CARLISLE BARRACKS, Pa. –
Army Staff Sgt. Brittany M. Sheehan, operations noncommissioned officer, Aerial Delivery Textile Division, DLA Distribution Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, is the 2018 United States Army War College Non Commissioned Officer of the Year.
To compete, Sheehan had to face a board of senior enlisted personnel who asked questions covering first aid, Equal Opportunity policy, Medal of Honor Recipients, Army uniform, and current events.
“Going in, I never feel like I've prepped enough. I feel like I could study non-stop and it still isn't good enough, but being selected feels amazing, and, I had no idea that I was the first female from DDSP to accomplish this,” she said.
Sgt. 1st Class Miguel A. Trevino, noncommissioned officer in charge, Aerial Delivery Textile Division, DDSP, helped Sheehan study and prepare for the board. However, during her board prep phase, he departed for school, so Sgt. 1st Class Franz E. Tovar stepped in. He helped Sheehan get her uniform together prior to her board appearance.
“From my prior NCO of the Year experiences here in this unit, the challenge to get prepared for such a prestigious board is big,” said Tovar.
According to Tovar, the biggest challenge that NCOs here in the DLA encounter during the preparation process, is trying to find time to study and rehearse due to the soldier's primary and secondary duties – mission first, civilian schooling, military schools, and community services.
“I'm sure she had to sacrifice a lot of her spare time to get ready. Personally, I believe that this type of action speaks loudly of how professional and dedicated Staff Sgt. Sheehan is,” Tovar stated.
Sheehan encourages soldiers to compete because these types of boards and competitions only makes one a better soldier.
The biggest piece of advice she gives – relax.
“I know from experience, it is easier said than done. You don't want to be your own downfall during the boards especially when you're stuttering over your words and your voice is shaky because of how nervous you are. As long as you've studied and show confidence, all should be fine.”
Winning this competition brings Sheehan closer to the next one. She will compete next summer at the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command competition. She is also slated to attend the Pathfinder school in April of 2019.
“My immediate career goals are to obviously keep climbing the ladder and moving forward while completing college courses,” said Sheehan, adding, “But my over-all long term goal is to make the rank of Sergeant Major.”