Photo By Master Sgt. Matthew Keeler | (Left to right) Staff Sgt. Dylan Pitetti, winner of the Noncommissioned Officer of the...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. -- Winners were announced March 6 for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 2021 Best Warrior Competition.
Staff Sgt. Dylan Pitetti of Pennsylvania Joint Force Headquarters won Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Spc. Derek Knoll of 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team won Soldier of the year, and Staff Sgt. Trevor Howard won the Command Sgt. Maj. Jay H. Fields NCO Leadership Award.
“This week’s accomplishment should be the tip of the iceberg for you,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Randall Pritts, command sergeant major for the 28th Infantry Division. “I ask that you savor the moments that you had during the competition, and be proud, and remember your successes. And do not let this be the finish line for you.”
The four-day competition included nine events that tested the Soldiers' physical and metal fitness in order to assess the "Whole Soldier Concept." The first event was the Occupational Physical Assessment Test, or OPAT. The OPAT measured muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardio-respiratory endurance, explosive power and speed through four tests: strength dead lift, seated power throw, standing long jump, and the interval aerobic run.
After the OPAT, the Soldiers were given a written test to challenge their knowledge and understanding of being a Soldier and an NCO.
On Thursday, the Soldiers were challenged with qualifications on the range on the M4 carbine, M17 pistol, and M500 shotgun. The range events were followed by a time run on the obstacle course; a series of different hurdles and events that the Soldiers were required to climb over, under, and through, to reach the finish line.
After the obstacle course, the Soldiers had to work through a mystery event that was the leadership reaction course. Given a short time, limited equipment, and additional Soldiers to help, the competitors had to overcome the scenario to finish.
And, the final event of Thursday was a 12-mile ruck march with at least 35 pounds in their rucks; weighed at the beginning and end of the event. And the weight had to be separate from the Soldiers water source.
The competition started on Friday -- at 4 a.m. -- as the competitors were given a series of plots to find during a land navigation challenge. Afterthat event, the Soldiers were taken to medical battalion training site to engage in a series of medical scenarios, including a fully-loaded SKED litter drag, to test their knowledge and ability to react under loud sounds and smoke.
On the final day, the Soldiers were brought before an appearance board in their Army service uniform and assessed on their knowledge of warrior skills and more.
The scores of all the events were brought together before the closing ceremonies to present the winners of the competition.
For Knoll, the winner of Soldier of the year, the biggest challenge of the event were the ones that he had to study for.
“For me, personally, I’m not a great test-taker,” he said. “So studying is important, because we had two separate events to study for.”
For Pitetti, the winner of the NCO of year, it was the other competitors that helped motivate him to work harder.
“To Sergeant Nguyen, I was neck and neck with him the entire way, so it was awesome to have other people here of that caliber that definitely pushed me through it,” he said, acknowledging Nguyen who won the Best Warrior Soldier of the Year last year. “And, for Best Warrior regionals, I’m absolutely looking forward it. Training starts today.”
The competitors for NCO of the Year were:
- Staff Sgt. Christopher Coombs, with the 55th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
- Staff Sgt.Zane Craig, with the 213th Regional Support Group
- Sgt. Thaisen Nguyen, with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team
- Staff Sgt. Dylan Pitetti, with PA Joint Force Headquarters
- Sgt. Katie Walls, with Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 28th Infantry Division.
The competitors for Soldier of the Year were:
- Spc. Vail Forbeck, with the 213th RSG
- Sgt. Alexander Heber, with the 56th SBCT
- Cpl. Jonathon Kleiner, with the 55th MEB
- Spc. Derek Knoll, with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The competitors for the Command Sgt. Maj. Jay H. Fields NCO Leadership Award were:
- Sgt. Daniel Formica, with the 2nd IBCT
- Sgt. Kelly Heil, with the 213th RSG
- Staff Sgt. Trevor Howard, with the PA Joint Force Headquarters
- Sgt. Tyler Trimmer, with the HHBN, 28th ID
- Sgt. Ethan White, with the 56th SBCT
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.07.2021 10:24 |
| Story ID: | 390752 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 246 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Winners announced for Pa. Best Warrior Competition, by MSG Matthew Keeler, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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