TIKRIT, Iraq – During the Task Force Marne's Chaplain Assistant of the Quarter board, May 14, Sgt. Michael Kuehne, chaplain assistant for 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, out of Fort Riley, Kan., displayed an impressive amount of professionalism and knowledge. His actions catapulted him above his peers to be named the Task Force Marne Chaplain Assistant of the Quarter.
Staff Sgt. Roosevelt Moore of Minden, La., the brigade chaplain assistant and one of the judges on the board, said that he was very proud of Kuehne's achievement and he, as well as the other judges, was blown away by his performance.
"He brought honor to our brigade," said Moore. "There are only two brigades that have taken anything from these boards – either chaplain or non-commissioned officer – and we became one of them. I think it says something about the knowledge level of our chaplain assistants and how much they know about the Army and what they know about being a chaplain assistant. [Sgt. Kuehne] stood up for that and he represented the brigade very well."
Even with his accomplishment, Kuehne remains humble. He said that he was surprised and happy when he found out he had won and says that even if it had turned out another way, he still would have been happy.
"We were all pretty nervous [as we waited] to see who actually won, but at the same time, the people that I was competing against were also my peers," said Kuehne. "So even if I had lost, I would have won because they would have won, and I would have been happy for them."
As for what's next for Kuehne, he said that he plans to make a career out of the military and remain a chaplain assistant.
"When we get back to Riley, they'll probably move me from this unit and send me to garrison as the operations non-commissioned officer in charge," he said. "So, that will give me a great opportunity to train lower enlisted chaplain assistants and help them progress in their professional career. I'm looking forward to that."