Retired Lt. Gen. Robert Flowers, namesake of the competition (left), applauds as 1st Lt. Eric Mattia and Capt. Alaimoana Paunga, Team 17 with 20th Engineer Battalion out of Fort Hood, Texas, lift the trophy in celebration of winning the 15th Best Sapper Competition at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, during a ceremony held April 26, 2022, in Lincoln Hall Auditorium. This year’s competition is scheduled to take place from April 21 through 24, and registration is open now through March 15.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The U.S. Army Engineer School is now accepting applications for the 16th Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition, officials said.

The competition is scheduled to take place here from April 21 through 24, and is open to all sapper-qualified active-duty, Reserve and National Guard service members of any U.S. military service, along with approved international military service members, said Capt. Cam Kirvan, Sapper Training Company commander.

According to 1st Sgt. Christopher Hoffman, Sapper Leader Course senior instructor, the competition is about identifying the best sappers the engineer regiment has to offer by testing their skills, mettle and grit through vigorous physical and technical sapper tasks, which will ultimately crown the best team.

“The competition is challenging since it spans 60 plus hours of continuous physical and mental exertion over 60 miles across the grueling terrain of Fort Leonard Wood. Our sappers are required to perform challenging tasks with minimal rest between events both day and night. Once the competition starts, it’s game on until they complete the final event and pass through the castle at the finish line,” Hoffman said.

The BSC allows engineer units from across the Army to build esprit de corps and send their best combat engineers to compete against one another, Kirvan said.

“(The competition) is important because it challenges both units and individual Soldiers to push themselves to exceed the standard and helps to build climates that value readiness, resiliency and ruggedness,” he said.

Registration closes March 15, and all applications, requirements and instructions are available on the BSC website.