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“I thrive in challenging situations, and strive to push myself beyond known limits, both physically and mentally, everyday,” said Spc. Ian Hagen, a competitor in the 2015 Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, May 4 through 7.
The Best Warrior Competition determines the top noncommissioned officer and Soldier of the year across the Army Reserve. This year, Hagen is competing against 15 enlisted Soldiers to earn that top title. Compared to previous competitions, this year’s Army Reserve Best Warrior is a complete mystery. Hagen and his fellow Warriors were told to expect anything.
“Adaptability, changing pace, and exceeding the physical requirements are all qualities that Soldiers need for a competition like this,” said Sgt. Joshua Hintz, Hagen’s sponsor for the event. “I believe he has them all.”
Hagen joined the Army Reserve almost four years ago as an interior electrician with the 372nd Engineer Company, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. He completed his basic and advanced individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Hagen deployed to Afghanistan for a 6-month tour in 2013. He spent most of that time at Forward Operating Base Shank, while working on the construction of Camp Dracula for the Romanian Special Forces.
“It was the best experience I could ever ask for as an electrical engineer,” said Hagen. “We were able to complete the entire camp from start to finish, which most people do not get to experience often.”
His mission included installing and repairing 150 air conditioning units, two main distribution panels, and powering the Romanian Special Forces Tactical Operations Center and their living quarters.
Not only did he take part in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he led part of the mission. At age 21, he was the specialist in charge of a 5-man crew. Since he had arrived earlier than the other members of his squad, most of them relied on him to get them up to speed.
“I was familiar with the surroundings and had a good idea of what the job entitled,” said Hagen. “I already had good relations with the Romanians and knew how to get the building materials and tools that we needed. I was just ahead of everyone else.”
For a 21-year-old to be in charge of an entire electrical project is an accomplishment by itself. In the civilian world, electricians do not lead teams overnight. Usually they must first finish high school, and then go through a 4-year electrical apprenticeship program. As soon as they complete their required hours, they would work for a journeyman until the journeyman believes the young electrician is proficient enough to work on his or her own. Even then, it could take years to be assigned a crew. For Hagen, he was thrust into that leadership role much sooner.
“You get a lot more classroom time when you go to college, but the Army just gives you the basic principles,” said Hagen. “You learn what you need and you need to build off of those core principles.”
With receiving a crash course in interior electricity, some Soldiers will have the opportunity to stand out and take charge.
“Our leaders are forced to become more active in their subordinates’ learning,” said Hagen. “When you are developing your technical profession in the Army, you are also developing cohesion within your unit. They work hands-on with you.”
With this type of training, Hagen started to gain the leadership skills a competitor in the Best Warrior Competition must have.
“Even though this is an individual event, teamwork and leadership will always end up coming out,” said Hagen. “For example, in the ruck march Soldiers will cheer each other on and pace each other, even though we are competing against one another.”
In the end, it really does come down to teamwork and leadership, he said. Once a warrior finds these qualities, winning the Best Warrior Competition will fall in their favor.
“Being involved in my platoon, being active, and taking a leadership position has given me the confidence to win,” said Hagen.
So far in this competition, the Warriors have been through hell and back. They participated in a physical fitness test, ruck march, qualification test, and other military events back-to-back, with no time to rest.
“The good thing about (the fast pace of this competition) is you don’t have time to think about how much it sucks,” said Hagen.
| Date Taken: | 05.06.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2015 14:38 |
| Story ID: | 162412 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | GREENDALE, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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