Photo By Staff Sgt. Karen Ingham | Soldiers form up at the 2010 1st Theater Sustainment Command Non-commissioned Officer...... read more read more
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – The Non-commissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year Competition for the 1st Theater Sustainment Command was held, May 10-14. The competition is designed to select the Soldier and NCO that stand out most from their peers. The Soldiers must be well versed in Army knowledge and Army Warrior Tasks to prevail in the end.
The winners of both the NCO and Soldier of the Year are from B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery Regiment, which supports 1st TSC operations. The National Guard unit stationed in Sinai, Egypt is part of the Multi-National Force and Forward Observers.
Staff Sgt. Jared Meier, a native of Topeka, Kan., took top honors in the NCO competition. Meier excelled in every event, receiving the Warrior Skills Award and also Top Gun Award for scoring a perfect score on his M16 A-2 rifle.
Spc. Stephen Levins from Ottawa, Kan., won Soldier of the Year. Levins also received The Iron Warrior Award for scoring the highest on the Army Physical Fitness Test.
The two have been studying off and on since November, according to Meier. Starting in April they increased their study time to about four hours a night and included time on the M16 qualification range.
"This has been the best competition I have competed in thus far," said Levins. "It's an honor to win and has been a great opportunity for me."
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Espinal stated numerous times throughout the competition, "It's not about winning; it's about what you learn from this experience."
The NCO competition consisted of: Sgt. 1st Class Justin Broadwater, Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 653rd Regional Support Group; Staff Sgt. Jared Meier, Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery Regiment; Sgt. David Clogg, 1st TSC; Sgt. Richard Delgado, 62nd Chemical Company; Sgt. Christopher Mancino, 82nd Special Troops Battalion and Sgt. Jessica Ramus, 2nd Transportation Company.
The Soldiers competing were: Spc. Bernardo Camarena, Task Force Deployment/ Redeployment Operations; Spc. Matthew Hernandez, 5th Maintenance Company; Spc. Stephen Levins, Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery Regiment; Spc. James O'Donoghue III, 511th Engineer Dive Detachment; and Spc. XiaoXiao Wang, 469th Combat Service Support Battalion.
The event kicked off bright and early at 5:00 a.m. with an Army Physical Fitness Test. Soldiers had to complete as many push-ups, and sit-ups to standard as they could in two minutes along with a two-mile run.
Later that morning, the Soldiers made their way out to the weapons qualification range. They competed with M16A2 rifles in basic rifle marksmanship using only 40 rounds to achieve the highest possible score of 40 out of 40.
The last event for the day was the Army Warrior Tasks. NCOs and Soldiers went around to multiple stations where they were evaluated in a broad spectrum of critical skills including First Aid, communications, land navigation and rifle efficiency.
On the final day of competition the competitors took a 50 question multiple-choice test and wrote an essay. They also faced a panel of six sergeants major.
The Soldiers and NCOs were graded on appearance, military bearing and general knowledge of the U.S. Army.
With the competitive events out of the way the Soldiers were given a day to just relax and unwind from the exhausting days of events and wait for the results.
Awards were presented by Espinal and Brig. Gen. Nickolas Tooliatos, deputy commander of 1st TSC, to participants who scored highest in each event.
The NCO and Soldier of the Year earned an Army Accommodation Medal, plaque, coin display and an Army & Air Force Exchange Service gift certificate.
"The board was very competitive," said Meier. "I was surprised to win, but I was more excited that my Soldier Levins won. We have been working really hard and I have been encouraging him along the way."
The NCO and Soldier of the Year runners-up earned an Army Achievement Medal and a plaque for their exceptional work.
With this being his first time competing in a Soldier of the Year Competition, Levins hopes to improve on his warrior tasks and gain more experience for the next level of competition.
The next competition will be for Third Army's NCO and Soldier of the Year in June.
| Date Taken: | 05.14.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2010 04:51 |
| Story ID: | 49785 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 540 |
| Downloads: | 257 |
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