army grows its own leaders. Bottom line. Lastly, care about the mission. In the Army, our mission is everything, whether it's defending our country, supporting our allies, or providing humanitarian aid. The mission defines why we do what we do, and it's bigger than any one of us. When you care about the mission, you understand that the work you're doing is for something greater than yourself. It's about safeguarding the freedoms and the values that we as Americans hold dear. When you put the mission first, it guides your actions and your decisions, ensuring that every step you take is purposeful. To the families here today, and there's lots of them, I thank you for being here today to support your service member. Let's have a round of applause for our families. Applause And thank you for entrusting your loved ones to the Army. Your support has been vital to their success, and they will continue to need it as they step forward into this new chapter. All right, as I close these remarks, I'm going to do something a little bit nonstandard. I might just be giving the soldiers in front of me a nonstandard mission. Now, this is either going to be really cool or may not work that well, but I'm confident in your ability to do your job and do it well. All right, soldiers, I'm going to call you back to attention. Each one of you, and I heard it at the beginning of this ceremony, have a motto. So when I call you back to attention, I want you to shout out as loud as possible your motto. Okay? And then after that, stand by. I'm going to have you repeat a few things after me. Hey, color guard, go ahead and see colors. All right. Soldiers, are you ready? Battery, attention! Whoo, yes. That right there, my friends, is why I know that our country is in good hands. All right, last thing here. Soldiers, listen up. Can you hear me okay? Whoo? All right. If you were paying attention at all, I talked about four things. I want you to repeat after me the four things that I just spoke about. Are you ready? Whoo? Repeat after me. I will do my job. I will do it well. I will care about people. And I will care about the mission. I guarantee you, if you can do those four things, you will not only be successful in your Army career, but you will be successful in anything that you do in your life. Do your job. Do it well. Care about people and care about the mission. Let this be your guide as you move forward. Fire strong. This will defend. Thanks for coming out today. At this time, the battery commander of Alpha Battery and Charlie Battery will present the guest speaker with a certificate declaring him an honorary graduate of Class 6124 and Class 6224. All right. Parade rest. And unseat the fellows. There we go. That was a little loud over there. Appreciate it. In keeping with the 434 Field Artillery Brigades' policy of recognizing superior performance, awards will be presented to those soldiers that have distinguished themselves during the training cycle. Ladies and gentlemen, please hold your applause until all awardees have been recognized. The Distinguished Honor Graduates of the Cycle Award is presented to the soldier who demonstrates overall excellence in training and character development throughout the training cycle. The Cycle's Distinguished Honor Graduates are Private Carly Rosner from Pickertown, Pennsylvania, and Private First Class Wyatt Stevenson from Wayne, Maine. The Basic Rifle Marksmanship Award is presented to the soldier that attains the highest score during live fire qualification with the M4 carbine. The Marksmanship Awards are presented to Private Jason Tu from Seattle, Washington, and Private Jeremiah Muscati from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Private Jason Tu received a score of 37 hits out of 40, and Private Jeremiah Muscati received a score of 39 hits out of 40. The Physical Fitness Award is presented to the soldier who achieved the highest score on the final Army Combat Fitness Test out of 600 possible points. The Physical Fitness Awards are presented to Private Omarion Williams from Anderson, South Carolina, with a score of 591, and Private First Class Breanne Miller from Cincinnati, Ohio, with a score of 591. Each unit also recognizes a graduating soldier with an award dedicated to the service and actions of a distinguished soldier from the U.S. Army's history. Please refer to your digital programs for the history of the following awards. The Lt. John R. Fox Award is presented to Dylan Mazzetti from Jacksonville, Florida. The 2nd Lt. Jeffrey C. Ferris Award is presented to Breanne Miller from Cincinnati, Ohio. Please join me in a round of applause for the honor graduates and all awardees. During the training cycle, there are certain standards that have to be met in order to be distinguished as honor platoon. For Class 6124, 5th platoon. And for Class 6224, 2nd platoon. These platoons have met these high standards and are distinguished as the honor platoons. Please give the graduating classes a very deserving round of applause. The soldiers we are honoring today will not be here if it were not for the errors of the drill sergeants identified by their distinctive headgear of the drill sergeants. The dedicated noncommissioned officers are the backbone of the Army and the central focus of the 434 Field Artillery Brigade mission. Selected on the basis of professional competence, leadership, ability, and years of service, these men and women undergo intensive training to earn the right to wear their distinctive campaign head and insignia. For the drill sergeant head goes the important responsibility of molding civilian men and women into soldiers. Please join me in a round of applause for the drill sergeants. At this time, Captain Young and Captain Lightly will come forward to present the Drill Sergeant of the Cycle Awards. The Drill Sergeant of the Cycle Award is presented to the drill sergeant who has best displayed the qualities of leadership and devotion to duty during the training cycle. This award is presented to Drill Sergeant Grant from Queen Rapids, Minnesota and Drill Sergeant Favreau from Honolulu, Hawaii. In recognition of their performance, the drill sergeants will receive an Army Achievement Medal and a Drill Sergeant of the Cycle Trophy. Specialist Jackson is now presenting a bouquet of flowers to Drill Sergeant Grant's wife, Ileana, for the moral support she has given to the Battery and Drill Sergeant Grant during this training cycle. Drill Sergeant Matthew is now presenting a bouquet of flowers to Drill Sergeant Favreau's wife, Ia, for the moral support she has given to the Battery and Drill Sergeant Favreau during the training cycle. At this time, the 434 Brigade Command Team, Colonel White and Command Sergeant Leader Kelsey are presenting Drill Sergeant Grant and Drill Sergeant Favreau with the 434 Field Artillery Brigade but I do want to acknowledge one thing. So, as we grow the Army, the Army asks us to do something a little bit special in this cycle. So, first of all, they won the armor platoon, so we added a fifth platoon to Alpha 122, all right, and they knocked the mission out, training over 300, training over 320.