Mystery event surprises, challenges Army Best Medic competitors

Photo By Flavia Hulsey | An Army Best Medic Competition candidate treats a simulated wound Sept. 26 during a mystery event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The mystery event included an “urban orienteering” course that ended with a patient care scenario. Immediately following the completion of patient care, the two-member teams then had to write a final essay. The U.S. Army Medical Command hosts the Army’s CSM Jack L. Clark Jr. Army Best Medic Competition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Sept. 24-27, 2019. Twenty-seven two-Soldier teams from all around the world traveled to Washington state to compete in the finals to be named the Army’s Best Medic. The competition is a 72-hour arduous test of the teams’ physical and mental skills. Competitors must be agile, adaptive leaders who demonstrate mature judgement while testing collective team skills in areas of physical fitness, tactical marksmanship, leadership, warrior skills, land navigation and overall knowledge of medical, technical and tactical proficiencies through a series of hands-on tasks in a simulated operational environment.  

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, UNITED STATES

09.26.2019

Story by Flavia Hulsey 

U.S. Army Medical Command

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McChord, Wash. – After completing a more than 12-mile ruck Sept. 26, competitors in the 2019 CSM Jack L. Clark Jr. Army Best Medic Competition may have thought they were done with the grueling three-day competition. But, they had one more mystery event.

The mystery event included an “urban orienteering” course that ended with a patient care scenario. Immediately following the completion of patient care, the two-member teams then had to write a final essay.

“We did 12 miles on the ruck and then ran another five or six or so… We ran the whole way,” said Sgt. Brenden Lee, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), recounting the team’s completion of the orienteering course.

The course required teams to find five waypoints and pick up a piece of medical equipment at each location at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Depending on the route teams selected, the course could take three to six miles to complete.

“We did a scavenger hunt around all of (Lewis North). We grabbed five things and apparently beat all the other teams because we were strategic about it,” said Sgt. Paul Corley, 173rd IBCT (Airborne).

When they arrived at the final location – the transient barracks on Lewis North where competitors were staying – some faced another challenge, a patient care scenario.

“The patient care scenario was a continuation of the prolonged field care event the night prior,” said Scott Royse, noncommissioned officer in charge of the mystery event and a member of the Regional Health Command-Pacific operations staff. “The mystery event depended on how they treated the patient at prolonged field care. If they did everything correctly yesterday, they did not have a patient today; if they didn’t treat the patient properly, they had more work to do today.”

Since Lee and Corley had successfully treated their patient the evening before, they moved on to the final essay.

Other teams, however, now had a patient facing infection or other complications to treat with the items they retrieved during the orienteering course.

“All of the competitors pushed really hard throughout the competition, not knowing what they would be graded on or what to expect,” Royse said. “I think they were surprised when they came to a patient at the end, and they were even more surprised to find out it was the patient from the night prior.”

Royse said the mystery event was included to reflect the changing battlefield, one where future conflicts may be fought in more urban environments versus in the jungle or dessert.

“The ability to adjust from doing something like land navigation a few days prior to navigating through urban terrain successfully is a challenge but something that Soldiers and medics alike now need to be prepared for,” Royse said.

Designing this event was a real team effort, he added. More than 60 volunteers and support staff from Regional Health Command-Pacific, Atlantic and Central as well as Madigan Army Medical Center made it happen.

Twenty-eight two-Soldier teams from all around the world traveled to Washington state to compete in the finals to be named the Army's Best Medic, after already winning regional and command-level competitions. The competition is a 72-hour arduous test of the teams' physical and mental skills through a series of hands-on tasks in a simulated operational environment.

This is the first time the Army Best Medic Competition is at JBLM. In year's past, it has taken place at Camp Bullis, Texas. RHC-P is the host unit for the Army Medical Command event.

The competition ends Sept. 27 with a culminating awards ceremony.

• Date Taken: 09.26.2019
• Date Posted: 09.30.2019 16:09
• Story ID: 344449
• Location: JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US