Quarterly Competitions Keeps Soldiers Competitive

By Sgt. 1st Class Caleb BarrieauOctober 20, 2017

1st Quarter Winners of the NCO & Soldier Competition
HOHENFELS, Germany - The Joint Multinational Readiness Center's first quarter winners of the NCO & Soldier Competition were Spc. Daial Guenther of Apache Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment and Sgt. Abdullah Alabdali of Huron Company, 1st ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

HOHENFELS, Germany - Two Soldiers and five noncommissioned officers put their best foot forward by testing their mettle in a three day long Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) NCO and Soldier of the Quarter Competition January 11-13, at U.S. Army Garrison Hohenfels.

The purpose of the competition was to select the best Soldier and NCO from JMRC to compete at the JMRC NCO and Soldier of the year competition where they could potentially move on to the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command's competition which is next level before reaching the U.S. Army Europe level.

And test they did.

Day 1 began on a Monday with an Army physical fitness test, followed by a full spectrum of exams that varied from general military knowledge, map reading skills and SHARP & Equal Opportunity scenarios. This not only challenged each competitor's level of physical fitness but metal strength as well.

The next day continued the competition, dark and early on a cold and rainy land navigation course, the same course that is used annually during the Expert Infantry Badge qualification. After successfully completing the land navigation course the competitors were then expected to complete a 12-mile road march before calling it quits for the day.

The competition concluded on the final day with an oral board where the competitors donned their Army Service Uniform and answered questions testing their level of Army knowledge and competency.

Although each competitor pushed their individual limits, in the end, there could only be two winners. Spc. Daial Guenther of Apache Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment and Sgt. Abdullah Alabdali of Huron Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment were able to rise above their peers and become JMRC's best Soldier and NCO of the Quarter.

"The hardest part of this competition for me was the board and the physical endurance that I had to keep up throughout the competition," Spc. Guenther said. "The next time I plan to participate in one of these (competitions), I will hit the gym and books a lot more… I was thrown for a loop with some of the scenario based questions, that I hope next time I will be ready for."

"You have to go into these competitions with a take no prisoners mentality whether you win or lose, when you compete in these events the amount of experience that you gain is invaluable and they can take it back and share with the next generation that follows them," said Sgt. Alabdali. "It's a win-win situation for the Soldiers and the unit."

Congratulations to both of these fine Soldiers, JMRC looks forward to seeing them at the 2016 JMRC NCO and Soldier of the year competition.