JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - The sapper tab on Sgt. Jeffrey M. Powers' left shoulder remains unscathed, unlike the rest of his sweat-drenched uniform, now soaking into Pfc. Lucas Tucker's back as he's carried down the road. The teammates from the 571st Engineer Company have been awake for roughly 24 hours, competing against other combat engineers in the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Best Sapper competition hosted by the 555th Engineer Brigade, Feb. 18-20.
Leader development, an important investment for future of the Army, was the focus during the three-day gauntlet designed to test Soldiers' mental and physical toughness. Powers and Tucker used their training, knowledge and, most importantly, each other's support to finish the competition in first place and earn the title of JBLM's Best Sappers.
"It builds that bond," said Powers, who recruited Tucker 48 hours prior to the competition. "Not often do you get to go through such a challenging experience."
The contenders began their road to the title of Best Sapper at a four-event physical fitness test that included pushups, situps, pullups, and a run wearing body armor. With their bodies exhausted, they were given a 25-question examination that tested their demolitions expertise.
"The main thing is the stress level," said Master Sgt. Jeffery Goodman, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the competition. "You want to stress them physically and mentally to see what they're capable of doing."
Goodman looked at his experiences from the Sapper Leader Course and the Army's Best Sapper Competition at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, when designing the challenges, and he said winning a competition like this puts Soldiers at an elite level.
"It sets the standard, especially when it comes to noncommissioned officers," Goodman said. "You put your foot forward to show your Soldiers you can do it."
Day two of the competition upped the stakes. The teams began the day undertaking a series of sapper stations. Stations included counter improvised explosive device techniques, where the contenders used the TALON robot to search for unexploded ordnances, Sapper Lumberjack, where teams used chainsaws to cut logs into several pieces, and the engagement skills trainer qualification and weapons assembly.
After completing the stations, competitors advanced to a land navigation course, followed by a 12-mile road march - all on limited food and sleep.
"You have to focus on the task at hand," said Powers, who considers this competition just as challenging as sapper school. "You have to focus on that 50-meter target; you don't have to worry about the end of it. You just have to worry about keeping moving."
The next morning, teams dug deep to finish the competition with a buddy run, where competitors ran with water jugs, logs, and even ran with gas masks on. Throughout the rigorous competition, Powers and Tucker pushed and motivated each other and leaned on their strengths to finish strong.
"It confirms the knowledge you do have," said Tucker, who is due to get promoted and sent to the Sapper Leader Course now that he's been crowned JBLM Best Sapper.
"He's a private in a 900-Soldier battalion," Goodman said of Tucker. "He stepped up and competed, that puts him above his peers."
With their win at the JBLM Best Sapper competition, Powers and Tucker advance to the Army's Best Sapper competition at Fort Leonard Wood in April.
Goodman, who won the Army's Best Sapper competition in 2006, had some advice for JBLM's best sappers.
"Don't ever quit," he said. "Don't ever let anyone put doubt in you."
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