Photo By Robert Whetstone | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dominic Kochen and U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Aiden Fox attempt to...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- Brooke Army Medical Center conducted a combined Best Medic and Best Squad Competition, Jan. 9 -12, 2026, at Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis, Texas.
The three-day competition included operations designed to measure each competitor’s medical knowledge, technical and tactical skills, physical endurance, mental toughness, and overall combat readiness in an austere stressful environment.
“The competition went extremely well,” said BAMC Command Sgt. Maj. Jan “Eddy” Miller. “All the credit and praise go to Sgt. Maj. (Paul) Cummings and the stellar group of NCOs and officers who planned, prepared, and executed the competition.”
“The cadre did a lot of behind-the-scenes work ensuring that everything from logistics, to transportation, to medical support, to fair grading, etc. occurred,” Miller added. “The competition was rigorous, realistic, and relevant and pushed our Soldiers physically and mentally to determine who the best of the best is.”
The Soldiers completed an Expert Physical Fitness Assessment, water survival test, oral board, stress shoot, day and night land navigation, tactical squad run, warrior task and battle drills, medical tasks and a forced unknown distant march.
“Today we recognize more than winners,” said Medical Readiness Battalion JBSA Command Sgt. Maj. Isidro Soriano. “We recognize toughness, we recognize endurance, and most importantly, we recognize the warrior ethos that defines who we are as Soldiers in the United States Army. This competition tested far more than individual ability. It tested what truly wins wars… teams.”
“No Soldier fights alone,” Soriano added. “No mission is accomplished alone. Success on today’s battlefield depends on disciplined squads that communicate, trust one another, and work together under extreme stress.”
BAMC Best Medic Winning Team 2nd Lt. Aiden Fox and Staff Sgt. Dominic Kochen - Alpha Company
BAMC Best Medic Runner-ups Staff Sgt. Alejandro Mercado and Sgt. Luis Hernandez - Bravo Company
Best Squad – 1st Place Bravo Company - Capt. Chioma Holland, Staff Sgt. Alejandro Mercado, Sgt. Luis Hernandez, Pfc. Keaton Winberry, Pfc. Maven Baldwin, and Pfc. Alex Grange
Best Squad – 2nd Place Alpha Company – 2nd Lt. Aiden Fox, Staff Sgt. Dominic Kochen, Sgt. Jalen Suber, Spc. Brandon Ceja-Casteneda and Pvt. Wilfredo Tollinchi-Alvarez
“It was a great time,” said Fox. “I think we all went out and worked hard. Obviously, there’s a lot of trials and tribulations out there, but we all stayed together and did our best and got through it.”
Soriano said every Soldier was pushed “physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
“Long days, limited rest, constant pressure, and uncertainty were not accidental,” he added. “They were deliberate because that is what combat looks like.”
Best Squad team members Holland and Hernandez both thought the competition was a great experience. “There was a lot of learning along the way, but also just seeing the teamwork, the camaraderie, definitely resilience in there,” Holland said. “It was a great competition. It’s something I would do again.”
“It was really challenging, especially with the weather, too,” Hernandez said. “We weren’t expecting that cold weather. It was very cold, but we pushed through, and we made it, and we’re here. We won.”
Along with the BAMC’s Best Medic and Best Squad competition, BAMC cadre simultaneously executed Medical Readiness Command, West’s Best Leader competition hosting teams from Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Clinic, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The winning team for the MRC, West Best Leader competition was Army Cpt. Nathaniel Anderson and Sgt 1st Class Samuel Carter from Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Clinic. The team will go on to represent MRC, West at the Army Best Medic Competition later this month.
“On behalf of Brig. Gen. (YR) Summons and myself, this competition is not just about speed and strength or technical skills,” said MRC, West Command Sgt Maj. Dedraf Blash. “It was about character, judgment, teamwork, and the ability to perform under pressure, and you all performed under pressure. Every competitor demonstrated what it means to be the best.”
Blash praised BAMC enlisted leaders for executing the combined events.
“They made it happen,” Blash said. “They put this competition together and they ran it flawlessly.”
A “Super Squad” of BAMC Soldiers were also selected to go on to the MRC, West Best Leader competition in April 2026 with the opportunity to participate in the Army Best Squad competition. The Soldiers selected were 2lt. Fox, Staff Sgt. Alejandro Mercado, Sgt. Jalen Suber, Spc. Branden Ceja-Castaneda, Spc. Wryan Garcia and Pfc. Casey Gillis.
“These events are important because our Nation deserves medically ready and combat ready medical forces that are both tactically and technically proficient,” Miller said. “Events like these demonstrate that BAMC Soldiers are world-class leaders of character, competence and selfless service who know how to shoot, move, communicate, and survive on the battlefield … so they can save lives on the battlefield. Whenever and wherever the Nation calls, BAMC Soldiers stay ready, so they never have to get ready.”
| Date Taken: | 01.15.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 01.15.2026 11:57 |
| Story ID: | 556264 |
| Location: | FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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