Tag Archives: warrior of the week

Warrior of the Week – SFC Andrew Lane

Posted on January 7, 2010 by CJ| 1 Comment

sfc andrew lane

With two deployments to Iraq as a Special Forces medic, Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Lane has seen firsthand the progress that has been made. The Noncommissioned Officer, who has always wanted to serve in the Army’s Special Forces, has received multiple awards for his valorous and meritorious service overseas and will be honored at the 2010 Army All-American Bowl.

While deployed in 2006-2007 to An Najaf, Iraq, Lane was a team medic responsible for providing daily and emergency medical care to Soldiers as well as members of the Iraqi National Police Force. Additionally, the Special Forces medic helped train members of the Iraqi Army and police force for combat operations and provided them with basic emergency medical training. For his involvement in a combat operation during the deployment, Lane was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor.

During his most recent deployment from January to August 2009, Lane served as the company senior medic in Baghdad, Iraq. In this role, he provided leadership to the team medics and procured the necessary medical supplies. Additionally, he served as the Special Operations Task Force-Central liaison to the Baghdad Combat Support Hospital, and provided a friendly face as wounded Special Forces Soldiers arrived and ensured the appropriate medical care. For meritorious service throughout the deployment, he received the Bronze Star Medal.

Comparing the two deployments, Lane noted the substantial progress in Iraq that had taken place over the three-year span.

“The biggest change was the ability of local security forces, both police and the Iraqi Army, to do their job successfully with less support from the American and coalition military. While they had limited abilities in 2006, they had stepped it up quite a bit by 2009,” he said.

A native of Sellersburg, Ind., he graduated from New Albany High School, and enlisted in the Army. After 15 years of service, Lane is currently stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., with the 5th Special Forces Group. His father served as an Army Reserve Special Forces Soldier, and Lane considers it an honor to follow in his father’s footsteps and serve in the Army.

“Right now, I get to do what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little boy. I’m lucky that I get to live out my childhood dream,” he said.

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Warriors of the Week – SFC Sean Bennett & SGT Daniel Jens

Posted on September 11, 2009 by CJ| 1 Comment

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Sgt. 1st Class Sean Bennett and Sgt. Daniel Jens are Soldiers and storytellers. Both are gifted musically, and have teamed up to use their talents to share their experiences through music. Both Soldiers recently participated in reality television music competitions, and are now participating in musical tours across the country. Their families, who supported them unconditionally during their deployments, continue to support them as they take to the road and share their stories with audiences who leave with a view on what it means to be a Soldier and what their families go through to support them.

As a member of the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, Army Airborne Regiment, Bennett deployed to Iraq in September 2006. While serving as the Noncommissioned Officer-In-Charge, he was responsible for helping provide humanitarian aid and medical support to locals in Karbala, Iraq. He remained focused on the mission at hand, even after his unit was ambushed on Jan. 20, 2007. For continuing to lead his fellow Soldiers even after being wounded, Bennett was awarded the Silver Star Medal and the Purple Heart.

Jens completed a 15-month deployment in Iraq from 2006-2008 with the 82nd Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Calvary Division. While deployed, he primarily served as a convoy escort driver and gunner in Baghdad. However, he also served on a four-month special duty with the Criminal Investigation Division guarding family members of a kidnapped Iraqi-American Soldier. Jens was awarded a Certificate of Achievement for volunteering his time to perform for Soldiers while deployed to Iraq.

After returning home, both Bennett and Jens turned to music to help them express the emotional realities of war and provide an outlet for others to understand their experiences overseas. In 2008, just a year after receiving the Silver Star Medal, Bennett was a top-ten finalist on NBC’s “Nashville Star” show, and had the opportunity to sing with Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus. Jens also found the national spotlight when he made it to the Top 20 on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” in the summer of 2008, after winning the Army’s Blackjack Idol contest while he was deployed.

