FORT EUSTIS, Va. - Sgt. 1st Class Delroy Barnett, the platoon sergeant for Company B, 187th Medical Battalion, 32nd Medical Brigade, has claimed the title of 2012 Advanced Individual Training Platoon Sergeant of the Year.

The Army’s top nine advanced individual training, or AIT, platoon sergeants contended for the title of 2012 AIT Platoon Sergeant of the Year during a competition at Fort Eustis, Va., Sept. 24 through 28.

“It was a rigorous, weeklong event, and we are extremely proud of him and his accomplishment,” said Lt. Col. Soo Lee Davis, 187th Medical Battalion commander.

The announcement was made at the Initial Military Training Center of Excellence, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command awards ceremony, Sept. 28.

The elite Advanced Initial Training platoon sergeants participated in physical and mental challenges during the competition, which tests their knowledge of Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills and their ability to teach these tasks to soldiers in a training setting.

Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills are the fundamental combat skills that all soldiers must perform in order to fight and win on the battlefield.

Each competitor appeared before a board of command sergeants major to evaluate their knowledge of leadership and platoon sergeant training tasks. One challenging aspect of the competition is that platoon sergeants are purposely unaware of the tasks they will be required to perform.

AIT platoon sergeants are top-performing professional noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, from virtually all branches of the Army who play a critical role in the success of AIT training.

After basic combat training, new soldiers attend AIT, where they become experts in their specific military occupational specialties. The AIT platoon sergeants mentor the new soldiers, working with them after classes and on weekends to teach and reinforce technical lessons and WTBD.

Currently there are more than 700 Army platoon sergeants serving at 24 AIT schools and training centers. These platoon sergeants play a critical role in the success of this training. They set the tone for the new soldiers’ first duty assignments, a direct impact on the readiness of the entire U.S. Army.

(Source: U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Public Affairs)

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