Competing to be the Best

By U.S. Army Sgt. David EdgeSeptember 16, 2014

Competing to be the Best
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT POLK, La. -- U.S. Army Sgt. Evan Chaney, best medic candidate, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division checks the pulse of a simulated casualty during the Patriot Brigades Best... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Competing to be the Best
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT POLK, La. -- U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Benson, best medic candidate, Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division gently places the foldable brace around the simulated casualties neck duri... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Competing to be the Best
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT POLK, La. -- U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Benson, best medic candidate, Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division checks the simulated casualties awareness during the Patriot Brigade's Bes... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Competing to be the Best
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT POLK, La. -- U.S. Army Sgt. Evan Chaney, best medic candidate, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division drags a simulated casualties away from the battle field during a simulate... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Competing to be the Best
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT POLK, La. -- U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Benson, best medic candidate, Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division prepares a foldable brace during the Patriot Brigades Best Medic assessmen... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT POLK, La. -- At zero dark thirty, Friday Sept. 5, 2014 two medic Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division met their graders on Fort Polk's Honor Field to see if each one has what it takes to represent the Patriots at Joint Base San Antonio to win the title of "Best Medic."

The Best Medic Competition is an annual Army event used to identify medical Soldiers with the strongest Army life-saving skills. The Soldiers competing at Honor Field are at the initial phase of testing, they are attempting to represent the Patriot Brigade at the 10th Mtn. Div. level. The two top teams from the division level will represent the 10th Mtn. Div. in the Department of the Army competition at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

The competition is designed to test the Soldier's physical, mental and, medical strengths and attributes.

"It's easy to do medical care when your fresh and not wearing any of your combat gear and you know what you're getting into. When you are tired, your brain stops working and you have adrenalin running through your body that's when the rubber meets the road," said U.S. Army Sgt. Sean Dunne, Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, Medical Operations, 4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. "That's what we are really assessing these Soldiers on. Can they function under stress? Can they do good treatment of patients and casualties under stress and save lives? That's what the best medic competition is really about. That's what being a medic in the U.S. Army is about."

The Soldiers conducted a physical assessment, a four mile road march, a field craft lane with improvised treatments, and a full trauma lane following the tactical combat casualty care guidelines as part of the Patriot Brigade assessment.

"After the SKEDCO pull, I was just smoked. From that point on it was all heart that got me through this assessment," said Sgt. Charles Benson, best medic candidate, Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. "My family and Soldiers came out to cheer me on and I didn't want to let them down so I knew I had to give it my best."

The SKED is a revolutionary and combat-proven means to evacuate wounded Soldiers under enemy fire that is lightweight and easy to use. Most importantly, it allows one man to evacuate a wounded Soldier instead of 2-4 with stretchers, preserving shooters for combat power.

The assessment, while exhausting, affected both candidates in different ways.

"The mental aspect of this assessment was the hardest part for me. The mental struggle inside was very taxing. Mentally pushing pass the pain after the tire flip and the sked-co pull was the hardest part, "said Sgt. Evan Chaney, best medic candidate, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div.

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