Photo By Sgt. Daniel Schneider | Staff Sgt. Juan Chavira, communications and electronics shop noncommissioned officer...... read more read more
BAGHDAD – Following a time honored Army tradition, 11 Soldiers from Division Special Troops Battalion, 1st Armored Division, overcame multiple physical and mental challenges to be named the battalion Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter.
For three days, beginning June 28, the “Iron” Soldiers tested their limits in various tasks around Camp Liberty.
The first morning of the competition started at 5 a.m. with an Army Physical Fitness Test. One hour after the test, an essay that had been assigned to them the night before was due.
Competitors were then tested on first response skills to a simulated medical catastrophe. As four wounded Soldiers yelled and screamed, suffering from mock wounds, medical NCOs also yelled as each Soldier treated and prepared the wounded for medical evacuation.
“We yelled at the Soldiers to add stress to the event, to make the Soldiers think in terms of what a real environment is,” said Sgt. 1st Class Arthur James, DSTB medical NCO in charge. “We wanted it to be fair across the board since there [were] medics competing too.”
Amid all the distractions, they also had to call in a 9-line medevac message over the radio. A 9-line medevac is a method of calling an ambulance or helicopter to evacuate casualties.
The day continued with the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000, an indoor digital weapons range, where the competitors familiarized themselves with the M16 rifle and M9 pistol for the next day’s exercise.
The third day proved to be physically grueling. The day began again at 5 a.m., with a land navigation course around Victory Base Complex, on foot. In the middle of the course, Soldiers arrived at Caughman Range where, despite being worn out from wearing armor for miles, they had to qualify with the M16 and M9 weapon systems.
“The land navigation course was exhausting,” said Sgt. Jonathan Woods, NCO in charge of airspace command and control, assigned to Company A. “It took more than four hours to finish the course.”
On the fourth and final day of the competition, Soldiers were tested on their knowledge of military customs and courtesies during a formal board in front of first sergeants and the battalion command sergeant major.
Later that evening, Lt. Col. Lane Turner, commander of DSTB, pinned Army Achievement Medals on the Soldier of the Quarter: Pfc. Katelyn Parente; and the NCO of the Quarter: Woods.
Following the ceremony, Woods recalled the past three days.
“It wasn’t much fun while it was going on,” the New Orleans native said, “but I kept telling myself, it’s just three days. I can get through it.”
Woods didn’t think he had a chance to win when he saw some of his fellow NCOs dominate the first few events, but he stuck it out and persevered.
“Even when I didn’t think I could win, I kept going and made up for it in later events,” said Woods. “Never give up and anything’s possible.”
Parente, a driver assigned to 501st Military Police Company, said her inspiration for participating in the Soldier of the Quarter competition was to set herself above her peers.
“Why do anything halfway?” asked Parente, a West Greenwich, R.I., native.
She said Pvt. Anthony Carey, an M240B machine gunner assigned to 501st, helped her throughout the exercise.
“A lot of people think that this competition is a solo exercise, but having help is always useful,” Parente said. “We helped bring each other up every step of the way.”
The winners of the event will participate in the Soldier and NCO of the Year competition.
During the award ceremony, Command Sgt. Maj. Sal Katz, a Los Angeles native and the senior enlisted leader of DSTB, said he was proud of the Soldier and NCO of the Quarter prospects, specifically singling out Carey’s participation.
“Pvt. Carey just joined the Army less than a year ago and he’s already out here standing above and beyond more experienced Soldiers,” said Katz. “It makes me proud as an NCO to see the future of the Army through him – a young Soldier willing to stand above the trials at hand. He did a great job and held his own against Soldiers who’ve been in for three or four times as long as him.”
“My hat goes off to all of the Soldiers you see sitting before you,” Katz continued. “They are the pride of DSTB, and all of them were within a few points of each other in determining the Soldier of the Quarter and NCO of the Quarter. I really enjoyed watching them through the entire exercise, and can’t express how proud I am of all of them.”
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2010 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 52296 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 131 |
| Downloads: | 104 |
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