Photo By Kelly Morris | Staff Sgt. Forrest T. Minahen, who serves as a drill sergeant at 128th Aviation...... read more read more
For the second year in a row Staff Sgt. Forrest T. Minahen, who serves as a drill sergeant with 1st Battalion, 222d Aviation Regiment, 128th Aviation Brigade, was honored as the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence Drill Sergeant of the Year in a ceremony at Fort Novosel, Ala., June 26, 2024.
The UH-60 Black Hawk mechanic rose to the top after three days of grueling competition, including the Army Combat Fitness Test, weapons qualification, warrior tasks and battle drills, more than a dozen drill and ceremony module pitches, a six-mile ruck march, and appearing before a board of senior enlisted leaders to be inspected and verbally quizzed on a variety of topics.
Ceremony host Col. Jason P. Woodward, 1st Aviation Brigade commander, thanked the audience for their support.
“Everyone in this room had drill sergeants. I did too thirty years ago. Those three men made a difference in my life. You do that every day for hundreds of Soldiers,” he said, noting Minahen and Staff Sgt. Jovanta J. Champ, a drill sergeant at 2nd Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade, who competed for the title.
“You have no idea the impacts you will have on them, their families and their future. I know that you make a difference everyday in somebody’s life, so my hat is off to you. What you do a lot of people don’t realize, they don’t understand the impact you have, the responsibility, and the things it takes from you and your families in order to give those gifts to others,” Woodward said.
On behalf of USAACE and its senior leaders, Woodward commended the drill sergeants for their efforts to build aviation warfighters who are able to “fight and win.”
With a focus on promoting esprit de corps and developing leaders, the USAACE Drill Sergeant of the Year competition creates a challenging environment to safely enhance readiness, recognize excellence, and select the best individual to represent the Aviation Center in the next level competition.
The competition tested the physical and mental mettle of the two USAACE drill sergeants that hailed from 1st Aviation Brigade and 128th Aviation Brigade, who are the model of excellence for young Soldiers.
“Being a drill sergeant is one of the most demanding and difficult jobs in our Army, but it is also one of the most rewarding,” the narrator said. “A drill sergeant is a symbol of excellence in initial entry training, an expert in all warrior tasks and battle drills, lives the Army values, exemplifies the Warrior Ethos, and most importantly, is the epitome of the Army as a profession.”
Minahen received a Drill Sergeant of the Year pistol belt, plaque and the Army Commendation Medal for outstanding duty performance, along with other tokens of appreciation.
Looking back on the competition, Minahen said the toughest part for him was competing against Champ.
“I think just every day showing up and him being there. He is very motivated. He is a tough competitor. Showing up every day and he is just super happy to be there, super pumped, and I have to take that on every day. He was definitely top notch, the best of the best,” Minahen said.
That, and the lower Alabama summertime weather was also challenging, where actual temperatures reached 100 degrees during the competition.
Minahen said he leaned on his peers and his spouse to prepare for the competition.
“(Having) my wife listen to me do the pitches over and over and over,” he said. “She knows them already because I’ve said them so many times. And my senior drill sergeant doing that as well. He’s been instrumental in me preparing for this competition.”
After winning the USAACE level competition for the first time in 2023, when it came time to move on to the next level competition, the Minahens’ newborn baby arrived a month early, and Minahen was given the opportunity to be there for his family instead of advancing to compete at that U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command level in 2023.
This year, he started over at brigade level competition, then USAACE, with a higher goal in mind.
“It’s super exciting to be able to move on and try to go for the ultimate goal which is winning TRADOC drill sergeant of the year,” Minahen said.
He wants to compete this time for his daughter, he said.
“As a father, not everything is about being a Soldier. Family is just as important, and a lot of senior NCOs will agree with me. If your house isn’t right, you’re not going to be able to lead soldiers, train soldiers, do anything. This is an opportunity to do something that is right for my family whether I win or lose, but I’m going to at least attempt to get that opportunity and that’s what’s important.”
Minahen said he originally joined the Army in 2017 after he received a call from a recruiter. At the time, he had been working as a diesel mechanic. Three generations before him had served in various military branches, so when the recruiter asked whether he had ever considered joining the Army, his answer was, “Yeah, actually I have.” Seven days later he was in basic training.
Minahen, whose seven years in the Army includes one deployment to Afghanistan in 2021, said he believes it is every able-bodied American’s duty to serve.
“To me there’s nothing better than serving my country. I get to wake up every day ,come into work and do something that has purpose, something that has meaning, whether that is in FORSCOM or here in TRADOC,” Minahen said.
As a drill sergeant, he is responsible for approximately 300 Soldiers that range in age from 17 to 38 years old.
“To me a good drill sergeant is somebody who is fair. There are times where you have to be strict because we are supposed to be instilling discipline and standards, but there are also times where you don’t need to be that drill sergeant. You have to be able to take the hat off and be approachable” to help trainees with the problems they are facing, he said.
As a drill sergeant and an aircraft mechanic, he emphasizes getting it right the first time.
“You can’t make a pit stop in the sky,” he said. “So taking the time to make sure that we’re doing everything correctly and safely the first time. That attention to detail that they have to have to work on these aircraft is more important than anything else, because if they cut corners when they’re doing maintenance, people will die. Trying to instill the importance of that before they actually work on an aircraft is crucial.”
Minahen said he hopes to change the perception that drill sergeants are all work and no play. He attends college, does competitions and more, and still finds time to spend with family while serving as a drill sergeant.
“Changing that view … might get more people interested in being drill sergeants. But I think we have to start that at the E5 level. It is doable, and they can pursue all of their career goals and personal goals, which are just as important, while doing that,” Minahen said.
Minahen said he enjoys serving at the 128th Aviation Brigade, based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
“I love working there," he said. "I’m happy going to work every day. Not everybody can say that.”
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2024 10:09 |
| Story ID: | 474944 |
| Location: | FORT NOVOSEL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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