Photo By Sgt. Matthew Marcellus | Sgt. Quienten Amore, a native of West Plains, Missouri, and an infantryman with 3rd...... read more read more
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A deafening roar echoed outside the 1st Armored Division Headquarters May 23 as Iron Soldiers reacted to the announcement of this year’s Soldier and Noncommissioned of the Year following a week-long competition.
Maj. Gen. Patrick E. Matlock, the commanding general of the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, and Command Sgt. Maj. Robert H. Cobb, senior enlisted advisor of 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, announced Sgt. Mark Robinson, a native of Phoenix, who serves as an infantryman assigned to 4th Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team and Spc. Laderius Beattie, a native of Rosedale, Miss., a human resources specialist with the 1st Armored Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, as this year’s NCO and Soldier of the Year for the 1st Armored Division.
In order to earn the title of this year’s best Soldier, NCO these individuals competed and beat out fellow Iron Soldiers across America’s Tank Division in a tough week-long Best Warrior Competition held May 13-16.
The competition tested each individual’s fitness level, military knowledge, warrior skills and preparedness in several events such as medical skills lanes, weapons proficiency, hand-to-hand combatives, land navigation and other vital military tasks in order to determine the division’s top junior enlisted Soldier and top NCO.
“I am honored to be this year’s Soldier of the Year," said Beattie. "I entered the Best Warrior Competition in order to perform to the best of my ability and to represent my company, and that’s what I did.”
This year’s Best Warrior Competition also pushed each individual Soldier to the limit, testing their skills in a challenging, fast-paced environment. Competitors were assessed in both physical and mental events throughout the competition to evaluate each person’s fitness and dexterity.
“There are a lot of physical and mental events in the competition,” said Staff Sgt. Tyler Lewis, the runner-up of the NCO competition who serves as a field artillery firefinder radar operator assigned to 2nd Battery, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. “The events definitely torch you with both physically and mentally challenging stations back to back with no rest.”
The competition was designed to have these demanding events in quick succession, preventing contestants from being able to only prepare and study for individual tasks immediately before they are assessed.
“Winning this competition shows the commitment and ability of the leadership in my battalion and brigade,” said Robinson, “The leadership here [4-17 Infantry] prepares and develops you more than you could imagine.”
The 2019 Best Warrior Competition provides opportunities for Soldiers from every military occupational specialty and background across the division to prove themselves and forever enshrining themselves with the great legacy and rich history of 1AD.
“For me being here, it’s letting other Soldiers know, who are not in combat arms that this competition is not just for them,” said Beattie. “Even if they’re a private in the Army, they can come out and compete. Anyone can be in this competition and anybody can win if they work hard at it.”
“I’m proud to be the NCO of the Year, and I think my Soldiers will look up to the fact that I won the competition,” said Robinson. “You have to lead by example and always be prepared; seeing one of their leaders win NCO of the year can inspire my Soldiers to be their best.”
Robinson and Beattie will now move on to compete for the title of III Corps 2019 Best Warrior at both the NCO and Soldier level respectively at Fort Hood, Texas later this year.
| Date Taken: | 05.23.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2019 22:05 |
| Story ID: | 323803 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | PHOENIX, AZ, US |
| Hometown: | ROSEDALE, MS, US |
| Web Views: | 268 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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