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    Soldiers with the 864th Engineer Battalion compete in the Pacemaker Stakes Competition

    Soldiers with the 864th Engineer Battalion compete in the Pacemaker Stakes Competition

    Photo By Sgt. Jasmine Higgins | U.S. Army Soldiers with the 864th Engineer Battalion jump over obstacles while...... read more read more

    JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, UNITED STATES

    05.14.2014

    Story by Sgt. Jasmine Higgins 

    28th Public Affairs Detachment

    JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Smoke filled the forest, blinding the Soldiers of the obstacles ahead. Sounds of mortars and gunfire deafened the ears to orders shouted down from the squad. The smell of mud clogged every pore of the land, capturing the senses of the surrounding squad.

    As the Soldiers scrambled around, onlookers might assume this was an enemy attack, but in fact it was the Soldiers of 864th Engineer “Pacemaker” Battalion conducting a weeklong intensive military skills training event on Joint Base Lewis-McChord North, May 15.

    While Soldiers are no stranger to training, the Pacemaker Battalion took it a step further and added a little competition to the mix, thus bringing life to the Pacemaker Stakes competition.

    Events like this not only prepare Soldiers, but it does wonderful things for their morale, said Sgt. Steven Cools, a squad leader for the Pacemaker Stakes competition.

    The exercise consisted of seven different events ranging from reacting to enemy fire to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense training.

    “The competition is a combination of real-world and basic-Soldiering skills,” declared Capt. Katherine Mckenna, the battalion plans officer.

    Each squad was evaluated individually during the event, and the winning squad was recognized and awarded later in the competition.

    “It gets the Soldiers pumped up, and they stay pretty high-spirited throughout the day,” exclaimed Mckenna.

    According to Mckenna, the help of a little friendly competition has positively impacted the morale of the Soldiers during the Pacemaker Stakes exercise. Unit cohesion, motivation and determination have all been factors contributing to preparing the Soldiers for real-time war situations she stated.

    At the beginning of the competition, Soldiers performed an Army Physical Fitness Test which consists of pushups, situps and a two-mile run, all while wearing full Army Combat Uniforms.

    “This is what Soldiers train to do,” said Cools.

    Through it all, there has been a lot of hard work and effort from everyone to ensure this exercise was gauged as a successful mission.

    The noncommissioned and commissioned officers in charge have been working around the clock to ensure everything ran smoothly and effectively, said McKenna as she cheered on the competing Soldiers.

    The Soldiers throughout the battalion have been taking part in individual-level military training since February in order to prepare for this competition.

    “It (Pacemaker Stakes) will make you a better individual and definitely a better Soldier,” said Cools.

    Training events such as the Pacemaker Stakes are what shapes the Army and its Soldiers today. Through these intense competitive training scenarios, Soldiers are learning the necessary skills to better prepare themselves for the future.

    “It’s an opportunity you should not miss,” said Cools. “Soldier first, train first!”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.14.2014
    Date Posted: 05.22.2014 17:30
    Story ID: 130846
    Location: JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US
    Hometown: GREENFIELD, NH, US

    Web Views: 356
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN