Photo By Staff Sgt. Erick Yates | U.S. Army Spc Devin Lewis, from the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team headquarters out...... read more read more
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CAMP BONDSTEEL, KOSOVO – U.S Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers deployed to Kosovo competed in the Multinational Battle Group-East Soldier of the Month competition, Aug. 1, 2015, at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
The competition led off early that morning with an Army Physical Fitness Test, followed by a day of challenges that measured the Soldiers’ knowledge of military customs and tasks, to include land navigation, first aid and detainee operations.
Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph Johnson, the senior noncommissioned officer for MNBG-E and the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, oversaw the competition, which was broken into two categories: one for junior enlisted Soldiers, and another for sergeants and staff sergeants.
The 30th ABCT, a North Carolina National Guard unit out of Clinton, North Carolina, is currently serving as the MNBG-E headquarters, which is part of NATO’s peace support mission in the region known as Kosovo Force, or KFOR.
The 30th ABCT and its integrated structure of National Guard, Army Reserve and active-duty Soldiers assumed responsibility in early July for the 20th MNBG-E rotation since the late 1990s.
“This was the first competition since the new rotation of U.S. Soldiers in Kosovo,” Johnson said. “I will be holding one every month and I encouraged every unit here to send Soldiers to compete.”
Sgt. Sterling Quimby, from 1st General Support Aviation Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, out Enfield, Conn., said he studied and exercised in his spare time to get ready for the competition.
“I think the event went very well,” Quimby said. “I worked hard and did the best I could.”
Sgt. Daniel Lopez, from 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, out of Los Alamitos, California, won the competition’s NCO category. He said the event was challenging, and tested the Soldiers’ ability to perform on the spot without much preparation.
“It really lets us know where we are, both physically and mentally,” Lopez said. “It is good to be tested so that Soldiers know what their strengths and weaknesses in the subjects are.”
“Competing in an event such as the Soldier of the Month helped me realize the importance of staying current on my basic Soldier tasks and leadership skills,” Lopez said.
Spc. Felicia McCormick, from 1st Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment, out of Bluefield, West Virginia, won the junior enlisted category, and was the only female to compete in the event. McCormick and her fellow West Virginia National Guard Soldiers are responsible for maintaining relationships between KFOR and Kosovo’s communities, by serving on liaison monitoring teams under the multinational Joint Regional Detachment-South.
McCormick said the competition’s events were well-planned and challenging, but she felt confident in her answers.
“I think the hardest part was the board,” McCormick said. “I am sitting before a panel, not sure what they will ask, and wondering if I will know the answers.”
“The biggest thing I took away from this event is to be confident in yourself,” she said.
“Spc. McCormick is a knowledgeable and disciplined soldier,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Flook, also from the 1-150th Cavalry Regiment and McCormick’s sponsor for the event.
“She has taken on another challenge since being deployed by participating in the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge,” Flook said. The GAFPB, an authorized foreign award for U.S. Army Soldiers, consists of several physical events and is overseen in Kosovo by German troops assigned to KFOR. “These extra challenges along with her normal duties just proved she was a step above the rest,” Flood said.
Staff Sgt. Danielle Cotton, the 30th ABCT’s training NCO and one of the coordinators for the event, said the day’s success was a result of other NCOs in the Battle Group coming together to facilitate the events, such as APFT graders, range safety officers, and Army warrior task subject-matter experts.
“Today was a success,” Cotton said. “It was very rewarding to see the excitement and professionalism in those who participated and helped.”
“I look forward to working with everyone next month,” she said.
“This will be a monthly event here at Camp Bondsteel,” Johnson said. “The leadership development that ensues from events like this will carry forward with the Soldier into the lives they touch throughout the rest of their military career.”
“It makes them a better Soldier,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2015 08:11 |
| Story ID: | 172452 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 136 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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