GRAFENWOEHR, Germany (March 12) -- U.S. Army Garrison Benelux swept the 2015 Installation Management Command-Europe Best Warrior Competition.
Staff Sgt. Jacob Kasarda and Spc. Shane Sital, two military policemen based in Schinnen, the Netherlands, were named the region's Best Warrior Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year during a March 12 ceremony at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, which hosted the competition.
"I cannot help but reflect on how all of you represent the newest generation of America's most dedicated sons and daughters," said Michael Formica, director of IMCOM-Europe, while addressing all 12 competitors prior to the announcement. "Much has been asked of you, but selfless service is a responsibility you have taken on enthusiastically."
"The Best Warrior Competition brings together those for whom good enough is never enough," he said. "You have strived not just to excel, but to inspire -- understanding that leading by example is not only the right thing to do, but essential to a strong Army family."
Throughout the four-day competition, a dozen Soldiers from garrisons located in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy pushed themselves physically and mentally during a dozen tasks, including: physical fitness; marksmanship; land navigation; essay writing; and combatives. They also completed a 12-mile foot march -- weighed down with a 35-pound rucksack and 25 pounds of combat gear -- along a challenging course located in the Grafenwoehr Training Area. In addition, they met a board of command sergeants major.
"I came in knowing this would be hard," said Sital, 21, a native of Freeport, New York. "However, after the first day, I knew I had to pick up my intensity, realizing how tough my fellow competitors, and the event itself, really were."
His fellow MP from the Benelux agreed.
"Going up against the guys here every day tells me what the competition will be like at the next stage," said Kasarda, 30, from Tampa, Florida. "It helps having Shane there alongside me as we have been using a team mentality to get us where we are so far."
Sital and Kasarda will now represent the region during IMCOM's worldwide Best Warrior Competition, to be held next month at Camp Bullis, Texas. Winners from there will then participate at the Army-level competition.
While the two Benelux MPs walked away with overall top honors, USAG Bavaria Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Dillingham said he was "amazed at every Soldier who competed."
"General Ray Odierno, chief of staff of the Army, wants us to push our Soldiers to perform at the highest level," Dillingham said. "This and other Best Warrior events serve as great motivators for our troops to excel. This competition just scratched the surface on what garrison Soldiers in Army Europe are capable of."
"In fact," Dillingham said, "the training, preparation and competing that Sital and Kasarda experienced here will set them up for success at the next level."
The other 10 competitors who represented their garrisons at the region competition were:
USAG Ansbach: Staff Sgt. Lionell Red Cloud and Spc. Jeromy Sisk;
USAG Bavaria: Spc. Michael Rhine;
USAG Rheinland-Pfalz: Staff Sgt. Brian Everhart and Spc. Shanon Lautenschlager;
USAG Stuttgart: Staff Sgt. Brandon Beene and Spc. Nelson Venable;
USAG Vicenza Staff Sgt. Apollo Stoewer;
USAG Wiesbaden: Staff Sgt. James Bagby and Pfc. Chase Rapp.
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