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After 74 hours of grueling physical events, including tactical challenges and CBRN-focused technical tasks, Tech. Sgt. Robert Sherwood and Staff Sgt. Luke Litwaitis of the 368th Training Squadron, Fort Leonard Wood’s Air Force detachment, placed third in the 2025 Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah W. Johnson Best Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Warrior Competition, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with top-tier warriors from across the joint force.
The Air Force team, both instructors at the Emergency Management schoolhouse, competed against 21 other two-person teams from the Army, Army Reserve, Marine Corps, and the United Kingdom’s Defence CBRN Centre at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, May 30 through June 2.
“Going into the competition I kept a positive and open mindset, with the only expectation that I would perform the best I could,” Litwaitis shared. “Motivation was always high, and each team made it feel less like a competition against each other, but against ourselves.”
The 2025 competition was scaled to 74 hours, a tribute to the Army’s 74D CBRN Specialist designation. Events reflected the number throughout: a 74-question written exam, a seven-event fitness test - four minutes per station - a 74-minute masked run, and a 7.4-mile ruck march.
“We had no expectations of placing,” Sherwood said. “But after a few of the first events, we found ourselves in third, and we thought that there actually is a chance we may be able to do pretty good.”
Without access to the same equipment and tactics used by the Army, the team prepared for the challenge by relying on YouTube videos, reviewing Expert Soldier Badge tasks, and seeking guidance from prior-Army leadership now serving in the Air Force.
“The competition really highlighted the need to be adaptable and creative in this career field,” Sherwood said. “It is very important that we are able to train and fight as a joint team... [Air Force teams] should be able to adapt to help [Army units] out rather than squash any relationship with them by telling them that’s not how we do [decontamination] in the Air Force.”
Sherwood also noted the dual challenge of unfamiliar tasks and brutal tempo. The toughest moment for him came during an event after nearly 48 hours without sleep, where they were required to learn four unfamiliar Expert Soldier Badge tasks in two hours, executing them to a 100% standard.
“I knew my teammate was next to me was feeling the same way, but he was doing his best, and I didn’t want to let him down. I was working to do my best for him, and it turns out we had the highest score out of everyone on that event.”
For Litwaitis, the ruck march was the most physically demanding.
“The toughest challenge of the competition for me was the 7.4-mile ruck,” he said. “Low expectations for the Army, but not a commonly practiced activity within my experience of the Air Force. With strong mental fortitude I pushed and was able to complete every activity I was charged with to its completion.”
While the top honor went to Staff Sgts. Joseph Stone and Joseph Carri of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and second to a team from 4th Infantry Division, the Air Force team’s podium finish was a defining moment, particularly as the only Air Force representatives in the field.
“As the only Air Force team, and representing Emergency Management schoolhouse instructors, I could feel the need to prove myself and set the standard,” Litwaitis reflected. “The activities we performed only validated that our technical application is working and can be aligned with the needs of our sister-services when the time calls for it.”
After pushing through what some participants called the most physically and technically demanding iteration of the competition yet, both Airmen reflected on what mindset helped them succeed and what others should carry forward.
“Airmen should learn as much as they can about NATO and Joint forces tactics and procedures," Sherwood said. “There are many ways to do things and you should always be open to learning new ways. I’ve been doing this job for 10 years, but every time I go to any training I have a notebook with me and I always learn something new.”
“To my peers of Emergency Management, be flexible and well rounded. Know the standards you will be held against and exceed them,” Litwaitis emphasized. “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”
“I would encourage all airmen to try to do something like this,” Sherwood added. “The Best CBRN Warrior was a tough challenge. But, if you feel like you can do it, you owe it to yourself, your family, and the Air Force to try.”
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2025 12:10 |
| Story ID: | 501591 |
| Location: | MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Mindset and Muscle: Air Force Duo Takes Third in CBRN Warrior Competition, by Alexandra Broughton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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