More than just performers, Bennett and Jens teamed up to collaborate on the song, “Life of a Soldier.” Wanting to provide a glimpse into Army live, the lyrics speak to topics such as leaving one’s family and missing holidays or special occasions. The Soldiers will perform a concert at the Grand Strand Freedom Fest on Sept. 11 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in support of Military Family Appreciation Month.

For both Soldiers, who have families of their own, the lyrics about leaving behind loved ones hit close to home. Bennett’s daughter, who has watched her father deploy three times, has provided him with support and encouragement throughout his deployments and injuries. He is currently serving with the 320th Field Artillery at Fort Campbell, Ky. Similarly, Jens, a father of three, knows his deployment was hard on his wife, Caroline. However, after he returned home, she found the strength to help other military wives and is currently working on a book about challenges families and marriages face during deployments. The Jens family currently resides at Fort Hood, Texas.

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Warrior of the Week – CPT Darby Boudreaux

Posted on September 6, 2009 by CJ| 1 Comment

CPT Darby Boudreaux
Everyday Soldiers of the U.S. Army fight to protect our country, our families and our lives. Many have given the ultimate sacrifice. Many, even after suffering traumatic injuries of war, continue to serve.

Captain Darby Boudreaux, 225th Engineer Brigade, was severely injured by an improvised explosive device on May 25, 2005 in a route clearance mission near Ghazaliya in western Baghdad. A minor artery was severed in his right leg and he lost a significant amount of blood.

Boudreaux spent the next three months recovering and going through painful rehabilitation.

Even with life threatening injuries, Bourdreauz says that the most traumatic part of the whole ordeal was not the impact of the blast or how close he came to death, but the fact he had to leave his Soldiers behind.

So four years later, he convinced his command to allow him to return to Iraq.

Currently, Boudreaux is the officer in charge and an instructor at the 225th Engineer Brigade Task Force Iron Claw Academy. He uses his near death experience to give Soldiers a chance at success and a better chance to stay alive by teaching Improvised Explosive Device identification.

Even with pieces of metal still lodged inside his body, Cpt. Boudreaux is satisfied that he was able to finally complete his mission on the battlefield.

For his heroism on the battlefield and his commitment to his Soldiers, Cpt. Darby Boudreaux is this week’s Warrior-Soldier of the Week.

Photo by Lt. Col. Pat Simon

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Warrior of the Week: Maj. Charles Popov

Posted on August 31, 2009 by CJ| 4 Comments

27 Aug_Chaplain (Maj.) Charles Popov_photo_SS
Chaplain (Maj.) Charles Popov is a man answering two calls of duty: one from his country, and one from his faith. After serving as an enlisted Soldier for four years, Popov left the Army to pursue a degree in biblical studies and master’s degrees in seminary studies and counseling psychology. However, in 1999, when he learned that the Army was seeking chaplains, Popov decided it was a perfect way to combine his commitment to serve with his passion for spiritual leadership. Shortly after completing Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course at the U.S. Army Chaplain’s Center and School at Fort Jackson, S.C., Popov was commissioned to the Chaplain Corps.

Popov notes that there are both similarities and differences between the roles of chaplain and civilian pastor. While both positions require the minister to act as a shepherd, caregiver and counselor, a chaplain must also be prepared to address the spiritual needs of Soldiers from a variety of backgrounds. While Army Chaplains may personally subscribe to one particular religion, he or she must also possess a wide-ranging understanding of many faiths and practices.

A large part of Popov’s job as chaplain involves ministering to Soldiers in theater. During his deployments to Iraq in 2003-2004 and 2006-2007, Popov was responsible for conducting Bible studies, holding counseling sessions and ministering to the wounded and dying Soldiers. His mission didn’t end at base boundaries. Popov also conducted humanitarian missions, such as providing food, clothing and fuel to Iraqi citizens. One of his fondest memories from his deployment was the chance to work alongside religious and community leaders, known as imams, to build a bridge between Christianity and Islam, including assisting in the rebuilding of mosques that had been destroyed in battles.

