Photo By Melissa Buckley | Capt. Robert Skinker (center, right) and 1st Lt. Luke Orsay, with the 5th Engineer...... read more read more
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Each year, the 36th Engineer Brigade, based at Fort Cavazos, Texas, holds what they call a Rugged Best Sapper Competition, intended to emulate the regimental-level Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition — hosted here each year by the U.S. Army Engineer School — and find teams to represent the brigade at the USAES competition.
This year, Fort Leonard Wood’s U.S. Army Forces Command battalion, the 5th Engineer Battalion, hosted the event, which took place from Dec. 5 to 7 at locations across the installation. This year’s winners are Capt. Robert Skinker, a 5th Engineers assistant planning officer, and 1st Lt. Luke Orsay, executive officer for the 515th Combat Engineer Company Armored, based at Fort Riley, Kansas.
According to Lt. Col. Terry Riesel Jr., 5th En. Bn. commander, the competition is all about finding the Soldiers in the brigade — which has units all over the country — most ready to compete at the regimental level.
“We are looking for the team most ready to represent the brigade in the regimental Best Sapper Competition. We want to find the Soldiers that have the grit to dominate in the very challenging and rigorous competition. It is also designed to find the Soldiers with the cognitive abilities to perform the technical Sapper components under pressure,” Riesel said.
The three-day competition started with a nonstandard physical fitness test, or NSPFT, Riesel said.
“I enjoyed watching the NSPFT. It was their first event. They were fresh, energized and motivated. It was great,” Riesel added.
The 20 Soldiers, competing in 10 teams of two — the same format as the regimental competition — then went on to compete in events testing their Sapper skills, such as medical knowledge, night land navigation, poncho raft construction and demolition range proficiency; the competition also included events commonly seen at the regimental competition, including a 12-mile ruck march and what’s called an x-mile run, which forces the Soldiers to exert their energies without knowing how far they will have to go, or how much they will have to do.
Riesel said sub-freezing temperatures added an element to the competition as well.
“Sappers endured a 12-mile ruck march over night with temperatures dipping down to the mid-20s,” Riesel said. “It was so cold.”
Orsay agreed, “the weather was miserable.”
The x-mile event began early on Dec. 7, with a running of the Physical Endurance Course. Following the PEC, competitors raced around Fort Leonard Wood, stopping at stations to perform pull-ups, deadlifts, gravel hook throwing and a low crawl. The race ended at Gerlach Field by testing their physical endurance and mental fortitude with more events, such as a sprint-drag-carry, picket pounding, sled drag and then a door breach to the finish line.
“The cold was the hardest for me. It wears on your body. The x-mile run was brutal. We were racing team three, the second-place team,” Skinker said.
He said the stress shoot was his team’s favorite event.
“We had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the weapons event. The stress shoot was the most fun. We had to do physical training before we hit the lane we were firing in. Our heart rates were up, our hands weren’t so steady, then we had to run out to engage targets while reloading magazines and move to new positions,” Skinker said. “It was great.”
Skinker said the duo is going to look at their calendars for the next few months and see if they can fit preparation for the regimental competition — scheduled to occur April 19 to 22 here — into their schedules.
Handing out awards to the first, second and third place teams was Col. Aaron Cox, 36th En. Bde. commander, who addressed the crowd gathered on Gerlach Field.
“I love this competition. It is the pursuit of excellence. This competition was very well done. The 5th Engineer Battalion did a great job,” Cox said.
The team taking second place, was Capt. Raaqim Rispress and Capt. Alaimoana Paunga from the 20th Engineer Battalion in Fort Cavazos. In third place, was 1st Lt. Zachary Schaefer and Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Knepley from the 4th Engineer Battalion in Fort Carson, Colorado.
Cox said he was proud of all the competitors and watching them compete motivated him.
“Watching you impressed me and inspired me to be my best as well. Thank you for volunteering to be elite. Thank you for all the miles you put on your feet this week,” Cox said.
Registration is now open for the 17th Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition. Click here for details.
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2023 08:47 |
| Story ID: | 460034 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 91 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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