Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition

By Staff Sgt. Jason HullOctober 20, 2015

Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
1 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – First Lt. Joshua Veal, a paratrooper assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, rigs his rucksack for airborne operations during the battalion's Paratrooper Essential Task List Competition on For... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
2 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – First Lt. Erik Stegall, a health services officer assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, rigs his rucksack for airborne operations during the battalion's Paratrooper Essential Task List Compe... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
3 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – First Lt. Katie Munoz, a paratrooper assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, inspects the rucksacks competitors have rigged for airborne operations during the battalion's Paratrooper Essential... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
4 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
5 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
6 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
7 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Paratroopers, of the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, push and pull simulated casualties under a low-strung barbed wire obstacle during the medical lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Essential Task Li... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
8 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Marquese Hudson, a paratrooper assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, inserts a nasopharyngeal airway into a simulated casualty during the medical lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Ess... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
9 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Marquese Hudson, a paratrooper assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, inserts a naseopharyngeal airway into a simulated casualty during the medical lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Es... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
10 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pfc. Jamie Oroke, a wheeled-vehicle mechanic assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, performs a needle chest decompression for a simulated casualty during the medical lane of the battalion's P... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
11 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Paratroopers, assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, dress a simulated casualty's wounds during the medical lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Essential Task List Competition on Fort Bragg, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
12 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Paratroopers, assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, evacuate simulated casualties during the medical lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Essential Task List Competition on Fort Bragg, N.C., ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin Squad clinches essential tasks competition
13 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Paratroopers, assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, evacuate a simulated casualty during the medical lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Essential Task List Competition on Fort Bragg, N.C., ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
14 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Paratroopers, of the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, prepare for the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Essential Task List Competition on Fort ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
15 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A paratrooper, assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, reads through the instructions for the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Essenti... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
16 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Joshua Poore, a paratrooper assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, checks the seal on the mask of a competitor during the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense lane of t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
17 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A paratrooper, assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, dons his protective gear during the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Essential ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
18 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A paratrooper, assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, dons his protective gear during the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Essential ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
19 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Paratroopers, of the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, don protective gear during the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense lane of the battalion's Paratrooper Essential Task List Compe... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
20 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Steven Balmer, a paratrooper assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, grades the timed donning of protective gear portion of the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defens... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Griffin squad clinches essential tasks competition
21 / 21 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Joshua Poore, a paratrooper assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, explains the proper wear of protective gear during the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense lane of t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Oct. 19, 2015) -- Paratroopers, of the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, or BSB, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, held their Paratrooper Essential Task List, or PETL, Stakes here last week, pitting 12 squads of the Golden Griffin Battalion against each other in a challenge to determine who can call themselves the very best.

Within the airborne community, PETL is the list of essential tasks that Paratroopers must be proficient in to successfully complete the organization's wartime mission. Through a little friendly competition, the BSB emphasized the importance of those competencies and sorted out which company had best excelled at instilling those skills within their ranks.

"The significance of this training is about the readiness of our paratroopers and our ability to execute our mission when the nation calls," said Lt. Col. Matthew Bresko, commander of the 407th BSB.

"Being a support battalion, we focus heavily on our sustainment technical competencies," he said. "This training allows us to maintain the balance between those skills and the required tactical paratrooper skills to execute our mission and sustain the brigade."

The two-day event tested the paratroopers' knowledge and competence of airborne proficiency tasks, mastery of varied weapon systems, battlefield medical care, and knowledge of how to mitigate the threat of nuclear, biological, and chemical attacks. As with any training, the PETL Stakes tried the competitors physically with a grueling 12 to 17 miles of foot marching, depending on how carefully they employed land navigation skills, and a modified Army Physical Fitness Test with a four-mile run.

A ticking clock ran during the movements between lanes and throughout tested events, adding pressure to the challengers. The squads employed teamwork to beat the clock and correctly accomplish the numerous tasks.

"Our squad was very successful due to the various [military occupational specialties] we had," said Staff. Sgt. Hector Tobar, a combat medic. "This allowed us to have a subject matter expert for each station in this competition."

At the end of the day, the Battalion's B Company displayed superior physical strength and technical abilities and took home the coveted trophy. At least one paratrooper expressed an appreciation for the immaterial product of the competition - a display of camaraderie among her team.

"I am super proud of our squad's cohesion," Sgt. Victoria Damien said. "It resulted in us being recognized as the best squad in the competition."

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