Dental Command announces 2005 Soldier & NCO of the Year.

The 2005 Dental Command NCO and Soldier of the Year Competition wrapped up on April 11th with SFC Corey Winn and PFC Matt Kitchell taking home the honors. Soldiers and NCOs were represented from the Dental Command's six Regional Commands and the Army Dental Laboratory. The soldiers competed against one another in eight events worth anywhere from 25 to 200 points each. Soldier of the Year, PFC Matt Kitchell, and NCO of the Year, SFC Corey Winn, were among 10 of the Command's best soldiers who competed over a four-day period from April 7th through April 11th at Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis in San Antonio, Texas.

This grueling competition not only forced the soldiers to strain and sweat but also made them think and reason. Day 1 began with the Army Physical Fitness test at 5:50 a.m. where the soldiers competed against each other in the standard testing of the push-up, sit-up, and the two-mile run. The next event was Drill and Ceremony in which soldiers had to move individuals from one place to another in an orderly manner. This practice aids in disciplinary training by instilling habits of precision and response to a leader's orders. Once these two events were completed it was off to Camp Bullis Training Area where the comforts of home are not afforded. After arriving at Camp Bullis the soldiers competed in a Day and Night Land Navigation course. If you know anything about Texas in the spring the woods are thick, and the soldiers were asked to find four unknown points knowing only grid coordinates, distance and magnetic azimuth from a start point. The day land navigation standard is finding three of four points within three hours. Now if you thought it was thick in the day just wait until 8:30 p.m. The soldiers had to navigate using only a magnetic azimuth and distance through the thick Texas brush finding at least two of the three unknown points in four hours. The land navigation ended at 12:30 a.m. with still a 30-minute drive back to the base camp.

Day 2 started with a 5:30 a.m. wake-up for breakfast and personal hygiene time. Next it was off to the firing ranges where soldiers would zero the M16A2 rifle and then fire on a record firing pop-up target qualification range. The record range consists of one firing 20 rounds of ammunition from the fox-hole-supported position and 20 rounds from a prone-unsupported position. The object, of course, is to hit all 40 targets but soldiers were awarded points on a sliding scale on how many targets they did hit. This long day finally ended with a 100 point written test and essay that tested the soldiers' knowledge of military subjects such as Drill and Ceremony, First Aid, NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical), Leadership, Field Sanitation, Weapons, Military Programs, Land Navigation, Flags, and many more.

The last physically strenuous day began at 6:00 a.m. when the soldiers met for a six-mile road march carrying a 15- to 35-pound tuck-sack. The morning's forced march had to be accomplished through Texas hill country within three hours. The soldiers marched right into the next event. The Common Task Training that consisted of five specialized tasks completed by both Soldiers and NCOs. These challenging tasks tested the soldier knowledge, skill, and attention to detail. The tasks were common tasks that all soldiers are required to perform in a wartime environment. They consisted of camouflaging techniques, first aid, weapons, communication, and NBC. With the physical testing out of the way only the oral board remained for the soldiers.

The final day began with oral board. This event weighed very heavily on the outcome of who would be victorious. To be successful at an oral board the soldiers had to have nerves of steel. This event had a panel of judges not unlike American IdoL The Dental Command's Regional Sergeants Major sat behind a long table and fired away question after question one after another judging on the way the answer was delivered, how the answer was delivered, and finally, was the answer correct.

There were 20 different military subjects that competitors had to know inside and out. Each competitor was in the room for about 30 minutes and required to answer over 50 questions. Not yes or no answers, but defining, elaborating, and explaining. Along with answering the questions soldiers were judged on appearance, eye contact, voice quality, and posture. The day finally ended with all competitors finishing late in the afternoon.

On the morning of April 11th the winners were announced during a ceremony held at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. Both winners, SFC Winn and PFC Kitchell, will now prepare for the 2005 MEDCOM competition that will be held at Ft. Sam Houston in June. Both soldiers who won the board received gifts and contributions donated by various organizations totaling over $1,000 and they would like to thank the ADAA for its generous contribution to the board.