During his most recent deployment with the 25th Infantry Division, Popov spent many hours praying alongside over 300 wounded Soldiers from his unit and preformed rites for deceased Soldiers. It was difficult for Popov to balance the Soldiers’ needs for emotional support with his personal mourning of the loss of friends and colleagues. However, knowing that his Soldiers were counting on him, Popov was able to move forward and was able help those within his unit process their emotional struggles through conversation and prayer.

Popov is currently serving as the chaplain for 192nd Brigade, and oversees five battalion chaplains, including one Jewish rabbi. He currently resides with his wife at Fort Benning, Ga., and is a proud father of three grown children and grandfather of two grandchildren.

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Warrior of the Week – SSG Jarion Halbisengibbs

Posted on August 9, 2009 by CJ| Leave a comment

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On May 14, 2009, SSG Jarion Halbisengibbs was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions in the Samarra, Iraq, on Sept. 10, 2007.

Staff Sgt. Halbisengibbs led a combined assault force on a group of farm houses known to be an insurgent hide out in total brownout conditions. Coming under fire while moving to the objective, he identified and killed his first immediate threat. Upon reaching the objective, he initiated the assault with a single grenade immediately killing three insurgents inside. As he entered the building following his assault element, he instantly killed another insurgent engaging the assault element at close range.

While continuing to clear the building, he was shot in the thumb and propelled to the ground by a blast of an enemy grenade. As he relentlessly continued to engage the enemy, he killed a fifth insurgent in close quarters. Subsequently, when he tried to report the status to higher, he was shot in the abdomen when he killed yet another insurgent as he fell to the ground.

For his exceptional gallantry in action, SSG Jarion Halbisengibbs is this week’s Warrior-Soldier.

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Warrior of the Week: Colonel Katherine Miller

Posted on August 1, 2009 by CJ| Leave a comment

Colonel Katherine Miller
As the Deputy Provost Marshal General for U.S. Army Corrections Command, Col. Katherine Miller oversees six military prisons throughout the world. A born leader, Miller has always excelled, consistently earning honors for being at the top of her class in every school she attended. When she attended Officer Candidate School (OCS), however, Miller found she had a worthy rival in another student. Despite her best efforts, Miller had to settle for second place in the rankings as the top honor was given to another Soldier, Col. (Ret.) William Long. Miller found Long’s drive, energy and humor irresistible, and the two top students were married shortly after OCS graduation.

Over the past three decades, the Army couple has served together on the battlefield and the home front, teaching their children, Mica and Noah, and the Soldiers in their command to be the best they can be.

When Miller deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, she knew her husband would keep life at home on track and that she had the support of her entire family to go out and complete her mission. Knowing first-hand the importance of keeping her Soldiers’ minds focused on the mission rather than missing home, Miller organized a series of sporting competitions designed to boost morale and increase camaraderie. The event, which was called the PIG Bowl, standing for Pride, Intelligence and Guts, challenged her Soldiers’ skills and raised money for the families of Soldiers killed in action. Miller also applied some of her experiences as a mother to furthering her mission with the Afghan people. Recognizing the universal relevance of family, Miller shared stories about her own family with locals to break down cultural barriers and to foster relationships. As a result of her accomplishments as a Military Police Officer, Miller received the Bronze Star Medal for leadership and meritorious service.

Although, Miller was away for long periods during her daughter’s teen years due to multiple deployments, she knows that she and her husband, together, have raised a strong and independent young woman. Her daughter Mica, a member of the Virginia National Guard and an ROTC cadet at George Mason University, has given Miller a new understanding of her Soldiers. She sees potential for greatness in each of her Soldiers, and pushes each of them to strive to be their best selves.

Armed with her own experiences and lessons learned from raising children in a dual-military family, Miller is committed to other Soldiers raise their own Army Strong families by mentoring junior Soldiers and their spouses. She currently resides with her husband and two children in Fort Belvoir, Va.

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