FORT SILL, Okla. -- With more than 700 Advanced Individual Training platoon sergeants, the Army held a competition Aug. 22-26 at Fort Eustis, Va., to determine the Air Defense Artillery AIT Platoon Sergeant of the Year.
In the end, they chose Sgt. 1st Class Paul Gahl, C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th ADA.
Gahl and 10 other platoon sergeants were tested on their knowledge of Soldier tasks, how they teach those tasks to new trainees, and warrior tasks and battle drills. The platoon sergeant concluded the competition facing a board of senior command sergeants major, who asked questions on leadership and training.
"This is a key event in my career, and I am honored to be selected as the AIT platoon sergeant of the year," said Gahl. "However, I believe this recognition speaks more about the professionalism of my leaders past and present, than it does about me. Engaged leaders ensure we are doing our job and they provide the necessary mentorship and resources to ensure we are successful."
Gahl is part of a team of noncommissioned officers who lead, teach and train about 10 AIT classes, each of about 100 Soldiers, through this next step toward becoming air and missile defense crew members.
His day officially starts at 6 a.m. with his Soldiers at physical readiness training. Not just telling them what to do, Gahl leads from the front. Through ever stretch, crunch, push up and step of a five-mile run, he shows the Soldiers that NCOs are with them throughout AIT and into their careers. Later in the day, he also teaches combatives imparting the wisdom, skills and techniques he learned that may save these Soldiers lives should they find themselves in harm's way.
As he trains his Soldiers, Gahl is constantly striving to encourage and motivate them toward self-improvement. He said Soldiers often compare themselves to their leaders and fellow Soldiers, but he teaches them to assess themselves, and instead, compare themselves to who they were yesterday.
"This gives even the strongest Soldier someone to compete against -- him or herself," he said.
Striving to teach fundamentals first, Gahl takes the same self-assessment approach when teaching combatives. He said Soldiers who stick around the Army will have plenty of chances to compete in tournaments, but establishing a firm foundation of combatives basics will serve them much better in combat than finding out who is the king of the ring.
All told the NCOs have about 10 weeks to best prepare the Soldiers to be ready for what the Army will expect of them. Included in that time is a 96-hour warrior field training exercise where NCOs teach warrior tasks, battle drills and skills related to their ADA specialty. Soldiers who complete the training should have achieved the necessary technical and tactical proficiency within their military occupational specialty.
As he rose up through the ranks, Gahl said he looked up to his squad leader and set a goal to be like him -- a sergeant and a leader.
"In that sense my goal hasn't changed. I am going to continue to lead and develop Soldiers passing on the knowledge and zeal for the Army that was passed to me," he said. "But, we're not just developing MOS-ready Soldiers. As platoon sergeants we also instill Army values and the Warrior Ethos in our Soldiers providing the Army with self-disciplined, loyal and lethal warriors."
Gahl speaks of his job as being a great responsibility and continuously rewarding. He realizes that and more each day working with these new Soldiers and observing the growth in each individual.
"ADA is a small branch, and I am sure I will see a lot of my Soldiers in the future as sergeants, warrant officers and commissioned officers," he said.
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