Story and photo by Sgt. Daniel Stoutamire, 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C               BAGHDAD—Some of the best Soldiers the 2nd “Dagger” Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division has to offer participated in the brigade’s Noncommissioned Officer/Soldier of the Quarter board June 16 at Camp Liberty, Iraq.The board was held to determine the most qualified Soldier and NCO in the brigade to represent the unit—those who participated conducted an Army Physical Fitness Test, wrote an essay, and made a formal appearance before the assembled battalion and brigade command sergeants major, where they answered questions about themselves and about Army tasks and skills.“Soldiers were evaluated on their knowledge of the subject areas, confidence, and military bearing,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney R. Lewis, senior enlisted advisor of 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div. “The score sheet is broken down by topics listed on the [memorandum of instruction] and members score each candidate based on knowledge demonstrated during formal board appearance.”When the dust settled, Spc. Elizabeth Grace, with Company F, 1st “Vanguard” Battalion, 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div. and a Daytona Beach, Fla., native, was chosen as the brigade’s Soldier of the Quarter, and Sgt. Ian Faling, a senior line medic with Company B, 1st “Dragon” Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment and a Jackson, Mich., native, was named the NCO of the Quarter.“At the end when all scores from the voting members were tallied, Sgt. Faling and Spc. Grace came out slightly ahead,” Lewis said.Faling attributed his award to hard work and lots of studying.“I spent every opportunity I could studying, I would hang out at the [command post] when I had the chance and everyone would bounce questions off of me,” he said. “The most challenging part for me was remembering all the numbers and dates—there was so much information in my head, but it was a good competition. All the other NCOs there did a good job.”Faling and Grace each received for their efforts an Army Achievement Medal, a Dagger Brigade dagger, a football with the brigade logo, and a commander’s coin for excellence. In September, both Soldiers will compete to earn the title of the Dagger Brigade Soldier and NCO of the Year.