Photo By Staff Sgt. Sebastian Rothwyn | U.S. Army Spc. Mallory Gannon, a human resources specialist with the Headquarters and...... read more read more
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- The NCO and Soldier of the Quarter competition at Camp Arifjan is a highly anticipated event for Soldiers that are forward deployed here. It is a chance for them to showcase their skills and compete against their peers to see who comes out on top. This quarter, eight Soldiers stood out from the rest and made a strong showing in the competition which began early in the morning on Dec 21, 2022.
The day began with the Army Combat Fitness Test followed by warrior tasks, a written test, and ended with the appearance board.
The 369th Sustainment Brigade, Task Force Hellfighter, in its second month in theater, took over this quarter’s competition from the previous brigade.
Companies and battalions within the task force are encouraged to hold their own competitions to prepare their nominees and identify the very best within the brigade’s ranks to represent them at the brigade level.
This competition helps demonstrate that Soldiers in the U.S. Army are always ready to fight and win our nation’s wars.
First up is Sgt. Teion Middleton, a human resources sergeant with the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment 82nd Finance Battalion, Task Force Diamond.
Middleton hails from the City of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Although he enjoyed his life with his family back in Spartanburg, he longed to do something more and decided to challenge himself by joining the U.S. Army’s active-duty component.
“It’s a small town; take the wrong road and you’re in a different city,” Middleton said of Spartanburg.
Now, Middleton is accustomed to the 82nd Airborne Division's way of life. It is filled with camaraderie and esprit de corps, and it has been a great experience for him.
Middleton took first place in the competition’s noncommissioned officer, or NCO, category, but it was not without challenges. His biggest challenges were evaluating a casualty and the 9-Line medical evacuation request.
“I prepared for the worst,” said Middleton. “And that preparation with my leadership and Soldiers helped make it a great event.”
“Representing the 82nd is different because you see units commonly walking down Long or Ardennes Street with their unit shirts on, calling cadence, but here on my first deployment it's a lot stricter,” he said.
Despite these differences, he’s had a good learning experience thus far and credited his detachment sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Lyday, the most with helping him become well-prepared for the competition, whether it was warrior tasks, battle drills, or other tasks.
Next up is Spc. Mallory Gannon, a human resources specialist with HHD 257th Movement Control Battalion, Task Force Gator, a Florida National Guard battalion based in Gainesville.
Gannon hails from Bradenton, Florida. Although she misses having the perfect weather at home, she has gotten accustomed to being forward deployed for the last six months.
She’s happy that, apart from work, there is always something to keep her occupied such as a competition like this, the Norwegian Ruck March for which she earned a badge or the 10-mile run she also completed.
Gannon was the junior enlisted winner of the competition. Her biggest concern was the competition, knowing that her fellow competitors were the best of their battalions, also.
“Even though I knew the competition would be harder, I was motivated,” she said.
A testament to how different military competition is from others was that even in their downtime, in between events, fellow competitors helped her study.
“I didn’t expect that,” said Gannon. “That was a pleasant surprise - the camaraderie.”
“Even senior leaders would call you by name to encourage you and say stuff like ‘Great job on your pushups!’”
Gannon’s biggest takeaway was how pleasant everyone was, and she hopes that her next challenge to overcome can be Air Assault school.
Rounding out the rest of the junior enlisted competition were Spcs. Jason Economos, Shania Jarrett, and Cosmas Nzivo.
For Economos, a unit supply specialist with the 191st Military Police Company, Task Force Rattler, hailing from Fargo, North Dakota, the competition was bittersweet.
He was injured shortly before the event, so he didn’t get to compete in the ACFT, but found the rest of the event quite interesting and looks forward to the next one.
Jarret, a financial management technician with the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment 82nd Finance Battalion, Task Force Diamond, found it challenging because she wanted to adequately prepare for competitions like these but didn’t believe that she had enough notice ahead of time to do so.
However, she did her best and was happy with her ACFT score since it was her personal best.
