SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - As the squads moved from station-to-station they accumulated points based on their ability to proficiently complete the tasks ahead of them.
Soldiers battled not only a demanding scoring system but also muddy terrain and rainy weather, heavy ruck sacks, and increasing fatigue while displaying their tactical expertise during the 84th Engineer Battalion's Best Squad Competition.
This event challenged 30 squads to a five-day graded competition testing them on their ability to be agile and adaptive while performing basic Soldier skills such as reacting to a chemical environment, establishing defensive positions, navigating across terrain, establishing and maintaining communications, assembling and utilizing weapon systems and more.
These events were designed to help evaluate the unit's readiness to operate in a tactical environment while providing leadership training to Soldiers, which allowed them to constantly learn, adapt, and build camaraderie amongst their teams.
While all squads put out tremendous effort, the 3rd Squad from 2nd Platoon of the 523rd Horizontal Engineer Company, 84th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, came out on top.
"We were able to win because we all stayed motivated," said Spc. Cody Thompson, a member of the winning squad. "We used team cohesion and grew to love each other during some of the difficult phases."
During the competition, the winning squad provided their secret for success; they assigned a role to each member and that person was responsible for being a subject matter expert on that task.
Members of the squad were Sgt. Brandon Ernest, the squad leader, Sgt. Mauricio Moran, Sgt. Ethan Williams, Sgt. Vincent Kennedy, Spc. Nelson Goehle, Spc. Jesse Shelley, Spc. Alexandro Jimenez, Spc. Jamel Edwards and Thompson. All members described the competition as a team-building, treacherous and humbling experience.
The event concluded with a ceremony where the winning squad received kudos from their leadership and each member was awarded an Army Commendation Medal.
"The Soldiers and squad leaders of each team learned a lot from the Best Squad Competition," said Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick Ganacias, the senior enlisted adviser for the 84th. "Their weaknesses and their strengths were tested during the five-day event. Each squad will use the skills and lessons learned from this event to enhance their squads during future events with the 84th Engineer Battalion and future units."
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