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Indiana Army
National Guard Recognizes It’s Finest
Story by: Sgt. Michael Krieg, Indiana
National Guard
Posted: May 13, 2008
CAMP ATTERBURY,
Ind. - On Sunday, May 4, seven of the Indiana National
Guard’s sharpest and most disciplined young Soldiers sat anxiously
around a table in the Maj. Gen. Charles Whitaker Auditorium of the
Indiana Military Academy
at Camp Atterbury.
This was a focal point of
weeks of intense preparation and testing that had finally come down
to a moment of truth. These Guardsmen, along with their sponsors,
represented the best of the best from all of the major commands
around the state of Indiana and it was now time for State Command
Sgt. Maj. James Brown to announce the winners of each category.
The event was the annual
awards ceremony for the Indiana Army National Guard’s
Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year Competition. This
event, sponsored by the Office of The Adjutant General and the State
Command Sergeant Major, recognizes the tireless efforts of the
Indiana National Guard to challenge the Soldiers to strive for
excellence.
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State Command Sgt. Maj. James Brown poses
with the four finalists of the Indiana Army National Guard’s
State Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer competition held
in the Indiana Military
Academy at Camp Atterbury, Ind.,
on May 4, 2008. From left to right: Sgt. Zolton Szabo, NCO
of the year; Staff Sgt. Nicholas Barlow, NCO of
the Year Runner-Up; State Command Sgt. Maj. James Brown;
Spc. Richard Codd, Soldier of the Year; and Spc. Brandon
Bowman, Soldier of the Year Runner-Up. Photo by Sgt. Michael
Krieg, Indiana National Guard
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The Soldiers were judged
and graded in many areas of Army training, consisting of a physical
fitness test, a written exam, an essay, hands-on warrior tasks, M16
rifle qualification, land navigation, personal appearance and an
eight-mile Road March.
Brown took the stage and
congratulated all of the participants for their volunteer service
and commitment to the competition. As he announced the winners, one
by one, the Soldiers proudly made their way to the front of the
room, amidst the applause and ovations from their peers, to receive
their awards.
The winner,
Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, was Sgt. Zolton Szabo, 713th
Engineer Company (SAPPER); runner up was Staff Sgt. Nicholas Barlow,
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 219th Battlefield
Surveillance Battalion.
Winner of the Soldier of
the Year award was Spc. Richard Codd, Detachment 2, 165th
Quartermaster, 2nd Battalion, 152nd Reconnaissance and Surveillance
Squadron; runner up was Spc. Brandon Bowman, Company C, 1st
Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment.
Winners of this
competition advance to the Region 4 competition to be hosted by the
Ohio Army National Guard at Camp
Atterbury, June 4-8. The difficulty of
this next round of competition will be elevated to include three
additional events: the Combat Water Survival Test, the Obstacle
Course and finally, the Combatives event which will consist of
grappling, boxing and pugo sticks.
Said Brown, “This
competition is not for the faint of heart and only the best Soldier
and NCO will prevail and move on to the next level of competition at
Fort Benning, Ga., in August of this year.”
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