ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (June 26, 2015) -- Soldiers from 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) competed for the title of Best Warrior here June 22 - 26.
At the end of the grueling four-day competition, Sgt. William T. Moss was named the 20th CBRNE Command Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) of the Year and Spc. Joseph A. Woolfolk was picked for the Soldier of the Year.
Moss and Woolfolk will move on to the U.S. Army Forces Command Competition.
A Highland Park, Ill., native, Woolfolk is part of the Fort Bragg, N.C.-based 737th Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Company, 192nd EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group, 20th CBRNE Command. Woolfolk said the key to his success was focusing on his Soldier skills.
Moss, the communications NCO for 20th CBRNE Command's CBRNE Coordination Element 2, said determination led to his victory in the competition.
"Never give up," said Moss, a native of Fairborn, Ohio.
The Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.-headquartered 20th CBRNE Command counters Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), eliminates CBRNE threats and defeats improvised explosive devices around the globe.
The one-of-a-kind formation is home to 85 percent of the U.S. Army's CBRNE forces with units on 19 posts in 16 states.
The Best Warrior Competition brought together the top Soldiers from 20th CBRNE Command's Headquarters and three major subordinate commands, including the Fort Hood, Texas-based 48th Chemical Brigade; the Fort Campbell, Ky.-based 52nd EOD Group; and the Fort Carson, Colo.-based 71st EOD Group.
In the NCO competition, Sgt. Adam T. Abderrazzaq from Auburn, Mass., represented the 71st EOD Group, Sgt. Christopher F. Draves from Mount Vision, N.Y., represented the 52nd EOD Group and Sgt. Alan R. Tobin from Louisville, Ky., represented the 48th Chemical Brigade. Cpl. Daniel A. Wetenkamp from Rochester, Minn., competed for the 71st EOD Group in the Soldier of the Year competition.
During four long, hot days on Aberdeen Proving Ground, the Soldiers completed a physical readiness test, marksmanship test, land navigation, water survival, Combatives, warrior task challenges, a board and a 12-mile road march.
Command Sgt. Maj. Harold E. Dunn IV, the 20th CBRNE Command's top enlisted leader, said his Soldiers demonstrated tactical and technical expertise during the intense training evolutions.
"This year's 20th CBRNE Command Best Warrior Competition, developed by the Senior Noncommissioned Officers, provided an opportunity for the best Soldiers and NCOs across the command to test themselves physically, mentally, and socially, while executing operations in a tactical environment," said Dunn.
A seasoned EOD leader from Fredericksburg, Virginia, Dunn said the Best Warrior Competition focused on the warrior skills necessary to gain and maintain the initiative in combat.
"Although their can only be one identified winner, each of these Soldiers developed friendships and honed skill sets that will enable their success anytime and anywhere they are called in support of our nation for as long as they serve," said Dunn. "I am very proud to serve alongside such tremendously motivated troopers."
Brig. Gen. William E. King IV, the 20th CBRNE commanding general, said the competition was designed to challenge his Soldiers and give them the confidence to succeed on the modern battlefield.
"You have gone from raw ore to hardened steel," said King, a native of Killeen, Texas. "You are the best in our Army."
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