COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The top noncommissioned officer and Soldier from the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's 2011 NCO and Soldier of the Year competition have been named.
Staff Sgt. Andrew Brown, 1st Space Company, 1st Space Battalion, has been named the NCO of the Year, and Spc. Brandon Kitchen, Company B, 53rd Signal Battalion, has been named the Soldier of the Year.
"I'm excited and surprised," Kitchen said. "There was so much knowledge among these Soldiers, I'm honored to have been able to compete and still come out on top."
Brown said he was surprised also.
"I'm surprised and speechless," Brown said. "This is such a wonderful group of Soldiers. I'm honored to compete with these guys. Now, we go back and complete the mission."
Kitchen said the easiest event for him was the run portion of the Army Physical Fitness Test.
"I'm originally from Colorado, so I had an advantage," Kitchen said. "It didn't take me very long to acclimate to the altitude."
Brown said the hardest event for him was the situational exercise.
"We had such a small squad for such a large mission, and there was so much gunfire," Brown said. "It really pushed me to my limit."
The winners will now compete in the Department of the Army's Best Warrior competition at Fort Lee, Va., in October.
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