Two Georgia Army National Guardsmen have been named the organization’s Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for 2003.

Guardsmen Spc. Rachel Dryden and Sgt. James Smith were honored in a ceremony held, Saturday, March 13, at the Guard’s Regional Training Institute in Macon. Both go on to compete in the active Army’s Forces Command Soldier of the Year competition later this year. Should they win in their respective categories, Dryden and Smith will then vie for the Army Soldier and NCO of the Year awards.

Dryden, a paralegal specialist with Newnan’s 201st Supply and Service Battalion, was one of four nominees named to compete for Soldier of the Year. They were Spc. Frankie Smith, a cannon crewman with Springfield’s Battery A, 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery; Spc. Christopher Hickox with Training Site Detachment – Headquarters STARC in Ellenwood; and Spc. Leslie G. Thomas, who also works with the Training Site Detachment and Joint Forces Headquarters STARC.

A fifth Soldier of the Year nominee, Spc. Janelle Thomas of the Guard’s 171st Aviation Group, was unable to participate in the competition. The Group is deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In the civilian world, Dryden, who lives in Columbus, is a machine operator with that city’s Total Systems Inc.

Being chosen really did take me by surprise,” she said. “I nearly fell over when I heard my name announced…it’s quite an honor.”

Smith, an infantry team leader with Thomaston’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, had three competitors for NCO of the Year. They were Sgt. Michael Neal of Ellenwood’s Company H, 121st Infantry Regiment; Sgt. 1st Class Theresa Terrell with Joint Headquarters STARC; and Sgt. Stanley Posey also of Joint Headquarters and the Training Site Detachment. Two other NCOs, Sgt. Rico Green with 171st Aviation Group, and Sgt. Jeffery Holley were unable to compete. Green has deployed with his unit to Iraq and Holley was ill.

Although Smith drills with the 121st Infantry, he works full-time as state service scholarships coordinator for Georgia Military College in Milledgeville. His job, he said, is similar to that of a unit readiness NCO in that he assists Guardsmen attending the college with their pay and personnel issues. He also acts as a liaison between the Army National Guard and the college in regard to the four-year scholarships the Guard offers through the school.

“I was excited, surprised and humbled all at the same time,” Smith said, one arm around his wife Roni, the other holding their 8-week-old son James Michael II. “The competition has been hard in getting here and not one person that I’ve competed with has been less than exceptional.

“I’m not only appreciative of that fact that I was chosen, but I’m also proud of my fellow Soldiers for their hard work and for their professionalism throughout the selection process.”

Roni Smith smiled and said of her husband, “I’m proud of he is and what he’s done, and that makes me proud to be a Soldier’s wife.”

Competing for Soldier of the Year or NCO of the Year is no easy task, Dryden and Smith agreed. There are pages upon pages of special study guides that require several hours a day of the Soldier’s attention. Both said they found it necessary to break away from studying from time to time but it never really left their thoughts.

“I know that I would stay away from studying on weekends so I balance that with time with my family,” Smith said, “but I still found my self running possible questions the board might ask me through my mind.

“And yet when it came down to it,” Dryden added, “all that studying and preparation you get at the unit level has paid off.”

Besides preparation for the boards there are countless hours of training on basic Soldier skills that must be accomplished so the Guardsman can nearly do the steps in those tasks with their eyes closed. No one knows what basic skills they will be asked to perform so it’s necessary to test on as many of the basic skills as possible.

During this year’s competition all the Soldiers were evaluated on maintaining an M16 rifle, evaluating a casualty, preventing shock and protecting themselves against biological injury and contamination. One task, writing and issuing a warning order was added for those competing for NCO of the Year.

“The tasks change from year to year,” said Sgt. 1st Class Gary Cato, the primary evaluator for Soldier Common Task portion of the competition. “That keeps the Soldiers on their toes and ready for whatever task we assign them.

“If the Soldiers and their units have done their jobs, the individual who compete for the honor of Soldier and NCO of the year will have no problems,” he said.

For the Soldier who may want to compete in next year’s competition, Dryden and Smith offered a bit of advice.

Don’t believe, they agreed, that this is an easy thing to do. If it were, Dryden said, it wouldn’t be worth going after. Take it seriously, Smith added, because everyone involved is certainly serious.

Follow through on everything you do, the two agreed.

“Be prepared, work hard and be dedicated to following through with the commitment you make,” Dryden said.

“The time and effort you put into this, whether you win or not, is worth it because, I believe, helps make you a better Soldier,” Smith said.