Swan's song

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Debrah Sanders | Spc. Michael Swan, a track vehicle repairer, assigned to the 335th Signal Command, drags a life-sized casaulty dummy through a collapsed building simulation July 17, during the U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition at Fort McCoy, Wis. This was one of the last events that tested the competitors' knowledge and execution of warrior tasks.  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

07.18.2012

Story by Sgt. Debrah Sanders 

U.S. Army Reserve Command

FORT McCOY, Wis. – It’s so early in the morning that the sun hasn’t yet woke up at Fort McCoy, Wis. Headlamps and chem lights are the only lights helping soldiers mark plots on their maps in preparation for land navigation. They head out into the darkness like fireflies into the night sky. Spc. Michael Swan is among them. He’s hoping that he can find all his points first, July 17.

Swan, a track vehicle repairer assigned to the 335th Signal Command, is here at the 2012 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition in hopes that this will allow him to go back to active duty service.

He was on active duty from 2003 to 2006.

“I joined because I didn’t have anything going for me,” said Swan. “I thought maybe I’ll do this for a while and if it doesn’t work, I’ll try something else.”

He found that he loved it. Especially when he deployed to Iraq.

“I had the time of my life when I was deployed,” Swan said.

Swan has found that getting back to something he really enjoyed is a lot more difficult than he thought it would be.

“It’s hard for prior service to go active,” he said. “They’ll take any Joe off the street, but the guy’s who’s already been through basic training they tend to overlook.”

Combat arms is a career field that Swan would like to be part of if he gets to go back on active duty. If not, he said that he’d like to be a contractor overseas.

Outside of the military Swan enjoys fishing, running and firing weapons.

While huffing up and down steep hills he commented that his wife wouldn’t understand why he’s doing this.

“I get lost in town sometimes,” said Swan. “Sometimes I’ll just fly by a turn I was supposed to make.”

Out here in the forest, Swan doesn’t really have a choice but to keep going. This, to him, can be tied into the entire competition as well.

“There’s no choice for you; you can’t stop,” he said. “It’s not going to get any easier. The goal is just to get to the end.”

So up, up, and up he continues through the tree-covered hills. Dawn is starting to break. He and his competitors are all making their way and down these hills. Pushing their bodies and minds in order to be called U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior. Many come to the USARC Best Warrior Competition for different reasons, and to accomplish different goals. But Swan knows that only two will walk away with the title of Best Warrior.

• Date Taken: 07.18.2012
• Date Posted: 07.18.2012 11:27
• Story ID: 91749
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US