Written by Maria Yager
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital Public Affairs
Fort Campbell, KY – Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH) recognized its top Non-Commissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year during an award ceremony at the hospital, Thursday, January 17th, 2019.
Staff Sgt. Robert Baker, assigned to the Department of Nursing as the Mother Baby Unit NCO in charge, and Spc. Robbie Brockman, also assigned to the Department of Nursing, Mother Baby Unit, were named NCO and Soldier of the Year, respectively. NCO of the Year is awarded to a Soldier in paygrade E-5 and above and Soldier of the Year is awarded to a Soldier in paygrade E-4 and below.
Baker and Brockman were selected after competing with seven other candidates from the hospital and outlying medical homes.
“Congratulations to our winners and runner-ups. These Soldiers demonstrate commitment to our Army core values and embody the warrior ethos. They will represent Blanchfield Army Community Hospital in the Regional Health Command-Atlantic Best Warrior competition later this year,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Earle, Blanchfield’s top enlisted leader. “I applaud your efforts and I also want to thank our NCO corps for all their efforts in making this event possible and preparing our next team to compete at the regional competition.”
The 13-hour competition run by hospital NCOs included land navigation, a physical fitness test, marksmanship, written exam and essay, oral board, and combat and trauma medical skills assessments.
“The competition was honestly one of the most dynamic, detailed and well-coordinated competitions I have been through. It was information packed, physically demanding and most importantly it assessed a Soldier’s potential to perform,” said Baker. “This was an assessment of a Soldier’s raw ability to perform with what they know. It was a continuous series of tasks that you had to take one at a time.” During the ceremony, Blanchfield’s hospital commander Col. Anthony L. McQueen awarded Baker and Brockman the Army Commendation Medal for their achievements.
“The competition was challenging. We had many physical events on top of testing our Soldier knowledge,” said Brockman.
“While there can only be one NCO and one Soldier of the year at BACH, participating in this event says a lot about the personnel coming out to compete. Each of you inspire everyone by going out there and stepping outside of your comfort zone doing things that others will not do or cannot do,” Earle told the competitors. “Congratulations to each and every one of you.”
Other competitors were Sgt. 1st Class Marie Rubin, Sgt. Olivia Baker, Sgt. Derrick Hise, Sgt. Mary Norris, Spc. Kevin Jean-Jaques, Spc. Keira Pastor and Pfc. Mondeka Douei.
Located on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital supports the medical readiness of Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Soldiers and federal civil service employees assigned to the hospital’s Soldier and Patient Centered Medical Homes provide primary care service to more than 72,000 enrolled Soldiers, Retirees and their Family members.
Additionally, numerous specialty care, including emergency medicine, surgery, integrated disability evaluation, traumatic brain injury, behavioral health, women’s health and inpatient care and many more services, are provided to more than 92,000 eligible beneficiaries within the 40-mile radius of Fort Campbell.
