JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- (Dec. 2, 2016) A Soldier from the 419th Contracting Support Brigade is the Mission and Installation Contracting Command NCO of the Quarter for the first quarter of fiscal 2017.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Conrad bested two other Soldiers from throughout the MICC following four days of competition at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He is a contracting NCO assigned to the 900th Contracting Battalion's 614th Contracting Team at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
"The competition was very well organized and hard fought. It was some top-notch competition, and I'm sure it was a close race," Conrad said, adding that he takes away a increased understanding of the importance of maintaining his military occupational specialty and greater awareness of other Army programs.
Competing against Conrad were Staff Sgt. Formeka Griffin, a contract specialist with the 901st Contracting Battalion's 612th CT at Fort Hood, Texas, and Staff Sgt. Renae Ramik, a contract specialist from 902d Contracting Battalion's 615th CT at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Ramik said that despite the competition, she and her fellow MICC Soldiers came together as a team.
"It showed that an esprit de corps exists between the battalions and support between the Soldiers," she said. "I thought the competition was great, it really challenged us both physically and mentally."
The competition included the Army Physical Fitness Test, a 10-mile ruck march, weapons proficiency, warrior tasks, day and night land navigation, written exam and a selection board.
"The toughest part of the competition was the 10-mile ruck march," Griffin said. "It tested my endurance and strength, and it allowed me to see that I was capable of so much more. It was an awesome experience because it allowed me to show my strength through it all"
On the final day of competition, Soldiers met a selection board comprised of senior enlisted leaders from throughout the command. Chairing the board was Command Sgt. Maj. Tomeka O'Neal, the MICC command sergeant major. She was joined by Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry Charles, 412th CSB command sergeant major; Command Sgt. Maj. Marlon Cooper, 418th CSB command sergeant major; Sgt. Maj. Dujuania DeLoatch, 901st Contracting Battalion sergeant major; and Sgt. Maj. Luzmila George, MICC operations directorate sergeant major.
"It's hard to get our noncommissioned officers to step outside of those comfort zones to do these types of things," O'Neal said. "If I had one, I would still hold this competition so that noncommissioned officer can be recognized for the spirit of competition and what we do as seniors and noncommissioned officers to make sure that we set a platform that allows each and every … Soldier to begin to prepare themselves with a mindset of what it takes to be a leader in our Army.
"You are the future force," she told those gathered for the awards ceremony. "Strategic readiness, the future force and taking care of our Soldiers, civilians and families are our top three priorities. And that's what these noncommissioned officers are going to take back to their organizations."
Headquartered at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, the MICC is made up of about 1,500 military and civilian members assigned to three contracting support brigades and a field directorate office throughout the United States who are responsible for contracting good and services in support of Soldiers. In fiscal 2016, the command executed more than 32,000 contract actions valued at more than $4.6 billion across the Army, including $2.1 billion to American small businesses. The command also managed more than 585,000 Government Purchase Card Program transactions in fiscal 2016 valued at an additional $741 million.
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