December 12th, 2013
 

Spc. David Notti (left) with his sponsor, SFC Chad Leishman. (Photo by Spc. Kristin Schaeffer)Specialist (Spc.) David Notti, a senior from Anchorage, Alaska, studying marketing, recently won the Army National Guard Soldier of the Year competition for the state of Montana. He will represent the state at the regional competition to be held in Wyoming May 2014. Seventeen soldiers from around the state converged upon Fort Harrison in Helena to compete September 5-8.

Notti volunteered and advanced through a number of levels to get to the competition in Helena. He is with the 163rd Combined Arms Battalion (CAB) of the Montana Army National Guard and was selected from the Bravo company, which numbers roughly 200. The competition proceeded to the battalion level (in the 1-163rd) which included five companies. Notti was selected out of five nominated soldiers. He then became one of 17 competitors at the state level, each representing a unit that operates in the state.

For Notti, this competition gave him a chance to focus on the quality individuals that he serves with in his company. “There were definitely times where I was exhausted in the competition. And then, I would hear a little voice in the back of my head that was like, don’t give up, do this for Bravo Company, do this for the friends and thousands of others that I represent.’ I feel so happy to be able to represent the State of Montana in this competition. I really just want to be able to look people in the eyes and say that I gave it my all. Even at the end of the day if I don’t win, I can settle knowing that I gave my absolute best performance out there.”

Notti described the three-day competition as a test of basic soldier skills. “It included several iterations of land navigation and shooting. Mixed in was an obstacle course, weapon disassembly/reassembly, ruck marching (I think we covered about 20 miles on foot over the three days of competition) with an 80 pound pack. There were also mental tests, including an essay and professional board which assessed your uniform and my answers to 40 questions that were selected from about 150 pages of Army Field Manuals,” Notti said.

One person who helped Notti along the way was Sergeant First Class (SFC) Leishman, whom he selected as his mentor. Notti describes the sponsor as a “battle buddy” who makes sure the competitor is 100% ready to enter the next event. Leishman will accompany him to the regional competition in May.

To prepare for this test of mental and physical strength, Notti went through intense training. “I would hit the gym here on campus once or even twice a day. I would run five miles, three times a week and then work out for about two hours every day, and that’s just the physical part. I studied for about a month in preparation for the mental aspect. It was pretty hard because I was also taking summer classes at the time, and then I had to leave for three weeks for our annual training event up in Limestone Hills for the Guard. It takes a lot of focus and determination to just put aside and dedicate time to prepare yourself for this competition.”

Notti says he received enormous support from the Guard but from the JJCBE. “There are a lot of quality individuals that have stepped up to help me or just to say “congrats” or “thank you”. My professors Mike Shaw, Dr. Omar Shehryar, Martha Joh Kearns, and Dr. Graham Austin have all been super supportive, too.

“My mother always told me, Do what you love, and the money will follow.’ Although the pay is pretty minimal and the hours can be kind of long, so far my choice for enlisting has created so many relationships and so much support that I couldn’t begin to thank everyone that has encouraged me along the way. I couldn’t imagine my life without my service to our country and community; but I also couldn’t imagine my service without the massive support that I have behind me. It’s always pushing me to be the best I can be.”

Photo caption: Spc. David Notti (left) with his sponsor, SFC Chad Leishman. (Photo by Spc. Kristin Schaeffer)