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FORWARD OPERATING BASE SWEENEY, Afghanistan - The sun-baked
gravel on the landing zone of Forward Operating Base Sweeney
appeared as lava stones in a sauna. The shaded connex gave a
deceptive invitation of a more comfortable climate to work in.
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Sgt. Fabricio Granados, an Oakland, Calif., native who serves in
power equipment and generator repair for Forward Support Company,
2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne
Division, fixes a generator while simultaneously mentoring other
Soldiers on what the problem is and how to fix it in the future on
Forward Operating Base Sweeney, Afghanistan, June 19, 2014.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston)
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Entering the shade, however, the invitation
proved to be nothing but a mirage. Drenched in sweat, Sgt. Fabricio
Granados, an Oakland, Calif., native ignores the discomfort of the
heat to count and distribute water to the thirsty, putting
self-interest aside to serve a higher cause.
Granados serves in power equipment and
generator repair for Forward Support Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th
Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, at Kandahar
Airfield, Afghanistan. His altruistic character and life experience
has molded him into a versatile noncommissioned officer.
“He's an awesome NCO, and he's a quiet professional,” said Granado's
supervisor, 1st Sgt. Rebecca Schlegelmilch, a Munster, Indiana,
native who serves as first sergeant for the FSC, 2nd Battalion,
504th PIR, 82nd Airborne Division. “He has such a broad spectrum of
knowledge because of his experience throughout life. He can do
anything, and he does so much more than fix generators.”
Aside from being a generator mechanic, Granados is the
noncommissioned officer in charge of nine Soldiers who support their
battalion with a variety of skill sets, all of which he is competent
in.
“Right now I am the NCOIC of the
communications and armament shop,” Granados said, “which includes
nine Soldiers: four armament personnel that work on weapons, one
that works on NVG's [night vision goggles], another who works on
radios, and I have a welder, an AC mechanic, and a generator
mechanic.”
All of the skills Granados has accrued over
the years he puts to use in support of a cause that he feels is
bigger than himself.
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“Whatever we're called to do, it's in support of that
company or battalion we're attached to,” Granados said. “I
know a little about everything, and I feel that's why
they're always calling us to go on missions. They're
constantly drawing on our knowledge and expertise to
complete the mission.”
Another facet of Granados' job
is to assist CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilots attach and
detach sling loads that carry essential supplies to Soldiers
and other service members in remote areas of southern
Afghanistan.
“It's just another part of my job,”
Granados said. “We get word from the support element back at
base that food, water, fuel, or whatever they need is
coming, and then we make sure we're ready to detach the load
that they're bringing or attach a load that they need to
lift out.”
Granadosm, currently on his second
deployment, has refined his skills over the years doing his
job in the Army.
“My first deployment was with the
5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment in Iraq, and I got a lot
of really good hands-on experience there,” Granados said. “I
really love my job with the Army. It's been very good to me
since I first joined eight years ago, so I'm just trying to
be good to it.”
Granados is a very optimistic and
progressive leader who leads his Soldiers by example, said
Staff Sgt. Matthew Gallagher, a native of Detroit, Mich.,
who serves as section sergeant for FSC, 2nd Battalion, 504th
PIR.
“It's just something that's part of him.
Whatever company he's attached to, he makes it better. He's
a leader that the Army is going to need in the future; he's
a real go-getter.”
Granados has been shown throughout
his military career a variety of leadership styles. One
leader he had early on in his military career that set a
foundation upon which he has built his leadership skills
sticks out in his mind.
“Sgt. 1st Class Dexter
Trotter was always there for me, and wherever he was, he was
always doing the right thing,” Granados said. “I never saw
him get into any kind of trouble, he was always fair and
impartial when correcting Soldiers, and he was always there
to listen as a buddy and a peer. I always thought to myself,
‘That's how I want to be.'”
Granados claims that his
eagerness to serve stems from his youth, where he would
often help his father out of necessity. Granados and his
Family are an example of gaining the American dream by
coming to the states from Central America with an ideal for
a better life.
“My family emigrated from El Salvador
to the U.S. on a work visa when I was three years old, and
my dad was very eager to succeed in his new country,”
Granados said. “I have six brothers, and I'm the oldest, so
I had to grow up fast. When I was a teenager, my dad was
working at a hotel in San Francisco, and in order to support
the family he would have side jobs on the weekends, so
naturally I was his foreman.”
Not only did Granados'
father teach him to work, perhaps more importantly he taught
him to value thoroughness and ownership of his work.
“My dad would always say, ‘If you're going to do something
do it right the first time.'”
Granados' favorite part
of his job is mentoring young Soldiers in the same way he
was mentored by his father and beloved noncommissioned
officers.
“I love to show my Soldiers that the
military is good and I try to instill in them a good work
ethic, because all in all, my squad is a reflection of me.”
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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