First Army Division East holds competition at Camp Shelby

Photo By Sgt. Sheila Holifield | Sgt. Rafeal Geliga, with the 158th Infantry Brigade out of Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., takes aim at his target during the individual weapon qualification event.  

CAMP SHELBY, UNITED STATES

05.15.2009

Story by Sgt. Sheila Holifield 

First Army

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. — With the non-commissioned officer being the future of our military, the importance of NCO and Soldier of the Year Competitions is paramount.

After competing and winning their brigade level competitions, six NCOs and four junior Soldiers from First Army's Division East traveled to Camp Shelby, Miss., where they competed in the First Army Division East NCO and Soldier of the Year Competition May 7-10.

The event, hosted by the 157th Infantry Brigade from Fort Jackson, S.C., was originally scheduled to be held at Fort Jackson, but training brought the brigade to Camp Shelby.

"We began planning the competition last fall," said Command Sgt. Maj. Calvin Morman, brigade sergeant major of the 157th. "Once we realized we would be training Soldiers at Camp Shelby, we had to do some adjusting, and we couldn't have done it without the help of the 177th Armored Brigade."

The events were chosen to prepare the Soldiers to compete at the First Army Board in June.

"The competition is an old Army tradition," said Morman. "This year, it's that much more important because 2009 is the year of the NCO, and these Soldiers are
the best of the best from the division."

Once the Soldiers arrived at Camp Shelby, they completed a test on map reading and other general subjects. The following morning, The Army physical fitness test was the first of a series of events to kick off an 18 hour day. After proving their physical endurance in the APFT, the Soldiers continued on a four-mile road march and at the end of the four miles, they were tested on individual weapon's qualification.

Immediately following IWQ, the Soldiers proficiently completed their Army Warrior Tasks. During this portion of the competition, the Soldiers were tested on performing first aid on a casualty through several different scenarios.

The day land navigation course was the next event the Soldiers would have to complete in the heat of the day. After more than 15 hours of competing, the final event of the night was the night urban land navigation course.

"This level of competition would be challenging for any Soldier," said Morman. "Once you factor in the heat and 18 hours of events back-to-back, it was impressive to see every Soldier maintain their competitive drive."

The following morning the Soldiers had to successfully appear before a panel of senior NCOs from the division level.

"We hope each Soldier who leaves this competition will be better Soldiers and leaders than they were before," said Morman.

The Soldiers who competed were Sgt. Brian Tarr and Pfc. Lamar Gordon-Holmes, with the 72nd Field Artillery Brigade out of Fort Dix, N.J.; Sgt. Rafeal Geliga and Spc. Brenda Averill, with the 158th Infantry Brigade out of Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class John Lewis and Spc. Kirsten Bradley, with the 177th Armored Brigade out of Camp Shelby, Miss.; Staff Sgt. LaShonda Hunt and Spc. Mistri Blackburn, with the 188th Infantry Brigade out of Fort Stewart, Ga.; Staff Sgt. Clinton Allen, with the 205th Infantry Brigade out of Camp Atterbury, Ind.; and Sgt. 1st Class Hal Parks Jr., with the 157th Infantry Brigade out of Fort Jackson, S.C.

Lewis, with the 177th Armored Bde., was the NCO selected and Gordon-Holmes, with the 72nd Field Artillery Bde., was the Soldier selected to represent First Army Division East at the First Army Board in Jacksonville, Fla., in June.

• Date Taken: 05.15.2009
• Date Posted: 05.15.2009 16:43
• Story ID: 33681
• Location: CAMP SHELBY, US