Jarrett, originally from Jamaica, said that the Army has allowed her to do activities that she never thought she would ever be doing, and she really enjoys the challenge. As someone who likes to be prepared, she plans to study now, for a future board so she can deliver a better performance and always be ready for whatever comes.
Nzivo, a utilities equipment repairer with the 24th Composite Supply Company, Task Force Renegade, is normally stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, or JBLM.
He is a fan of the outdoors, despite the large amount of rain on his base in Washington. Nzivo, who is originally from Kenya, did not know what to expect from the deployment but has said he’s happy about it thus far because he can occupy his time with either work or personal development.
He enjoys using any time he has after work to study, work on his physical fitness, and tries to make the most of his time.
That time is what he used to prepare for the competition.
He takes pride in being able to volunteer and accomplish his goals. The biggest benefit that he received was having time to really dig into regulations and understand that he can use them to solve problems and correct issues.
The final three competitors were the NCOs - Sgts. Jakari Griffin, Spencer Weden, and Staff Sgt. Aramis Zamudio.
Griffin, from the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a movement control sergeant with the 528th Movement Control Team, Task Force Gator. His team traveled to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, from Prince Hassan Air Base, Jordan, where they are forward deployed, for the competition.
He was proud of the physical fitness gains he has been getting and reaching the top of the ladder for his battalion. More importantly, he’s happy he got to do that with his team.
“No matter where you are from, you can always find someone to connect to in the military who is going through the same thing you are, and you can find a way to improve together,” he said.
Sgt. Spencer Weden, a tactical power generation specialist with the 542nd Support Maintenance Company, Task Force Renegade, is originally from the City of Belmont, California.
He, too, desired a change of pace and joined the active-duty component. He is normally stationed in JBLM and loves the outdoors.
The event went exactly as he expected - from the ACFT through to the appearance board. He said he felt quite confident about the written test and the appearance board because he was able to answer many of the questions he was asked.
He said it was good to know what level he was at, and he looks forward to doing even better next time.
Lastly, the highest-ranking competitor was Zamudio, a staff sergeant for human resources with the 101st Human Resources Company, Task Force Rattlers, hailing from Los Angeles, California.
He admitted that he had to refresh his memory on a few things because he doesn’t get as much practice as the junior enlisted Soldiers on the tactical level.
“Soldiers look to you for guidance, so I just wanted to make sure that I was a standard bearer for myself and others,” he said.
Zamudio really wanted to win and put in his best effort. However, the competition was tough and the warrior task lanes were his primary challenge.
“Always give full effort. Don’t do it halfway,” Zamudio said. “Whether you win or lose, knowing that you put in 100%; that’s the goal.”
The 369th Sustainment Brigade NCO and Soldier of the Quarter competition recognizes outstanding enlisted leaders within the brigade.
The topics covered in the competition were diverse and required a much deeper understanding of a much larger range of topics.
“Some questions I didn’t expect,” said Gannon. “What the military always teaches me about myself is how much I have to give and how much I can push.”
Winners of the competition each received an Army Achievement Medal and a brigade coin.
Their first test began a week before the event with the submission of an essay that asks competitors to define leadership.
“About myself, I learned about my leadership skills and my confidence,” Gannon said.
Apart from ensuring they meet the height and weight standards, their physical fitness is assessed prior to competition.
Middleton said he was proud of his scores in the ACFT because they were the best he has ever had in his career.
Appearance board assessments include all 15 Army doctrine publications including the Army in general, intel, the operations process and sustainment, including other subjects such as Army programs, Geneva Conventions, guard duty, drill and ceremony, the U.S. Constitution, the Code of Conduct, and more.
After this, the senior leaders of the board deliberated, graded the performances, and the winners were chosen in each category and their cumulative scores determined the winners.
The first quarter’s event was successful. These eight soldiers demonstrated their skills and proved that they are the best in the brigade. Their dedication and hard work paid off, and they should be proud of their achievements.
| Date Taken: | 12.31.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2022 12:35 |
| Story ID: | 436149 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 410 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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