Photo By Sgt. Anshu Pandeya | Staff Sgt. Jason J. Garza, 419th Transportation Company motor transport operator from...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J.— Sgt. Lance J. Clifford has the distinction of competing in the U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition for the third year in a row.
Most Reserve Soldiers never make it to this level even once.
“You just can't keep me away,” he said.
His fighting spirit has pit him against 41 other Reserve Soldiers. Each of them has come here to win. Clifford fought and endured for two rounds in the Modern Army Combatives tournament. As hard as he fought, his opponent took him to the ground fast. He was injured and lost the match.
He didn't lose out of lack of preparation.
Clifford has been training in judo since high school. That would make it a dozen years. Later he transitioned into sambo. The two martial arts share similar elements. Judo fighters use their opponents' force against themselves. Sambo strikes with the same philosophy, but is of Russian origin.
The combatives tournament was just one of the many challenges he faced throughout the week during the 2014 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition. The competition brought Soldiers bodies to their breaking point. During an 8-mile road march, a few of the Soldiers weren't able finish. Clifford persevered. He had done this before.
The Army Physical Fitness Test was still there. The marksmanship ranges were still there. The uniform inspections were there. Some of the details may have changed, but the key challenges were there, and Clifford had already experienced them not just once, but twice.
Clifford just wouldn't take “No” for an answer.
He just really enjoys the experience and the preparation and journey it takes to get there.
The typical Soldier people picture when they think of the Best Warrior is an infantryman, a combat medic, or military police.
Clifford is a military intelligence analyst with the 364th Expeditionary Support Command . It's not a job people usually associate with warrior tasks.
“I do a lot of work behind a computer making PowerPoints and stuff like that, not the typical things that you think of when you think of Army training. So this is a really good way to go out and do the fun stuff.”
Clifford is using what he has learned from his previous two appearances at BWC at this year's competition.
“On some of the events, I definitely have a better idea of what I'm doing this go-around,” he said. “I've definitely upped my [physical fitness] score. I got out and really hit land [navigation] and
improved on that. Really all of it's kind of a challenge, so it's good to get a chance to work on it all.”
So far he seems satisfied with his performance. “I think I'm doing okay,” he said. “I think anyone can attest that they themselves could do better. I'm no exception to that, so I definitely could have been doing better out there, but I'm doing okay.”
For him, it's not about the competition itself. It's about the journey. Getting there. It's about the training, the opportunity to go to schools, it's his thirst for knowledge. He trained for months traveling between Utah and Washington just to get here. Again.
This journey has not been in vain. The destination has been reached through the discipline he has learned each year.
On the civilian side, he is a freelance writer. Even in such a field, Clifford has taken his military experience with him. He writes content material to draw in audiences.
“I've taken a lot from the military approach to writing, just being more concise and upfront. That's actually good. That's what you want,” he said.
In turn, going to college helped his research and writing skills in his military intelligence job.
To overcome the physical challenges of this competition, he's had to train his body. But when it comes to critical thinking and writing , he really loves this stuff.
The Seattle resident is an avid reader and writer. He reads books ranging from science fiction to philosophy. His favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
“It's just his approach,” he said. “You take Slaughterhouse-Five, you take something very, very serious and put such a comical spin to it, but not making fun of it, but in a way that's just pointing out the absurdity of it, and I think that just takes a pretty special talent to be able to do that without going too far on one end of the spectrum.”
He also writes in his free time for joy.
“I do a lot of essays and stuff like that on particular topics that interest me, not anything formal but satirical or pop culture,” he said about his personal writing. “I really only write for myself. I don't want to share it with the world.”
Though his body is battered and bruised from three years of competing, his mind has remained sharp. Whether it's intelligence analysis or freelance writing, the wounds from Best Warrior can only invite him for more.
He may be hurt, but he'll return next year. For a fourth time.
Win or lose, Clifford intends to return next year, but this time as a sponsor. If he were to share his experiences with other Soldiers, he would say: “Just train hard. It's nothing super complicated. It's really more about the amount of work you put into it, so just train hard.”
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2014 04:40 |
| Story ID: | 134627 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US |
| Hometown: | MARYSVILLE, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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