FORT SILL, Oklahoma (May 10, 2021) -- It was a team effort that took the support of everyone ranging from his battle buddies to his sponsor to his first sergeant and battery commander, and to his wife.
That’s how Drill Sergeant (Staff Sgt.) Matthew Dunbar said he won the 434th Brigade’s Drill Sergeant of the Year (DSoY) competition. He represented C Battery, 1st Battalion, 31st Field Artillery.
Runner-up Drill Sergeant (Staff Sgt.) Brett McGillivray, E Battery, 1st Battalion, 40th Field Artillery, said it felt great to win, too. “It was a tough competition; I can’t say enough about the other outstanding drill sergeants.
Also competing were drill sergeants: (Staff Sgt.) Sha’Neal Fox-Jones, D Battery, 1st Battalion, 22nd Field Artillery; (Staff Sgt.) James Gibellin, 95th Adjutant General Battalion (Reception); (Staff Sgt.) Paige Louque, D Battery, 1st Battalion, 79th Field Artillery; (Staff Sgt.) Kristopherjon Rue, B Battery, 1st Battalion, 19th Field Artillery; and (Staff Sgt.) Jonathan Zaragoza, also from D/1-79th FA. (Drill Sergeant (Staff Sgt.) Zachary Hollis, B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, the 30th ADA Brigade’s DSoY, participated in preparation for the postwide event.)
The competition ran May 3-7 at training sites across Fort Sill. The 2020 DSoY (Staff Sgt.) William Tazwell IV said he designed the competition with assistance from drill sergeants and brigade cadre.
They weren’t looking for the most difficult physical obstacles, but at events drill sergeants would have to be the most adept at in training recruits, Tazwell said. “That way they will produce the best product (a Soldier). That’s our goal.”
Competition events included the Army Combat Fitness Test 3.0, instructing drill and ceremonies modules, multiple road marches carrying rucksacks weighing between 35 to 55 pounds, day-and-night land navigation, an obstacle course, Soldier skills (i.e., throwing hand grenades), rifle marksmanship, and an appearance before a board of command sergeants major.
Louque chose to compete to challenge herself, and to gauge herself against her peers, according to her bio. “Competition pushes people to new limits, and I want to compete against the best,” she wrote.
On Day 2 of the competition, Hollis said his most difficult event was writing an essay on the Four-Phase Training Plan, or how to train recruits in basic combat training, or Soldiers in advanced individual training.
In his bio, Rue stated a major challenge for him preparing for the competition was prioritizing tasks and finding time to study while being in cycle training recruits. [Writer’s note: 14-hour work days and 90-hour work weeks are not uncommon for drill sergeants.]
Gibellin said he considered it an honor to be selected by his leaders to compete. He described the competition as very challenging, but fun.
“I felt like I held my own competing against the other high-caliber drill sergeants, and I learned a lot in the process,” he said. “I’m glad of my performance.”
Some of the competitors, including Zaragoza, agreed the knowledge board would be the toughest event. “I have found it difficult to remember specific data about topics,” he stated in his bio.
Fox-Jones said one of the reasons she competed was to get in shape for bodybuilding in the figure competition category. The DSoY competition prepared her for that not only physically, but as well as the motivation to strive for excellence, she said.
The competitors were recognized during an award ceremony May 7, at Cache Creek Chapel, in front of their senior leaders, peers, co-workers, families, and friends.
The 434th FA Brigade command team of Col. Daniel Blackmon and Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Slater, presented each of them with an Army Achievement Medal, and their coins of excellence. Dunbar and McGillivray also received trophies.
Slater congratulated the competitors.
“We (434th FA) could not function and do this mission without you,” he said. “That’s how important you are.” And, he charged them: “Continue to be the best-of-the-best at this installation.”
Blackmon said his DSoY has tremendous responsibilities. He described the position as his right-hand man who sets the standard for the brigade’s 400 drill sergeants, and for the training of recruits.
The DSoY is his eyes and ears and tells him about the atmosphere of training: what’s going well and how things can be improved, the colonel said.
Dunbar and McGillivray move on to the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill DSoY competition June 14-17, where they will compete against DSoYs from the 428th FA, and 30th ADA brigades here, Tazwell said. That winner will go on to the DA-level competition in July, at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Tazwell said he will assist Dunbar and McGillivray as they prepare for the FCoE competition. In October, he will transfer to Fort Riley, Kansas, and work for the 1st Infantry Division as a fire control specialist.
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