Who has what it takes to be Wisconsin Army National Guard's best Soldier & NCO of the year?

By Wisconsin Army National Guard Command Sgt. Major George E. Stopper

At the end of this week, five Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers and 10 noncommissioned officers (NCO) will gather at Fort McCoy to compete for the title of 2011 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldier or Noncommissioned Officer of the Year — but more importantly, this four-day competition showcases our best and brightest Soldiers.

To be selected as the top Soldier or NCO from nearly 7,000 Soldiers is an honor that very few Soldiers get to experience. This annual event actually began months ago at each of our Wisconsin Army National Guard major commands (32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 64th Troop Command, the 426th Regional Training Institute and Joint Force Headquarters) with Soldier and NCO of the Year competitions at the company level. Winners advanced to the battalion competition, and then to the brigade level.

At each level, Soldiers competed against each other in events including an Army physical fitness test, written exam, written essay, hands-on warrior tasks, weapon qualification, stress fire, land navigation (day and night), combatives level 1, obstacle course, personal appearance board, and a road march.

Those men and women will converge from March 31 through April 3 to compete in many of the same events, along with a modified combat water survival test and a nine-mile road march.

The events will not only test their physical strength and endurance, but also tests their mental toughness and desire to succeed.

But the competition won’t end here — winners will go forward to the regional competition at Camp Dodge, Iowa May 9-12. Regional winners from across the United States will then compete at the national level later this year.

Our Soldiers are our most important asset and these competitions allow them to strut their stuff among their peers. More importantly, having to accomplish these tasks in a stressful and fast-paced environment hones their skills and refines them as warriors.

What do you think it takes to be the top Wisconsin National Guard Soldier or NCO of the year?