Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer Joshua Treadwell | Army Sgt. Benjamin Dippolito's official photograph after winning non-commissioned...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba — For a Trooper, going before a board of senior-ranking non-commissioned officers is a traditional event. Whether it is for a promotion or an opportunity to stand out among their peers, Troopers from all around Joint Task Force Guantanamo spend countless hours studying, attending mock boards and conducting physical training in preparation for these boards.
Two Soldiers from the 525th Military Police Battalion were successful and won the Soldier of the Quarter and Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter competitions for Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
Army Pfc. Caroline Thwaits, Soldier of the Quarter, and Army Sgt. Benjamin Dippolito, NCO of the Quarter, also recently competed in U.S. Army South Soldier and NCO of the Quarter boards at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, April 6-9. Results for this next level of competition are still pending.
"I am excited and nervous," Thwaits said.
This was her fourth board.
"My first board was in February," Thwaits continued. "I have been studying since the middle of January. I went over the study guide and had my senior leadership quiz me. I feel anyone can win if they apply themselves to studying."
Dippolito, with hopes of making his company in the 525th proud at Fort Sam Houston, is a veteran at this stage of his career. He has competed in 20 boards.
"This was my fourth consecutive board," Dippolito, from Scottsville, Ky., said. "When I got to my unit here, my first sergeant said I was going to keep going until I win one. The more practice you have at these boards, the better you will be. If you keep going to them — the more you know."
Ultimately, it is up to the individual whether they are successful, explained Army Sgt. 1st Class Don Chandler, platoon sergeant for Dippolito and Thwaits.
"My role was to ensure the Soldiers had adequate study material and time to prepare for the Soldier and NCO of the quarter boards," Chandler said. "I set up peer groups and mock boards. They help the Soldiers get a sense of what it feels like to report and stand in front of a board. It is their desire to want to excel above their peers that results in their success."
The Soldiers who compete in these boards face various tasks, such as land navigation, physical training, qualification and other military fundamentals.
"The benefit of going to a board is to prepare a Soldier for when they eventually present themselves in front of a promotion board," Chandler continued. "Every board they go to is for their benefit. Any board they can participate in now is just going to help them in the long run. Every board will not be the same."
The success of a Soldier is directly related to how much effort they put into it, explained Chandler.
"The Soldiers' success is a reflection of them and how much they desire to set themselves apart from their peers," Chandler said. "It has little to do with their leadership; the bulk of the responsibility lies on the Soldier. They have to want it."
For more information about Joint Task Force Guantanamo, visit the Web site at www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil.
| Date Taken: | 04.10.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 04.14.2009 14:57 |
| Story ID: | 32388 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 166 |
| Downloads: | 136 |
This work, Thwaits, Dippolito lead the way for the 525th, by SGT Michael Baltz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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