Wisconsin National Guard names Soldier, NCO of Year

By Spc. Eric Liesse

112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT McCOY, Wis. - After a grueling three-day competition, the Wisconsin Army National Guard announced its 2012 State Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Sunday (April 22). Both Soldiers now advance to next month's Region 4 Soldier and NCO of the Year competition at Camp Grayling, Mich.

Sgt. Jeremy Smith, a Watertown, Wis., native with the Madison-based 54th Civil Support Team, beat out five fellow Soldiers to be named the State Soldier of the Year. Sgt. Darren Habermehl, a Muskego, Wis., native from Troop C, 1st Battalion, 105th Cavalry Regiment out of Reedsburg, Wis., won over seven other NCOs to take the State NCO of the Year title.

"It's been quite a competitive weekend, for sure," Smith said soon after winning the Minute Man statue. "A lot of the competitors are very good at what they do."

"I'm not going to lie - everybody wants to win, and I probably have a competitive streak as big or bigger than most," Habermehl said. "I was really hoping that my scores... would put me on the top. And thankfully, it fell in my favor this time."

The state-level Soldier of the Year competition is usually headed by State Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper, Wisconsin National Guard's senior enlisted leader. However, this year he was part of a Wisconsin National Guard delegation visiting troops in Kosovo, so the competition was directed by Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph Rosemore, the state Recruiting and Retention sergeant major.

"Command Sgt. Maj. Stopper has a favorite saying that he uses every year," said Staff Sgt. Jason Walters, the competition's administrative NCO and chief scorekeeper. "He says if you see him or any other [sergeant major] walking around with a big grin on their face, it's not because they enjoy watching you suffer. It's because they enjoy watching the top 10 percent that the Wisconsin National Guard has to offer."

Though Smith and Habermehl will advance to the regionals, they were not far ahead of their fellow competitors.

"This year, like every year, [the scores were] very tight," Walters said. "It always comes down to the last few events. Sometimes, halfway though, you have one or two people jump ahead of the rest. But once everyone gets that working rhythm and that initial adrenalin wears out, it's just a matter of endurance after that."

"I think it's been fairly close," Smith said. "We were going over bonus points earlier with some of the other people trying to figure out who might be up. There's still some things that you don't know when they read the names. It was a great feeling. It's definitely a great experience and something I'm never going to forget."

The competition started late Thursday night at the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Wisconsin Military Academy, with Rosemore briefing Soldiers and NCOs on scores, expectations and support.

Competitors endured a grueling gauntlet of events: physical fitness test, a combatives tournament, a virtual firing range programmed with "shoot-don't shoot" scenarios, life-fire pistol and rifle ranges, day and night land navigation courses, a written exam, combat water survival assessment, Soldier skill proficiency demonstrations, a confidence and obstacle course, a formal appearance board before senior noncommissioned officers, and a 9-mile road march.

Habermehl and Smith finished first in the combatives tournament in the NCO and Soldier categories, respectively. Habermehl was the first to finish the road march with a time of 1:44:57, and Smith was tied for second with a time of 1:47:13.

"[I] did some marching and some training for that definitely, 'cause that's not something you just want to pick up and do," Smith said about the road march. "I started to dabble with the whole cross-fit thing - who knows if that is going to pay off."

Now that this weekend's events are over, Habermehl and Smith are already looking to the next level - the regional competition in Michigan.

"I'm not sure what's in store for the Regionals," Smith said, "but hopefully they give us a heads up on some of the events or at least what we should be expecting. "

Smith was confident in his training thus far. "Maybe see I can get my hands on an obstacle course somewhere," he said, "but pretty much just keep up with what I have been doing."

"There will be some definite adjustments to the training," Habermehl said of his preparation for next month. "[I'll put] much longer ruck marches in. My guess is they'll probably throw it up to... that Army-standard, 12-mile ruck march. I'm going to try to get some more time on the range, something that I definitely need to improve on."

As the weekend closes and the 13 remaining competitors head home, both Soldiers realized their time for extra preparation is short.

"We actually were just talking about trying to coordinate our efforts both at our level and at the unit level to make sure that we maximize the little bit of time that we have before the regional," Habermehl said.

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.

Wisconsin Guard members vie for Soldier of the Year honors

At 5 a.m. today [April 1], 15 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers began their day with push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run - the first three events in a grueling three-day span that will test their abilities in marksmanship, physical fitness, land navigation, Soldier task knowledge and military bearing. Each competitor's composure will also be tested through the weekend's long hours and demanding schedule.

Last year, Pfc. Randy Fendryk of Waukesha, Wis., won the annual Soldier of the Year competition, and Sgt. Cody Brueggen of Oconomowoc, Wis., won the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. Fendryk, now an officer candidate, is a member of Battery C, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery in Sussex, Wis., and will serve as a sponsor for a new competitor this year. Brueggen is a member of Detachment 1, 107th Maintenance Company in Sparta, Wis.

Fendryk advanced to the Army National Guard's best warrior Competition last August at the Warrior Training Center, Fort Benning, Ga. Two years ago, Spc. John Wiernasz of Detachment 1, 950th Engineer Company, also represented the Wisconsin Army National Guard at the National Guard's Best Warrior Competition.

The competition is not open to the public, but check out photos from each day of the competition at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiguardpics/.

Competitors include: Sgt. Steven Dahl (Oconto), Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry (Menomonie); Spc. Wayne Diedrich (Milwaukee), Battery A, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery (Racine); Sgt. John Eckert (St. Francis), Battery A, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery (Racine); Spc. Kimberly Gass (Wausau), 106th Engineer Detachment (Tomah); Spc. Alex Goehring (Dresser); 64th Rear Operations Center Support Detachment (Monroe); Sgt. Jessica Gray (Milwaukee), Detachment 1, Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion (Merrill); Staff Sgt. Charles Hensen (Lake Mills), Troop A, 1st Battalion, 105th Cavalry (Fort Atkinson); Staff Sgt. Jason Kirch (Prairie du Sac), 106th Engineer Detachment (Tomah); Spc. Shelby Reynolds (Stitzer), 229th Engineer Company (Prairie du Chien); Sgt. Jonathan Shufflebotham (Sheboygan); 1157th Transportation Company (Oshkosh); Sgt. Brandon Swanson (St. Croix Falls), Detachment 1, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry (Chippewa Falls); Staff Sgt. Paul Vaillancourt (De Forest), Rear Detachment, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation (Madison); Staff Sgt. Benjamin Van Auken (Sparta), Headquarters Detachment, 1st Battalion, 426th Field Artillery Regiment (Fort McCoy); Staff Sgt. Jon Vandebogert (De Forest), Joint Force Headquarters (Madison); and Spc. Joseph Wong (Milwaukee), Troop A, 1st Battalion, 105th Cavalry (Fort Atkinson).