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Two officers and seven soldiers from the 266th Financial Management Support Center competed in the unit’s Best Warrior Competition held on Rhine Ordnance Barracks Feb. 29 to March 2.
First Lt. Ricardo Ellin won Best Warrior Junior Officer, Sgt. Mauricio Decasa won Best NCO, and
Spc. Veronica Rodriguez won Best Soldier.
“The Soldiers out here competing tells a lot about their character,” said Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Brooks, 266th FMSC accounting NCO in charge. “They are high-speed, motivated and excited. These soldiers are living the Army values.”
Four of the junior enlisted soldiers who competed are fairly new to the Army and looked forward to the challenge and experience. Participating in competitions like this helps Soldiers build their confidence on warrior tasks and drills as well as their job performance in the office, according to Brooks.
“I’ve only been in the Army 20 months,” said Pfc. Marcus Schwarz, 266th FMSC information management specialist. “I’ve studied and learned more about the Army and myself. It’s amazing what you can do under pressure as long as you don’t give up and keep pressing forward.”
The competition consisted of 12 events over three days, beginning with a written exam and essay. Day two consisted of a physical fitness test, physical readiness training test, day land navigation, drill and ceremony, and knowledge boards.
The events were continuous and were both physically and mentally challenging. The final day consisted of a 10-kilometer ruck march where every other kilometer Soldiers had stations to test their knowledge on M16 disassembling and assembling, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear, map reading and first-aid tasks.
“This is a capstone period to bring together our Soldiers and junior officers for all the attributes and competence that we require of our soldiers,” said Sgt. Maj. Alberto A. Quan, 266th FMSC sergeant major. “We are soldiers first and not just finance technicians.”
Quan continued to explain that with the Army’s new vision, “strategic advantage in a complex world,” competitions like this will help soldiers learn to be flexible and dig deep by transforming into agile, expert and versatile Soldiers in a balanced force that can provide additional strategic options for military leaders in future crises.
“I entered this competition to motivate my soldiers and lead the way,” said Ellin, who, as the officer winner, felt he had set a solid example. “Being a warrior is what we do, and we need to ensure our soldiers have someone to follow.”
The winners of 266th FMSC will continue to train and move on to compete in 21st Theater Sustainment Command Best Warrior Competition.
“Every Soldier should come out here. It’s the root of our profession,” Ellin said.
