Arrowhead Soldiers compete for the title of Iron Patriot

Photo By 1st Sgt. Justin A. Naylor | U.S. Army Spc. Martin Cortez, a gunner with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, tosses a sandbag over a wall during his unit’s Iron Patriot competition on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Sept. 17. The competition was designed to test the physical and mental endurance of Soldiers and offer them the opportunity to compete against their peers. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Justin Naylor, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs)  

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, UNITED STATES

09.23.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Justin A. Naylor 

1-2 SBCT, 7th Infantry Division

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Taking careful aim, the Soldier hurled the full sandbag over the wall and followed it himself, climbing over inch by inch, struggling to get his body-armor-clad self to the other side of the tall, wooden wall.

“It was painful, but it was fun,” said Sgt. James Childs, an infantry team leader.

The sandbags hurl was one of more than a half dozen obstacles that made up the Iron Patriot challenge that Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, took part in Sept. 15-19 on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

“We wanted a competition that would test the physical and mental endurance of Soldiers within the battalion of all ranks and genders,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Wilson, the 2-3 Inf. Battalion command sergeant major. “Soldiers love competition.”

The event began early, as most things do in the Army. Soldiers started out with a run that was broken up by the obstacles, which included a casualty litter pull, water can carry, a rope climb in full body armor, a sandbag toss, and a wall climb, along with a few others.

Wilson said that they planned these events with the idea of mirroring tasks that infantrymen, and likely most other Soldiers, might encounter during the course of their work.

“It was really a lot of tasks in a short period of time to test not only their mental, but also their physical and cardiorespiratory strength and endurance.”

The event, which happened over the course of a week, saw companies within the battalion competing on the various days. The first day began with senior leaders from the unit running through the course to make sure that the obstacles were manageable and that the grading was fair.

“Some of the guys who saw what the officers did on Monday, I think they were a little bit hesitant when they saw it going down,” Wilson said.

However, once the Soldiers got into the spirit of it, their concerns faded as the sense of friendly competition took over.

“You’ve got the Soldiers, of course, who when they cross the finish line the first thing that they want to know is what their time was and the times of some of their peers. How much did they beat some of their peers by?” he said. “More than anything, I think it’s bragging rights amongst their peers. All in all, it’s good, fun competition.”

For the Soldiers competing, it was a chance to test their mettle against the people they work with on a day-to-day basis.

“We do whatever we can to motivate each other, so whatever competition we do makes everything fun,” said Childs, a Cincinnati native.

Childs’ also wasn’t disappointed with the prospect of giving a hard time to the other teams that finished slower.

• Date Taken: 09.23.2014
• Date Posted: 09.23.2014 18:33
• Story ID: 143068
• Location: JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US
• Hometown: CINCINNATI, OH, US