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Several weeks ago I get a call from my unit saying I need to go to the Soldier of the Year Board for our Battalion. As if if triple full time summer school wasn’t enough. So first things first I needed to get my uniform in order. For an Army Board the uniform is only part of the points you can earn but honestly it is one of the more important categories. First impressions last and appearances are a major part of impressions.

 It had been a while since I updated my ribbon rack with my new awards from Iraq so I visited the National Guard shop at the base near my house. It cost quite a bit to put this new uniform together. The lady working there was very helpful and knowledgeable.

 My biggest stressor in the weeks prior to the board was the actual uniform itself. Several months ago I purchased new pants and shirt for a Military Ball so no worries there. However my coat, the piece that ties it all together, was the same coat that I was fitted for in Basic Training, 10 years ago.

 When I entered the service I weighed in at 135 lbs soaking wet. After graduating AIT I weighed 150 lbs, after Bosnia my weight was 165 lbs. After Korea I weighed a fit 175 lbs, best shape I had ever been in. When I returned from the Middle East I was a hefty 190 lbs. You can see there was some weight gain. Most of it was healthy except for the last 20 lbs.

 Well, I did notice this weight gain and had been slowly doing something about it. Luckily I had returned to 175 (but not as fit as before) and my coat was a shapely tight fit. The reason this was such a big deal was all the stores near me no longer carried the same coat in my size as the army had begun switching over to a new dress uniform. I didn’t have the money to shell out for an entire new uniform and would barely be able to afford a proper fitting coat of the old style. As of now, we can still wear the old style while the new style is being phased in.

 One week before the board my unit tells me that I had been switched over to the NCO of the Year Board which was a bit more fitting. So I had a few more things to study, no problem. I had my uniform in order 4 days before the board and began studying.

 Army boards traditionally test a variety of categories. From Military History and First Aid to the NCO Creed and Current Events. There is a lot to know and one of the key failure points for board appearances is forgetting things while they are being asked. Luckily I have had plenty of experience so many of the categories were thins I KNEW so I didn’t have to memorize them.

 My unit is in California and I live in Arizona. I drive about 900 miles round trip to attend a weekend drill and I do not get travel pay. With the way gas prices are now I essentially work for free. You may ask why I would do that when there are closer units, but that is a story for another time. A few weeks ago while having my truck serviced my advisor recommended I get new tires but I could only decline at the time. So before leaving I ensured all my tires were properly inflated and one tire was in exceptionally bad shape. I prayed it would make it.

On the drive out to California there must have been at least 10 tires that exploded on the road right in front of me. It felt like I was driving through IEDs again with all the debris flying around. They served as a constant reminder to the bad shape my own tire was in. I did not have a spare so I was praying to Saint Mad Max to watch over me… (to be continued)

 

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