AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – The 189th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, held its first promotion board for two soldiers and one noncommissioned officer under the new promotion system May 3 on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.

Spc. Gabrielita Fleuricourt, a signal support systems specialist with the 189th CSSB, and a Miami, Fla., native, said she wants to become an NCO because she wants to set a good example for soldiers to follow.

She said she prepared for the board by studying the Army study guide, participating in mock boards, updating her records, and asking many questions of her trusted leadership.

“There is still a part of me that is nervous about the unexpected,” she said.

Spc. Deanunix Ipanag, a supply specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 189th CSSB, and a Baltimore, Md., native, said he wasn’t nervous at all.

He said he feels much more confident about attending the board while deployed as opposed to while at home station, because there is no worry about putting together the perfect Army service uniform.

Ipanag said he studied the Army study guide for more than three weeks in preparation for the promotion board.

The board was chaired by Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Williams, the command sergeant major of the 189th CSSB.

Board attendees were required to report to the chairman of the board correctly, recite the creed of the non-commissioned officer, sing the Army song, and answer a variety of questions from the board members. They were scored on appearance, confidence, knowledge and military records. The soldiers received a “go or a “no-go” for promotion based on the board criteria and the new promotion system.

In the hour prior to the board, the soldiers and their sponsors conducted final rehearsals in the waiting area, such as rendering a proper salute with their M16A2 rifle.

After the board, Fleuricourt said that it went much better than she expected.

“The secret is confidence,” she said, “There were questions asked to which I did not know the answer. I found that as long as I gave the board members a so-so answer with enough confidence to make them believe it, they were happy.”

Fleuricourt is looking forward to improving her physical fitness and weapons qualification scores so that she can achieve enough points to be promoted to sergeant.

Although Ipanag said he wasn’t nervous before the board, he admitted that his nerves eventually found him.

“No matter how much I studied, I still felt nervous answering questions in front of senior NCOs,” he said after his board appearance.

Overall, he said he felt the board was a good experience. Ipanag said he plans to take part in more military education in order to increase his chances for promotion.

Both Fleuricourt and Ipanag received a “go” from the board members and will be eligible for promotion to sergeant as soon as they accumulate enough promotion points.

“Both specialists are soon to be proud members of the corps of non-commissioned officers,” said Master Sgt. Richard Wiggins, the operations non-commissioned officer-in-charge, a promotion board member for the 189th CSSB, and an Angier, N.C., native. “Their hard work in preparation was evident in their performance and confidence during board proceedings.”

Wiggins remembered his first NCO promotion board.

“It was a very cold and snowy day in Baumholder, Germany,” he said. “My biggest concern was making sure my low-quarters stayed shiny and presentable while walking through the snow to the battalion area.”

The deployed soldiers attending this board only had to worry about having a clean and wrinkle-free uniform: no low-quarters were required.

The second promotion board for the 189th CSSB will be held early next month.