| Pfc. Bryan Kaolowi named Soldier of the Quarter for National Guard unit |
By: Matthew J. Wilson/Missouri National Guard Public Affairs
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Pfc. Bryan Kaolowi
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FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Nov. 12, 2009) — Pfc. Bryan Kaolowi, of Saint Robert, was recently named Soldier of the Quarter for Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 35th Engineer Brigade for his service with the Missouri Army National Guard.
The award stated that Kaolowi, who has been in the Guard less than a year, had an exceptional performance during the board, made up of the senior enlisted soldiers. Kaolowi had to perform well on his physical fitness test and answer two current events questions, as well as questions over counseling, the different types of flags and common soldier tasks.
“It feels pretty good to be recognized as one of the junior enlisted coming in and getting that,” Kaolowi said.
What is most impressive, according to Sgt. 1st Class Michael Doty, the unit’s readiness and training noncommissioned officer, is that Kaolowi was given less than two hours of notice before he met with the board.
“Some of the guys that he beat out were told a month or even farther out to prepare for this board,” Doty said.
“I was told at the last second that I was going to be up for the board,” Kaolowi said. “It kind of sprung up on me. But I ended up coming out on top. That makes me feel confident and ready for any challenges that come up unexpectedly.”
Capt. Steven Toft, the unit commander, said Kaolowi excelled in the three major categories of the board.
“He is a new, young bright soldier, who has a lot of initiative,” Toft said. “He really wants to do well in the Army National Guard.”
During the week, Kaolowi is a sales associate at the Discount Smoke Shop. He is a 2004 graduate of Waynesville High School.
Kaolowi is proud to continue his family tradition of being in the military as a member of the Missouri National Guard. He is supported in his military career by his parents, Radford and Shelly, who are both retired active-duty Army, and his older brother, Steven, who is in the Navy.
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