St. Charles Soldier Named 108th Sustainment Brigade's NCO of the Year

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Sgt. Anthony Dowling of St. Charles was named the 108th Sustainment Brigade's brigade noncommissioned officer the year following a two-day competition Aug. 11 and 12 at Camp Lincoln in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (08/13/2012)(readMedia)-- Out of roughly 2,100 Soldiers in the 108th Sustainment Brigade in Chicago, Sgt. Anthony Dowling of St. Charles with the 709th Area Support Medical Company in Peoria, was named the 108th's brigade noncommissioned officer (NCO) the year following a two-day competition Aug. 11 and 12 at Camp Lincoln in Springfield.

Dowling said he spent countless hours studying and preparing for the competition and said it felt good to achieve the title of the brigade's NCO of the year.

'The other NCO came in very well prepared and we all had an equal shot and everyone did really well," said Dowling.

Dowling won against three other top Soldiers from the 108th Special Troops Battalion in Chicago, 1144th Transportation Battalion (Motor Transport) in Delavan and the 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion in Springfield.

"The purpose of the Soldier of the Year competition is to find a Soldier who embodies the 'be, know, do, lead by example' type Soldier in our brigade," said Command Sgt. Maj. John Burns of Benld, senior enlisted adviser of the 108th.

Burns said the enlisted Soldiers and NCOs are the key component for the Illinois National Guard to be successful. The competition indentifies those enlisted Soldiers who excel and display key leadership and military traits

Companies select a Soldier and NCO who stand out among their peers to go on to compete representing their unit through the battalion and brigade level competitions, said Burns. Tested in areas of Soldier knowledge and physical readiness, the brigade Soldier and NCO of the Year will go on to the state level competition to face off against other top brigade Soldiers and NCOs of the roughly 10,000 Soldiers of the Illinois Army National Guard.

"When you get to the state-level competition it's a tough four-day competition, physically and mentally. Soldiers will be tested on their knowledge of military customs and courtesies, current events,

and the knowledge expected of leaders; and pushed to their physical limits in the Army Physical Fitness Test, combatives, road marching and weapons skills," he said.

Burns said Soldiers study and train with the aid of their sponsors, typically senior NCOs who mentor and develop candidates.

Burn said the success of the brigade competition was due to the aid of the 108th's support staff in the personnel and the training and operations sections.

Dowling and Spc. Michael Quigley of Point Camp, the 108th's Soldier of the Year, will go on to represent the brigade against the Soldiers and NCOs of the Year from four other Illinois Army National Guard brigades at the state-level competition in September. The winners of the state competition will go on to represent Illinois in the regional competition against other states in the region.