KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - The line of junior Soldiers stood side by side at the position of parade rest trying to conceal their nervousness in front of the panel of senior noncommissioned officers. The questions came at the junior Soldiers in rapid succession. Not much mercy was shown to the Soldier if the answer wasn't given quickly or completely before the same question was asked to the next Soldier down the line. This continued until the correct answer was given and the questioner was satisfied.
Eight Soldiers competed for the title of Soldier of the Month for Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Regional Command-South, in a board held at the RC-South headquarters compound on Kandahar Airfield, Aug. 30, 2014.
Although the Soldier of the Month board is modeled after a traditional military board, the boards at HHBN are done a little differently to add a little more stress and competitiveness for the participants.
"In a traditional board the Soldier comes in alone and reports to a panel. It's that one Soldier against the panel," said 1st Sgt. Chon Rosa, HHBN Forward Detachment's first sergeant. "We bring all the candidates that are competing against each other and line them up against the wall."
After the participants are in line they are asked questions to test their military knowledge. If a participant fails to answer the question properly, that same question is given to the next Soldier in line.
"You not only have the pressure of being asked questions, you have the pressure of seeing the person next to you who may or may not have more knowledge than you," said Rosa.
The competition was divided into three rounds. After three participants had answered five questions correctly, the other five Soldiers left the room so the three could face off against each other. For the next round, the first two Soldiers who answered three questions went on to the final round where the first participant to answer three questions correctly, won the board.
"It went really well. It was really competitive in there. People were rarely missing questions," said Spc. Emily Otto, the winner of the board.
"I felt excited, nervous and anxious and hyper-aware. I tried to hear all the questions for the other people in case they missed it and it came to me so I would already have my answer prepared," said Otto, a native of Louisville, Ky.
Otto, who came in second place in the Soldier of the Month board for August, said she studied the areas she was weak in for last month's competition to help her win this time.
"I feel like I have closure. Last month I came in second. It was neck and neck with my roommate. She definitely came out and beat me to the punch," she said. "I wanted to win the Soldier of the Month board as a personal challenge. Next month, I'm going to the promotion board."
"It was a real rush, it was fast paced and was real competitive," said Pfc. Jacob Pieczko, an Eagle Grove, Iowa, native who serves as a medic with 258th Military Police Company assigned to HHBN, 1st Cavalry Division. "I feel that I did well. Being able to incorporate what I've learned in the short time I've been in the Army, and this being my first board, I feel like I got a lot out of it."
Pieczko said his unit team members have been very supportive of him and helped him study and quiz for the board. He also stated without their support he might not have had the confidence to go through with the competition.
"I'm going to return next month and keep at it and try to win as many boards as I can," said Pieczko about his future plans.
After the board was over, the Soldiers filed back into the classroom, their nervousness now replaced with confidence. Sgt. Maj. Phillip Rivera, the board president, addressed the participants and encouraged them to keep on coming to the board for their professional development.
"Continue to keep coming to the board. Even if you're not selected, doesn't mean you can't learn from it. If you see areas you're weak in, start studying more. It means a lot when you still see NCOs and Soldiers willing to come out and compete for boards. That shows that you have the initiative and dedication to do something to better yourself," he said.
In addition to Soldier of the Month, the HHBN Noncommissioned Officer of the Month for September was chosen at a similar board, which was won by Sgt. Scott Holt, a human resources specialist and native of Martinsville, Va.
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