The tough, hands on competition tested their skills as individuals and non-commissioned officers during the 5th Armored Brigade NCO of the Quarter Board held Oct. 6-7 at McGregor Range, N.M.

The competition was challenging as seven Soldiers sought out for the title of being the best in the brigade, along with the opportunity to advance further in the competition.

Starting early in the morning, the first event was the Army Physical Fitness Test.

Staff Sergeant Mike Franka, observer controller/trainer for the 3rd Battalion, 360th Regiment, "Roughriders" maxed his push-ups with 77 repetitions, crunching out 82 sit-ups and ran two miles in 13 minutes 34 seconds. Scoring 297 was a disappointment for Franka, who said he should have pushed himself a little bit harder and gotten a perfect score of 300.

Learning just three weeks prior that he was nominated by his 1st Sgt. because he is "high speed", Franka quickly studied up on the roughly 25 different testable categories in "his spare time" between long work days and his physical fitness program.

"Physically, I've been running, working out a lot, trying to get in shape for it," said Franka.

Already in tip-top shape, Franka wanted to ensure he was going to be at the top of his game for this competition among the other NCOs.

Striving to be a better Soldier, Franka said the NCO board is beneficial for the training on weapons, land navigation, and studying up on Army Regulations.

"There's a lot of things I don't normally deal with because I am on OC/T," said Franka. "But it's good to know as an NCO —a lot of technical things like the different AR's and UCMJ. It's good to know in case you ever run into a situation where you need that stuff."

Taking his role as a non-commissioned officer genuinely, Franka focused on the end result and what his accomplishment would mean to himself, his peers, and his leaders.

"I'm representing the NCO Corps. I think a lot of this training is going to make me a better NCO —the competition is great, I have never done a board in my life, never competed in NCO of the Quarter, it's definitely a new experience," said Franka.

Testing his own physical limits was Staff Sgt. Joseph Quain of 1st Battalion, 360th Regiment, "Warhawg", observer controller/trainer on the close quarters combat training lane and the Urban Operations lane.

On November 14, 2007, Quain was in deployed to Iraq when he was hit with an improved explosive device. His injuries sustained from the IED lead to a long hard road of recovery, but one that has made Quain a better NCO.

"I had to get myself up to par," said Quain after he was well again.

His personal reason for the challenge among other NCOs was to see if he was up to par two years after the incident.

"I have to lead by example for my Soldiers, and this training is a great refresher," said Quain. "This forces you to study so you are proficient."

Overcoming his injuries and making sure he was still able to do what NCOs do —endure a six mile road march in the hot desert after land navigation, a physical fitness test, assemble and disassemble weapons, qualify on his weapon, and working with the dagger, was in keeping with the NCO standards.

Staff Sergeant Edgar Huerta-Lopez of 3rd Battalion, 362nd Regiment, "Stallion" was happy he was selected to represent his task force. His peers and leaders helped him prepare for this task by conducting mock boards, assisting him with study materials, and a refresher course on the various training tasks.

"It gave me a little bit more confidence with the tasks during the competition, especially with first aid," said Huerta-Lopez. "They are things you can't loose, you have to continue to perform on it and enhance on it to get better."

The physical endurance also took a toll on the Soldiers as the hot sun beat down on them while they were in full "battle rattle".

"After doing land navigation, the range, and weapons, it was towards the middle of the day and the sun was at its hottest," said Huerta-Lopez, "and the temperature got really hot, and in the desert terrain, it got really, really hot. That was the most challenging part."

The Soldiers pumped each other up and worked together even though it was a competition. The Soldiers helped each other as much as they could, whether it was motivation, or the encouragement they were doing well. The Soldiers were in this together, and used their best resources available, each other.

"That was one of the main things. There was no animosity —we helped each other but didn't give the full answer —we guided each other in the right direction," said Huerta-Lopez.

The event culminated with the Soldiers going before the committee of sergeants major. Each member asked the Soldier questions on the 25 categories and were awarded points. At the end of the day, the winner was chosen based upon who scored the highest points during all of the events.

Command Sgt. Maj. John R. Baldwin, 5th Armored Brigade command Sgt. Maj. thanked each NCO for representing their battalion and for putting in their hard work during the board.

"At the end of the day, one Soldier came out on top, Staff Sgt. Huerta-Lopez, good job," said Baldwin.

"I won?" asked a surprised Huerta-Lopez. "I credit all the NCOs who competed. They all were very knowledgeable."

"I'm glad I didn't disappoint my leaders," said Huerta-Lopez. "I am very happy."