ANSBACH, Germany (April 7, 2014) -- Three Soldiers from the Franconia Military Community competed to see who was the "Best Warrior" during several events March 25 through 27.
The competition determined who among U.S. Army garrisons Ansbach, Bamberg and Schweinfurt would move on to the Europe level of the Installation Management Command competition. The contestants included Spc. Jeromy Sisk, a military police operations assistant who works for the Provost Marshal's Office at USAG Ansbach, then Spc. Jason Colquitt, a chaplain assistant at USAG Bamberg, and Sgt. Lucas Fitchett, an MP desk sergeant at the Provost Marshal's Office at USAG Bamberg.
Sisk and Fitchett, respectively the best junior-enlisted Soldier and noncommissioned officer from the FMC, will compete during the IMCOM-E Best Warrior Competition April 20 through 25 at USAG Baumholder in Germany.
The competition was divided into several events, including a physical training test, weapons qualification, land navigation, a six-mile road march, tasks and drills, a written exam, and a review board. The FMC level of the competition did not include combatives or a confidence course because of the small number of participants.
"A lot of things we don't do in the garrison that a regular unit does," said Sgt. 1st Class Nadia Johnson, USAG Ansbach Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security noncommissioned officer in charge. "So when you get these competitions, they make you go back to the basics."
Johnson believes that the competition also serves as an assessment for the garrison to see where its Soldiers were.
"I'm just excited to be out here," said Sisk. "Not too often working in the PMO for garrison I get that much opportunity [to train]."
The two Soldiers from Bamberg felt that it was an opportunity to represent their garrison positively.
"We kept going to the boards, we kept winning against other people, and our garrison decided to send us," said Fitchett. "We were the most competent and knowledgeable to be able to come to compete here. … We're trying to make Bamberg look good.
"I love my unit down there, and anything that makes the unit look better down there before they shut the base down," continued Fitchett. "You have some units that don't send people to these events, and it doesn't help represent how their unit works or, if they have Soldiers that are outstanding, they don't give them a chance to be recognized for it. So I'm glad I get to do it."
"It's good to represent Bamberg," said Colquitt. "It's good that the tri-garrisons can get together and have a competition. Now that Bamberg's closing, this is kind of it. It feels good to be part of the end and still compete as we're closing."
The different competitors had different lessons to derive from the competition.
"I would have liked to have gotten out on EST or the range," said Sisk. "This is actually my first time out of [One Station Unit Training] shooting M16. Even though it's on the EST, you still have to maintain the fundamentals, and if you don't keep up on your fundamentals, you kind of dull down a little bit. You've got to refresh."
"Do the best you can," said Fitchett. "Not all of this stuff is enjoyable, but you're here for a competition. You have to try your hardest."
"Probably some sore muscles," said Colquitt on what he would take away from the competition. "There's been some friendship sparked in competition. I'll take that away -- and just experience. Going through this, this has been a good experience to see what it's like. I haven't been in a competition like this before."
Sisk found the land navigation portion of the competition difficult.
"The course here is quite a challenge," said Sisk. "Not only is it physically demanding because you're going uphill in terrain, but it's also mentally difficult because you get to a point on your map, that's where you think your point's supposed to be, and you look around, and you don't see that orange sign."
The competitors received help through sponsorship. The two Bamberg Soldiers, in addition to their sponsors, also had help from the previous IMCOM-E winner of the Best Warrior competition, Staff Sgt. Paul Fullington, a Soldier from Bamberg.
"It's giving the guidance to the Soldiers to make them better, to make the Army better," said Staff Sgt. Kenneth Lambes, Fitchett's sponsor and the USAG Bamberg Directorate of Emergency Service's noncommissioned officer in charge. "Last year I sponsored Staff Sergeant Fullington, who won this competition and then went on to IMCOM-Europe competition, and at the same time was getting ready for the Sergeant Morales Club. So I look at this as my way of giving back now."
"My noncommissioned officers give me support, they boost my morale, they boost my self-confidence," said Sisk. "About two weeks before competition I was thinking I was going to get smoked, that I'm not ready for this. My noncommissioned officers kept my head up, kept my chin up. A week before this competition, I was ready to get things started."
"This garrison is probably one of the best units I've been in," said Fitchett. "They support me well, so I try to do the same -- represent them well."
Both Fitchett and Sisk will move onto the IMCOM-Europe competition later this month. Colquitt, since the competition, became a noncommissioned officer and is now Sgt. Jason Colquitt.
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