SERGEANT CHRIS WINTERS

SERGEANT CHRIS WINTERS

Reported By RET C.Brock January 6, 2022

Sergeant Chris Winters joined the 3rd Infantry Division Realism Unit on April 29, 2021 and was assigned as a Fireteam Member in First Squad, First Platoon, Alpha Company. By July 14, he was selected as Squad Medic from within First Squad. On September 5, he was once again promoted within First Squad to Alpha Fireteam Leader and has been leading in that billet since.

Throughout his time here, Sergeant Winters has shown a very strong passion for our unit, dedication, patriotism, valor, fidelity, and professional excellence. He shows these traits while excelling in his combat leadership role of Fireteam Leader, and in his DMOS service, which includes work as Drill Instructor in S-3 Operations - Force Improvement Group and Land Combat Support System Specialist in S-4 Logistics - Corps of Engineers. He has earned the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal with “C” device, the Army Achievement Medal with “C” device, the Basic Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, and the Combat Infantry Badge, among other awards. In view of these qualities, his demonstrated leadership potential, and dedicated service, Sergeant Christ Winters has been awarded the Soldier’s Medal and selected as the 4th Quarter 2021 Soldier of the Quarter.

SOLDIER'S MEDAL

Tell us a little about yourself. I'm currently a university student and a Latvian National Guardsman, I got into gaming almost a decade ago, i started out with mainly FPS and strategy games and have loved the genre ever since, when I got a little older I started getting into multiplayer and learnt most of my English talking with people all around the globe.

Why did you join 3rdID and what keeps you here? Me joining was a bit of a fluke really, I had posted a thread on steam looking for a group, and another unit had already approached me, but then I decided to go back and see who else had posted comments on that thread, low and behold a certain MAJ J.LaFlash had left a small but powerful comment: We have been running since 2003 so we'll be here when you're ready! That confidence really spoke to me so I decided to check the unit out, and everything screamed quality from the website to the uniforms, and i think that is what keeps me here I want to help build upon and continue this units lineage plus i have met some great people with the same vision along the way.

Any favorite/funny/memorable moment throughout your whole time in the unit? Yeah absolutely, one of them has to be me and at the time SPC K.Holmes getting in a Stryker that has trenches dug a little too close to it, as soon as he got in the Stryker exploded and was launched into the stratosphere, and then as a joke we put the army astronauts badge on his uniform. The other one is more recent where the majority platoon following the lead vic ended up in the middle of a river.

Any advice to give to your fellow soldiers? Set your mind to a goal and work to achieve it and do not rest until you get there, and talk to your peers to understand where you might be lacking and then work to better yourself. No one is born a great leader you look at other leaders and mold all of their leadership styles into something you deem worthy, and because it is something you create yourself there is going to be a certain bias attached, that's why is so important to have people around you, who you trust and who are gonna call you out when something is not up to par.

What army value is the most important to you and why? Integrity, its really the foundation of all other army values and both the soldiers and NCO creed, without integrity you cannot succeed as a soldier, a leader or a unit. Because integrity is being yourself and telling it how you see it even when its hard, integrity is taking HEAT rounds for your subordinates and battle buddies.

What motivates you? I think the big one is putting the hours in and seeing the reward for mine and my battle buddies work, seeing people grow and polish themselves as leaders, and gain both tactical and administrative knowledge is just really exciting for me.

Any valuable lessons you have learned while being in the unit? Morale is key, it doesn't matter if you are in a leadership position or not, do everything in your power to keep morale and cohesion high. Also just talk to people there are great things you can learn just chatting.