LT’s Dedication to Mission, Protective Equipment, Saves Lives

Camp Buehring, Kuwait- 2^nd Lieutenant John R. Boyd didn’t expect to receive such a fulfilling mission straight out of the Officer’s Basic Course. Luckily for him, his unit was deployed two months after his graduation to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

When asked about his thoughts on his first deployment, the young Lieutenant focused on the safety of his troops in what he described as a “high threat environment.”  He further elaborated his leadership style:

“You know, as a 2^nd LT straight out of the OBC, I didn’t expect much but now that I’m here I’m glad to be leading these troops. I stress safety at every turn. My guys have been wearing their eye protection for the last eight months every day. They told me at the OBC that I would most likely lose a soldier on my first deployment but I’m happy to say that hasn’t happened and will not happen with me in charge. We’ve had zero scratched corneas while deployed and I’d like to think that it’s my hard stance on safety that’s gotten us here.”

When asked about his new Platoon Leader, 22 year Sergeant First Class Franklin G. Wright was nothing but praiseful. “After going to Desert Storm as a young soldier and then doing two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan I wasn’t really sure how everything would turn out on our deployment to Kuwait. Luckily, we’ve got one hell of a Platoon Leader in LT Boyd. Without him who knows how many soldiers would have been struck by vehicles while conducting PT if the LT hadn’t stepped in to enforce the reflective belt policy of CENTCOM. I really dodged a bullet on this one.”

Read the rest over at The Duffle Blog, my new favorite website!!!