Photo By Alyssa Crockett | - (Left to right) Sgt. Collin Roberts, Spc. Patrick Chayeb, Spc. Matthew Ruiz, Spc....... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – The Army Materiel Command has named its NCO of the Year, Soldier of the Year and members of its first-ever Best Squad, following four days of challenging tasks, skills and battle drills at Fort Benning, Georgia by thirteen of the enterprise’s top Soldiers.
The Best Squad Competition and Best Warrior Competition is a single event used to select the Army Best Squad of the Year, NCO and Soldier of the Year.
AMC’s NCO of the Year is Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Zamudio, who serves as a combat arms advisor for Security Assistance Training Management Organization at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Soldier of the Year is Spc. Matthew Ruiz, who serves as the Better Opportunities for Single Soldier’s Vice President for U.S. Army Garrison-Alaska.
“I’m so proud of the strength, courage and determination each of the competitors displayed, not only in competition but every day. It’s these characteristics, along with the adherence of the Army Values, that makes our Army the elite professional force that it is today,” said Sgt. Maj. Samara Pitre, during an awards luncheon Aug. 18 that announced the winners of the competition.
The competitors were tested on their endurance through various tests of Soldier skills including an obstacle course, marksmanship tests, weapons ranges, a sergeants major board and a 12-mile ruck. According to Pitre, the competition is more than just a physical test – it exemplifies the competitors’ Warrior Ethos spirit.
“You’re not here because you chose to do things right during the previous competitions, you’re here because you chose to do the right things all the time. And that’s why we say Army Strong. It’s the dedication of these competitors – our best warriors – that proves those words are more than just a slogan. They are a way of life for the American Soldier,” she said.
Zamudio, a Florida native, has served in the Army for 16 years, and has four combat deployments and one humanitarian deployment. For him, winning the competition is rewarding and proves you can achieve anything you put your mind to.
“I’ve been in the Army 16 years, it feels amazing to win the competition. It shows that with a little bit of effort and push from within, you can still accomplish anything you want to no matter what your time in service is,” he said.
Ruiz, an Arizona native, joined the Army as an infantryman and earned the Expert Infantryman Badge as private first class. He says the competition was demanding at times, but the environment and team comradery helped guide him and others through the challenges.
“This is a great honor. I’ve never won anything like this or done anything like this. It was stressful, but we all did it together, we all competed together and we kept going,” he said.
This year is the inaugural edition of the Army’s Best Squad Competition. The goal is to measure the importance of building a cohesive team that is highly trained, disciplined and fit.
Selection of the NCO and Soldier of the Year will be among the 60 competitors at the Army level. Winners from Best Squad, NCO and Soldier of the Year will all be announced in October at AUSA.
AMC is one of 12 commands across the Army that will have a squad compete in the Army level competition at the end of September. The squad is comprised of five Soldiers – a squad leader, team leader and three squad members. In the event a member is not able to compete, two alternates are selected.
The following are the five members selected for AMC’s Best Squad:
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Zamudio
Sgt. Collin Roberts
Roberts serves as a military police officer with U.S. Army Garrison-West Point, New York.
Spc. Matthew Ruiz
Spc. Patrick Chayeb
Chayeb serves as a military police officer at U.S. Army Garrison-Benelux.
Spc. Alyssa Reyes
Reyes is assigned to U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii as a religious affairs specialist.
Staff Sgt. Robert Cordell (Alternate)
Cordell serves as an acquisition, logistics and technology, contracting non-commissioned officer assigned to the 905th Contracting Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Sgt. Deven Guelde (Alternate)
Guelde is currently stationed at U.S. Army Garrison-Benelux Directorate of Emergency Services, as an operations sergeant.
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.19.2022 13:30 |
| Story ID: | 427648 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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