U.S. Army Col. John Gray, 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) outgoing commander, speaks during the 7th TB(X) change of command ceremony at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, June 18, 2026. Change of command ceremonies are a time-honored military tradition that formally signifies the transfer of authority and responsibility from the outgoing commander to the incoming commander. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Thalia Bonte)
The 128th Aviation Brigade announced the winner of its Drill Sergeant of the Year Competition on May 21.
The two-day event saw three drill sergeants from the 1-222d Aviation Regiment compete against each other to see who best embodied the mission of a drill sergeant.
“The DSOY Competition is a culminating event of all our top drill sergeants,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rachel Helmsbean, a drill sergeant with Charlie Company, 1-222d AVNRG, 128th AVNBDE. “They’re representing their companies and one triple deuce (1-222d AVNRG) as subject matter experts.”
Helmsbean was the winner of last year’s competition and was this year’s host. She was responsible for managing all the events and tallying each competitor’s scores.
The...
