JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va., April 17, 2019 —
After days of intense competition, two U.S. Army Soldiers took home the honor of being named NCO and Soldier of the Year during a ceremony at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, April 15, 2019.
Senior leadership from JBLE announced the winners as Staff Sgt. Brandon Scarbrough, Charlie Company, 2-210 Battalion, 128th Aviation Brigade, aircraft structural repair instructor, and Spc. Jacob Hartman, 221st military police detachment, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, military police soldier.
“This competition promotes the spirit of the soldiers,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jermaine Ferguson, operations NCO assigned to the TRADOC Center for Initial Military Training. “These individuals demonstrate the proficiency, knowledge, and leadership of NCO’s and soldiers assigned to the installation and keep the tradition going.”
Scarbrough said this competition made him proud to be a Soldier because of all the difficult tasks that were required of the competitors.
The NCO and Soldier of the year competition included numerous challenges. Over the course of five days, the soldiers participated in M-16 qualification firing, combat medical skills, a written test, a 12-mile march and land navigation courses during day and night hours.
“It just makes me proud that I can showcase all of the skills that my leadership has been helping me fine-tune,” said Scarbrough.
For Hartman, this award carries a special place because he is a new Soldier. Hartman said that because he was a new Soldier, it was a good way to showcase the skills and training that the Army has provided him.
The competition was intense, but Hartman said how glad he was to be able to participate in this competition and had some advice for his fellow Soldiers.
“My advice to my fellow Soldiers would be to get out there and do these [competitions],” said Hartman. “If it gets offered to you or you hear about it coming up, try to get out and be a part of it.
Scarbrough admits it was a tough competition, but said he attributes his extra motivation for getting through from the Soldiers he competed against.
“On paper it really looks intimidating, but throughout the process what made it a lot easier is the comradery that we had as a group,” said Scarbrough. “Having everybody motivating each other is an experience that made the whole entire process worth it.”