2005 Hamilton Award winner: B/2-162 FA, 192nd SIB, PRANG.

B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 162nd Field Artillery (B/2-162 FA), Puerto Rico Army National Guard (PRARNG), has won the Alexander Hamilton Best ARNG Battery Award for 2005. Captain Jose J. Cruzado commands the battery with NCO leader First Sergeant Jorge Diaz. Bravo Battery has performed extremely well and clearly will maintain its excellent attitude and motivation for future missions. 2-162 FA supports the 92nd Separate Infantry Brigade (SIB).

Named for Alexander Hamilton, a Revolutionary War artilleryman and American statesman, the Hamilton Award was established in 2002. It annually recognizes a high-performing ARNG battery based on specific criteria and a performance narrative. (For more information, see the website "Knox, Hamilton and Gruber Awards" at http:// sill-www.army.mil/awards/default.htm.)

B/2-162 FA is Number One in Quality Force Indicator (QFI) percentages for 2005, a measure of unit readiness in the National Guard. For example, the battery's reenlistment rate was 99 percent--thanks to the participation of the unit's families. One hundred percent of the battery's personnel are military occupational specialty qualified (MOSQ).

Because of their high motivation, B/2-162 FA's Soldiers are well trained and take responsibilities leading to promotions. The unit's promotions include one staff sergeant promoted to sergeant first class, five sergeants promoted to staff sergeant, and five specialists promoted to sergeant. Also, 18 Soldiers earned Army Achievement Medals this past year.

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B Battery has consistently "gone the extra mile" and won the Best Firing Unit for two consecutive years at Annual Training (AT) 2004 and AT 2005 at Camp Blanding, Florida. During AT, B Battery conducted realistic and relevant training as a team.

B Battery also earned the Best Unit in Administration award during 2005.

All Soldiers maintain the Army and civilian values. These values help develop a cohesive, well prepared and motivated team that can accomplish any mission.

The Soldiers have unique pride and are as committed to equipment readiness as they are to Soldier readiness. Five areas were inspected during a command maintenance evaluation team (COMET) inspection by the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics (DCSLOG) on 13 October. During the battery's inspection, all five areas were in compliance with Army and local inspection standards with four of those areas deemed commendable. This kind of result is always a team effort.

During 2005, the battery was involved in several non-mission-essential task list (METL) missions. One of these missions included supporting security units and helping to build schools in Nicaragua in April. Then, B Battery deployed to Europe to secure Air Force bases in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). B Battery Soldiers also were involved in support and security operations for areas affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana.

B Battery, with its high-performing Soldiers and leaders, will lead the battalion to win in combat.