"What is the first step in evaluating a casualty?" Staff Sgt. Andrew Crouse asks his team as it navigates through the woods of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Sept. 12, 2015. The team responds in unison while maintaining their pace count at a slight run.
While this does not seem like a normal conversation to have during land navigation, it makes perfect sense to those competing in this year's Sapper Stakes Competition. The 105th Engineer Battalion out of Raeford, North Carolina, hosted the two day event with participants from six different units across the state.
The first day was designed to test the soldiers on knowledge based tasks ranging from demolition, medical evaluations, and weapon maintenance. Each team had to use their land navigation skills to get to each point. The scoring system was based on the tasks performed by each individual and extra points were awarded based on the amount of time it took to get to each station.
Sunday morning, teams were up bright and early to prepare for their five mile ruck march. Each ruck sack had to be weighed prior to stepping off to ensure that they met the 35-pound requirement. An inadequate weight could result in a disqualification for the entire team.
Moments before the ruck march was to begin, Army Capt. Thomas Grabos, the event OIC, threw a curve by announcing each team would have three different items to pick up along the way. Failing to bring the items to the finish line intact would result in a deduction of points. The teams soon discovered what the mysterious objects were.
At the first mile, they received a 25-pound, four-inch PVC pipe filled with water. Soldiers took turns carrying the load until the 2.5-mile turnaround point, where they were given a litter. For the last mile, teams had to carry a full five-gallon water container. Crossing the finish line brought a moment of relief which quickly turned into anticipation as the teams eagerly awaited their scores.
Everyone gathered around as Lt. Col. Rodney Newton, the Battalion Commander of the 105th, began the awards ceremony with a speech. He recalled what he believes was the first Sapper Stakes competition for the North Carolina National Guard back in 1999 at Camp McCall.
In the beginning the competition was based on common soldier tasks, and afterward any engineer competitors were pulled aside and tested on job specific skills. After the attacks on 9/11 and the subsequent mobilizations, it became difficult to have the competitions on a yearly basis. Today the competition is open to any MOS, but the tasks are geared more toward engineers.
Finally the moment everyone had been waiting for, time to announce the winners. Third place was awarded to C STB out of Wadesboro with 450 points. 171 took second place with a mere 30 points more at 480 points. First place went to HHC 105th with a total of 570 points. The winning team walked away with a trophy, engraved plaques, an award, and probably most important of all, bragging rights.
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