Broadcaster Press 7 May 2, 2017 www.broadcasteronline.com SD Army National Guard Names Soldier, NCO Of The Year YANKTON, S.D. - The South Dakota Army National Guard brought four enlisted Soldiers and four non-commissioned officers to Yankton, April 20-22, to compete in the state's Best Warrior Competition, which names the Soldier and Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, respectively. After the three-day competition, Staff Sgt. Shane Wilkinson, with Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery, was named the 2017 SDARNG NonCommissioned Officer of the Year and Spc. Lucas Scott, 842nd Engineer Company, the SDARNG Soldier of the Year. "The importance of this event is readiness," said State Command Sgt. Maj. James Hoekman, the SDNG's senior enlisted leader. "Everything we do in the National Guard is to support our two missions, which is to have a ready force to engage, fight, and win our nation's wars, and to be ready to perform our state mission when called upon." Day one of the competition began with a very brief welcome from Hoekman, a quick shakedown and inspection, and competitors were soon taking the Army Physical Fitness Test, comprised of push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run. Following the APFT, Soldiers took an exam on map reading, grid coordinates and terrain association. After handing in their exams, they changed into the Army Service Uniform for an interview board comprised of four command sergeants major, a uniform inspection and a proficiency test on drill and ceremony. "The competition is rigorous - both physically and intellectually," said Hoekman. "We're bringing back the field craft and the warrior skills that every Soldier should have." The following day began at dark, with a night land-navigation test, a timed ruck march, and once the sun had risen, a daytime land-navigation course. Various stations followed, designed to test warrior tasks and battle drills, such as the ability to evaluate and treat a casualty, to set up radio communications and request medical evacuation, vehicle maintenance, knowledge and proficiency on various weapons systems and reacting to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and/or explosive materials. The third day of the competition included an essay and exam and then command sergeants major complete the final grading and evaluations. "This year's competition was extremely close," said Hoekman. "The Soldiers were very well prepared. In fact, the Soldier of the Year competition came down to a tiebreaker on an exam. Our competitors maintained the high level of expertise that always has been known in the South Dakota National Guard." Wilkinson and Scott will move on to the Region 6 Best Warrior Competition next month at Fort Lewis, Washington, where they will represent the SDARNG against Soldiers from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. "It was an honor to even be selected to compete," said Scott, of Rapid City, who has served in the SDARNG just under three years. Joining Scott in the Soldier of the Year competition were Spc. Derek Kocer, Company B, 139th Brigade Support Battalion, the 2017 Soldier of the Year runner-up/alternate; Spc. Brianna Bohn, 740th Transportation Company; and Spc. Elijah Houchens, Company C, 189th Aviation Battalion. "It means a lot to me," said Wilkinson, a Faulkton native and member of the SDARNG for 19 years. "I trained hard for this; not only for this competition but the brigadelevel competition as well." Wilkinson's fellow NCOs in the competition were Sgt. Austin Pearce, 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, the 2017 NCO of the Year runner-up/alternate; Sgt. 1st Class Cindy Erickson, 1st Battalion, 196th Regiment (Regional Training Institute); and Staff Sgt. Thomas Wanzek, Joint Force Headquarters. While Wilkinson and Scott will move on to represent South Dakota in the regional competition, and potentially nationally, it was the year leading up to the competition that ultimately affects the organization as a whole. "You have to refresh yourself when preparing for a contest like this," said Wilkinson. "As a result, it will allow me to provide my Soldiers with more quality training." "We want all of our competitors to bring the skills back to their respective units and to work with their leadership to continue stressing the importance of training warrior tasks and Soldier skills," Hoekman said. "This all comes back to readiness." By Sen. John Thune around his neck in 2008. I’d followed Derek’s career as an athlete and then as a coach at USD, but I wasn’t aware that he hadn’t received his medal until I met Michael Phelps in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. He was in town to testify before Congress about the perils and challenges of performance-enhancing drugs at the Olympics. Phelps knows a thing or two (or 28) about earning an Olympic medal, and I was impressed that he was willing to fight for fellow athletes like Derek. I quickly talked to my staff on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Olympic Committee and other athletic organizations, about Derek’s story. Shortly thereafter, I wrote to the IOC to try to help right this wrong. After some hard work and persistence by my staff, we heard from the IOC that it had located an authentic Beijing bronze medal and would send it to its rightful owner in Vermillion, South Dakota. Derek exemplifies what it means to be a true athlete. He’s dedicated to the sport and to the men and women – young and old, present and future – who make it what it is. I’m so honored that I could play a small role in helping to close this long and unfairly open-ended chapter in his life. Today, Derek is mentoring and coaching the next generation of potential Olympic athletes at USD. As for being a part of the USD community and living in South Dakota, Derek summed it up well: “Every time you turn a corner, there’s someone there that’s going to help you. Whether it’s your track coach, or your senator, or your representative bodies, or your family, or your friends, or your coaches – it’s truly fortunate to have fallen into this place, and you guys are probably stuck with me. I’m not sure I’ll ever leave.” I doubt I’m the only one who’s glad to hear that good news. A Moment Worth The Wait 1335 Other Employment 1345 ISS Facility Services, Inc. now hiring for rest area attendants. 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Please apply in person or send resume to: HEATING & COOLING The University of South Dakota’s (USD’s) Derek Miles has been known for a lot of things over the years, including being a father, husband, athlete, coach, and Olympian, just to name a few. Now, nearly a decade after competing in the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, he will be forever and finally known as an Olympic medalist. While nothing can replace standing on the podium in Beijing, I think Derek would agree that getting to share this special moment with friends, family, and the USD community will be a memory not soon forgotten. This particular chapter in Derek’s story begins in 2008 when he qualified for the men’s pole vault competition at the Beijing Olympic Games. It wasn’t Derek’s first trip to the Olympics either. He’d earned several top-three finishes at various events throughout his career, including the Olympic trials, but never at the Olympic Games. Derek competed hard in Beijing, but missed the podium by one position, placing fourth overall. Derek will tell you that he wishes he’d just beaten the third-place finisher outright, but he would eventually receive what was rightfully his. It wasn’t until eight years after the Beijing Games ended that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reanalyzed samples and determined that the Ukrainian athlete, who originally placed third and took Derek’s spot on the podium, used performance-enhancing substances that gave him an unfair advantage. He was subsequently disqualified by the IOC for using banned substances. After the IOC took action, the thirdplace spot belonged to Derek, at least on paper. 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Engstrom To Deliver Commencement Address VERMILLION, S.D. – Royce Engstrom, former president of the University of Montana and longtime University of South Dakota faculty member, will deliver the commencement address as part of the 130th Commencement Exercises of the University of South Dakota beginning at 9:30 a.m. next Saturday, May 6. Royce served as University of Montana president for six years and provost for three. Previously, he was a member of the USD community for 28 years, holding positions as a faculty May 12, 2017 5:30 pm May 14, 2017 12:30 pm (City of Vermillion) (Household and more) Vermillion member and chair in the Department of Chemistry, June 10, 2017 1:00 pm vice president for research, dean of the graduate House (Utica) and Personal Property school and provost. 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