Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane | Soldiers from the 2061st Multi-Role Bridge Company supported the U.S. Army Reserve’s...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
FORT KNOX, Ky. — Approximately ten Soldiers from the Kentucky National Guard’s 2061st Multi-Role Bridge Company (MRBC) supported the 2026 U.S. Army Reserve Combined Best Squad Competition at Fort Knox March 26, while simultaneously conducting their own annual training.
The 2061st assisted with the execution of the Salt River Live-Fire Exercise, a demanding event designed to build lethality, confidence and tactical proficiency among competitors. Soldiers encountered dynamic, high-pressure scenarios, which required them to effectively employ the M-4 carbine from moving Zodiac boats.
U.S. Army Capt. Benjamin Gerlach, commander of the 2061st, invited Col. Terry Durham, commander of the149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade to come watch as his Soldiers supported the event and talked about what it meant for the National Guard to be working with the Reserves.
“It was impressive watching them navigate squads through a live-fire river shoot today,” said Durham. "Partnering with our Compo 1 and 3 counterparts is crucial for building a cohesive and interoperable total force. These joint events allow us to refine tactics and enhance readiness in a practical setting. Most importantly, this provides our Soldiers with valuable training that boosts morale and serves as a great retention tool.”
The best squad competition was held March 23–31 and brought together top-performing Soldiers from across the U.S. Army Reserve. Participants represented nine major commands and competed in physically and mentally demanding events that put their endurance, technical skill and team work to the test.
Competitors were required to demonstrate weapons proficiency by safely loading, clearing and correcting malfunctions, all while navigating a waterborne tactical lane. The exercise also evaluated each Soldier’s ability to communicate clearly with their squad and engage targets using proper firing techniques within designated sectors of fire. This specialized training ensured squads could maintain both precision and safety while operating from surface craft on a moving tributary.
“This is awesome for the competing Soldiers to be able to do this event and without the help of our National Guard partners, we wouldn’t be able to pull off this possibly ‘once in a lifetime’ event for these competitors,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Eric C. Young, public affairs officer with 3D Theater Medical Command.
According to Young, an aviation unit from the Indiana Army National Guard was ready to provide air assets to help with the Helocast, but was not needed since that event was canceled due to inclement weather.
This mission served a dual purpose for the 2061st. While supporting the competition, they also used the opportunity to fulfill annual training requirements as they prepared for the exercise. Their involvement highlighted the Kentucky National Guard’s ability to integrate seamlessly with active and reserve components while maintaining readiness for complex operations.
“Over the last week, our Soldiers focused on the validation for the cadre, during which two of our Soldiers had the opportunity to participate in a Helocast,” said Gerlach. “By way of this relationship, they have connected us with COMPO 3 Multi-Role Bridge Companies.”
He added that, “As the only MRBC in the state, and with a limited number of bridge companies across the Army, it is extremely valuable to share lessons learned and best practices. Although we aren’t operating in a fully tactical scenario for this mission, the cross-component integration allows us to share knowledge and build familiarity with each other’s organizations. That context will be invaluable for these Soldiers as they prepare for future training exercises and large-scale combat operations.”
By contributing to this high-visibility event, the 2061st Multi-Role Bridge Company not only enabled realistic, mission-focused training for competitors, but also reinforced its own operational readiness and commitment to excellence.
“It's been good training for my guys,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class John Denison, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of boating operations. “We're learning a lot of new things that we wouldn’t have gotten to do on our own. We’re learning new ways to do things during this type of training that we can take back and share it with other Soldiers of our unit as well.”
For commanders and Soldiers alike, supporting the event provided exceptional training value, but it was also a meaningful experience to be able to support units in a cross-component event.
“We are very thankful to have had this opportunity to work with them, and we hope to continue to support this event in the future,” added Gerlach.
| Date Taken: | 03.26.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2026 12:02 |
| Story ID: | 562233 |
| Location: | KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 36 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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