Sgt David Bill
48th BCT PAO
BAGHDAD -- The board has met and the votes are'the 48th Brigade Combat Team has selected its top Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter.
Spc. Nicholas Ives of the 648th Engineer Battalion and Sgt. Eric Lynn of the 248th Military Intelligence Company were named the best of the best in 48th BCT.
The selection process allowed each of the battalions and separate units within the brigade to send their top troops to address a board of senior NCOs in order to vie for the honor of being named Soldier and NCO of the Quarter.
"It gives the Soldiers a break from the rigors of deployment. It strengthens their bonds through friendly competition," said 48th BCT Command Sgt. Maj. James Nelson Jr.
Six candidates for Soldier of the Quarter were brought individually before the board of sergeants major and first sergeants who represented major battalions and separate companies assigned to the 48th BCT. The candidates were questioned on topics that ranged from military customs and courtesies; awards and decorations; brigade history; Army programs; the Army chain of command; and the Enlisted Promotion System.
After doing a series of facing movements, each candidate sat in front of the board which watched their every move and listened to every response.
"It feels good to have your skills tested. It is an honor to be selected," said Ives, who was able to successfully answer the majority of the questions fired at him.
"I studied mostly at night and between missions," added the college student from Statesboro, Ga. and driver for Company A.
As a finance major at Georgia Southern University, Ives plans for a career in real estate as well as a long career in the National Guard.
The NCO of the Quarter, Sgt Eric Lynn, an active-duty Soldier augmenting the 248th Military Intelligence Company as an analyst, hit the study guides more frequently.
"I've been studying for a month preparing for the active duty E-6 promotion board. This was a good rehearsal for that board." Lynn said.
Lynn was eloquent as he responded sharply to each question with a quick, clear-cut answer as if he were reading it directly from a field manual or Army regulation.
His confidence and candor impressed the panel of senior NCOs. "It was a very close competition until we got to him," said one panel member.
"I'll help others in the company prepare for the next board," said Lynn, a Flint, Mich., resident.
"The purpose of these boards is to allow Soldiers to keep up their general knowledge while participating in friendly competition," said Nelson. "The brigade commander and I want to continue to foster friendly competition between the units. This is a good way to do that."