I Own This: April 2021 Nominees

PS Magazine’s I Own This campaign is designed to recognize Warfighters of all services who exemplify the highest standards of care for their assigned vehicles and equipment and contribute in meaningful ways to their unit's overall maintenance and supply posture. In short, they live and breathe readiness.
 
This month, we had three Warfighters nominated for this program: two Soldiers and one Marine. All are deserving of this recognition. One was selected at random to get the spotlight placed on them. For April 2021, that individual is SPC Bailey Clayton, US Army.

  How did you come to know/observe the nominee's actions? I am the BMO for the 84th EN BN and have directly viewed SPC Clayton's actions.

Why does this individual deserve recognition?  SPC Clayton is a wheeled vehicle mechanic, 91B, assigned to the 84th EN BN, 561st Engineer Company and has distinguished herself above her peers by aggressively maintaining her assigned vehicle to 10/20 standards. Not only does she perform demanding daily maintenance operations as a mechanic, but she has also crossed trained as an Enterprise Resource Planning systems clerk. She is vital to Class IX parts requisitioning, and picks up from the supply support activity daily. Due to her efforts and hard work, the company has installed $40K in NMC parts and turned in numerous lines of recoverable repair parts in the past three months.
 
Any additional comments?  This outstanding Soldier deserves recognition.
 
Soldier's Name:       LCpl Julio A. Menesesapodaca
Unit:                          Weapons and Field Training BN Edson Range, Camp Pendleton, CA
Position/Title:          Small Arms Repair/Technician
Component:             Marines/Active       
NSN or End Item:    M16A4 Service Rifle
Nominated by:         GySgt Daniel Gasca, Jr.
Justification:           LCpl Menesesapodaca is tireless in his efforts to ensure that each and every weapon he issues out in support of the Combat Marksmanship Coaches Course is ready to fire without issues. He inspected over 80 M16A4 service weapons to ensure they passed the limited technical inspection and pre-fire inspection criteria per the TM. He can be given any task with the confidence that it will be done right the first time. He is one of the most reliable junior Marines in the armory and has shown to the leadership that he is ready for the rank of Corporal.

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Soldier's Name:      SPC Carlos Nieves-Ortiz ​
Unit:                         40th Expeditionary Signal BN, Fort Huachuca, AZ
Position/Title:         MOS 91D Tactical Power Generation Specialist
Component:            Army/Active      
NSN or End Item:    Tactical power generation equipment
Nominated by:        Sammy Harden, Power and Environmental Systems LAR
Justification:           As a SPC, and currently the highest ranking 91 Delta (Tactical Power Generation Specialist) assigned to 40th ESB, SPC Nieves has demonstrated a true passion and commitment to maintaining ground support equipment within his unit. He’s often called upon to assist other maintainers assigned within the battalion with troubleshooting, equipment repair and operator training on power generation systems ranging from 2kW up 60kW. He’s also responsible for setting up the power grid during unit field training exercises by using the Power Distribution Illumination System Electrical (PDISE). He displays professionalism and a strong work ethic on a daily basis. He is a valuable asset to MOS 91D, his unit, the Ordnance Corps, and the US Army. 
 

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Soldier's Name:      COL Jody Neff ​
Unit:                         5th Medical BDE / Bob Dole VA Medical Center 
Position/Title:         Surgeon
Component:            Army/Reserve
NSN or End Item:    Cares for Warfighters and Veterans
Nominated by:        Mr. Cliff Barnard
Justification:          Col Neff is an experienced combat surgeon who has served about seven combat tours in multiple areas of Afghanistan. Many of his combat missions have been in support of special forces. His experiences in combat aids him in dealing with difficult surgeries here at home.