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Home : Features : 2009 : Year of the NCO

Spotlight Year of the NCO

The Army National Guard's Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for 2009 were recently announced at the 38th annual conference of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States in Rochester, Minn. Spc. Guy Mellor (left), from Utah's B Company, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery Regiment was named Soldier of the Year and Sgt. Ryan Brubaker (right), from Montana's B Company, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, took honors as the NCO of the Year. Command Sgt. Maj. Victor Angry (center) presented the awards at the conference. (Photo courtesy of Minnesota National Guard)

## Two Soldiers named top in the Army Guard

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Jon SoucyNational Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va., (8/14/09) - The Army National Guard's  Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for 2009 were announced  yesterday at the 38th annual conference of the Enlisted Association of the  National Guard of the United States.

Spc. Guy Mellor, from Utah's B Company, 1st Battalion,  145th Field Artillery Regiment was named Soldier of the Year and Sgt. Ryan  Brubaker, from Montana's B Company, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment,  took honors as the NCO of the Year.

It is the second year in a row that a Montana Soldier has  been named the Army Guard's NCO of the Year. Last year, after winning the Army  Guard's competition, Montana's Staff Sgt. Michael Noyce Merino went on to win  the Department of the Army competition.

For Brubaker, that put added pressure on him as he went  through this year's competition.

I put it on myself because I want to represent  Montana€¦and the entire National Guard, possibly, at the next event, he said.  I want to represent them as best I can so I do put a little more pressure on  myself.

For both Soldiers, winning the top honors means they are  among the best the Guard has to offer.

These Soldiers are the best of the best from their  states, their regions and of the Guard, Command Sgt. Maj. Victor Angry, acting  sergeant major of the Army Guard said during the competition. What (they've  done) here is nothing but commitment and courage. I've been nothing but impressed.

The competition, held at the Army Guard's Warrior  Training Center at Fort Benning, Ga., earlier this month, was a grueling  three-day event that pushed competitors to their physical and mental limits  with ruck marches, written tests, marksmanship events and other elements all done back-to-back with few breaks in between all on an average of three hours  sleep a night.

There were times when many in the competition didn't know  if they'd make it through.

I'm pretty drained right now, said Mellor, about  halfway through the competition. I'm feeling O.K., but I'm just really drained  right now. It's going to be hard to get up, but I'm ready.

For Brubaker, succeeding in the competition came by  focusing on one event at a time. 

 So, if I'm doing  weapons that's all I'm going to concentrate on, he said. I'm not going to  focus on how I messed up on the IV stick. I'm just going to concentrate on one  task at a time and make it through.

Both Soldiers spent many hours getting ready to compete.  It's been an extremely tough road to get here, said Brubaker. There has been  a lot of time where I have just had to sit down and study or go and do PT at  all hours of the morning.

For Brubaker and Mellor the road to being named the best  of the best in the Army Guard started with unit level competitions. From there  they went through other competitions to get to the state level, then regionally  and finally the Army Guard Competition at Fort Benning.

And those previous competitions have provided part of the  determination to make it to the next level.

There have been some outstanding competitors I've gone  against in previous competitions, said Brubaker. I think they have personally  given me the drive to want to really try as hard as I can and do my best.

But preparing for the event, and winning each successive  competition, wasn't something done alone.

I've worked really hard to get here, but it hasn't only  been me though, said Brubaker. My unit has been phenomenal with supporting  me. My family, my spouse have just been outstanding at supporting me.

And the competition gave both Soldiers valuable things  they said they can take back and share with others in their units.

I've learned to adapt to unfamiliar situations, be it  some of the different tasks we (had) to do or some of the mystery events, said  Brubaker. That will help me grow as a Soldier and as an NCO and that is  something that I can take back to my Soldiers in my squad.

Now that the Army Guard competition is over, the Soldiers  had one bit of advice for those getting ready for next year's event.

You have to decide right now if you really want it,  said Brubaker. Because if you don't want to win then you're not going to put  in the time and the effort that it's going to take to study and do PT and to do  the tasks that are required to be at this level. So you have to decide right  now, is this something that I really want because if you want something you're  going to go achieve your goals.

Mellor and Brubaker will move on to compete in the  Department of the Army competition Sept. 29 at Fort Lee, Va.

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