Purvis Native Competes in Mississippi National Guard Best Warrior Competition

CAMP MCCAIN, MS, UNITED STATES

03.02.2018

Story by 2nd Lt. Rachel Henson 

Joint Force Headquarters - Mississippi National Guard

JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi National Guard hosted its annual Best Warrior Competition this week at the Camp McCain Training Center near Elliott, Mississippi.
Eleven Soldiers and Airmen who mastered a series of benchmarks to qualify for the statewide competition competed for the prestigious titles of Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.
One of those competitors is Purvis native Spc. Darrell Washington of the 3656th Maintenance Company of the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center near Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Darrell, a wheeled vehicle mechanic, says that making it this far in the competition is not about competing against others, but competing against yourself.
“You’re here to see how far you can push yourself,” said Washington. “The competition, which should be within, within self, is not about the next person standing next to you. All of you guys are here doing the same thing so y’all should compete to see how far you can push yourself.”
The event was largely coordinated by cadre of Camp Shelby’s 154th Regional Training Institute. 1st Sgt. David Brooks of the 154th RTI said the course was designed to push competitors to their limits.
“These next three or four days, they’re going to be mentally and physically drained,” said Brooks. “But you won’t see any of them holding their heads down.”
During the four-day competition, Washington and the other 10 elite competitors tested their military aptitude by conquering urban warfare simulations, weapons qualifications, board interviews, physical fitness tests, written exams, and warrior tasks and battle drills relevant to today’s operating environment.
The event concluded Thursday, March 1, 2018. The winners will be announced Saturday, March 3, 2018, at an awards banquet during the Mississippi National Guard’s annual Noncommissioned Officer’s conference at the Hilton in Jackson.
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• Date Taken: 03.02.2018
• Date Posted: 03.03.2018 10:45
• Story ID: 267995
• Location: CAMP MCCAIN, MS, US
• Hometown: HATTIESBURG, MS, US
• Hometown: LAUREL, MS, US
• Hometown: PURVIS, MS, US