By Spc. Lily Baines: Nebraska has long been known as a state where its citizens are able to experience all four seasons.
What the 16 Nebraska Army National Guard Soldiers – plus one Czech Armed Forces partner – probably didn’t expect when they traveled to the Greenlief Training Site, April 12, to compete in the 2018 Nebraska Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition was that they were going to get to “enjoy” all four seasons during the course of a single three-day weekend.
That definitely wasn’t what Master Sgt. Chris Roemig hoped for when he planned this year’s rigorous competition designed to determine the state’s top enlisted Soldier and noncommissioned officer.
“The intent was the weather (would) be better,” said Roemig, who served as the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the event. “We failed.”
According to Roemig, this year’s competition was moved from March to April in hopes of more spring-like conditions. Instead, an unseasonable winter storm and blizzard struck on the second day of the competition, causing the Soldiers to complete some of the events in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable.
Roemig said competition planners kept an eye on the changing weather during the days leading up to the competition, which gave them the ability to make changes where possible.
“We were more ahead of schedule than last year, providing us a little more flexibility with the change due to the weather,” he said.
Despite the weather conditions, which ranged from sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, to bitter cold winds, rain, sleet and even blizzard-like snow, this year’s competition more than lived up to its goal of providing the competing enlisted Soldiers and noncommissioned officers with opportunities to showcase their warrior skills during a series of physically and mentally challenging events.
According to Command Sgt. Maj. Marty Baker, Nebraska Army National Guard state command sergeant major, the annual event “recognizes Soldiers who demonstrate commitment to the Army values, embody the Warrior Ethos and represent the force of the future.”
“The rigorous three-day event tested competitors’ skills in physical fitness and endurance; written exams and essays; Army warrior tasks and battle drills that simulate situations that they have or will encounter on the battlefield,” Baker added after the competition.
For those who participate, the Best Warrior Competition typically leaves a lasting impression.
“The best part about the Best Warrior Competition is that I get to see everyone give it their all,” said Sgt. Jesse Schmitt, 623rd Engineer Company (Vertical), who served as a sponsor in this year’s enlisted competition.
Competing in this year’s competition were:
NCO Category:
-Staff Sgt. Travis Ayers, Nebraska Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion;
-Staff Sgt. Wade Bradley, 754th Chemical Company;
-Staff Sgt. Stephen Dorcey, 67th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade;
-Sgt. Jacob Hartwig, 623rd Engineer Company (Vertical);
-Staff Sgt. Dustin Knoell, 1st Battalion, 209th Regiment (Regional Training Institute);
-Sgt. Benjamin Reehl, Troop C, 1-134th Cavalry;
-Sgt. Austin Stenger, Company E, Long Range Surveillance;
-Sgt. 1st Class Alisha Welch, Joint Force Headquarters;
-Sgt. Levi White, 734th Brigade Support Battalion.
Enlisted Category:
-Spc. Francisco Guzman-Jimenez, 126th Chemical Battalion;
-Spc. Antonio Holbrook, Company D, 39th Brigade Support Battalion;
-Spc. Bryan Kummer, 623rd Engineer Company (Vertical);
-Spc. Danielle Martin, 67th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade;
-Spc. Taylor McKeeman, Troop A, 1-134th Cavalry;
-Pfc. Devon Thompson, Troop C, 1-134th Cavalry;
-Pfc. Ryan Van Pelt, 734th Brigade Support Battalion.
Also competing in the noncommissioned officer competition was OR2 (Cpl.) Lukas Mrocek of the Czech Republic Armed Forces, who traveled to Nebraska with two other Czech NCOs as part of the Guard’s State Partnership Program.
The Soldiers who competed in the competition were either chosen or volunteered.
Day 1
Upon arriving at the Greenlief Training Site, the participating Soldiers quickly learned they were in for an unforgettable competition. Among the tasks that had to be completed — each graded under the ever-watchful eyes of Nebraska Army National Guard evaluators — were height and weight check-ups; the Army Physical Fitness Test consisting of timed push-ups and sit-ups and a two-mile run; weapons zeroing; a nerve-rattling appearance before a board consisting of the state’s senior NCOs; and an online exam.
