LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Mosier, the senior enlisted advisor for the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, made it a priority to conduct monthly and quarterly competitions for the noncommissioned officers and soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. After eight months of grueling competitions, the Maintain Battalion conducted the Soldier and NCO of the Year boards on Oct. 16, 2013.
Board competitions are a long-standing tradition within the NCO corps that tests an individual's professional knowledge as well as specific skills.
The competitions are designed to challenge soldiers, taking them out of their comfort zone, and forcing them to respond under pressure. In order to be successful, the NCOs and soldiers must perform exceptionally well to standout from their peers.
U.S. Army Sgt. Eric Rosenblum, a health care sergeant with Company C, 703rd BSB, rose above his peers and was selected as the NCO of the Year.
Rosenblum, who was studying for the battalion board, the 4th IBCT Sergeant Audie Murphy Club board, and taking two college courses, firmly believes in leading by example and wanted to inspire his soldiers to compete. "I wanted to compete to lead my soldiers by example," said the Tuscumbia, Ala., native.
For junior-enlisted Soldiers, boards are a way to learn about their profession and potentially improve their chances for promotion. U.S. Army Pfc. Kimberly Chaffin from Elk Grove, Calif., came into the October Soldier of the Month board with something to prove. The combat medic, with Co. C., 703rd BSB, won the October board, the third quarter board, and finally the Soldier of the Year board.
She competed against soldiers that had been preparing for months. Chaffin credited her success to her leadership and her own confidence. "That's the best advice I can give to soldiers looking to compete is be confident and sure in yourself."
Mosier knows how challenging boards can be. "You got rung through the wringer and all of you came out on top and are better Soldiers for it," Mosier said. "I am sure they will never forget their experience," he added.
The U.S. Army's NCO Corps sets the standard for professionalism in the military. They are expected to be trained in their job as well as be familiarized with a number of Army regulations and manuals.
NCOs, known as the backbone of the U.S. Army, are praised for their courage and valor and have served the United States for over 200 years from the nation's first conflicts in Valley Forge to current operations in Afghanistan.
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