Desert Rogue’s Best Squad

GA, UNITED STATES

09.17.2021

Story by Staff Sgt. Daniel Guerrero 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

Desert Rogue’s Best Squad
By Staff Sgt. Daniel Guerrero, 1ABCT, 3ID Public Affairs
The “Desert Rogues” of the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conducted a Best Squad Competition Sept 17, 2021, Fort Stewart Ga.. Each subordinate company nominated one squad to participate and compete to become the most lethal squad in the unit. The competition involved an obstacle course, a physical fitness station, medical lane, and a weapon assembly station. Each squad was composed of five junior Soldiers, three non-commissioned officers, and a lieutenant.
All competing squads linked up at the battalion headquarters, received their events brief, and released in 15 minute intervals. The competition was scored based on execution of each event to standard and an overall time.
The first event was conducted at the FSGA Air Assault Obstacle Course. Each squad then ran, as a unit, more than a mile, to their second event called The “Sprint, Drag, Carry.” The location of the next event was another one mile run back to the battalion footprint. There, they secured a simulated casualty and moved him or her to a known evacuation point. The final station involved a weapons assembly which included the M17 service pistol, M4 carbine, and M240 machine gun.
“The obstacle course being the first event smoked them early on, but the running in between brought their adrenaline back down and you could see they had to come together and push each other to keep each other moving,” said Lt. Col Scott Stephens, 1-64AR commander. “The competition as a whole was definitely smoker. It focused on the “This Is My Squad” initiative and each squad endured some hardship together and overcame it.”
Most Squads crossed the finish line within 90 minutes. With a completed time of 76 minutes, Charlie Company “Centurions” were presented with the unit ‘Mahout Stick’ to maintain for future competitions.
The winning Squad included 1LT Nathaniel Mason, SSG Gray, SGT Shoop, SGT Poyner, SPC Kightlinger, SPC Jeffries, PFC Gomez, PV2 Kinter, and PV2 Vanvliet.
“It was a nice walk in the woods that definitely improved our cohesiveness all the way up to the Company level, said Mason.” “ It was very motivating to have them cheer us on throughout the competition and we’d like to include Army combatives next time we win.”
The Desert Rogues are certainly no strangers to tough challenges and teamwork. It is this cohesion that enables the Rogues to overcome anything.
“We’re going to do this again at the platoon level,” said Stephens. “Everyone likes to compete and be on the winning team; it’s fun, and it builds teamwork and creates that winning spirit that just feels good.”

• Date Taken: 09.17.2021
• Date Posted: 09.20.2021 15:14
• Story ID: 405633
• Location: GA, US