Competitors prove their warrior spirit

By Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Benson, Fort Jackson Command Sergeant MajorJune 21, 2012

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FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- Our 2012 Platoon Sergeant, NCO and Soldier of the Year competition truly tested the mental and physical strength as well as the tactical and technical abilities of 10 Fort Jackson warriors.

We started with two platoon sergeant competitors representing the 187th Ordnance Battalion and the 369th Adjutant General Battalion, three noncommissioned officers from our two Basic Combat Training brigades as well as one NCO from the U.S Army Chaplain Center and School, and four Soldiers from our two BCT brigades. Every competitor completed the four-day competition and truly displayed the very best of what our Soldiers at Fort Jackson are all about.

Of course, no week in June would be complete without high levels of heat and humidity, but this week we added a few torrential downpours to boot.

Starting with the Army Physical Fitness Test early Tuesday morning, the competitors completed tasks for up to 21 hours a day and most averaged about four to five total hours of sleep throughout the four-day competition. They were tested in almost every aspect of being a cadre member in a TRADOC organization and displayed their prowess in numerous tasks that showcased their ability to shoot, move and communicate.

We set up this competition up as close as possible to what our winners will see at TRADOC level. A lot of preparation and teamwork went into this event, and our G3 had the lead. I appreciate the support from every unit on the installation

All the competitors are winners, as they have set themselves apart from their peers. To get to this level they had to perform at numerous subordinate layers and truly are the best our units have to offer. It is always unfortunate that we have only one winner per category who will move on to the next level of competition.

All competitors are better than when they started and go back to their units of assignment as even better Soldiers.

We wish the best to our three winners, and I know that it will be extremely difficult to beat them at the next level of competition.