10th Mountain Division Best Medic Competition 20

Photo By Sgt. Charlotte Carulli | 10th Mountain Division combat medics were selected by the Fort Drum Medical Simulation Training Center to participate in the 2018 10th Mountain Division Best Medic Competition that began on August 8th. The winners of the competition will go on to compete at the Army level at the CSM Jack L. Clark Jr. Best Medic Competition that will be held at Fort Sam Houston, TX on September 15th.  

FORT DRUM, NY, UNITED STATES

08.10.2018

Story by Spc. Charlotte Carulli 

27th Public Affairs Detachment

10th Mountain Soldiers competed against one another in teams of two in the 10th Mountain Division Best Medic Competition Aug. 6-8, Fort Drum, N.Y, to be selected to compete in the Command Sgt. Major Jack L. Clark Jr. Best Medic Competition, the Army’s most selective medical competition. The winners that are set to compete are Spc. Christopher M. Cave and Spc. Terrence Alfred A. Lapitan, both from 1st Battalion, 87th Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team.

The Army’s Best Medic Competition is designed to test the team’s medical knowledge and skills, as well as their ability to work as a team and lead. It is scheduled to be held on Sept. 15-20 on Fort Sam Houston, TX.
To prepare for the competition, Lapitan and Cave said, for a week, they focused on physically toughening themselves.
Cave and Lapitan felt certain there would be a large ruck at some point in the competition, so they focused heavily on improving their physical stamina.
They also brushed up on their medical knowledge, and received guidance from leaders who have earned their Emergency Field Medical Badge (EFMB), said Lapitan.
During the Fort Drum Best Medic Competition, competitors participated in grueling events, such as a combat water survival test, an intense confidence course, buddy I.V.s, mass casualty scenario lanes, day and night land navigation, tactical combat casualty care, and a 17 mile ruck.
The winners are set to receive intensive training for the next month and a half, so they will be prepared for the main Army competition.
“From all of the events we did here, we’re going to look at what the winners’ strength and weaknesses are, and we’re going to do some intense training focusing on those weaknesses,” said Master Sgt. Andrew Decola from Signal Intelligence Sustainment company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, Division Surgeon Cell. “We also are working with the Light Fighter School (LFS) to teach them some technical skills we anticipate we will need down there.”
The winners are hopeful about their performance in the Army's competition.
“Cave’s physicality and my knowledge in trauma and my stubbornness are our strengths,” Lapitan said. “I don’t quit easily.
Both teammates said, although they found the 10th Mountain competition challenging, they feel they learned valuable elements from it and that will help them in their next competition.
“It is an honor to be chosen,” said Cave. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s totally new.”

• Date Taken: 08.10.2018
• Date Posted: 08.10.2018 17:31
• Story ID: 288328
• Location: FORT DRUM, NY, US