FORT BRAGG, N.C. –
Sgt. Chase Craig and Spc. John Mundey were named the U.S. Army Reserve Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year, respectively, during the 2018 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition award ceremony at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on June 15.
Craig and Mundey will represent the U.S. Army Reserve at the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition later this year at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.
Craig, an observer coach-trainer from Okarche, Oklahoma, with the 3rd Company, 290th Observation and Control Training Battalion, 1st Brigade, 91st Training Division, 84th Training Command (Unit Readiness), and Mundey, a bridge crewmember from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, 459th Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge), 299th Combat Engineer Battalion, 412th Theater Engineer Command, were among the 38 Warriors from 22 geographic and functional commands in this year’s competition.
Craig is married with a 10-month-old daughter and another on the way. He earns a living as a firefighter for the Oklahoma City Fire Department while keeping up with his interests of hunting, fishing, and being a father. As a citizen-Soldier, Craig believes in setting an example for his country while maintaining a balance in his home and work life.
“[W]e come out here everyday and pushed ourselves. We molded together as a team; it wasn’t really a competition, it was more of a brotherhood. I think you can say we made each other better, and at the end of it, I’m just excited and proud,” Craig said.
Mundey is married, holds a Bachelors Degree in History, and works for the FBI. Mundey is continuing a tradition of military service, following his grandfather who served in the Army, grandfather who served in the Marines, and father who served in the Navy. His love of competition, as well as his desire to test his skills against the best, drove him to compete in this competition.
“I believe the hardest part of the competition was definitely adjusting to the sleep schedule right off the bat … two back-to-back, that was definitely hard ... but you get in gear, and get in the right mindset and then things start rolling smoothly,” said Mundy.
Craig, Mundey and the other 36 Warriors represented the highest level of capability, combat-readiness, and lethality the U.S. Army Reserve possesses. The Warriors tested their mettle in a variety Warrior Tasks throughout the week and also had the rare opportunity to earn the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge and Excellence in Competition badge.
The U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition, now in its 11th year, gives Warriors the opportunity to improve their technical and tactical competence and share what they have learned with their units back home.