Wisconsin National Guard names Soldier, NCO of Year

By Sgt. Eric Liesse

112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Two Soldiers from the same battalion of the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat team will represent the Wisconsin Army National Guard at next month's regional Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competition.

Sgt. Steven Dahl of Oconto, a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry in Menomonee, was named Soldier of the Year from a field of six competitors representing Wisconsin National Guard units across the state. Though recently promoted, he competed in the junior enlisted category.

Sgt. Brandon Swanson of St. Croix Falls, a member of Detachment 1, Headquarter Company, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry in Chippewa Falls, was named NCO of the Year from a field of nine competitors.

The three-day competition, which began April 1, tested Soldiers' abilities in marksmanship, physical fitness, land navigation, Soldier task knowledge and military bearing.

Wisconsin Army National Guard State Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper, who directed the event, praised each competitor.

"Our state-level competition is a pretty grueling process," Stopper said. "Unfortunately, there can be only one Soldier of the Year, and only one NCO of the Year."

"I'm relieved all the hard work paid off," Swanson said after the closing ceremony. "If you give it everything you've got, no one can take that away from you if you don't win."

"I learned there are other people who can compete at this level, people you wouldn't expect," Dahl said.

Both competitors hold high expectations for themselves.

"We're probably going to start training this week," Swanson said.

"[I'll do] the same thing," Dahl said of his training for May. "I'll go in pretty confident and not get down when the competition gets a little tougher."

That echoed Stopper's guidance to competitors the night before Friday's first event.

"The one tip I have for you is never give up," Stopper said Thursday night. "You'll fail at something, and that's when you need to know to step back and reload."

Command Sgt. Maj. Brad Shields, of the Milwaukee-based 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, offered the same advice prior to the obstacle course on Saturday.

"We understand that you may not be able to complete each obstacle," Shields said. "But what matters the most is that you give it your all."

Events included a physical fitness test, pistol and rifle marksmanship under normal and stress conditions, combatives (hand-to-hand combat based on mixed martial arts), land navigation in daylight and at night, combat water survival, an obstacle course, common Soldier skills, a written exam, simulation grenade course, a nine mile road march and an appearance board.

The combat water survival event was new this year, and required competitors to complete a 15-meter swim while holding their weapon above water, a blindfolded jump, and removing a load-bearing vest while submerged. Soldiers completed these tasks while in their PT uniforms, including running shoes.

"They aren't flippers, that's for sure," said Sgt. John Eckert, St. Francis, a member of Racine's Battery A, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery.

Wisconsin's fickle spring weather factored into the competition: snow fell during Friday's marksmanship and land navigation events, and a cold rain saturated Sunday's road march.

During the closing ceremony, Stopper lauded each competitor's sponsor - another Soldier tasked with preparing and assisting the competitors - and singled one out for special recognition.

"You know I'm pretty adamant with this being a purely enlisted event," Stopper said. "And 99.9 percent of it was."

But one sponsor, officer candidate Randy Fendryk, represented the Wisconsin Army National Guard as a finalist at last year's National Guard Bureau's Best Warrior Competition as a private first class.

"I wanted him to bring that skill set back and share it with the other Soldiers," Stopper explained. "You'll never see another cadet here, all right?"

Spc. Kimberly Gass of Wausau, a member of the 106th Engineer Detachment in Tomah, was promoted to sergeant during the closing ceremony.

Stopper also mentioned the many units that supported the competition. "It was because of you that these competitors had an outstanding experience," he said. "A dog-tired experience, but an outstanding experience."

Stopper kept the grueling weekend competition in perspective.

"At the end, it does boil down to great and wonderful Soldiers."

Spc. Joseph Wong of Milwaukee, a member of Troop A, 105th Cavalry in Fort Atkinson was named 1st Alternate for Soldier of the Year. Staff Sgt. Jason Kirch of Prairie Du Sac, a member of the 106th Quarry Team in Tomah, was named 1st Alternate for NCO of the Year.