WASHINGTON - The Utah Army National Guard's Sgt. Guy Mellor sat down with the National Guard Bureau's Air Force Tech. Sgt. Leisa Grant at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual meeting and exposition here Tuesday to discuss his path to becoming the U.S. Army's Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.
Q: When you began the Best Warrior Competition earlier this year, did you ever dream you would become the U.S. Army's Noncommissioned Officer of the Year?
A: Like the saying goes, "Shoot for the stars," so that's what I did. I don't know if I completely believed I could win the Army NCO of the Year, but I set that as my goal, worked for it, prepared for it - and it worked out.
Q: You didn't just show up at the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Va., last week and win. How many competitions did you have to win to get to the national level?
A: Let's count them: Battery, battalion, brigade, state, regional, National Guard and DA level - seven competitions total.
Q: What was your favorite aspect of the Best Warrior Competition?
A: My favorite part is the experience you get out of it. You put so much time into training and preparing for them, and you go to them - which is a whole other experience, competing in a stressful environment. You gain so much knowledge and experience throughout the process, and the knowledge and experience builds on itself, and you start to become more competent, knowledgeable and experienced. It's a cycle of self-development that is amazing.
Q: What were your competitive strengths?
A: The strengths that I had were the physical aspects. I trained really hard, so I've done really well in mostly all of the events - can't say I failed any one event. I was a high school wrestler, so this helped during combatives. I did really well on the physical fitness test and anything that was physically related, like the PT test and rucksack march.
Q: How did you address your weaknesses?
A: After every competition, I've looked at what I did wrong. They've given feedback after the competitions. After the National Guard's competition, I noticed I didn't do too hot on the weapons qualification, and I got beat in the combatives. I went back to my unit and fired once a week. And then I trained with another NCO who knew jujitsu and MMA fighting. Those were weaknesses after the National Guard competition, but then I came back and shot expert and won first in combatives. That's what Soldiering is all about. You find out where your weaknesses are and you improve those areas to build yourself up and become a better Soldier. This competition helped me do that.
Q: How much more training did you do for the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition?
A: I just made a training schedule and upped it a bit, but not much more, because I was already training quite a bit. I studied the Army study guide for one hour and did PT for one hour, both six days a week. I also studied certain tasks. When you add up the hours, it takes so much of your time. I really don't understand how married people with kids do it.
Q: You put college on hold for a semester to train for the Army competition. How difficult was this decision?
A: This was a real tough one, because one of my goals was to not take any time off from school, other than summers, until I graduate. But, I weighed the options. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity - especially winning it - so I figured I had a pretty decent shot at winning, so I thought if I am really serious about winning, I better take the semester off. I think that decision was a good decision because it opened up so much time. I had so many more hours to train and didn't have to juggle going to school, homework and training.
Q: How did the national-level Best Warrior Competition differ from the earlier levels?
A: The competition was similar. A lot of people probably think it would be a lot harder, but it really wasn't. The competition was tough - but the National Guard competition was also really tough.
Q: Tell me about your support back home.
A: What I've learned from doing this is it's not just about your unit, but also about your community. You're involved and engrained in the community. That's played a huge role in my support group. It's funny how many times my mom or dad call me to tell me so-and-so in the community called to tell us to wish you luck or that they're proud of me. This kind of support means the world to me. My family has been a huge support. Also, so many Soldiers back in Utah have helped me, opened up resources and helped me prepare to be a better Soldier.
Q: How will being the Army NCO of the Year affect your future?
A: This could definitely open doors, lots of doors, but I don't think it's going to change my future goals. There are a lot of options out there. I don't have my future completely established: I'm still going to be a Soldier, going to remain professional, and I want to make the National Guard a career.
Q: Why did you choose the National Guard?
A: It's a family tradition. My dad was the readiness NCO in my unit and my brother was in the unit. It was kind of the thing to do in my family, like a culture almost - you grow up, join the Guard and become an artilleryman. I didn't really know about all the options - National Guard, Reserve, active duty. It was a family tradition first, and school became another reason. And, I love the National Guard. I love being a Soldier, I do. I love the Citizen-Soldier life. I get to help out the community, I get to help my nation win wars and protect its citizens during natural disasters. A Citizen-Soldier is the best thing: I absolutely love being a National Guardsman.
Q: What would you tell Soldiers aspiring to become Soldier or NCO of the Year?
A: I would definitely encourage it. This is just one of the many opportunities in the military. The military is like any other aspect of your life - it is what you make of it. And if you want to make it the greatest experience of your life, you truly can do that. This competition is one of them. I would strongly encourage anyone with the slightest interest to try for it. Through participation and hard work, you're going to becoming a better Soldier and individual. And, it's not going to stop there. You're not only going to help yourself, you're going to better the other Soldiers in your unit. That's what the Army is about - training and developing new leaders.
Q: You were the National Guard's Soldier of the Year in 2009. How did that experience help you win NCO of the Year for both the Army National Guard and Army this year?
A: The experience back in 2009 helped me out so much. I relied on that so much, because I was able to understand the study guide, and learn what Soldier of the Year was about, and more about the competition. Honestly, I didn't seek to compete. My unit nominated me, and I said, "All right, I'll do it." I know this was one of the main reasons I was able to come to this competition this year and do so well.
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