The crisp air carries a mix of ocean salt and the earthy scent of sagebrush in a serene moment where the sky is painted in vibrant oranges and pinks over a rugged landscape; Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton stirs to life while the distant sound of reveille echoes.
For the participants of the 2024 Best Warrior Competition, an event jointly hosted by the 143rd Expeditionary Support Command and the 4th Expeditionary Support Command from March 24 to 29, 2024, the day is just starting to unfold.
The competition, designed to test the limits of soldiers’ physical endurance, tactical knowledge, and combat readiness, demands early starts and unwavering dedication. In the quiet hours of the morning, the air is filled with anticipation and focus as the 18 soldiers hailing from various regions stretching from Texas to Florida prepare to showcase their abilities and vie for the coveted title of "Best Warrior."
“It's the soldiers operating at this level who will be tasked with executing these operations moving forward,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Ciearro Faulk, senior enlisted advisor of the 90th Sustainment Brigade. “We are held to the same standard as our active duty counterparts, and it’s tough, but soldiers are getting after it and staying proficient in their warrior skills.”
Faulk stressed the importance of the competition because it trains on ground operations, focusing on lower-scale combat missions.
Cpt. Frank Faul, competitor and company commander for the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 275th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, shared his thoughts on why the competition is important for soldiers of all ranks and military occupational specialties to attend. He explained how participating as a competitor provided him with perspective on the need to conduct conventional warfare training and how he can address that at his level.
“You don’t really understand what the gap is until you actually get immersed in it and you see it yourself,” Faul said. “I think leaders should definitely attend this event to get a taste of what they need to bring back to their unit and to experience the training here. It’s an eye opening to experience this as a leader, we get to see where the shortfalls are.
The event encompassed a series of challenges, including the Army Combat Fitness Test, a marksmanship test at the rifle range, a timed 12-mile ruck march, both day and night land navigation courses, and an obstacle course.
”We need to be medically and administratively ready, but we also need to do more than constantly filling the white space in the training schedule with just PowerPoints and metrics,” Faul said. “We’re advocates for soldiers; if we want them to train on warrior tasks or we want them to come on orders, we have to be the ones pushing those buttons.”
Sgt. Tiffany Osborne, a human resources specialist and drill sergeant of 2nd Battalion, 485th Infantry Regiment (Initial Entry Training), says soldiers were challenged both physically and mentally, revisiting skills taught in basic training and being exposed to new experiences, such as handling weapons systems not generally utilized in their field.
Competitors also completed situational tactical exercises such as reacting to contact and medical scenarios under fire, a written essay, an exam, and presented themselves before an appearance board.
“It’s tough because this is not something that we do everyday,” Osbourne said. “Leading up to the competition, maybe you’re reviewing your handbooks, your shooting, maybe working on your fitness.”
Sgt. Raynardo Sampson, a human resources noncommissioned officer with the 442nd Adjutant General Company said, “The best warrior competition helps push the whole soldier concept because these are basic Army tasks that everybody should know. For us leaders, we can take this information back and put an importance behind it for the other soldiers in our unit.”
The aim is to improve readiness and soldier capabilities in a setting encouraging excellence and personal growth. Even those who did not win still gained valuable skill refreshment, fulfilling the competition’s mission of enhancing overall readiness and war fighting capabilities.
“I think I get more of a hands-on experience being a soldier when I come to competitions like these,” Sampson said. “I feel a little bit more of a need to prove myself because we don’t do these things often as reservists, so it just inspires me to do even better.”
| Date Taken: | 03.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.29.2024 15:58 |
| Story ID: | 467407 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army Reserve Soldiers Compete in 2024 Best Warrior at Camp Pendleton, by SPC Danielle Sturgill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
