Photo By Spc. Kathleen Embrey | The 89th Sustainment Brigade hosted the 2013 Best Warrior Competition March 8-10 at...... read more read more
CAMP CLARK, Mo – By 9 p.m. on day one of the 89th Sustainment Brigade’s 2013 Best Warrior Competition, Spc. Matthew Morelan of the 473rd Transportation Company Detachment had already been tested mentally and physically, and was now trekking across the night land navigation course in an attempt to overcome his malfunctioning equipment and find his first waypoint.
Morelan said, “I didn’t really get the gist until the end, and then [my equipment] had problems … So I would say that was probably the toughest, and I wouldn’t mind doing that one again.”
It is exactly that kind of fighting spirit that all nine of this year’s Best Warrior competitors needed to have in order to face the three days of grueling events to test their physical and mental toughness.
Day one began with an exam, essay writing, and a board appearance. These events are designed to test the warriors’ knowledge of a variety of things, from giving general definitions to citing specific regulations.
“The exam was actually very straightforward,” said Spc. Martin Gakuria, a 92A with the 1011th Quartermaster Company. “If you studied, then you understood the material.”
The rest of the first day consisted of a standard Army Physical Fitness Test and the night land navigation course.
Just six short hours later, day two started hard with a 15-kilometer road march. Standard equipment for this event includes “full battle rattle,” a minimum 30-pound rucksack, a water source, and an M4 rifle.
A quick breakfast was the only rest the participants could get before it was on to the next event. They were split into two groups, as the live fire events and Army Warrior Tasks were being held concurrently.
Sgt. 1st Class Zebulon Andrews of the 89th Sustainment Brigade, and noncommissioned officer in charge of the competition said the competing soldiers did “outstanding” during the live-fire events, which included firing the M4 rifle and the M9 pistol, and culminated in a two-weapon react-to-contact course.
However, “They need to get more familiar with AWT tasks” said Andrews. “It’s mandatory to go to the range twice a year…If it was mandatory to take some AWT tasks and work on those throughout battle assembly, they’d probably be doing pretty dang good at that, too.”
Next on the agenda was a day land navigation course, and then came the main event, the combatives tournament. The warriors fought hard, despite their exhaustion.
“I started seeing stars,” said Spc. Bryan Sanger of the 368th Finance Company. During his match with Sgt. Umfleet of the 243rd his eye was injured, and after a quick check up, the medic cleared him to return to the fight. “About two or three minutes later, I was able to at least see again.”
With an hour stolen by daylight savings, it was another short night before day three. The final event was kept a mystery until after breakfast, and was revealed to be a lap swim. With every last bit of energy, the competitors pushed themselves to the finish.
“I am exhausted right now, but it was well worth it,” said Sanger, this year’s Best Warrior. “I think the whole event was a good way to actually test the soldiers, their knowledge, and all the stuff the army teaches us to do.”
This year’s Non-Commissioned Officer Best Warrior is Sgt. Mathew Umfleet of the 243rd, and the junior enlisted runner up is Gakuria, who would compete at the next level of competition in place of Sanger, should he be unable to attend.
“We went a little above and beyond what we did last year,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Bethurem of the 89th Sustainment Brigade. “I think [the swim] got everybody on Sunday, everybody’s feet hurting and that kind of thing, and then making them jump in that swimming pool. You could see how tired they really were, and who actually had the physical demeanor to carry out all three days.”
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2013 23:01 |
| Story ID: | 104504 |
| Location: | BELTON, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 175 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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