Paratroopers take part in combat athlete competition

Photo By Staff Sgt. Anthony White | Company A, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment Soldiers put together a M-2 .50 caliber machine gun during a combat athlete competition Saturday at Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora, near Samarra.  

SAMARRA, IRAQ

05.21.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Anthony White 

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

By Staff Sgt. Tony White
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SAMARRA, Iraq—Spc. Eric Fair sprints down the landing zone carrying an M-2 .50 caliber machine gun barrel over his shoulder. Beside him, his four teammates run with the rest of the M-2's components and sand bags. They are racing against the clock in an athletic competition and they want to win.

For one day the routine changed for the Company A, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment Soldiers. The entire company was at the landing zone encouraging, and at times discouraging, their comrades during a combat athlete competition Saturday at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Brassfield-Mora, near Samarra.

After five events, 3rd Platoon stood alone at the top of the standings. Following them in order were 2nd Platoon, 1st Platoon, Headquarters Platoon and members of the Battalion Headquarters.

The combat athlete competition consisted of events based on practical situations troops may face while out on their missions. Starting with the gunner down event, the pace was swift. Simulating a gunner being wounded, each of the five Soldiers rotated in the turret. To make the event more difficult, the Soldiers were forced to complete three rotations while in the gunner position.

Next, the teams moved to the M-2 assembly race. Racing up and down the landing zone with the awkward machine gun components slung over their shoulders, the paratroopers assembled and disassembled the weapon at the mid-point and at the end of the race.

The shuffling sound of Soldiers feet on the landing zone continued as each team flipped tires the length of the air pad. Eventually they moved to a litter carry race before concluding by pushing a 9,000 pound, up-armored humvee down the length of the airfield.

With the first place prize being a day at Contingency Operating Base (COB) Speicher, the ultimate change of routine for these Soldiers, the stakes were high. Living at FOB Brassfield-Mora, the paratroopers do not have the common areas troops enjoy at other bases. One day at COB Speicher would be the closest thing to being at an Army post in the U.S. with Burger King and Taco Bell available, as well as other restaurants and a Post Exchange.

In the end, the 3rd platoon team consisting of 2nd Lt. Joshua C. Peyton, Sgt. Eldon Garhart, Spc. Eric Fair, Spc. Jacob Hicks and Spc. Jason Boe, took home the trophy and the day at COB Speicher. More importantly, were the bragging rights they had over their fellow troops.

Questioned whether they hoped to win the next time there was a combat athlete competition, the platoon's Soldiers replied in candor, there is no hope. We are going to win every time. Hopefully the rest of the company will get to our level.

We have been training a long time for this moment, one Soldier said nonchalantly. It was a very good victory, a team victory. We were underdogs coming into this but, we really pulled through.

The competition started at 9 a.m., just a few hours after some of the troops had returned from a 48-hour sniper kill team (SKT) mission in Samarra. For them it was definitely not a normal day.

"The guys came back, took a little break and they wanted to compete," said Capt. Adisa King, Company A commander. "That's what it's all about. It helps the job. It changes up the rhythm big time, especially with the extension that we had. It changes up everything we are doing here.

"It's a real big team building thing, especially with the guys," King continued. "When you do competitions like these, the guys push a little further. You see with 3rd Platoon, they stepped it up real quick. We all just came together, bickering at each other, teasing. It brings out the competition in us."

King said he hopes the combat athlete competition will be something they can participate in again.

"We will probably have some more teams and add some events," King concluded. "We want to get the rest of the battalion here, see what the battalion commander is all about and see if he can hang with us."

• Date Taken: 05.21.2007
• Date Posted: 05.21.2007 11:37
• Story ID: 10467
• Location: SAMARRA, IQ