CUMMING, Ga. — The Soldier of the Year board of the Georgia State Defense Force’s Georgia Force Assistance Brigade (GFAB) North announced its selection of Sgt. Jacob Stephens as the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year (NCOY) for 2026. Sgt. Stephens was mentored and sponsored by Staff Sgt. Lauren Boyle-Estheimer and Sgt. Jordan Noel, both prior NCOY selectees from GFAB North. Command Sgt. Maj. Jay Tavares presented Stephens with a challenge coin at the GSDF Cumming Regional Readiness Center on Oct. 18, 2026, in recognition of his selection and advises that Stephens now advances to compete for selection as the statewide GSDF Noncommissioned Officer of the Year in January 2027. The challenge coin is inscribed “Awarded for Excellence - Presented by the Command Team - Georgia State Defense Force - GFAB North - True North.”
As an Emergency Services Specialist assigned to Team N011, Company A, Stephens is Defense Commercial Communications Office qualified, has earned the GSDF Physical Fitness Excellence Award, and currently attends Basic Leader Course training. In the civilian world, Stephens received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Mississippi State University in 2017, and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Space Operations from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2026.
Stephens reported that he entered the GSDF on Jan. 4, 2025, out of a deep sense of duty and a desire to continue selfless community service; his decision to join was also inspired by respect for his late father, who passed away from prostate cancer in 2024. To Stephens, his father’s 23-year career in the United States Navy exemplified service and sacrifice, a legacy that SGT Stephens will honor by his own commitment to serve Georgia through GSDF. Stephens stated, “As an Eagle Scout, I missed the opportunities I once had to serve others through the Boy Scouts of America, and I also missed the esprit de corps and sense of brotherhood that I experienced in college through my fraternity.”
While competing for NCOY, Stephens reported that he focused on memorizing the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer, reflected on why he wants to be an NCO and what it means to him, studied Field Manuals and Army Regulations along with the GSDF's history, and contemplated why the GSDF’s history matters to NCOs. Stephens stated, “Repeating the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer, General Orders, Soldier's Creed, and Army Values and tying them to the Army Regulations we are supposed to know and follow helped me put everything together to confidently answer the board's questions.”
Stephens shared his recommendations for those who are interested in pursuing the path to NCO: ask current NCOs about their responsibilities and what being an NCO means to them, and contemplate for themselves why they want to be Noncommissioned Officers. According to Stephens, “a successful NCO has to be, know, and do the part which comes with significant responsibilities and commitment in order to keep oneself physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared whilst ensuring the mission is accomplished and the soldiers are taken care of.” To Stephens, while an NCO must maintain readiness and tactical and technical proficiency while ensuring soldiers also are ready, “the path to NCO is for those who truly want to challenge themselves and build their character and skills while taking the initiative to implement improvement within their units.”
PHOTO:
Georgia State Defense Force Command Sgt. Maj. Jay Tavares presents a challenge coin and congratulates Sgt. Jacob Stephens on his selection as Noncommissioned Officer of the Year 2026 for Georgia Force Assistance Brigade North at the GSDF Cumming Regional Readiness Center in Cumming, Ga., on Oct. 18, 2026.
(Georgia State Defense Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lauren Boyle-Estheimer)