Photo By Sgt. Cassandra Monroe | Indiana National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Nenycz checks his watch for the time as...... read more read more
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CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – While most National Guard soldiers may be battling the cold, bitter weather to and from their normal weekday work schedule, 16 Indiana National Guard soldiers braved the winter-like weather while competing in the Indiana Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competition, March 19-21, 2013.
The competition consisted of eight junior enlisted soldiers and eight noncommissioned officers fighting for the title of Soldier and NCO of the year.
“Each brigade-level unit in the state provides their own soldier and NCO of the year competition, and they send their best and brightest,” said Sgt. Maj. Tyson Johnston, Mooresville, Ind., 81st Troop Command operations sergeant major.
Soldiers competed in various tasks graded by sergeants major from around the state. The soldiers kicked off the competition by taking the Army Physical Fitness Test, which led straight into the M9 pistol and M4 carbine qualifications. After a lunch break, the soldiers faced an afternoon of boards, oral questions that tested the soldiers’ military knowledge.
The second day of the competition started with the obstacle course and Army warrior tasks, followed by an afternoon and evening of land navigation. The final day of the competition consisted of a written exam and a 10-mile march, which had to be completed in two and a half hours or less.
The competition is an evaluation of soldiers and NCOs to gauge their intelligence, their physical strength, their adaptability and their intestinal fortitude, said Johnston. The graders test them in many ways to see how far they can go under stress and under pressure, to see how they react and respond, because that relates to how they respond in combat.
The winners of the competition were announced during an awards ceremony after the final exams.
Spc. Justin McCloskey, an infantryman with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment and a Logansport, Ind. native, won the title of Indiana’s Soldier of the Year. Staff Sgt. Adam Sanford, a forward observer with the battalion’s headquarters company, and a Battle Ground, Ind. native, won the title of Indiana’s NCO of the Year.
Sanford said he felt the expectation to put his battalion on top, and the competition is about reactions and adjustments.
“I’m a competition-minded person, and I like competing in all levels. It’s all on how your body reacts to certain things, you just have to adjust,” said Sanford, who’s competed in other events like Best Ranger Competition and Tough Mudder, a 10- to 12-mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces.
McCloskey said his goal for the competition was to see himself improve as a soldier.
“I came in this not necessarily wanting to win but to be able to represent my company well,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve competed against the best in the state, so it was exciting to compete against extremely talented soldiers. My first and foremost goal was to grow as a soldier, both physically and mentally. I believe that I accomplished that, and I was able to experience competing under pressure.”
Sanford and McCloskey will advance to the regional competition to be held in May.
| Date Taken: | 03.21.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2013 14:02 |
| Story ID: | 104125 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 196 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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