Photo By Master Sgt. Paul Wade | Staff Sgt. Craig Pace, Utah National Guard, reports to the appearance board in which...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.—Fifteen Army camouflaged gladiators converged on Camp San Luis Obispo, Calif., April 22-26, to earn the title of either Noncommissioned Officer or Soldier of the Year for the 2012 Army National Guard Region VII Best Warrior Competition (BWC).
The California Army National Guard hosted seven Soldiers and eight noncommissioned officers who advanced to this year’s tournament after having won their home BWCs in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and the territory of Guam.
For five days, the competitors endured 16-hour days with minimum rest. After traveling from varying elevations and distances, some as far away as 6,000 miles, the troops received a brief orientation, told to prepare for the next day and get their last good night’s sleep. The action began in the early morning with the new Army Physical Readiness Test and Combat Readiness Test. The rest of the week’s events would continue to flow almost nonstop with tests in day and night land navigation, water survival tasks in a pool, foot march of unknown distance, engage targets in a move and shoot combat scenario, multi-stage obstacle course, combatives tournament, and several other challenges.
“One of the primary ways to set competitors apart is through increasing the [operational tempo],” said Cpl. John Cunningham, a cavalry scout with Troop B, 1-18th Cavalry Regiment, based 300 miles south in Escondido and California Army National Guard’s top enlisted entry.
By far the most unique test of the tourney, and a mystery to the Soldiers leading up to its 6 a.m. start, was the water survival event and how it separated them into either the sink or swim category. It pushed their conditioning to the brink and was only their second day. Tasks involved were retrieving, in sequence, color-coded canteens from the opposite side of the pool, treading water for five minutes, and traveling the length of the pool pushing or pulling a 30-pound, double-wrapped waterproof rucksack and rubber rifle. Two rules competitors had to follow at all times were to keep their earlobes above the water and to not use the walls of the pool to propel themselves.
“This is just fun. I’m so excited to be here competing at this level and with these Soldiers. I had a break in service for 10 years but wanted to come back in because the Army, the troops, everything is much better now. This is hard work, hard but fun,” said Spc. John Sanchez, a motor transport operator with the New Mexico Army National Guard’s Detachment 3, 720th Transportation Company, and at 47 by far the oldest of the entries.
Later in that same day was the Military Operations on Urban Terrain event with the best of the best displaying their ability to throw hand grenades filled with chalk to mark the impact, breach and clear a building to rescue a dummy casualty, request a medical evacuation, and fire paint rounds at targets of varying distances from a newly-fielded M320 grenade launcher.
With the pace of the match moving at lightning speed it was critical the warriors had a support team to keep him going. Each soldier and NCO had a sponsor, a fellow battle buddy from his state or unit which inspired and motivated them to exceed. Much like the Tour de France, a support vehicle was always nearby with a change of uniform, food and drink, a quick fix injury station, or a place to grab a power nap.
“I always make sure he’s taken care of physically, has enough water, enough food,” said Staff Sgt. Guy Mellor, the sponsor for Spc. Joshua Vazquez, Utah Army National Guard’s Best Soldier. Mellor won this competition when he was a Specialist in 2009 but lost at the Department of the Army (DA) level. He returned last year as an NCO and was named by the Sergeant Major of the Army, the 2011 DA NCO of the Year. “I also make sure I keep him motivated and stay positive. I mean, even if he sucked it up, he came in last place on an event, I gotta point out something that he did good cause, the mind controls the body, and if you start thinking negative, then you’re gonna perform in a bad way. Basically, I help in any way I can.”
One of the areas sponsors don’t have too much control over is sleep.
“I’ve been running on six hours of sleep every night; it’s just enough,” said Staff Sgt. Brian Bower, a 26-year-old combat engineer with the 819th Sapper Company and Arizona Army National Guard’s top NCO. “If you’re running on four hours of sleep, then you’re in a little trouble there.”
Certain events left the contestants alone to their thoughts like the foot march, which immediately followed the water test. Carrying a minimum 35-pound ruck sack and rifle, the troops put rubber to pavement and dirt and hiked an unknown distance towards the finish line. Each second counted as Utah’s top NCO, Staff Sgt. Craig Pace, 37, was able to come from behind and complete the six-mile route in 1 hour, 24 minutes, only a minute ahead of Nevada’s Spc. Julian Batz.
“When you do get tired, you’re just trying to push yourself without getting hurt,” said Vazquez, 23, Utah’s enlisted Soldier and a member with the Group Support Command, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne). “With the ruck march, I was saying to myself ‘I just have to get over this hill, and then just go around this corner, and maybe this corner.’”
To keep that fire burning each service member had a game plan, beyond their sponsor’s life-line, on how to fuel their bodies.
“On the ruck march, I had a pocket full of pogey (energy bar, trail mix, etc.) bait,” said Bower, a police officer in Phoenix. “It’s something to keep in your belly so you have a little bit more for the next event, because you’re not eating for this event, you’re eating for the next event.”
Some other items suggested by Mellor.
“Eat lots of bananas, some pickles, with pickle juice so they don’t cramp up. Things like that. Just make sure they’re healthy. We don’t go out and get them cheeseburgers because you don’t want to get heartburn, or make them sick,” he said.
Replenishing electrolytes and grubbing down energy bars only gets you so far. Most competitors grabbed their state or territories top spot before October of last year and have been training since to condition themselves for Camp San Luis Obispo’s terrain, climate, and possible events.
“The most important way I started preparing was getting on a 60-pound ruck and doing laps around my neighborhood,” said Bower. “If you can [move] with a 60-pound ruck and do a 3-mile run, then you’re strengthening up all the body parts you need for a run, for pushups, for sit-ups.”
