Photo By Spc. Elijah Campbell | 1st Lt. Jared Dequenne (front), from High Point, North Carolina, a Sapper platoon...... read more read more
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FORT DRUM, N.Y. (April 25, 2024) – Four Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division (LI) pass through the gates of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, as they prepare to face the challenge of the 17th Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition. April 18, signals the dawn of Day 0 of the Best Sapper Competition, the final chance to refine and master the engineering skills required.
The Best Sapper Competition, held April 18-23 showcases the Army's elite Soldiers in combat engineering military occupational specialties during an arduous five-day event that challenges participants' mental and physical fortitude.
Two teams represented the 10th Mountain Division, one from the 7th Brigade Engineer Battalion and the other from 41st Brigade Engineer Battalion. Composing Team 7, representing 7th BEB, were 1st Lt. Jared Dequenne and 1st Lt. Michael Kost. Team 41 consisted of Capt. Roderick Gacuma and Capt. Apolonio Narvaiz.
These Soldiers faced grueling challenges throughout the competition, ranging from a Non-Standard Physical Fitness Test and a Round Robin Circuit, to Sapper Stakes and an X-Mile run.
“Sapper has become a term of respect for unsung heroes,” said retired Lt. Gen. Brandon Flowers, for whom the competition is named. “They do jobs that are very, very tough, that most people don’t want to do.”
UH-60 Black Hawks carrying the participants touched down at 5 p.m., unleashing Soldiers toward the engineer castle, marking the beginning of the Best Sapper Competition. The first event, the NSPFT, consisted of carrying an inert 40-pound cratering charge through a series of demanding obstacles.
Physical preparation for these tasks is a necessity to succeed while performing. The 10th Mountain Division Soldiers began preparing long before they ever traveled to Fort Leonard Wood and were ready to execute upon arrival at the engineer castle.
“Our prep goes all the way back to November or December 2023 and includes physical training, studying, and practical exercises,” said Dequenne, a High Point, North Carolina, native. “A lot of credit goes to the senior NCOs in the battalion and the other Soldiers who have helped us get to where we are.”
Jumping out of the back of the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle at 6 a.m., the sappers readied themselves for the mission of the day. Fifty teams rucked between eight stations during a timed event that tested their knowledge of engineering tasks, endurance, and toughness.
“There’s no team that does this and at some point doesn’t feel like they want to give up,” Flowers said. “It’s that type of competition.”
Staff Sgt. Benjamin White, a sapper cadre with the 169th Engineer Battalion who helped direct participants between lanes, said he believes that Best Sapper competitors pride themselves on enduring those herculean hardships.
“Everybody likes to show out for themselves and their unit. They like having that esprit de corps,” White said. “They love having that grit and determination to earn those bragging rights and completing the competition itself.”
Dequenne willed himself to 50 calories burned on a stationary bike while his partner, Kost, a Staten Island native, performed 50 kettlebell swings. They worked in tandem to complete the first event of many during Sapper Stakes on Day 3 of the competition.
“Lt. Kost is definitely the brains, and I’m a little more of the brute force, but that’s not to say we both don’t have those capabilities,” Dequenne said. “That’s why we complement each other really well.”
Kost affirmed his teammate’s sentiment, believing their bond enhances their performance.
“I think we’ve been friends long enough that we kinda know each other's strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “When one of us is down, there comes the other to pick them right back up.”
In the final event, the competitors start a run without knowing how far they will go. As the sappers struggle to surpass their rivals, spectators cheer them onward.
The Soldiers rely on an indelible resolve to push themselves from one task to the next.
“If we know what’s next, we focus on that. We don’t blow it up to how many days or events left; it’s whatever the next target is instead,” Duquesne said. “If we don’t know what’s next, we take it as it comes, because we know we’ll reach the bend in the road and see the other side. We know there’s a finish line coming.”
The Sapper Corps is always growing, with Soldiers from all over the Army hoping to graduate from the 28-day school. White encourages Soldiers from all walks of life to give the school a shot.
“I would love for anybody and everybody, even if you’re not a combat engineer, to come on down to the schoolhouse and get that coveted sapper tab,” he said.
Kost shared a timeless piece of advice destined for the ears of future Best Sapper competitors.
“One thing you can’t stop is time,” he said. “If you take it one task at a time, you’ll get there.”
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2024 10:32 |
| Story ID: | 469496 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | DUPONT, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | TEMPLE, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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