Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Allan Baros | Staff Sgt. Cory Schmidt from 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd...... read more read more
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FORT LEE, Va. – Like gladiators of old, only the best warriors competed in competitions testing one’s strength, agility, heart, and mental ability. Each of them giving there all to be crowned the victor.
This was no different for the 24 warriors competing in the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition held here November 20-22, 2013.
One of these warriors exemplified the meaning of all of the characteristics held by the best warrior.
Staff Sgt. Cory Schmidt from 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, executed nearly every task given to him fearlessly and ferociously while maintaining a humble attitude.
“One of Staff Sgt. Schmidt’s attributes I am most impressed with is that despite all of his successes and accomplishments he remains very humble and professional,” said Sgt. 1st Class John G. Kitzmiller, a Platoon Sgt. from 1st Battalion. “Staff Sgt. Schmidt brings a relentless will to succeed, and he consistently overcomes any challenge the Army puts in front of him.”
As the competitors fought tooth and nail for the rights to be crowned the “Best Warrior,” Schmidt was thinking about how to bring his knowledge back to his soldiers.
“The lesson I’ll reinforce with my soldiers is to be team players. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, so help each other,” said Schmidt.
On day one of the competition Schmidt started off with an Army Physical Fitness Test in the Army Combat Uniform. After the APFT, there was a series of events that had to be completed to include: HMMWV tire exchange, weapons event, written exam, improvised explosive device, recovery event, land navigation, map overlay, radio communications, react to contact, medical event, and another written exam.
“I felt the competition was very demanding both physically and mentally. The modern Soldier is required to be very versatile, trained across a wide variety of tasks, said Kitzmiller. “The competitors were challenged across all aspects of being a professional soldier to determine who was the most well-rounded.”
On the second day of the competition Schmidt was yet faced with more tasks. They consisted of individual weapon drills, physical readiness training, in- ranks inspection, and six different team-building events.
“The most challenging event was the react to ambush lane,” said Schmidt. This is normally conducted in a squad or platoon sized element, but on the lane I was acting alone.”
On the final day of the competition Schmidt participated in a board where multiple senior noncommissioned officers, ranging from Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler who chaired the board to various representatives from major commands across the Army, asked multiple questions to the competitors.
At the closeout dinner the evening of the final day, the “Best Warrior” was announced. Everyone in the room was silent as the third place winner was called. Then Chandler announced the second place winner, “Staff Sgt. Cory Schmidt from US Army Forces Command.”
Although Schmidt wasn’t the victor of this competition, the way he competed in the competition was gallantry.
His eagerness to teach his soldiers the lessons he has learned throughout his journey has been one of many qualities that sets him apart and truly makes him a leader and a winner.
“The most important lesson I learned from this competition is that one man cannot do it all. The Army is a team for a reason. Everyone needs a hand at some point,” Schmidt concluded.
| Date Taken: | 11.22.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 12.03.2013 14:19 |
| Story ID: | 117671 |
| Location: | FORT LEE, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 277 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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