Courtesy Photo | Army Pfc. Chris Baker, broadcast journalist, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Public Affairs...... read more read more
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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Fourteen service members representing the Army, Air Force, and Navy gathered, March 25, to compete in non-commissioned officer and junior enlisted divisions for the 2009 Joint Service Member Competition.
Coming out on top for the NCO group was Air Force Staff Sgt. Dean Martinez, operations staff non-commissioned officer, 455th Air Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.
Martinez said although the physical part of the competition was not a "piece of cake," the toughest part for him was the board, because he had only a week to prepare.
"The weapons portion was less of a worry because of my background in security. I am very familiar with the mechanics of the weapons," said Martinez.
Weapons also seemed to be a breeze for the junior-enlisted winner, Army Pfc. Chris Baker, broadcast journalist, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Public Affairs Office.
"It's an honor to get [this award]," Baker said. "It's good to have friendly competition between the services."
The services were well-represented with Air Force Senior Airman Steven Doty, public affairs journalist, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing PAO taking second place and Spc. Andrew Hein, gunner, 45th Sustainment Brigade, securing third place in the junior-enlisted division.
For the NCO group, second place honors went to Staff Sgt. Patrick Laughlin, brigade aviation NCO, Task Force Spartan. Third place was taken by Staff. Sgt. Eboney Blancaneax-Williams, equal opportunity advisor, Task Force Lightning.
The day began with an orientation at 5 a.m., followed by an eight-mile run. Competition testing began after the run and personal hygiene were completed.
The service members were tested on their Code of Conduct knowledge and Combined Joint Task Force - 101 history. The contestants then moved on to a Common Task Training hands-on exam. This consisted of handling weapons and first- aid lanes, where participants were tested on their lifesaving skills.
The final test before the formal board was an orienteering course, similar to land navigation.
Deciding how many to points to award per area and what to actually test on was not an easy task, said Army Master Sgt. Michael Crawley, future operations non-commissioned officer, CJTF-101, who put the competition together.
"I talked to all the seniors [NCOs] across the four services to find a way to average what each service does every day and find the best at it," Crawley said.
Doty said he had a lot of support in the training process leading up to the competition.
"The physical aspect was quite different from the way I have become accustomed to, so with the help of fellow Airmen in the Force Protection flight, I was able to train on a daily basis," Doty said.
Doty and Martinez also reached across service lines to get a better picture of what to expect. Doty said, "Staff Sgt. Martinez and I knew this was an Army-based challenge; therefore, we sought assistance from the Army to gain a better perspective of what they would be looking for."
Martinez was enthusiastic about competing with other services.
"As an NCO, I think it's vital to have joint competitions downrange, so we have communication and are all on the same page," Martinez said.
When Martinez was asked what's next on the agenda for him, he said, "I'm going to get Iron Eagle-certified."
| Date Taken: | 03.25.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2009 11:51 |
| Story ID: | 32126 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 230 |
| Downloads: | 214 |
This work, Army, Air Force prevail in Service Member Competition, by SPC Kimberly Cole, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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