FORT HOOD, Texas—Spc. Beatrice Clark and Sgt. Matthew Gallegos earned Soldier and NCO of the Year titles after completing the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center's Best Warrior recent competition here.
The annual competition consists of grueling endurance events meant to test the physical and mental stamina and warrior task knowledge of each competitor to determine who’s the 'best of the best.' Events include warrior and battle tasks such as land navigation, casualty evacuation and ruck march, plus oral and written exams.
Col. David Gibson, CRDAMC commander, commended the two winners at the award ceremony for rising to the occasion and taking on the challenge.
“What you did in this competition was tackling the fundamentals of soldiering. You can’t be a success in your profession without first mastering the basic skills,” Gibson said. “It doesn’t matter what you do, it matters how you do it. Thank you for your commitment and working so hard to demonstrate your proficiency.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Williams, CRDAMC’s senior enlisted advisor, said he was also impressed to see the competitors doing their best so they can move forward and progress their training and careers.
“What really stuck with me was to see them giving their all, despite the cold and rain. They all did an outstanding job. At some point during the competition, they exemplified every one of the Five Characteristics of the Army Profession, especially military expertise,” Williams said.
This was the first best warrior competition for Gallegos who works in the behavioral health clinic. He said he was excited about winning, as he feels it epitomizes what being an NCO is all about.
“It was a tough competition and I couldn’t always find the time to train as much as I wanted to. I knew I wouldn’t have any trouble with the physical tasks, just the board and other knowledge tests,” Gallegos said. “But everyone in my department was supportive and helped me to push on. Now I can set the example for my Soldiers and help motivate them to be the best they can be.”
Although not yet an NCO, Clark agreed with Gallegos about the importance of leading by example.
“To compete in something like this is definitely a challenge. You have to really push yourself,” said Clark. “I work in the pathology lab, so I don’t get to spend a lot of time on warrior tasks but my supervisor and sponsor were all so supportive, giving me time to train up. I’m honored to have earned the title, and now will help motivate others to challenge themselves.”
The challenges aren’t over for these two though as they will next compete with best warriors from other military treatment facilities within Army Medicine's Regional Medical Command Central in early 2018. The regional winners will then move on to represent Army Medicine at the Army-wide Best Warrior competition toward the end of the year.