JBSA-FORT SAM HOUSTON –
The 470th Military Intelligence Brigade announced its Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year during a ceremony April 25.
"This program is for the Soldiers," said 470th MIB Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Totoris. "There are no losers; one in each category just outperformed the others."
The winners came from two of the brigade's eight subordinate battalions.
The Soldier of the Year is Spc. Hilary Schultz of the 717th MI Battalion, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, while the NCO of the Year is Sgt. Timothy Burgess of the 206th MI Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas.
The annual competition is the culminating competition among winners of each fiscal quarter.
This year's competition took place April 22 through 24 on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and JBSA-Camp Bullis. It included the Army Physical Fitness Test, a written test, an essay question, range qualification with an M16 rifle, six "warrior tasks," land navigation and, ultimately, a formal board appearance.
"The biggest challenge was the amount of events crammed into each day," Schultz said. "But that's what made it great; they kept us on our toes."
Burgess said even though the written test was "fill in the blanks," it was loaded with questions on general military knowledge.
"Study hard, maintain those basic Soldiering and leadership skills, and keep doing the right thing," Burgess advised other competitors.
"Don't give up," Schultz added. "If you fall behind in one area, just keep going. Never give up."