Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Deborah Hartman | Sgt. 1st Class Melissa Solomon, Instructor at the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School,...... read more read more
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By Sgt. 1st Class Deborah Hartman
FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Taking care of Soldiers. A thankless job. A demanding job. An exhausting job, but an extremely important part of the annual U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition.
This year at the Army Reserve Best Warrior, three platoon sergeants have been tasked with leading, transporting and caring for the competitors and sponsors involved in the contest. But they also have lives and duties outside of this four-day contest.
The Platoon Sergeants are the police of the Army Reserve Best Warrior. When not performing their duties here at the ARBWC they are taking care of Soldiers and Army operations in their full-time careers.
Master Sgt. Basheda Kelley, from Houston, Texas, is in charge of the noncommissioned officers. As an Active, Guard, and Reserve NCO, she works as the NCOIC of the U.S. Army Reserve Command Operations and Planning. She plays a key role in making and implementing decisions, controlling operations and assisting in the operations and planning process.
Master Sgt. Paul Cox Sr., also AGR, from Morgan City, Louisiana, takes care of the junior enlisted Soldiers. Cox modernizes the force to shape the future of the Army. Cox works with the United States Army Reserve Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina with the Force Modernization Development Office.
Sergeant 1st Class Melissa Solomon, also AGR from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, molds troops to become stronger. She trains Soldiers at the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. At this year’s BWC event, Solomon takes care of the sponsors. A sponsor is responsible for making sure their competitor has everything they need during the competition. In 2010, Solomon was selected as the Army Reserve Drill Sergeant of the Year at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Drill Sergeant competitors must perform and master all tasks in Basic Combat Training.
“We are literally the Soldiers’ moms and pops during the entire Army Reserve Best Warrior process-waking them up and putting them to sleep,” said Cox.
When the competitors and sponsors arrived for the competition, the three Platoon Sergeants met with them, gave them an overview of the competition, general information, and explained the process for both competitors and sponsors. They were told where their barracks are, what uniform they need to be in, emergency contact numbers and whatever phone numbers the Soldiers will need to know while they’re here.
“The Platoon Sergeant is one of the most critical jobs for the Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition,” said Cox. “They are the eyes and ears for the competitors. They provide information for movement and maintain accountability to add to the success of the entire Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition.”
The platoon sergeants keep it all together to make the entire competition a success. Kelley, Cox and Solomon are affecting the lives of the 36 Warriors in the competition on an individual basis.
Cox said, the one thing Warriors are not being given is a training schedule. They are told each day, or hour to hour on what they need to do and where they need to be.”
There are also mystery events and the sponsors and competitors are told at the last minute what those events will be, Cox said. By keeping the event a mystery, no Soldier has an advantage over the next. This shows if each Warrior can handle the stress of dealing with last minute instructions and being able to adapt to any situation.
Even though the three platoon sergeants were tasked to perform this mission they were happy to do it. “It’s an honor to see them (the Warriors) compete,” said Solomon.
The two winners of the Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition, one for the junior enlisted and one for the NCO’s will compete in the Army Best Warrior Competition later this year at Fort Lee, Virginia.
According to Cox, he would remind Soldiers who want to enter a future Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition that this is not easy. “Soldiers must make sure they are ready mentally, physically and emotionally.”
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2015 10:06 |
| Story ID: | 162341 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Hometown: | MILWAUKEE, WI, US |
| Hometown: | MORGAN CITY, LA, US |
| Web Views: | 171 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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