ARLINGTON, Va. - Five soldiers took part in Headquarters Command Battalion's first-ever Best Warrior Competition from Feb. 24- 26, 2014, testing their minds, bodies and skills over a grueling three days.
Two soldiers will move onto the next level of competition and may go on to compete Army-wide, depending on their success in several additional local and regional-level Best Warrior Competitions.
Competitors are evaluated on physical training test results, a board appearance, a written essay, and other essential soldier skills, including casualty evaluation, weapons marksmanship and land navigation.
The week's competitors were: Sgt. Will Marshall, Headquarters Military District of Washington; Staff Sgt. River Mitchell, Office of the Secretary of Defense Mess; Staff Sgt. Pablo Robledo, Headquarters and Headquarters Company; Staff Sgt. Allan Springer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Sgt. David Wakasa, office of the administrative assistant to the Secretary of the Army.
Marksmanship testing was administered Feb. 24, at Fort A.P. Hill. The competitors were lucky enough to finish the 6-mile march - complete with 35-pound ruck sacks - Tuesday morning on the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall before snow started falling. But the evaluation of other essential soldier tasks, such as evaluating and transporting a casualty and successfully finishing land navigation challenges, had to be completed as large snowflakes fell from the sky.
Marshall was declared the winner of the competition during a luncheon Wednesday, Feb. 26.
As an infantryman, Marshall said he was comfortable with activities like the ruck march, shooting and physical training test.
"The sergeant major always says that competition breeds excellence," Marshall said. "That's something I believe. It pushes you to do things you don't think you can."
Springer will also move on to the next level of competition.
Depending on their results, Marshall and Springer could eventually compete in the all-Army Best Warrior Competition held later this year, a competition that would pit the "best of the best" against one another.
Springer and Marshall both said they would continue to hone their skills before the next round of competition.
"You always have to stay up on your tasks," Springer said. "If you don't practice it you could lose it."
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