STUTTGART, Germany - A staff sergeant from U.S. Army Garrison Garmisch was selected as Noncommissioned Officer of the Year by Installation Management Command.
Staff Sgt. Todd Allison of Headquarters and Headquarters Company joined the Army's best recently at Fort A.P. Hills, Va., for the Joint Forces Headquarters - National Capital Region Soldier and NCO of the Year competition.
The competition pitted 23 NCOs assigned to various worldwide commands in a comprehensive evaluation of skills ranging from physical fitness to Army knowledge.
Allison, who had earlier won NCO of the Year at the USAG Stuttgart and IMCOM-Europe levels, said the four-day competition at Fort A.P. Hills "was faster paced and designed to keep you moving."
During the four-day competition, Soldiers and NCOs wrote essays, performed physical fitness tests, completed a land navigation course, appeared before a board and qualified on weapons.
The final day centered on air movement to an urban objective using UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. Arriving on site, Soldiers searched detainees, processed captured materials, performed first aid and interacted with the media.
"The Soldiers and NCOs came here ready to go to battle, and they were prepared for everything we sent their way," said Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Greer, JFHQ-NCR and Military District of Washington command sergeant major, said in an interview with Fort A.P. Hills's post newspaper.
Remaining poised under pressure, said Allison, was made difficult by the large number of Warrior Tasks and Drills thrown at candidates daily by evaluators.
"They were always trying to shake you up," he said. "You never really knew how much was actually graded."
Allison, in charge of Garmisch's directorate of emergency services, said he spent much of his off-duty hours behind the books or in the gym to prepare himself for the rigors of the competition.
"It was a lot of knowledge building and just sharpening up the physical fitness."
USAG Stuttgart Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Q. Barbary said Allison's achievements during the last four months are a testament to the entire community.
"It reflects the high caliber of Soldiers we have here in Stuttgart and Garmisch," he said. "He [Allison] has a lot to be proud of."
(Brandon Beach is a member of the USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs Office)
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