FORT BENNING, Ga., (May 6, 2015) -- The best scout squad will be determined, as the Command Sgt. Maj. William J. (Joe) Gainey Cup began with 19 competing scout squads here May 5 and will conclude with the closing ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. May 8 on Harmony Church.
To win, Soldiers will have to disregard individuality, focus on the group, be a part of the group and be selfless, Gainey said during competition preparation May 4.
"To watch these scouts do this and to care enough to come here and do this, it kind of quantifies my existence," said Gainey. "I served 33 and a half years of what I consider very selfless service, and I come here and look at my future - that's what they are, are my future - it kind of quantifies what I went through in the past."
The Gainey Cup is three and a half days - 70 hours - of continuous competition where squads are tested on individual and collective scout skills. The teams will have less than 10 hours of downtime for sleep and meals.
Gainey offered some advice for the competing Soldiers as they prepared for the competition.
"When you get tired, think of your team," Gainey said. "The secret is, if you stop still, the momentum forward stops. Keep moving forward."
Named after the first senior enlisted adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -a position created in 2005 - the U.S. Armor School hosts the Gainey Cup.
The competition requires Soldiers to demonstrate their proficiency with weapon systems and communications equipment, perform in physically demanding events, such as obstacle courses and runs and complete field exercises, where they will be evaluated on route and area reconnaissance as well as land navigation.
Scouts with the 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said they had been training together on areas such as advanced land navigation and technical reconnaissance for the past 120-160 days in preparation for the competition.
"We have a lot of camaraderie and espirit de corps coming into this competition," Staff Sgt. Ross Downey said. "When you're with Soldiers who you've worked with a lot ... you already have the team dynamic. We're set up pretty well for success here."
The six-man squads were chosen based on their performance in the separate brigades' internal competitions to identify best squads in their organizations. See the teams' pictures on pages A4-7.
Scout squads conduct reconnaissance and security operations in close proximity to enemy forces and civilian populations to meet the commander's intelligence requirements, said Lt. Col. James Hayes, commander, 3rd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment.
This year is the first time international competitors have been invited, Hayes said.
"I'm looking forward to watching the 19 scout squads from around the Army and the one from Canada compete for the title of best scout squad," Miller said.
The six-man team from the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School said it is fun to have come to the U.S. to compete.
"It's a good opportunity to show what Canada has got," said Master Cpl. Taylor Smith. "To win, it would just be an honor to be able to come down here and beat all these guys at their own game."
Squads will be ranked from first to last in each event, with certain events carrying more weight than others. A reconnaissance run task will not be worth as much as an area reconnaissance task, Hayes said.
"Generally, they don't have to be the best in every single one of the events, but if they do place near the top in most events and win a few, that's the team that is going to win the competition," Hayes said.
The first-place unit award is the Gainey Cup with a plaque identifying the squad's names and their unit. The trophy travels from unit to unit of the top squad, but there is another, which stays with the Armor School's headquarters and displays the winning squads names and unit. They will also be awarded several other memorabilia.
There will be awards for second- and third-place squads, as well.
Gainey said Maj. Gen. Scott Miller, Maneuver Center of Excellence commanding general, did a great job of building the scouts up during a social held prior to the start of the competition but added that Miller owed him 25 push-ups for challenging him for his military bearing.
"These great Soldiers will compete over long distances while carrying heavy loads," Miller said. "They'll do this while being required to accomplish critical tasks associated with our cavalry scouts. They will be physically and mentally tested, but required to perform with precision in order to earn the title of 'Best Scout Squad.' This is going to be a great week."
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