FORT SILL, Okla. (June 20, 2019) -- Fort Sill had plenty to celebrate on the Army's 244th birthday -- awards to three of its most competitive enlisted Soldiers, the premiere of an overture in honor of the post's 150th anniversary, and the ceremonial cutting of the Army birthday cake.
Staff Sgt. Benhur Rodriguez of B Battery, 1st Battalion, 19th Field Artillery, 434th FA Brigade, was named the 2019 Fort Sill Drill Sergeant of the Year, Staff Sgt. Daniel Cook of 1st Battalion, 40th FA, 434th FA Brigade, the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, and Spc. Thomas Massengill of A Battery, 1st Battalion, 30th FA, 428th FA Brigade, the Soldier of the Year.
Each of them received a Meritorious Service Medal, a statuette representing the category for which they won, and a USAA medallion.
Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill Command Sgt. Maj. John Foley called them "the best of the best."
"We're talking about two Soldiers who will represent this installation at the two-star level at TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command)," Foley said of the Best Warrior Competition winners. "Here on Fort Sill there's about 7,000 Soldiers who could compete, from about private E-2 to sergeant first class E-7 for Best Warrior Competition for NCOs or Soldiers. We started with 11. We had one who had to drop out due to injuries so we ended up with 10, six noncommissioned officers and four junior enlisted Soldiers.
"On the drill sergeants' side, we have 280 drill sergeants on Fort Sill, and here we end up with five who competed at the post-level competition. So that says a lot about these 15 warriors," Foley said, praising them for their perseverance, motivation, and willingness to win.
"I will tell you that if you want to win, you have to compete," Foley told the crowd.
Rodriguez drew a huge round of applause when Foley named him the new Drill Sergeant of the Year.
"My battalion, pretty much all of it was here. They've been supporting me the entire way. I felt the jitters that I haven't felt in a long time," Rodriguez said.
He said he felt very good about his chances of winning, but he knew there were events where other competitors came up and pushed him to work even harder.
"So I wasn't 100 percent sure, but I was hoping for the best," Rodriguez said. "It was extremely challenging, especially when it comes to all the studying. There were a lot of things that we were tested on, and it pushed me to my extreme limits."
Although his family is from Nicaragua, Rodriguez was born and raised in North Hollywood, Calif. His wife, Ivette, supports him all the way in his career. They have two children, Ben, 5, and Noah, 2, and a third one on the way.
Rodriguez said joining the Army has given him structure and the right way to grow up and raise his children. He's looking forward to working full time as Fort Sill Drill Sergeant of the Year and competing in the TRADOC level of competition this August at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Cook, the NCO of the Year, said, "I really couldn't have done it without my family and my unit's support, and I had the best sponsor that anybody could have had (Staff Sgt. Emmanuel Schinagl). I identified some deficiencies and my weaknesses and all around. I'll do better at the TRADOC competition." Both the NCO and Soldier of the Year competitions will be at Fort Rucker, Ala., July 14-19.
Cook and his wife, Jordynn, have three children, Elijah, 11; Shellie, 4, and Jacqueline, 2.
Massengill said it meant a lot to him to win Soldier of the Year, because he competed in the 2018 Best Warrior Competition and lost. This year he tried again, "to just do the best that I can with the talents that God gave me."
His previous experience gave him a good idea of the events this year's entrants would be doing. He'll be working on a number of things between now and the TRADOC competition, particularly land navigation, both day and night. The easiest part for him was the PT test. His sponsor for the Best Warrior Competition was Staff Sgt. Tyler Osborn.
In the next portion of the program, the 77th Army Band debuted "The Sesquicentennial Overture," an original composition by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bridgette Brenmark.
"This is a bittersweet thing for me. I leave at the end of this month, so it means a lot to me that I'm able to do this as a parting gift for a wonderful experience at Fort Sill," she said.
When she started writing the piece, she did a lot of research into the history of Fort Sill and a lot of contemplation about what makes Fort Sill unique.
"In order to resolve all these things into a piece of music, I decided on the idea of an overture. An overture is usually performed before a larger work such as an opera, and it introduces themes that will be represented in that larger piece.
"We aren't playing any larger piece today, just the overture. But I like the idea that the overture honors our past, but also hints towards our future.
"The first part of the overture is fairly chronological. You will hear representations of the land, its native people, the early settlers, the cavalry arriving, and the establishment of the post. You'll hear caissons represented, and artillery, and a lot of other nods to unique groups here on Fort Sill.
"Throughout the piece you will hear various melodies trying to find their place and figure out a way to work together. Spoiler alert: They do," she said.
She even incorporated the rhythm of the word "sesquicentennial."
After a triumphant performance of the work, Brig. Gen. Stephen Smith, commandant of the FA School and chief of the FA branch, was next to take the podium. He used quotes from historian David McCullough's book, "1776," to paint a word-picture of what it was like in Boston in the summer of 1775 when the Continental Army was first formed.
Smith said every nationality was represented, including Native Americans and African Americans. All ages were represented as well, from the very young to the very old. A boy of 10 enlisted with his father. They were up against the British, the most powerful army in the world, but the Yanks defeated them in the Battle of Yorktown.
"We're an all-volunteer army today like we were in 1775," said Smith, noting that the United States now boasts the most powerful army in the world and is the envy of other nations."
Staff and volunteers from the three Fort Sill museums: U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum, U.S. Air Defense Artillery Training Support Facility, and Fort Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum built a 150th anniversary display.
Six members in period uniforms stood in a timeline representing Soldiers from the post's founding in 1869 to the Vietnam War. The display also featured firearms from those eras.
The exhibits really enhanced the entire celebration, noted a public affairs official.
As the youngest Soldier on post, Pvt. Cooper Zuniga, 17, of E Battery, 1st Battalion, 40th FA, had the honor of helping cut the Army birthday cake alongside Fort Sill's oldest Soldier and first commander, Col. Benjamin Grierson, as portrayed by Air Defense Artillery Museum Curator Jonathan Bernstein.
"It really shocked me to be here, just as a trainee I feel very honored to be in the room with so many people who have done great things for the Army," Zuniga said.
Originally from McAllen, Texas, he joined the Army because he wasn't sure what to do and after talking to a recruiter about his options for himself, his wife, and his family, he went ahead and signed up. As of June 17, he'll be in week eight of basic training, and he wants to become a medic. He said the best part of being in the Army is creating friendships, creating loyalty among other trainees, and seeing how they grow together as a team.
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