FORT SILL, Okla. (June 19, 2014) -- Sgt. 1st Class José Sanchez, decided to compete for the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill Advanced Individual Training Platoon Sergeant of the Year competition about four months ago. He said wanted to participate last year, but he was attending AIT Platoon Sergeant School, "so I've been wanting to do it for awhile."
Sanchez, of B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, along with Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Russell, B Battery, 1st Battalion, 78th Field Artillery, and Staff Sgt. Albert
Levasseur, B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th ADA, represented the 428th FA and 30th ADA brigades in the grueling competition June 9-12, here.
The winner will be announced June 26, and then move up to the Training and Doctrine Command competition this summer.
During the weeklong competition, platoon sergeants were put through a variety of tasks including physical training, teaching modules, warrior tasks, written tests, obstacle courses and ruck marches. The participants had no idea what event would be next, nor were they provided feedback on how they scored on a given task. The competition culminated with a board appearance where the Soldier had to answer a variety of questions thrown at them by sergeants major and first sergeants.
"It's a competition to be the best, and also to promote esprit de corps," said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Metty, 428th FA public affairs officer. "It's an opportunity to show that you've gone above-and-beyond in your skill set."
The 428th FA and 30th ADA brigades alternate hosting the annual competition each year, Metty said. This year the 428th FA hosted with the 30th ADA providing support with logistics, equipment, evaluators, and AIT students.
Originally, six Soldiers were scheduled to compete, but with missions requirements and personnel issues only three were in the starting blocks for the first event -- land navigation, Metty said.
Levasseur said he participated to prove to himself that he could compete with the best. To prepare for the competition he did a lot of physical training as well as academic and Army regulations review with his sponsor.
The sponsor helped his Soldier prepare for the events and encouraged him during the weeklong competition.
Sgt. 1st Class LeArthur Williams, B/3-6th ADA senior AIT platoon sergeant, was the sponsor for Levasseur. Williams won the competition in 2012. He said the competition was designed to challenge the Soldiers the entire week.
"It takes a lot of dedication, focus and motivation to win," he said.
Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Everett, B/2-6th ADA, sponsored Sanchez and told him to "give it his all."
Everett won the competition last year. He said that he's known Sanchez for two years and that wouldn't give up.
AIT platoon sergeants supervise new enlisted Soldiers who are here training for field artillery and air defense artillery military occupational specialties (MOS). They are the first noncommissioned officers the Soldier/students have over them after their drill sergeants in Basic Combat Training.
"They come to me for guidance, mentorship, coaching, administrative issues, financial problems, academics, personal issues, PT," Sanchez said.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Waxler, B/1-78th FA senior instructor, said AIT platoon sergeants are there to build up the students.
"They come to the platoon sergeants with all kinds of problems and they are encouraged to," said Waxler, who sponsored Russell.
On the last day, before his board appearance Russell said it had been a tough week.
He said Day 3 was particularly challenging. It began with a 5.5-mile ruck march and then the competitors had to go through the Combat Conditioning Course. Next they were timed on performing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups followed by a 2-mile run. It then ended with another ruck march. Still he said he considered the physical events to be his forté.
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