Master Sgt. Jesse Biltoft from the 67th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, a sponsor to one of the competitors, said the preparations that each Soldier made in the days, weeks and months leading up to the competition were key.
“Studying and memorization is important to have,” said Biltoft. “The Best Warrior Competition is something you just cannot jump into and expect to win.”
Day 2
The second day of the Best Warrior Competition started off early Friday morning with an unknown distance ruck march through the inky darkness of the Greenlief Training Site. Unlike the previous day, by the time the march ended, the temperatures had begun to dip while the wind began to pick up, foreshadowing the changing weather ahead.
Despite the rapidly deteriorating weather, the Soldiers continued through the morning hours, this time on the Greenlief marksmanship ranges where they were tested on the M9 Pistol, M320 Grenade Launcher, M500 Shotgun, Combat Life Saver skills, radio assembly and the ability to call in a medevac request.
Following that, the competitors shifted to basic land navigation during the afternoon where each competitor was partnered with a different sponsor and then tested on a variety of navigation and map-reading skills. Complicating the tests was the fact that the weather had now shifted into a near-sideways freezing rain that limited visibility, numbed fingers and hands, and made holding maps nearly impossible.
Once land navigation was complete, the Soldiers were given a break from the elements and moved inside to complete an essay-writing event. The break was short-lived, however, as the Soldiers soon found themselves back out into the darkened and frigid Greenlief environment to conduct night land navigation.
Sgt. Danielle Martin, 67th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, was one of two female Soldiers competing at this year’s event. She said the competition was definitely testing her skills while also giving her a sense of renewed confidence.
“The competition gives me the feeling of accomplishment,” Martin said. “I like the idea (of competing) in the Best Warrior because not everyone wants to.”
Day 3
Following the late night competition, the Soldiers awoke for the third day of the competition with a pretty significant surprise and challenge: power to the entire training site had been cut due to high winds, ice and snow.
Still, the mission continued.
Fortunately, the last two events took place indoors. This time, the Soldiers were tested on their knowledge of drill and ceremony movements and commands, and M16-5.56 MM Rifle assembly and disassembly, with a twist. In this case, the weapons were disassembled on one side of a room, which then had to be reassembled by the Soldiers on the other side of the room, one piece at a time. The entire process was timed to determine the event’s winner.
The rest of the day consisted of clean up, while the judges tallied up the points to determine the winners.
“I love the feeling of competition, and when I was given the opportunity to compete in the Best Warrior, I did,” said Spc. Francisco Guzzman-Jimenez from the 126th Chemical Battalion. He said he loved getting to meet different Soldiers from across Nebraska.
That was music to Roemig’s ears.
“The big piece is (developing) the camaraderie for Soldiers from different units, to come together and meet other people outside their unit or battalion; to start meeting people and making those connections,” Roemig said. “The Nebraska National Guard is small enough that as people stay in it, they will change units, they will see those people in other roles…(it) becomes very helpful later on.”
At the same time, the competition has significant training value.
“We saw it as a training opportunity,” Roemig added. “We don’t provide a lot of training at the time that the Soldiers are going through that particular event, but there is certainly an opportunity for the Soldiers and the sponsors to discuss how things went and how that individual Soldier did on a particular event.”
That, in turn, should help the Soldiers continue to develop and deepen their individual skills, while also making them a source of expertise within their units.
This year’s winners were announced at an award banquet held at the Greenlief dining facility.
Winning the enlisted category was Pfc. Devon Thompson, while Spc. Bryan Kummer placed second and Spc. Taylor McKeeman took third place. In the noncommissioned officer category, Staff Sgt. Dustin Knoell took first while Sgt. Levi White placed second and Staff Sgt. Wade Bradley, third.
Thompson and Knoell moved move on to May’s Regional Best Warrior Competition at Camp Robinson, Arkansas.
(Lt. Col. Kevin Hynes and Spc. Lisa Crawford contributed to this article)