“I would like thank God for blessing me with the opportunity and ability to serve this great nation for the past 16-plus years in the greatest Army on earth.” SFC Matthew Clayton
CULLMAN, Ala. – Local U.S. Army Recruiter, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Clayton was recently accepted into the prestigious Sergeant Audie Murphy Club (SAMC), which describes itself as “an elite organization of noncommissioned officers (NCOs) who have demonstrated performance and inherent leadership qualities and abilities characterized by those of Sergeant Audie Murphy.”
According to the SAMC page on the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Website (www.audiemurphy.com), members accepted into the organization must “exemplify leadership characterized by personal concern for the needs, training, development, and welfare of Soldiers and concern for families of Soldiers.”
Selection for the SAMC is divided into three phases: Commander’s Nomination, Initial Selection and Final Selection. First, the unit commanders who recommend NCOs for selection evaluate candidates prior to their appearance before the initial selection board. Initial selection under the direction of the unit senior NCO numerically scores the candidates on a variety of criteria to determine if they should continue to final selection. If approved, the candidates appear before a final selection board made up of a command sergeant major and three or more command or sergeants major. Through a question and answer system, the board determines if the candidates have “reached a level of knowledge in a range of subjects to warrant induction into the SAMC. Candidates successfully meeting standards of final selection board will be selected for induction into the SAMC.”
SFC Clayton outlined his military history in his introduction letter to the selection board, and he allowed The Tribune to share the information about his service. “I joined the Army in 2004 out of my hometown Rockingham, North Carolina. I attended basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and AIT (Advanced Infantry Training) at Fort Eustis, Virginia earning the MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) 88N, Transportation Management Coordinator, and was recognized by the battalion commander for being the class commander.”
Clayton’s first assignment saw him in South Korea as a movements specialist over airfield operations. “I revised two SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and developed an operations guide that was adopted by battalion. After completing Warrior Leaders Course and the promotion board to sergeant, I was pinned by the 19th ESC Commander, Brigadier General Raymond V. Mason, at 24 months in the Army.” Re-enlisting in 2008 sent him to Kure, Japan, serving as the senior NCO managing stock ammunition depots. “I learned Japanese during my two years there and coordinated three major bilateral training exercises between the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces and Army National Guard units. I also managed a special mission in Diego Garcia as ADACG (Arrival-Departure Airfield Control Group) NCO In Charge for the RSOI (Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, and Integration) of the 5-2 Striker BCT (Brigade Combat Team) from Fort Lewis to Kandahar.”
After five years of service, Clayton achieved the rank of staff sergeant. His next deployment took him to the Kuwait-Iraq border, where he served as a transportation supervisor in charge of eight soldiers and managed 24-hour convoy operations working with Kuwait Customs, Immigration and Border Security. He was reassigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky after completing the Advanced Leader Course in March 2012, and in August 2012 he was deployed to Afghanistan. There he managed “all air cargo and personnel movements throughout the area of operations.”
Clayton transitioned into the Army Reserve in 2014 and was accepted as a career counselor. Three years later, he applied for the Active Guard Reserve program as a recruiter, and he is currently assigned to the Cullman Station, Huntsville Company, Montgomery Recruiting Battalion. In May 2020, he achieved the rank of sergeant first class.
“My short-term goals are to be inducted into the SAMC and complete by bachelor’s degree,” Clayton stated. “My long-term goals are to reclassify back to career counselor and achieve the rank of command sergeant major.” He described himself as a “passionate and caring leader” and stated that he hoped to be considered for the SAMC in order to “carry on the legacy of the organization while mentoring the next generation of leaders.”
Clayton told The Tribune of the SAMC honor, “I would like thank God for blessing me with the opportunity and ability to serve this great nation for the past 16-plus years in the greatest Army on earth. I want to say a special thanks to wife Katy and my two boys for supporting me and being my biggest fans while I’ve prepared. I’d like to thank my brothers in the Cullman Recruiting Station for the loyalty, selfless service and encouragement. Thanks to my leaders and mentors who recommended me and pushed me to achieve this distinction. I’m extremely humbled and honored to simply be considered qualified for the SAMC. Getting inducted into this phenomenal group of professionals is one of my greatest accomplishments. I’ve always admired the SAMC, but never considered myself eligible. I look forward to carrying on the legacy of the organization and mentor the next generation of leaders! ‘You lead from the front!’”
About Audie Murphy (www.army.mil)
“Audie Leon Murphy, son of poor Texas sharecroppers, rose to national fame as the most decorated U.S. combat soldier of World War II. Among his 33 awards and decorations was the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery that can be given to any individual in the United States of America, for ‘conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.’ He also received every decoration for valor that his country had to offer, some of them more than once, including 5 decorations by France and Belgium. Credited with both killing over 240 of the enemy while wounding and capturing many others, he became a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division. Beginning his service as an Army Private, Audie quickly rose to the enlisted rank of Staff Sergeant, was given a ‘battlefield’ commission as 2nd Lieutenant, was wounded three times, fought in 9 major campaigns across the European Theater, and survived the war.”
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