Staff Sgt. Dan T. Huston, a satellite communications operator/maintainer with B Co., 98th Expeditionary Signal Battalion in Mesa, Ariz., performs first aid on a "victim" during a Best Warrior Competition at the 335th Signal Command (Theater) in Atlanta June 1-5. (Hometown: Pheonix Ariz)
By Capt. Michelle Lunato
359th Signal Brigade Public Affairs
335th Signal Command ‘Best Warriors’ Compete for Title
While the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have progressed over the years, so have the Army’s Soldiers. The enemy has blurred the front lines and therefore, all Soldiers can see combat, regardless of their specific job. So it is up to each Soldier to excel in not only their occupation, but in every military aspect.
They must have diverse knowledge, be physically fit, and work efficiently to succeed on the vast battle fields they face. Today’s Soldier must be more than a good shot, they must be a Warrior.
To find the U.S. Army’s greatest warrior, each unit has the opportunity to send their finest Soldiers to the annual Best Warrior Competition. The contest displays the total warrior package as Soldiers compete in a number of events such as physical fitness, a military board, land navigation, weapons qualification, a road march, hand-to-hand combat, a written essay, and several warrior tasks like performing first aid, calling in a medical evacuation and reacting to direct fire. At the end of each competition there are two winners: a Soldier-level winner for ranks private through specialist, and a noncommissioned officer-level winner for ranks sergeant through sergeant first class.
Seven Soldiers from across the United States traveled to East Point, Ga. to claim those Best Warrior titles for the 335th Signal Command (Theater) in East Point, Ga, June 1-5. Having won the contests at their company, battalion and brigade levels first, the competition was tougher, said the NCO-level Best Warrior winner, Staff Sgt. Lucas Crumbaker, a satellite communications operator/maintainer with B Co., 392nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion in Tobyhanna, Pa. “There was more competition. That drove all of us to exceed and go to the max.”
Pushing themselves to the limit was not all about winning though, said competitor Staff Sgt. Dan T. Huston, a satellite communications operator/maintainer with B Co., 98th Expeditionary Signal Battalion in Mesa, Ariz. “It’s not just a competition. It’s about bettering yourself as a Soldier.”
Each competitor spent countless hours preparing for the command-level competition. They spent weeks reviewing their warrior tasks, military knowledge and critical skills, said all of the competitors. But proficiency in some tasks could not just be improved with a review.
They are a direct result of a Soldier’s every-day training, said the NCO-level Best Warrior alternate, Staff Sgt. Anthony Ellis, an information technology specialist with the 4th Communications Squadron, Joint Communications Support Element in Tampa, Fla. “It is a lot of preparation. It just doesn’t all happen the week of the competition.”
This definitely could be said for the Soldiers running the competition as well, said Master Sgt. Thomas E. Ruhl, the senior supply sergeant with the 335th. To get the competition ready, “the support staff gets to do their jobs. It is good training for them too.” Training aides need to be secured, sites need to be reserved, evaluators need to be requested, and the competitors travel needs to be arranged. “There is a tremendous amount of work involved,” said Ruhl. “But, it all goes back to supporting the Soldiers, which is what we are here for.”
However, the support staff and competitors are not the only ones to benefit from these competitions, said competitor Spc. Matthew Hazzard, a switch systems operator/maintainer with C Co., 392nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion in Baltimore. “It drives you to see what the standards are and makes you do your best, but it also makes those around you better [as they help you prepare].”
All the training and competitions prior to the command-level not only educate the Soldiers, but build morale as well, said board member Command Sgt. Maj. David J. Vincent, the command sergeant major for the 650th Regional Support Group in Las Vegas. “There is a lot of pride in being a Soldier. They love competition. And to get the competitors to this level, there is a lot of work,” said Vincent, “It really is a team effort… and, it is worth all of the time and effort.”
Win or lose, the training does not stop at the competition, said Crumbaker. “The events we did here, I want to turn into training at my company.”
Regardless of the amount of training, the competitors still had to overcome their nerves, said the Soldier-level Best Warrior winner, Pfc. William P. Peiler, a generator mechanic with A Co., 98th Expeditionary Signal Battalion in Honolulu. “I studied and studied for the board, but as soon as I opened the door, I forgot everything.”
The structure and pressure of the contest helps the Soldiers build their confidence, said board president Command Sgt. Maj. Jennifer Dehorty, the command sergeant major for the 359th Signal Brigade in Augusta, Ga. “Confidence is a process. Leaders cannot give them that. They have to learn that on their own.”
Pushing the Soldiers to be the best and do their best 100% of the time is our job as the leaders of today, said the command sergeant majors on the board. “These are the leaders that we are leaving the country to in 10 to 15 years,” said Dehorty.
Whether it was a steep hill on the 10K road march or shooting their M16s in heavy rain, the future leaders all stepped up to the challenges, learned something and had a little fun.
“It is trying. It is difficult. You’ll be dirty. You’ll be tired. You’ll be sore. But, it is fun to see what you are made of and see how good you are,” said the Soldier-level Best Warrior alternate, Spc. Anthony Cordova, a network oriented document abstraction language (NODAL) switch systems operator/maintainer with A Co., 319th Expeditionary Signal Battalion in Sacramento, Calif.
This effort to test themselves and achieve their personal best was something all the competitors had in common, said Sgt. Tony L. Foster, a personnel sergeant with the 318th Chemical Co. in Birmingham, Ala.
“You never know how far you’ll go until you try.”
The winners, Crumbaker and Pelier, will represent the command’s nearly 8000 Soldiers covering 17 states when they travel to the U.S. Army Reserve level competition at Fort McCoy, Wis. in July. At the USARC level, they will compete against other Reserve command’s Best Warriors.
The winners at that level will continue on to the Army-wide competition in September.
