FORT SILL, Okla. -- Soldiers from 214th Fires Brigade braved the sun and heat, cold and rain, physical and mental fatigue to compete for the title of best logistician in the 4th Annual Best Logistician Competition.
Teams of four Soldiers competed in three individual events: physical fitness test, combat obstacle course and reflexive fire range. As teams they were tested in eight events over the course of three days to take home brass trophies made by Spc. Troy Roberts, 168th Brigade Support Battalion master fabricator.
"The idea of the Best Logistician Competition is to build camaraderie and esprit de corps among the logisticians on Fort Sill," said Command Sgt. Maj. John Hale, 168th BSB CSM. "Testing proficiency in these valuable skills promotes the warrior spirit through competition and encourages Soldiers to learn skills outside of their occupational specialty while fostering teamwork."
The 2014 installment of the competition saw 16 teams work through the stations and tests, meaning that the competition has grown in size and competitiveness each of the four years the 168th BSB has hosted it. While the events change only slightly year to year, the competitors and their abilities have evolved greatly.
For example, in the 2013 installment, Pvt. Aaron Ranew, Team 6, B Company, set a record by hitting 27 of 28 targets at the reflective fire range, but bettered himself by nailing every target.
"This competition takes you out of your specialty and comfort zone," explained Sgt. 1st Class Michael Delgado of Team 13, 529th Network Support Company. "You do things that you would ordinarily never get to do and are forced to learn them quickly and proficiently because the team beside you are doing them and doing them well."
As if the demands of the competition were not enough, the Oklahoma weather did its best to test the fortitude of the warriors in the way that only Oklahoma weather can seem to do: swinging from a sun-baked 90-degree scorcher to a misting 60 degrees overnight. But for the three days the Soldiers kept fighting the weather, their deficiencies in need of quick polishing and the nagging voice that tells of futility and giving up. It is that ability to fight on, work harder and make the mission happen that makes a Soldier and the best logistician on Fort Sill.
The captain of the winning team, Team 5, Sgt. Macgyver Santana, B Company, 168th BSB said it best on how his team went on to win four of eight team events and one individual event.
"After the first day we were really unsatisfied with our performance and concerned about the quality of the competitors. We had a group meeting and had to decide between giving up and pulling ourselves together, and since there was really only one choice we got our heads in the game and made a plan to step it up," he said.
The competition's varied challenges spoke of the value logisticians provide the Army. Competitors tested their abilities in slingload operations, combat lifesaver, recovery and maintenance operations, fueling, radio and communications. Though that might be plenty for most competitions, it went on to factor in ammunition handling and ruck marching, operating a forklift and navigating a truck with trailer backwards through an obstacle course.
Ultimately, the challenge proved logisticians' honed and polished skills showing them ready for whatever contingency the Army needed them for.
"This is training disguised as fun and competition," said Warrant Officer Levi McDaniel, Team 16, Headquarters and Head-quarters Company, 168th BSB. "It is also a perfect way to build cohesion and morale among Soldiers by bringing together all ranks and many occupations and branches. I've never seen a better way to show us all what we bring to the table individually and what we can accomplish as a unit, a team and an army."
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