JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- (May 13, 2016) Following a week in which both his physical and mental agility were tested, a contracting specialist from the 902nd Contracting Battalion bested his competitors to earn top honors in the Mission and Installation Contracting Command Best Warrior Competition.
Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Scheu from Joint Base Lewis-McChord was announced as the winner May 6 by MICC Command Sgt. Maj. Tomeka O'Neal following a week of competition here and at nearby Camp Bullis. Scheu was also named the MICC Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.
"It's been challenging. I feel like my competitors did just as well me, and I'm actually surprised that I did win," Scheu said, crediting his sponsors for the preparation. "It's been a great experience."
The competition included the Army Physical Fitness Test, a 12-mile ruck march, warrior tasks and battle drills, an obstacle course, and day and night land navigation, culminating with a selection board at the MICC headquarters. Competing against Scheu were Staff Sgts. Reginald Alexander from the 901st CBN at Fort Hood, Texas, and Tamika Williams of the 918th CBN at Fort Carson, Colorado.
"Of the more than 200 noncommissioned officers throughout our formation, the three who competed for the title of MICC NCO of the Year and best warrior in itself is an achievement," O'Neal said. "Their performance in the spirit of competition is a true testament of the Army warrior ethos."
Scheu said he concentrated his training on the study of manuals and ruck running since it had been three years since his last timed march. He added that being able think on one's feet when it comes to performing skill level one tasks such as setting up a radio, programming a frequency, performing function and safety checks on the M-16 and grenade, conducting briefings, reacting to direct fire and treating casualties with little direction was also critical.
Williams said it is important to stay fresh and aware of those Soldier skills, even though many in the 51 Charlie military occupational specialty may not exercise them on a recurring basis.
"Definitely the most challenging part was the upper body physical activity," Williams said, admitting it should have been more of a focal point to her competition preparation. "You definitely have to push yourself. If you want to be the best, you have to compete with the best."
Prior to competing, she worked on her ruck march, completing two 6-mile and one 4-mile marches, strengthened her run times, completed a mock board and studied.
"It was very tough. It made me revert back to the days when I was a young Soldier and what it meant to be a Soldier," Alexander added. "Those skills are perishable. If you don't actually use them, you definitely lose them. One of the biggest challenges personally was competing against others MOSs that use those skills on a more constant basis than we do in contracting."
Williams said she enjoyed the opportunity to meet and share experiences with other 51 Charlies, which served to help motivate each throughout the events alongside competitors from other commands.
It is that camaraderie to develop skills proficiency that Command Sgt. Maj. Marlon Cooper of the 418th Contracting Support Brigade said serves the Army best.
"Our uppermost responsibility is that of a warfighter. In order to sustain as a warfighter, you have to train like you fight," Cooper said. "You not only have to be technically proficient but also have to be tactically proficient. At the end of the day, we must be ready to deploy and win our nation's wars. In order to do that, we have to train."
All representing the 418th CSB, Cooper said the three competitors represent the brigade's very best and took on a challenging task at short notice.
O'Neal added that three Soldiers also represent a hidden talent across the command that may inadvertently be going untapped.
"Our leaders and noncommissioned officers within our formation are only going to be as good as we allow them to be. Sometimes, you have to find that one who has all of the potential in the world but needs a little help to get over that fear of competition or being a part of something bigger than they are," the MICC command sergeant major said. "Share this experience with your fellow noncommissioned officers in your formations, because I know we have some exceptional leaders who possess the potential to compete at this and higher levels."
Scheu moves on to compete with fellow winners across the Army Contracting Command during competition June 7-10 also taking place at Camp Bullis for a chance to compete at the Army Materiel Command level.
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