FORT BENNING, Ga., (May 21, 2014) -- Fort Benning's 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, beat out 16 other tank crews Thursday, to win the second biennial Sullivan Cup competition, at Harmony Church here.
The crew included Spc. Benjamin Whiteman, Sgt. Kevin Luu, Sgt. 1st Class James Grider, and Pfc. Thomas Carter, who said the crew trained several months to earn the trophy and keep it on Fort Benning turf.
"We showed [other teams] that if you want to compete at our house, you have to bring your top game," Carter said.
Grider said they were confident and relied on teamwork throughout the competition.
"You don't get anywhere on your own," he said. "Without all these guys, we wouldn't be standing where we are today."
Taking second- and third-place spots, respectively, were won by the 1st Battalion, 72nd Armor, 2nd Infantry Division, currently stationed in South Korea, and 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, of Fort Bliss, Texas.
The Sullivan Cup included four days of physical, tactical and precision gunnery tasks, as the crews endured heat, rain and fatigue through a series of day and night challenges.
The last four crews competed in a final shoot out, graded by identifying targets and engaging them with various weapons.
The competition is named for retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, former chief of staff of the Army and current president and chief executive officer of the Association of the United States Army, who attended the competition and congratulated the crews. Sullivan said the event represents the excellence in the Army and tank crews, who use the tasks from the competition to prepare for real-world training and wars.
"I'm proud of them. This is not an amateur sport. This is a performance of standard," Sullivan said. "Thanks to all of the competitors and everyone who made this possible. It's a world-class event in the Army and that we can be proud of it and I am proud to be included."
Related Links:
Armor School rolls out Sullivan Cup
Army.mil: Inside the Army News
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