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A Public Health Command Region–Europe NCO took top honors in the U.S. Army Public Health Command (Provisional) Best Warrior competition in December at the command’s Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., headquarters.
Sgt. Raymond R. Stanford, a medical laboratory specialist, bested NCOs from the USAPHC (Prov) headquarters and subordinate commands around the globe, and goes on to compete for all-Medical Command NCO of the Year honors early this year.
Sergeant Stanford competed in multiple events to earn his title. The competition started with an Army physical fitness test.
Next, he faced weapons qualification, the Army combatives event, warrior tasks, essay writing and a mystery event in which he had to identify uniform discrepancies.
Finally, he went on to an oral board, where he was bombarded with questions about Soldier skills.
But Sergeant Stanford excels in more than the standard Soldier skills that distinguished him in the competition.
Through his technical mission in the PHCR–Europe lab in Landstuhl, he helps protect the health of his fellow Soldiers, said Sgt. Maj. Osvaldo Ponzo, the most senior enlisted Soldier at USAPHC (Prov).
Sergeant Stanford said being in the Army gives him a chance to achieve greater goals, such as providing service to the Army family.
“Being in the Army lets me build my character, confidence and competence to perform those complicated tasks in the medical field that are part of my day-to-day job at the Army Public Health Command,” he said. “The AMEDD and the APHC provide the opportunity to perfect those skills I learned and put them to good use in order to maintain the fighting strength of our forces.
“Providing leaders with knowledge about the best possible resources so that they can make plans to ensure health is the biggest thing I do to help Soldiers,” he continued. “As workers in the lab, we must provide scientifically sound data in a timely manner that is accurate and precise.”
Sergeant Stanford said he performs eight wet chemistry methods to determine the
aesthetic or physical quality of drinking water most suitable for consumption for military personnel in deployed and garrison settings. He said what he has learned in the Army will help him in the future as he aims for a doctorate in molecular and cell biology.
By winning the NCO of the Year competition, Sergeant Stanford has demonstrated his tactical capabilities.
Every day in the laboratory he displays the technical skills that meet the high standards of excellence required to assure quality and professionalism, Sergeant Major Ponzo said.
