Soldier of the Year

On October 4, 2003, Missick was awarded the 319th Signal Battalion's high honor of Soldier of the Year, for the training year 2003-2004.  This award is given to one soldier in the battalion who has shown excellence in all areas and sets an example for his/her fellow soldiers.  In addition to a nice plaque stating Missick's accomplishment, he was given an Army Achievement Medal (AAM) accompanied by a certificate outlining the reason for his AAM.

The award - Click here to view the certificate Missick received. 

Missick's Personal Account

Sitting in the ballroom at the Lions Gate hotel in Sacramento California, surrounded by hundreds of fellow soldiers of the 319^th Signal Battalion dressed in their Class A Uniforms and Dress Blues, I heard Sergeant Major Bollanger call my name, summoning me to the front of the room to stand with a group of five other soldiers.   The Sergeant Major is a 30 year military veteran with a flawless crew cut, super-hero like facial features, and a uniform that is so thoroughly decorated with service ribbons and recognitions that you immediately know you are a part of something greater than yourself by serving in the 319^th under his leadership.  I had been called to join the representatives of the other companies in the 319^th to the Soldier of the Year board.  “Together, the five of us,” the Sergeant Major told the soldiers sitting before him, “represented the best, the brightest, and the most disciplined soldiers in the Army Reserve.  These fine individuals set the standard.”  And with those words, the Sergeant Major was prepared to announce the one among us who would stand as Battalion Soldier of the Year, an honor marking the distinction of one soldier in the midst of thousands. 

As each second passed, with the Sergeant Major speaking about the history of the honor of Soldier of the Year, combining his personal past experiences with those of others he had gained in his journeys, I was transported to what had been the culmination of my years of dedication and hard work in the Army Reserves.  I could recall each detail with precision as I thought about the day I was summoned to the Soldier of the Year Board to finalize the process of elimination customary in the selection of Soldier of the Year.  The board is the final step in a long process of elimination, and combines the difficulty of testing soldiers on a vast body of knowledge, with creating an intense, rigid atmosphere of competition, formality and strict military bearing. 

Reliving all these experiences in my mind was abruptly interrupted when the Sergeant Major declared that the “2003 Soldier of the Year was Specialist Missick.”  The room cheered, and the Sergeant Major walked over to me with a grin that declared his pride in granting me the award, and handed me a plaque declaring my new title.   The Battalion Commander who pinned me with an Army Achievement Medal, and shook my hand and said in his authoritative voice, “Good job soldier”, followed the Sergeant Major.  The proceeding moments surrounded me with a whirlwind of praise and congratulatory comments from enlisted soldiers and officers alike.  I was proud for what I had accomplished, and yet I was even more proud that I had helped display the excellence of the company I was a part of and the leadership that demanded such a high level of excellence and discipline from its soldiers.