Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Luis Saavedra | Spc. Fernando Lopez, a command driver assigned to the 10th Sustainment Brigade, takes...... read more read more
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – There are times when soldiers are afforded the opportunity to compete against one another in various fashions. Most soldiers are familiar with the Soldier of the Month board but, once in a while, there is a competition where some of the top warriors compete.
Some soldiers assigned to the 10th Sustainment Brigade participated in a Best Warrior Competition held at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, March 10 to compete for the title of top warrior.
The brigade fielded three teams, which consisted of two soldiers and a sponsor for support. The competition began with a briefing of the course events and objectives followed by the first phase; a physical fitness challenge.
The challenge consisted of three minutes of pushups where soldiers could alternate between themselves to do as many as possible during the allotted time. Three minutes of situps and three minutes of pullups followed to finish off the first segment.
Before the second phase began, soldiers were given a minute to look into a box that contained various objects. From there, they picked up a litter loaded with a few sandbags, weighing approximately 120 pounds, which they carried on a three-mile road march.
“My favorite event was the litter carry,” said Spc. Fernando Lopez, a 10th Sustainment Brigade command driver. “It was physical but mostly mentally challenging.”
Lopez represented Task Force Muleskinner during the competition along with Sgt. Abraham Wallie, a team leader assigned to the 10th Sustainment Brigade, who rated the litter carry event as his least favorite.
“It was very awkward and a difficult challenge to start so early in the event,” said Wallie.
Cpl. Logan Maples, a team leader, and 1st Lt. Joe Maki, a platoon leader both assigned to the 142nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, received recognition for being the top team for the litter carry event.
Soldiers dropped their litters upon arriving at the obstacle course, which consisted of a number of tasks including a low crawl, a casualty carry and a wall climb.
Lopez said he enjoyed every obstacle however he wasn’t too fond of the task where he had to sort ammo cans. He said the obstacle course was the most challenging phase of the competition.
As time was still ticking, teams made their way to the
marksmanship event. There they were tested on various tasks to include a stress shoot and a reflexive fire incorporating various magazine quick changes. For some soldiers the event was a welcome one.
“My favorite event was the stress shoot, I really enjoyed it,” said Wallie.
The teams had a long way to go. After shooting a few rounds, they were instructed to go back to the starting point, which was approximately five miles away. Some walked. Some ran. Some did a combination of both.
Weary from the run, soldiers approached the starting point only to encounter more tasks to be completed. Evaluate a casualty, request medical evacuation, assemble and operate a radio, map reading, and assembling various weapons were among some of the tasks soldiers tackled.
With the day nearing its end, soldiers were instructed to run approximately three miles before they faced the last event.
“Go hard or go home,” said Lopez.
Although Wallie was extremely tired, he said he didn’t want to let his battle buddy Lopez down. They finished the run and slowly walked to their last event.
The last event seemed simple; competitors were asked to recall the items they saw in the box at the beginning of the competition, then draw as many as they could in their exact place. Soldiers summoned their inner artist and completed the task within the allotted minute.
Some soldiers made sure others knew what they felt upon the culmination of the competition.
“Satisfaction,” said Lopez. “Just being able to complete it felt great. The adrenalin was so much that I spent at least three hours awake waiting to relax.”
Lopez and Wallie’s team placed in the top ten in the Best Warrior Competition along with Maples and Maki’s.
| Date Taken: | 03.10.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.19.2012 01:55 |
| Story ID: | 85433 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sustainment soldiers undertake Best Warrior Competition, by SFC Luis Saavedra, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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