Dagger Soldier earns honors as Fort Riley 'Paralegal Soldier of the Year'

Photo By Sgt. Dustin Roberts | Col. Joseph Martin (right), commander, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team "Dagger," 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, asks for a round of applause for Spc. Nickolas Heystek, a paralegal specialist with the Dagger Brigade, after presenting a coin to him for excellence. Heystek competed against three fellow Dagger Soldiers and earned recognition as Fort Riley's 'Paralegal Soldier of the Year' Dec. 5.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

12.12.2008

Story by Sgt. Dustin Roberts 

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

By Spc. Dustin Roberts
2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Public Affairs Office

BAGHDAD – A Multi-National Division Soldier from the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team "Dagger", 1st Infantry Division, won 1st place in the annual Fort Riley, Kan., Paralegal Soldier of the Year competition at the 1st Inf. Div. headquarters building via video teleconference from Camp Victory, Dec. 5.

Spc. Nickolas Heystek, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd HBCT, a paralegal specialist, who is a native of Kalamazoo, Mich., competed against three other Soldiers in the brigade to determine who was fit as the most knowledgeable junior paralegal Soldier in the division.

Heystek, who has served in the Army for 2.5 years, will be presented an Army Commendation Medal for his achievement.

Col. Joseph Martin, commander, 2nd HBCT, 1st Inf. Div., also presented Heystek with a Dagger Brigade coin for excellence.

"This has definitely brought me to a new level in my knowledge of the job," said Heystek. "It feels good to have bragging rights."

Throughout the year, the division held four Paralegal Soldier of the Quarter boards and selected three Soldiers, all of whom are Dagger Brigade Soldiers, in the process to compete for the honors.

Heystek, along with Spc. Efran Leal, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd HBCT, operationally attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division., and Spc. Marcos Brito, HHC, 2nd HBCT, 1st Inf. Div., were all asked questions on topics they would usually see in a promotion board, such as map-reading, leadership and land navigation.

The primary focus of the board however, were specific to their job, Heystek said.

"We were asked questions on Army regulations concerning legal assistance, claims and military justice," he said. "Spc. Brito and I threw questions at each other every night for the past few weeks to study for it, and he and Spc. Leal did an outstanding job in the competition."

Sgt. 1st Class Mark Dennison, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the brigade legal office, said he was proud that all three competitors were Dagger Soldiers who worked with him.

"It was a great feeling that they competed against each other because all three of them do outstanding work," said Dennison. "They all take initiative and make sure the job is done correctly all the time. They really make my job easy."

Unknown to Heystek, his wife, Bethany Heystek, took the initiative and showed up at the 1st Infantry Division headquarters at Fort Riley to watch the VTC competition.

"She showed her face at the end – and surprised me," said the smiling Heystek. "She told me she was proud of me, and she knew that I could do it."

• Date Taken: 12.12.2008
• Date Posted: 12.12.2008 03:39
• Story ID: 27566
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