Twitter
Facebook
Soldiers from two major Army units in the KMC tested their mettle recently, undertaking a grueling competition. The title says it all — “Best Warrior.”
In Kaiserslautern, 16 Soldiers from the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command recently tested their strength, stamina and resolve during a 72-hour competition that measured Soldier skills, physical endurance and rifle marksmanship, among others.
In Grafenwöhr, 19 Soldiers from 21st Theater Sustainment Command units competed from May 16 to 20. Competitors tested warrior skills in events ranging from weapons qualification and a physical fitness test to
cal fitness test to an obstacle course and combat medical tasks. They had little or no rest in between events.
“The Best Warrior event tests the abilities of the junior enlisted, NCOs and officers within the command,” said Sgt. 1st Class Daryle Rogers, the 21st TSC competition’s operations sergeant. “It puts them out of their comfort zone, and it tests them in all of their basic Soldiering skills in items that they don’t normally touch.”
“The events have been very challenging, and the competition has a nice flow to it,” said competitor Sgt. Christopher Lamp, a healthcare specialist with the 21st TSC’s 7th Civil Support Command. “You don’t really know what you’re going to do until you get there.”
For most Soldiers, the opportunity to meet a new group of Soldiers and build lasting relationships is just as important as the chance to win the competition.
“One of the first things you do when you get here is you size people up, but by the end of that first day you’re already friends,” Lamp said. “Even though you’re competing against each other, you want to know how each other did and sometimes you want to help each other out.”
Back at U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern, on a remote part of Rhine Ordnance Barracks, the 10th AAMDC Soldiers found that staying focused is just as important as strength and stamina.
“This competition was designed to test the Soldiers true mettle,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jesus Arellano, who organized the event while serving as a launcher platoon sergeant with Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th AAMDC.
“It really gets you to push your limits, and shows where you stand,” said U.S. Army Spc. Sean Salter, a fueler with Service Company, 5-7 ADA.
Competitors moved quickly to their next task with little recovery time, a factor that considerably reduced the final number of competitors. Summoning strength to move forward and never quit, even in the face of exhaustion or adversity, were attributes from the Soldier’s Creed and Army Warrior Ethos that competitors displayed, Arrelano said.
Still, at the ceremony signaling the competition’s end, Salter echoed the sentiments of many when he said, “I need some rest.”
For the 21st TSC, Spc. Ian Pocklington, from the 18th Engineer Brigade, earned the title of Best Warrior. Sgt. Jordan Stipp and 2nd Lt. Beau Benton, from the 18th Military Police Brigade, earned Best NCO and Best Junior Officer.
From the 10th AAMDC, the winners were Spc. Sean Salter, Service Co., 5-7 ADA, Sgt. Daniel Williams, 11th Missile Defense Detachment, and Lt. Cody Davis, Battery D, 5-7 ADA.
Later this year, winners from unit-level competitions will compete in U.S. Army Europe’s Best Warrior Competition.
