FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release No. 17-04
October 21, 2016
ARMY RESERVE SENIOR DRILL SERGEANT WINS ARMY’S NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER OF THE YEAR TITLE
WASHINGTON – Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Moeller won the Army’s coveted title of Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) of the Year recently, outscoring nine elite active duty and National Guard competitors to become the third Army Reserve soldier to earn this distinction in four years.
Moeller, a decorated senior drill instructor and cavalry scout, competed in the Army’s annual Best Warrior competition this month — a four-day event that tests participants’ Army aptitude as they tackle urban warfare simulations, physical fitness tests, battle drills, and other exercises.
He completed three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Scout Helicopter Maintenance Team Leader, Maintenance Technical Inspector, and Stryker Platoon Senior Scout. The 36 year-old Riverside, Calif., native has over 16 years of service in the Army Reserve; selfless dedication is in his blood. Moeller’s brother, sister, stepfather, uncle, and three grandfathers—two of whom each spent over 20 years in the Army and Marine Corps, contributed to his family’s proud tradition of military service.
Moeller joined the Army to defend his family, community, and nation. “I wanted to give back something to the country that gave me the greatest set of freedoms in history, and asked only that I honor it in return,” he said.
As the Army’s NCO of the Year, he will serve as an ambassador for the Total Army and an example of military service to other soldiers and the public.
Best Warrior is a four-day event that tests the Army aptitude of 20 of the Army’s finest active duty, Army Reserve, and National Guard soldiers representing ten commands from across the force. Competitors are evaluated based on their responses to urban warfare simulations, board interviews, physical fitness tests, written exams, and warrior tasks and battle drills relevant to today’s operating environment.
The Army Reserve’s mission is to build and deploy units that are trained, manned, and equipped to win the Nation’s wars. It also leverages the civilian-acquired and sustained skills of over 200,000 ready individual Soldiers and civilians to support the Warfighter and our communities, where required, during their time of greatest need. For more information about the Army Reserve, visit http://www.usar.army.mil/.
CONTACT:
U.S. Army Reserve Communications
Executive Communications
Office of the Chief, Army Reserve
Office: (703) 806-7550
Mobile: (571) 305-0220
Fort Belvoir, VA 22060