MNBG E conducts soldier & NCO of the rotation boards

Photo By 1st Sgt. James Wagner | U.S. Army soldiers from Multinational Battle Group East (MNBG E) participated in the Kosovo Force (KFOR15) soldier and NCO of the Rotation board at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, Aug. 18-21, 2012. The competitors, selected from winners of their respective unit's quarterly boards, vied for top honors in a number of events designed to test their knowledge and competence in common Army skills, including: physical fitness, counseling, weapons proficiency, land navigation, first aid and call for fire. The winners were Staff Sgt. Matthew Eubank (NCO of the Rotation) and Spc. Joshua Ludecke (Soldier of the Rotation), both from the Georgia Army National Guard.  

CAMP BONDSTEEL, KOSOVO

08.21.2012

Story by Sgt. 1st Class James Wagner 

172nd Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo-Multinational Battle Group East (MNBG E) put forward the best of its junior enlisted and non-commissioned officer (NCO) force with soldier and NCO of the Rotation boards conducted Aug. 18-21 at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

NCO honors went to Staff Sgt. Matthew Eubank of the U.S. Contingent (U.S. COY), while Spc. Joshua Ludecke of the Liaison Monitoring Team (LMT) took soldier of the rotation honors.

Runners-up in the soldier (E-4 and below) category were Spcs. Jason Cormier and Kyle Black of the U.S. COY; runners-up in the NCO (E-5 & E-6) category were Staff Sgt. Timothy Bailey from Task Force Aviation and Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Peets of the LMT.

According to Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley J. Shields, MNBG- E Command Sergeant Major, it was a very competitive board and he congratulated the efforts of all who participated, as well as their sponsors who helped ready them.

While the board itself is conducted to determine the best NCO and soldier, the overall process is to make for a better-rounded member of the Army.

"We wanted the soldiers walking away from the board learning something," Shields said. "It was designed so that no one task force within the battle group had an advantage - we had tactical, fitness and Army knowledge."

The soldier and NCO of the Rotation board was a four-day affair, more akin to a mini-boot camp, with participants sleeping in separate housing during the event to focus exclusively on the competition.

Graded events included: an 8-mile ruck march, Army Physical Fitness Test, M-4 weapons qualification, Rules of Engagement (ROE) virtual shooter, written exam, soldier/NCO Creed and personal appearance board.

Soldiers from the Georgia Army National Guard's 3rd Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, came out on top of the competition; both Eubank and Ludecke hail from the state, while in all, Georgia soldiers took five of the six top spots as runners-up.

Ludecke said he was happy with his individual performance in the competition and had spent hours of study and effort with his sponsor to ensure a successful performance. While the events were such that every participant had a chance to take top honors, he was especially proud of the results that saw his home unit - Georgia Army National Guard's 3rd Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment - do so well.

"Being in the [3-108th CAV], we're a pretty prideful bunch," he said. "It meant a lot to us to be able to do so well at the board."

Lt. Col. Joseph Lynch, 3-108th CAV commander, said he and Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Marks, 3-108 CAV command sergeant major, couldn't be more proud of the efforts of their Soldiers.

"Our soldiers and NCOs continue to demonstrate that they are some of the most professional, disciplined and hard working Soldiers within the battle group," Lynch said. "I think this demonstrates the quality leadership that we have in this unit, from the squad level to the squadron level. These soldiers and NCOs have demonstrated the excellence and professionalism that is the reason there is a long list of Soldiers wanting to join the 3-108th Cavalry Squadron. "

Shields said one of the key components of the board not normally seen was the E-4 performance evaluation and NCO Evaluation Report (NCOER) portion of the competition. Soldiers were given a scenario and required to counsel and write an evaluation or NCOER based on that information. Writing an evaluation is a skill, he said, that is absolutely vital for the Army in the years to come, as the military draws down after more than a decade at war and tries to keep its best soldiers.

"After this board, NCOs have a much better expectation of what they should expect in their NCOER and how they should prepare one for their soldiers," Shields said. "They need to know what right looks like."

The competition was made up of 24 soldiers from Task Forces Medical, Aviation, and LMT, the U.S. COY and the Headquarters & Headquarters Company (HHC) element.

• Date Taken: 08.21.2012
• Date Posted: 08.24.2012 07:00
• Story ID: 93731
• Location: CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