FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – The U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (USAICoE) announced the winners of the Distinguished Instructor of the Year Award for 2021 and 2022 in a ceremony at Fitch Auditorium, October 21.
Staff Sgt. Daniel McGinnis was named 2021 Distinguished Instructor of the Year, and Cpt. Daryl Brown was named the 2022 Distinguished Instructor of the Year. Both awardees are full-time instructors who teach and train Soldiers at Fort Huachuca for intelligence careers in the U.S. Army. The winners were selected based on their instructional performance, instructional preparation, tactical and technical knowledge, ethics, and professionalism.
Maj. Gen. Anthony R. Hale, Fort Huachuca and USAICoE commanding general, spoke of the importance of recognizing high-performing individuals.
“The Army can have the best equipment in the world, we can have the best technology, but it’s our people that are going to execute our mission,” said Hale. “The people here at Fort Huachuca are what make us great.”
Brown, the 2022 Distinguished Instructor of the Year, credited his success as an instructor to his ability to create an open learning environment. Brown said he did this “by establishing and enforcing classroom norms throughout lessons, leading critical thinking group activities to start every morning, and incorporating a little humor.”
McGinnis, the 2021 Distinguished Instructor of the Year, says it is empathy that makes him a great instructor.
“Everyone has unique learning challenges, and it is my job to meet them at their level and tailor my instruction in a way that best reaches them,” said McGinnis.
Additionally, the awards ceremony recognized the USAICoE Drill Sergeant of the Year and 2022 Best Squad. Hale officially congratulated and presented star notes to the winners who had been previously awarded at their respective competitions.
Drill Sgt. Kevin Wilkinson, 305th Military Intelligence Battalion, competed and was the runner-up in the 2022 U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Drill Sergeant Competition, a physically and mentally grueling four-day competition meant to test Army drill sergeants as both experts in training and exceptional Soldiers.
Wilkinson said that seeing civilians transform into Soldiers and being able to train the future leaders of the Army are the most rewarding aspects of his job as a drill sergeant.
“Right now, it’s us,” he said, “but in 10 to 15 years it’s going to be them shaping the Army.”
Hale also lauded the USAICoE squad that competed in the TRADOC 2022 Best Squad Competition. The squad finished third out of 10 squads but was the top squad from a combat support branch.
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