Soldiers Compete for Illinois Army National Guard Soldier of the Year

Story by Sgt. Michael Camacho, 108th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

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Staff Sgt. Beau Detrick of Mariondiscusses information for a situation report with Spc. Benjamin Latham of North Riverside during a field mission event .

MARSEILLES, IL (09/21/2011)(readMedia)-- Every year one Soldier and one Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) represents their commands and competes against fellow top Soldiers and NCOs to be the year's top Soldier or NCO of the Illinois Army National Guard.

Nine Soldiers competed in the 2011 Illinois Army National Guard Solider and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competition Sept. 15 to 18 at Marseilles Training Center in Marseilles.

The competition tested their physical fitness and endurance, warrior tasks and skills, rifle proficiency and knowledge of the Army and its history.

Staff Sgt. Beau Detrick of Marion, with the Illinois Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Command in Springfield took the title of Noncommissioned Officer of the Year after competing against four other NCOs from across the state.

Spc. Benjamin Latham of North Riverside, with the 1244th Transportation Company in North Riverside, took the title of Soldier of the Year after competing against three other Soldiers.

"Being a Soldier is different than most full-time or part-time jobs, to say the least," said Command Sgt. Maj. John Starbody of Decatur, the State Senior Enlisted Adviser for the Illinois Army National Guard. "It requires a level of physical and mental readiness, maintaining a grasp of Army warrior tasks and knowledge and the dedication to improve all those skill sets."

Starbody said the competition has grown and developed more every year, raising the bar and pushing Soldiers to their limits.

"Every Soldier and NCO who was out there was the best of the best," said Starbody. "I'm impressed by the performance of each and every one of them and know this experience will help them as they continue in their military careers."

Latham defeated his top competitor Spc. Brett Devlin of Machesney Park, with the 135th Chemical Company in Machesney Park, by five points.

"The other Soldiers were (prepared) and they had a lot of good training before they got here," said Latham. "It came down to the wire between me and Spc. Devlin. It was extremely close."

Detrick also took a last minute win after a neck-in-neck competition with Sgt. 1st Class Eric Stuehlmeyer of Rockford with the 135th Chemical Company in Machesney Park. Detrick said the events were tough and provided a good learning experience for the NCOs and Soldiers.

"It's amazing what you learn about yourself," said Detrick. "Rarely do you start off the day with an Army Physical Fitness Test, right into a day land navigation course, a confidence course, then a Modern Army Combatives competition and then a night land navigation course; it's a physically exhausting experience. You've really got to dig deep when these events get hard for you."

Both Detrick and Latham said they will continue their training for the next competition. They will compete in the regional-level competition in the spring of 2012 against Soldiers and NCOs from Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The winners of regionals advance onto the National Guard Bureau level competition.

photo 1) U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael Camacho, 108th Sustainment Brigade/ Staff Sgt. Beau Detrick of Marion, with the Illinois Army National Recruiting and Retention Command in Springfield discusses information for a situation report with Spc. Benjamin Latham of North Riverside, with the 1244th Transportation Company in North Riverside during a field mission event at the Illinois Army National Guard Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competition Sept. 17 at Marseilles Training Center in Marseilles.

photo 2) U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael Camacho, 108th Sustainment Brigade/ Soldiers compete in a 5-mile road march during the Illinois Army National Guard Solider and Noncommissioned of the Year competition Sept. 17 at Marseilles Training Center in Marseilles.

photo 3) U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael Camacho, 108th Sustainment Brigade/ Staff Sgt. Nicolas Grant of Caseyville, a combatives instructor for the Illinois National Guard's 129th Regional Training Institute in Springfield, demonstrates an arm bar to competitors at the Illinois Army National Guard Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competition Sept. 17 at Marseilles Training Center in Marseilles.