Story and photos by Timothy L. Hale
Army Reserve Public Affairs
FORT LEE, Va. – A four-vehicle column of Humvees rolls down the dusty street. Local villagers hold up fruit, clothes even hubcaps as the column rolls by.
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| Spc. Shiloh Becher treats a casualty during the Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills event at the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Va. on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009. Becher is the Army Reserve Soldier of the Year. (Timothy L. Hale/Army Reserve Public Affairs) |
Suddenly, gunfire rings out from adjacent buildings. Then, a deafening explosion rocks the convoy which shuddered to a sudden stop.
As the locals flee, two Army Reserve Citizen-Soldiers emerges from the front and rear vehicle and rapidly takes control of the chaos, directing return fire and tending to the wounded.
This wasn’t a scene from Iraq or Afghanistan. It was just one scenario that played out during the week-long Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition held at Fort Lee, Va., Sept. 28-Oct. 2.
Staff Sgt. Aaron Butler and Spc. Shiloh Becher, the Army Reserve NCO and Soldier of the Year, were put to the test against 11 other major Army commands to determine who the ‘best of the best’ were for the entire Army.
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| Spc. Shiloh Becher walks to a checkpoint during the day Urban Warfighting Orienteering Course at the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Va. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009. Becher is the Army Reserve Soldier of the Year. (Timothy L. Hale/Army Reserve Public Affairs) |
Butler and Becher were hoping for a repeat this year after Army Reserve Sgt. David Obray won the Soldier of the Year title last year.
Despite not claiming the overall top prize, both Army Reservists showed the rest of the competition field that they had what it took to keep up with the pack.
“It was an amazing experience,” Butler said. “It was a tremendous opportunity to come here to compete against the best the Army had to offer.”
For Becher, the training leading up to the event was a key motivator for him.
“I’m (now) very schooled in AWT tasks,” he said. “That’s something I can bring back to my unit on any drill weekend or anytime I have the opportunity that I can train Soldiers. I look forward to becoming a team leader and a squad leader.”
The week-long competition started with a Command Sergeants Major appearance board chaired by the Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Kenneth O. Preston. Upon exiting his NCO board, Butler exclaimed, “that was the best board I’ve been on this year” but quickly added, “I’ve been through 12 boards this year!”
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| Flares, tracer rounds, and explosions rocked the night at the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Oct 2 2009. Soldiers were up at 3 a.m. and didn't rack out until after midnight. Up again at 3 on Friday for the mystery event. Photo by Tim Hale, USARC Public Affairs. |
Becher, who was the oldest of the 24 Best Warrior candidates, joined the Army Reserve at the age of 29 shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 – which coincidentally happens to be his birthday. During his board appearance he thanked Preston for giving him the “opportunity to join at the age of 29.” Becher said afterwards, Preston smiled.
After a day of conducting some last-minute training, checking equipment and conducting hometown media interviews, the Warriors set out for the more physical events of the competition, most of which started around 4 a.m. each day. Those events included an Army Physical Fitness Test, day and night Urban Warfighter Orienteering, Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills, day and night M4 rifle qualification, an M4 stress fire event and followed up by a Mystery Event and an Army Combatives tournament.
The Mystery Event consisted of a uniform inspection where Butler and Becher had to find the errors on male and female Class A’s and ACUs as well as a Soldier dressed in a full combat load; the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer (HEAT) where they had to exit the vehicle upside down within 17 seconds, assault a village searching for terrorists, and evaluate a casualty.
“It was not easy, but not as tough as the USARC competition was,” Becher concluded.
Both Butler and Becher said “it was an honor to represent the Army Reserve” and they would consider competing again. … but may wait awhile before doing so.
EDITOR’s NOTE: To read dispatches, see images and watch videos of Butler and Becher from the competition visit the Best Warrior Blog. To see the hundreds of photographs from the competition visit the Army Reserve Flickr site.