Another action highlight came on the morning of the third day: the obstacle course event. The bruised and battered competitors had to weave through a tiered crossbeam structure, reach the 10-foot pinnacle, and descend down to the sandpit. After this grueling mental and physical exertion the troops had a brief moment to catch their breath. To help separate the leaders from the pack each BWC task is timed and none of the other soldiers and NCOs is allowed to watch their fellow rivals during individual events. With a climb over a wall the second phase of the obstacle course begins again. Troops then crawled under a chain-linked fence, dragged a 135-pound dummy through sand, then another under barbed wire, climbed up a 20-foot long rope, and pulled a 175-pound litter skid 50-yards. They were spent as their sponsors and other state representatives cheered them on.
“If you can endure that physically, if your body can take that, then you’re mentally strong,” said Mellor. “But if you’re weak physically, even if you’re the smartest guy out there, you’re going to go out there into the war dead tired and you’re not going to be able to think.”
Some of the warriors shared the same thoughts on how the Regional was different from their state BWC, namely that the competitive level was much higher. Each Soldier and NCO was representing their state and was truly a contest among comrades-in-arms and those passionate about doing your best while wearing the uniform.
“My favorite part of this competition is meeting the other Soldiers, meeting guys that are that motivated to do a competition like this,” said California’s 29-year-old Cunningham.
“The best thing about this competition is getting to know the people and be able to introduce yourself,” said Bower. “To make friends with someone and say you’re more than welcome to stay at my house, eat my food, so it’s a great way to meet new people from different states with different perspectives.”
Of course the bonds of friendship they formed gritting it out together was put to one final test of true gladiatorial performances. They would face each other on the padded mats of the “Fight House” in a round-robin combatives bracket.
Blood was drawn more than once during the championship and consolation rounds as Staff Sgt. Demetrius McCowan, 28, a sheet metal worker with Company A, 1106th Theater Aviation Support Maintenance Group and California Army National Guard’s top NCO and Nevada’s best Soldier, Spc. Julian Batz, a cavalry scout with K Troop, 1-221st Cavalry Regiment, stood alone in their respective categories as king of the ring.
The physical aspect of the BWC can easily be gauged. However, throughout the contest, mental aptitude is weighed as well, sometimes at the height of exhaustion. Doing well in tests like the written exam on a specific topic, interacting with media, and appearing in front of a board of sergeants major can shift the balance in favor of those gifted intellectually.
With the final question answered during the appearance board, the competitors were dismissed and able to let out a sigh of relief. The events were over. Now began the wait as the points were tallied. They gathered later that night for an awards banquet to be recognized for their overall efforts by family, friends, and senior officers and NCOs from the eight states and territory. The presentation of trophies to the top performers in each major category would only give a slight hint as to who might be named the best of the best.
The individual winners were: Spc. Julian Batz, Nevada, Army Physical Readiness Test and Combat Readiness Test; Staff Sgt. Eugene Patton, Colorado, won three events: Day and Night Land Navigation, MOUT, and Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills; Staff Sgt. Brian Bower, Arizona, won two events: Water Survival and Obstacle Course; Staff Sgt. Craig Pace, Utah, Unknown Distance Foot March; Spc. Joshua Vazquez, Utah, M9/M4 fire; Staff Sgt. Larry Harlan, Nevada, Unknown Distance Run; Staff Sgt. Demetrius McCowan, California, Combatives tournament.
In the beginning, 15 gladiators entered the arena but only two are allowed to move on to the next level.
Staff Sgt. Eugene Patton, 37, was announced as the Best Warrior NCO for Region VII. Patton is an Active Guard and Reserve Soldier from Falcon, Colo., with the Colorado Army National Guard’s 117th Space Battalion.
Spc. Julian Batz, 29, the cavalry scout from Las Vegas, Nev., was named Region VII Best Warrior soldier of the competition.
Batz’s explains his tenacity and personal goal to perform at the highest level.
“I just don’t like to lose, honestly. I just put my mind somewhere else and when somebody tells me to do something, I just try to do it to the best I can,” said Batz. “The competitions that I actually get to face my opponent, like, [physical training] stuff, usually you’re with other people, it’s not separate and hidden, and I do a lot better. I always feel like if I get to look at somebody in the face, I compete much higher. That motivates me.”
Patton, an intelligence analyst, used his skill set to carefully strategize his approach to the contest.
“I felt pretty confident going into the competition. I knew what my strengths and weaknesses were prior to starting. My strategy for my weak events was to improve upon my personal past. If I knew that I was not going to finish high in ranking, I was going to at least beat myself. With my strong events, I pushed a little more, knowing that they were my money makers,” said Patton. “Throughout the entire competition, I had no idea where I placed in the pack. When my name was finally called, I was very surprised. I knew I did well but had no idea that I had won. It was very humbling and gratifying in the fact that all the hard work paid off. This year I have received more support than I have received in years past for training. This was largely in part due to the fact that my sponsor, Sergeant First Class Garduque, and I have worked a game plan together and actively sought out training opportunities.”
One of the great unseen accomplishments is that connection between the warrior and their sponsor. The time the sponsor spends as a coach, friend, mentor, cheerleader, doctor, and battle buddy is rewarded when their Padawan’s name is called.
“As a sponsor, you get an opportunity to take a Soldier to a different pinnacle in their career,” said Sgt. 1st Class David Garduque, Patton’s sponsor.
Patton and Batz will now move on to compete at the national level Army National Guard BWC held at Fort Benning, Ga. this summer. They will test their mettle against other Regional winners to earn the honor of representing the entire National Guard at the final Department of the Army competition.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.10.2012 16:22 |
| Story ID: | 88245 |
| Location: | SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 291 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Best warriors in Region VII clash to earn the right to compete at Nationals, by SPC Grant Larson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
