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CAMP CASEY, Republic of Korea – Soldiers with 210th Field Artillery Brigade competed to be the best of the best at brigade’s 2019 Best Warrior Competition, Camp Casey, Republic of Korea, March 12-13, 2019.
The Best Warrior Competition is a rigorous process aimed to challenge Soldiers’ skills and motivation through strenuous obstacles and is designed to select and recognize the best U.S. Soldiers and Korean Augmentation to the United States Army Soldiers in the brigade.
The competition consisted of nine events and one wild-card event, which included a rigorous eight-mile ruck march, a stress shoot and the Army Combat Fitness Test.
“Competition brings so much out of Soldiers,” said Sgt. Maj. Raymond Middleton, native of San Manuel, Ariz., field artillery senior sergeant. “It’s great training for all around mental toughness, physical toughness and to see where they’re at.”
With resilience and motivation required to successfully complete each task, Middleton also said that competing improves team building and helps Soldiers gain confidence in their own skills.
“I think competition teaches everybody leadership skills,” said Pfc. Gilberto Ramirez, fire control specialist and Long Beach, California native. “As a Soldier, it’s something that you can take back to your unit and share with your team.”
During the Stress Shoot Challenge, Soldiers carried two water cans weighing nearly 90 pounds up a steep hill, dragged a heavily weighed-down medical litter up another steep hill and then engaged targets with both a M4A1 carbine rifle and a Beretta M9 pistol.
Despite the challenging tasks, Soldiers stayed motivated and pushed themselves throughout the entire competition.
“I’m a little competitive,” said Ramirez. “I compete against myself and see how far I can push my body.”
While BWC included somewhat familiar events, each was designed to challenge both new and seasoned Soldiers.
“That was one of the most challenging ruck marches I’ve had in my entire nineteen years in the Army,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Adrian Romero, field artillery targeting technician, native of Douglas, Arizona. “I didn’t expect to come here and have it be that demanding physically.”
Four Soldiers and one KATUSA earned first place in their respective rank categories and will represent 210th FAB at the division-level competition. The winners will also participate in a training regime to prepare them for the 2ID competition.
“Keep telling yourself ‘you’re almost there, you’re almost there,’” said Ramirez. “You need that in the Army. If it was a real-life scenario, you’re not just going to throw yourself down and call it quits. You have to keep pushing yourself.”
| Date Taken: | 03.13.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.15.2019 06:39 |
| Story ID: | 314313 |
| Location: | CAMP CASEY, GYEONGGIDO [KYONGGI-DO], KR |
| Hometown: | DOUGLAS, ARIZONA, US |
| Hometown: | LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN MANUEL, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 205 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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