NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Soldiers competing in the Army National Guard’s Best Warrior Competition found their strength through state and regional support systems during the competition at the National Guard Bureau’s Professional Education Center, North Little Rock, Ark., July 21-24, 2013.
All of the soldiers competing in the competition were required to have a coach assigned to them once they reached the state level of the competition and many of them had a team of other soldiers, including their state command sergeant major. These support teams would be with the competitor each level of the competition.
The soldiers from Region III, Spc. Dustin Wilmoth, from the North Carolina Army National Guard, competing in the enlisted category, and Sgt. Anthony Calvi, from the Florida Army National Guard, competing in the noncommissioned officer category, not only worked together as a team supporting each other. The support they brought from their individual states bound them together to support Region III as one team. The Region III area is composed of the National Guard States and Territories located throughout the Southeast United States.
Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Whitaker, with the North Carolina Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion, said, the key to success is having a support system behind each soldier throughout the competition.
“The soldiers that had a good support system at their battalion level did better than the soldiers who did not,” said Whitaker, who is Wilmoth’s battalion command sergeant major. “When you get up to the state level of the competition, it was obvious.”
Wilmoth’s coach, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Wheeler, who serves with him in the North Carolina Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion, also believes having a coach and a support system is important.
“It’s not just a physically challenging competition,” said Wheeler, who competed at the regional level of the competition previously. “It’s emotional, it’s physical, it’s knowledge and it’s training. It takes repetitive practice to get ready for something like this. If you are asking a soldier to do it on their own then that person will always be missing something.”
The support did not just come in the form of coaches; it also came from being cheered-on throughout the competition by other soldiers from the region.
Command Sgt. Maj. Bob Brickley, the South Carolina state command sergeant major, traveled to Arkansas to watch Region III noncommissioned officer and soldier compete.
“They are our soldiers,” said, Brickley, whose state hosted the Region III competition. “That is what it’s all about. We support and we build a community of soldiers. We are looking forward towards the future, so we will have the best region in the nation.”
Brickley actively provided encouragement for the Region III competitors, even though his state wasn’t represented in the competition.
“It’s kind of like football or basketball,” Brickley said. “You are always cheering on your team and this gives the soldiers throughout Region III something to cheer about and gives them a sense of pride.”
“I can feel by just being here and seeing the two representatives from our region, even if it’s just to yell ‘go get them,’ you’ll see a little smile break across their face,” Brickley said. “You can tell they know someone is supporting them, so I think it’s a big plus to have their support system. Sometimes we forget what it’s all about, and that is supporting our soldiers.”
Wilmoth believes that his coach and the support he received is what got him to this level of the competition.
“Sgt. 1st Class Wheeler has been an outstanding support system,” Wilmoth said. “He has an incredible wealth of knowledge. He set up my training for [the] state level, he set up my training for [the] regional competition and he helped set up training for [the] nationals, even though he was away at [the] master fitness school. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without him.”
Support didn’t just come from other soldiers. Wilmoth said his biggest supporter was his wife.
“My greatest support was my wife, constantly pushing me, constantly encouraging me,” Wilmoth said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better friend and couldn’t have asked for a better support system.”
Calvi won first place in the noncommissioned officer category. He will be representing the National Guard in the Army’s Best Warrior Competition in October 2013. Wilmoth, who unfortunately didn’t place in the competition, is planning to take a little time off, and then begin training for next year’s competition.
| Date Taken: |
07.24.2013 |
| Date Posted: |
08.13.2013 14:23 |
| Story ID: |
111895 |
| Location: |
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, US |
| Web Views: |
136 |
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0 |
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This work, Support, the backbone of a strong minuteman competitor, by SFC Mary Junell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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