Soldiers prepare to become Non-Commissioned Officers

Photo By Master Sgt. Opal Vaughn | Pennsauken, N.J. native, Spc. Warren Jones, a team leader with 1st Platoon, 1st...... read more read more

Photo By Master Sgt. Opal Vaughn | Pennsauken, N.J. native, Spc. Warren Jones, a team leader with 1st Platoon, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Division, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, answers military related questions during a mock board at Contingency Out-Post Tahrir, located in Diyala, Iraq, Jan. 6.  see less | View Image Page

DIYALA PROVINCE, IRAQ

01.06.2009

Story by Spc. Opal Vaughn  

14th Public Affairs Detachment

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By Spc. Opal Vaughn
14th Public Affairs Detachment

DIYALA, Iraq - Eyes and head straight forward, palms flat against the thigh and heels of the feet placed together at a 45 degree angle. One after another, Soldiers are grilled with military related questions pertaining to the Army rules and regulations guide which Soldiers mirror their daily lives by.

This one scenario is just a glimpse of what many Soldiers go through several times a year in order to be considered for promotion or for the Soldier of the Month board. At the home of the "Bulldogs," Combat Out-Post Tahrir, Soldiers conducted their own version of the board to be chosen as the representative for Bravo Co., 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Soldier of the month, Jan. 6.

"A mock board gives Soldiers a chance to get a feel for the board and to see what it's all about," said Pennsauken, N.J. native, Spc. Warren Jones, a team leader with 1st Platoon, Bravo Co., 1-5 Inf., 1st SBCT, 25th Inf. Div.

"It helps to get all of the scares, butterflies," Jones grinned. "It lets a Soldier know what to expect for the real board. I'm pushing three years now in the military with only having attended a lot of mock boards but never the real board."

There are several boards available to Soldiers throughout the year. But many Soldiers who are board capable want to show they are the best and to do this, they attend the Soldier of the Month board.

"I wanted to utilize this mock board to prepare myself for the Soldier of the month board which will be in the upcoming week," Jones stated. "The difference between the regular board is being promoted. With the Soldier of the Month board, you walk out of their knowing you're the best and I want to be the best."

For Soldiers who have already achieved the status of a non-commissioned officer, going to the board to achieve their E-6 or E-7 may seem like a breeze to them. But with practice comes near perfection.

"Mock boards are very beneficial for not only the lower enlisted Soldier but can be beneficial to an NCO as well," said Lavern, Calif. native, Sgt. Joshua Trout, a squad leader with Bravo Co., 1-5 Inf., 1st SBCT, 25th Inf. Div. "Mock boards consist of a whole shot gun of questions and get Soldiers used to being under pressure."

Trout continued, "As an NCO, it's still good to attend mock boards because sometimes you can forget things. It's better to have someone there to critique you before the real thing. I'm headed to the staff sergeant board so last month I went to the NCO board to prepare myself. I didn't do as well as I wanted to but it was still a good learning experience for me to," Trout smiled.

Winning the mock board and chosen to represent the Bulldogs in the Soldier of the Month board, Spc. Patrick Quinn, a team leader with Bravo Co., 1-5 Inf., 1st SBCT, 25th Inf. Div., breezed through the board with ease.

"I'm trying to get ready for the promotion board," said the Quarryville, Pa. native. "In order to go to the promotion board a Soldier must prove that they have a basic military knowledge. Hopefully if I win tonight's board, I will be headed to the Battalion board."

Preparing Soldiers at a company level and ensuring they are in the best possible position to succeed at the board, is very important for the 1-5 Inf. leadership, according to 1st Sgt. Terry Geller with Bravo Co., 1-5 Inf., 1st SBCT, 25th Inf. Div.

"We're kind of the scare tactic for the Soldiers on a company level to get them ready for the command sergeant majors, sergeant majors and first sergeants who will be grading our guys," Geller stated. "I think it helps them with their confidence and their nerves to get it out before they get to the real board because these Soldiers know their stuff; they just have to be able to spit it out with confidence."

Tactics are the name of the game. Every board of judges uses several tactics, whether a mock board, Soldier of the Month board, or regular board, to mold Soldiers. Eating while, yawning, moving around or fidgeting and even whispering are several tactics used to distract Soldiers attending the board, according to Geller.

"I moved around the room as a distracting factor," Geller stated. "I wanted to see if the Soldier would be easily distracted by focusing on me instead of the sergeant asking the questions. So I try to move around a bit, try to put the pressure on them, try to distract them a bit."

The focus is always on the Soldier, Geller explains. "There are bigger boards past the staff sergeant position. Any and all boards are good for preparation even if a Soldier is a veteran of the board," Geller stated. "We try to stay focused during these boards because we know it's for the Soldiers. Sometimes it can be hard to stay focused, but for the most part we do a pretty good job."

"This time around, we had a lot of guys come through here. We had some guys come in here and we noticed right off the bat they were not prepared so we sent them out. Then there are others who just come through here and this board was a breeze for them," Geller stated. "Even that Soldier can be critiqued and mentored because we do not want to take any useful training away from him just because he might be better at this than another."

"If you plan on staying in the Army, all I can say is go; go to the board and get all the experience you can," Geller added.