IET Soldiers foster Army Warrior Ethos during ESB-style competition

Photo By Melissa Buckley | Pfc. Anthony King, with Company B, 787th Military Police Battalion, plots coordinates on a map during the night land navigation portion of the Bulldog BONE Leadership Competition Dec. 16 at Fort Leonard Wood.  

FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, UNITED STATES

12.15.2025

Story by Melissa Buckley 

Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Initial entry training Soldiers with Company B, 787th Military Police Battalion, 14th Military Police Brigade got the chance to prove their grit and test their newly acquired Army skills Dec. 16 while competing in the company’s first leadership competition at Fort Leonard Wood.
The Bulldog BONE Leadership Competition introduces IET Soldiers to the idea of readiness through competition and teaches new Soldiers the “expectation that a Soldier’s skills must be continually tested and kept sharp from the very foundation of their career,” said 1st Sgt. Simon Prado, Company B, 787th MP Bn. first sergeant.
BONE stands for Building Our Next Experts and the 787th MP Company is known as the Bulldogs, leading to the competition’s name being the Bulldog BONE Leadership Competition, according to Prado.
The Soldiers, who powered through a 4 a.m. start time and frigid temperatures for the chance to earn their cycle’s Distinguished Leadership Award, were nominated by their battle buddies and drill sergeants — two from each of the company’s four platoons.
“All eight Soldiers now have firsthand knowledge and experience on what it is like to compete in a rigorous competition that builds a more lethal warfighter,” said Capt. Carlos Paiz, Company B, 787th MP Bn., commander.
According to Prado, the Soldiers were selected based on leadership, professionalism, and their physical and mental capabilities.
During the competition, the class was two weeks away from graduating from their 19-week one station unit training.
The competition’s events were chosen from the Army’s Expert Soldier Badge qualifications, which are designed to improve lethality, recognize excellence in Soldier combat skills, and increase individual, unit and overall readiness.
“The BONE Leadership Competition mirrors the ESB in the rigor, the high standards, the uniform required to compete, the Expert Physical Fitness Assessment, the weapons tasks, land navigation tasks, radio communications tasks and medical lane,” Paiz said. “It is critical to expose IET Soldiers to ESB because it gives them something to strive for in their careers and increases their lethality on the battlefield.”
He said all Soldiers competing completed the EPFA, with four of them exceeding the infantry’s time standard.
“My favorite event to watch was the EPFA because this is normally only executed by Soldiers who train up for months and compete to earn their ESB,” Paiz said. “These Soldiers had no train up, and no practice, instead they relied on the training and experience they gained from their drill sergeants and cadre.”
And he was impressed by their mental toughness and perseverance.“They woke up at 3 a.m. and took on the EPFA immediately after. Seeing them push through the running in full kit, carrying sandbags and placing them on the back of the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle was also very impressive,” he said. “They were all pushing themselves to do something they have never done before and they never quit.”
Competitors also participated in an Army board, which included reporting to the president of the board, uniform inspection, answering questions on various OSUT topics, singing The Army Song, reciting the Soldier’s Creed, completing practical tasks, and demonstrating confidence and professionalism throughout the process.
The board was part of the competition the winner, Pvt. Evan Powers, said he is thankful he got to experience.
“I feel confident I will be able to successfully navigate any Army boards I have in my future,” Powers said.
But his favorite event was night land navigation.
“It was so dark. I enjoyed the challenge of plotting the points with only my red headlamp to guide me,” Powers said. “The medical event that included the radio task was also a well thought out event.”
He said when he found out he had been nominated to participate in the competition he felt a strong desire to win — for his platoon and for his dad.
“My drill sergeants put a lot of effort, long hours and grit into training all of us, so I felt like I owed it to my peers and leaders to do my best and win this competition.
“And my dad was the runner up for his cycle’s Distinguished Leadership Award when he was at Fort Leonard Wood, so it means a lot to me to be able to earn this title,” Powers said.
When he graduates OSUT, Powers said he plans to attend the U.S. Army Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia, then hopes to be selected for Psychological Operations.
“This competition has helped me realize what I am capable of. I have the PSYOP selection process ahead of me and I know I have the perseverance to be successful in that,” Powers said.
Previously the distinguished leadership awardee was decided by only the board portion of the competition.
Paiz said expanding the distinguished leader board to an entire competition reinforces the fundamental skills that are the bedrock of a lethal Soldier and his company plans to host the competition for future cycles.
More photos from the competition may be viewed on Fort Leonard Wood’s Flickr page.

• Date Taken: 12.15.2025
• Date Posted: 12.18.2025 08:46
• Story ID: 554741
• Location: FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US