Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Gaelen Lowers | Soldiers with the 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)...... read more read more
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CONTINGENTCY OPERATION BASE SPEICHER, Iraq — Four soldiers competed for the 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Soldier and Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter boards Feb. 24 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
Spc. Ayishia Johnson, NCO in charge of training for the 289th Quartermaster Company, 13th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sust. Bde., and a Columbia, S.C., native, was awarded Soldier of the Quarter, while Sgt. Haley Neff, ammunition logistics NCO for the 3rd Sust. Bde., and an Orange, Texas, native, was named NCO of the Quarter.
Soldiers reaching this level have already competed and won their company and battalion boards.
“In the 13th CSSB alone, there are seven companies that send one soldier and one NCO up to the battalion board,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Stanley Richards, senior enlisted leader of the 13th CSSB, and a Phenix City, Ala., native. “When you start thinking about soldiers winning at a battalion level, that’s very impressive. That’s the battalion’s three best soldiers competing just to get to that brigade level board.”
The soldiers who reach brigade-level boards are squared away, they are motivated and they want to be there, he added.
“It’s designed to test total soldier concepts,” he said. “Because these soldiers are so good, you have to come up with something a little bit more than regular board questions.”
The two soldiers and two NCOs were required to recite the NCO and soldier’s creeds, sing the Army song, answer questions on a variety of topics, disassemble and reassemble their weapons, and then at the end, present a five-minute briefing. They do all of that in front of seven sergeants major.
“I trained very hard to raise my physical training test, and I went to our arms room and studied weapons training,” said Neff. “I studied a lot, a whole lot.”
Johnson said that she would stay up several nights a week studying and was constantly reciting the creeds wherever she went.
“I was proud of myself because I took the initiative to actually open up the book to learn the information,” she added. “I want to set an example to my peers to show them that anyone can do this if they just take the initiative.”
Even though only one soldier and one NCO walked away from the competition with the top honors, the other soldier and NCO were not completely disappointed with the outcome.
“I know I didn’t win, but I am still very proud of myself for making it this far,” said Spc. Andrea Fillingane, a medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, and a Round Rock, Texas, native. “I’m not going to give up. I will make it back here and win next time around.”
Richards echoed this statement by telling all of the participants how proud he was of all of them and that they have made their units and battalions proud.
“I know those soldiers and NCOs who didn’t win are going to be disappointed,” he said. “That is human nature. But none of those soldiers or NCOs had a reason to leave that board room holding their head. They all performed great. I am proud of all of them.”
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2011 03:05 |
| Story ID: | 66552 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 253 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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