FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska – The Brigade Headquarters Company of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division hosted a post-wide Modern Army Combatives Tournament on Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Oct. 24-25. The event was held at the Physical Fitness Center and was open to all soldiers stationed on Fort Wainwright. The preliminaries and semi-finals were completed on the 24th, and 14 contenders, two for each of seven weight classes, competed in the finals on the 25th.
Several different organizations contributed equipment and assistance for the event.
“Putting this together has really been a community effort,” said Capt. Josh Withington, Brigade Headquarters Company commander. “We wanted to mirror our tournament here off of the ones that are conducted at Fort Benning and Fort Sill, as most of the soldiers here would have seen something like it during their career.”
The competition wrapped up with Sgt. 1st Class Richard Martinez from 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment winning the Heavyweight title and the team from the 1-5th receiving the Commander’s Cup trophy as overall winners of the entire event.
The Modern Army Combatives Program was started in 1995 to train leaders and soldiers in close-quarters combat, and basic combatives, which most soldiers are taught in Basic Training, is one of the 40 Warrior Core Tasks of the Warrior Ethos initiative.
“The guys that are out there on the mat right now are true warriors,” said Withington. “They are demonstrating the complete ethical and mental fortitude it takes to close with and destroy the enemy.”
Both days of the tournament drew large crowds as fellow soldiers and family members came to cheer the competitors on.
“This is great for morale,” said Staff Sgt. Alfredo Rivera, a competitor in the middleweight class from 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment. “Training together and competing against each other, it brings us together as a team.”
| Date Taken: |
10.25.2013 |
| Date Posted: |
10.29.2013 20:24 |
| Story ID: |
115919 |
| Location: |
FORT WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA, US |
| Hometown: |
FAIRBANKS, ALASKA, US |
| Hometown: |
FORT WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA, US |
| Hometown: |
NORTH POLE, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: |
283 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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