Photo By Sgt. Scott Akanewich | Brig. Gen. Therese M. O'Brien, 311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), commanding...... read more read more
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JOINT FORCES TRAINING BASE LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - Sgt. Al Cruz and Spc. Jonathan Chacon were off and running in the pre-dawn darkness on the two-mile course, well ahead of the pack. It would be a two-man battle for first across the finish line in the final event of the Army Physical Fitness Test, which kicked off the 2012 311th Sustainment Brigade (Expeditionary) Best Warrior competition at Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos, Calif., March 12.
However, a funny thing happened on the way to glory.
Cruz and Chacon both took a wrong turn on the course and ended up running a half-mile extra by the time they were back on track. Certainly, this would be a deathblow right out of the blocks for some, all but ruining their chances at winning the competition.
But not for these two soldiers.
Cruz, of the 311th’s 329th Quartermaster Company and Chacon, from the 163rd Ordnance Company, both recovered from this early setback to take home first-place honors in the non-commissioned officer and junior-enlisted categories, respectively.
Chacon, in fact, rebounded to catch and pass all but one other competitor after his unexpected detour during the run.
“The moment I realized I went the wrong way, only one thought went through my mind,” said Chacon. “I said to myself, ‘Okay, this happened. What are you going to do about it?’”
Chacon credited his resilience for carrying him through the entire four-day competition, all the way to victory, he said.
“I have a strong will,” said Chacon. “At that point, I made it into a game.”
A game of catch-up, that is.
As for Cruz, the confusion on the course wasn’t about to knock him off stride, either, he said.
“It didn’t deter my focus,” said Cruz. “Sure, it added three minutes to my time, but I wasn’t going to give up.”
Cruz ran into obstacles on the land navigation course, but not for a lack of preparation, he said.
“Leading up to this, I was up every morning at 4:30 getting ready,” said Cruz, a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic. “Whether it was PT, studying for the board, or anything else, it was tough to balance everything with my job.”
One thing he didn’t have access to was a land navigation course where he works as an Active Guard Reserve soldier at March Air Reserve Base.
“I had to regain my bearings out there on the course,” said Cruz.
Sgt. Noah Wittekind, 653rd Regional Support Group, 311th ESC, was still sporting a shiner around his left eye from combatives training the week leading up to Best Warrior. At 30, he was out to prove a point as one of the older competitors, he said.
“My biggest motivation was to get out here and see if I still have what it takes,” said Wittekind, a tracked-vehicle mechanic with his unit. “I wanted to show the young bucks, but also prove to myself.”
Wittekind had a five-year break-in-service before once again donning the uniform after initially leaving the military for civilian life after a five-year active duty tour. All along, though, he felt a need to continue to serve and finally found the Army was where his heart truly was, he said.
“After a while, you realize what you’re cut out for,” said Wittekind, who also credited his wife with helping him find his way. “It’s important to her and she’s completely gung-ho about the Army.”
When the smoke of the competition cleared, Wittekind finished as first alternate behind Cruz for non-commissioned officer honors.
“I’ve always been confident when it comes to my military career,” he said. “I want to share knowledge with young soldiers as much as I can.”
Following the APFT and combatives on the first day of the event was proficiency-testing in Army Warrior Tasks. Included were skills such as performing checks on crew-served weapons, evaluating casualties, calling in nine-line medical-evacuations, demonstrating proper hand signals and capturing a detainee.
After day and night land navigation on day two, the following day brought Basic Rifle Marksmanship and finally on the last day of the competition, a six-mile road march, a written essay and a board.
During the road march, Chacon did what he described as a “cartwheel,” when he took a bad step, began to roll an ankle and instinctively sprung himself up and into a combat roll to remove the weight off the ankle before damage could be done.
“I took quite a tumble,” he said.
According to Chacon, the competition became much more physical than at the lower levels, he said.
“The first two weren’t difficult physically,” he said. “Pretty much, it was just a PT test and board stuff. Here, they added land navigation and the road march.”
Chacon attributed much of his success to the drive and determination he learned while being raised, especially the influence his grandmother had on him as a youth, he said.
“All along, from basic training all the way through something like this, I always think about her when things get tough and how she would want me to overcome adversity,” said Chacon. “She taught me just having the courage to try was what mattered. She’s definitely my inspiration.”
Next up for the Best Warriors of the 311th is the 79th Sustainment Support Command competition at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., in April. The winner there will move on to the finals at Fort McCoy, Wis., In July.
| Date Taken: | 03.16.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.16.2012 21:25 |
| Story ID: | 85392 |
| Location: | LOS ALAMITOS, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 415 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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