Best Warrior qualifier: 28 medics test their skills to represent RHC-A

By Mari-Alice JasperApril 7, 2017

Best Warrior qualifier: 28 medics test their skills to represent RHC-A
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Blanchfield Army Community Hospital's Sgt. Scott Cox and other candidates in the Regional Health Command - Atlantic's Best Warrior Competition perform rigorous physical readiness training before tackling the Sabalauski Air Assault School obstacle cou... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Best Warrior qualifier: 28 medics test their skills to represent RHC-A
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – After climbing and traversing "The Tough One" during the Sabalauski Air Assault School Obstacle Course challenge, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital's Spc. Justin Honeycutt prepares to climb down the cargo net March 28, 2017, at Fort Campbell, Ky.,... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Under an overcast sky, 28 Soldiers from the Regional Health Command-Atlantic faced the obstacle course at The Sabalauski Air Assault School March 28,2017, in the RHC-A Best Warrior Competition.

This six-day event is a qualifier-competition to identify the No. 1 noncommissioned officer and junior enlisted Soldier in the RHC-A. The winners from this competition will move on to the Medical Command competition. From there, the winners will represent MEDCOM in the Army's Best Warrior Competition 2017.

Sergeant 1st Class Scott Johnson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, said each candidate in this level of the competition was selected to participate because they are the top Soldiers from the hospitals they are assigned to.

"At [Blanchfield Army Community Hospital] we took our best Soldier of the Year and best NCO of the Year competitors, then the candidates go through a sergeant major oral board," Johnson said. "Then winners are selected for this regional competition. Each hospital [in the Northern Region] takes their two best [Soldiers and officers] and sends them to us."

During the competition, candidates will maneuver through an obstacle course, endure a 12-mile ruck march, compete in stress shooting and complete day and night land navigation courses.

"The day and night land navigation will be the most challenging course for these Soldiers," Johnson said. "Historically, the [land navigation] usually kicks a lot of people out of the competition. The terrain features here at Campbell are very wooded. There also aren't a lot of landmarks to do terrain association, so this is really going to test their skills."

Specialist Justin Honeycutt, BACH, began the obstacle course early Tuesday. Rain caused a mist to settle on the obstacles, making them slippery.

Honeycutt said the "high leg" obstacle, where Soldiers are required to swing their dominant leg over high beams without touching the beams with their hands, was his best obstacle.

"The Tough One" was one of the most difficult. "The Tough One" obstacle includes rope and net climbing and walking long wooden planks.

"I didn't like that one because I'm scared of heights," Honeycutt said. "I didn't like 'The Confidence Climb' at all. [Sgt. Cox] was up and down it before I even got halfway up one side, but I did it. I got it done, but I didn't like it."

The Confidence Climb is a 60-foot tall ladder that candidates had to climb to the top of and back down before continuing the course.

Along the course, competitors also had to complete a mud crawl and "The Weaver."

"This has just been a great experience," Honeycutt said. "I don't have a lot of opportunities to get out of the hospital. So it's been fun to get out and do Army things, see other people, hear their stories and their background. It's also cool to see that even though this is a competition everybody is here helping each other."

Honeycutt finished "The Tough One," with his fellow competitors cheering for him as he quickly climbed down the nets. After his time was called, he walked to bleachers, eager to sit down and catch his breath.

"The support from everyone out here feels really good," he said. "It keeps you motivated, especially when you just want to quit. It's cool to see that everyone here is top tier, best of the best, but they still cheer on their competition when they are struggling."

Honeycutt said if he were to win Best Warrior, it would be a huge personal accomplishment. He is grateful for the support he has received from the Soldiers and command team at BACH throughout this competition.

"I've gotten a lot of support from Fort Campbell going into this competition," Honeycutt said. "They are all behind me and they are all backing me. I just don't want to let them down and I want them to be proud of me. I want to come through for BACH, because these Soldiers have faith in me."

Later in the competition, Spc. Jacob Kelly, Fort Knox MEDDAC, joined Honeycutt on the bench after his run through the obstacle course. Kelly said he finished the course in about 10 minutes.

"I'm excited about that time," Kelly said. "I missed one obstacle. I messed up the incline wall."

Kelly said he has been training for this competition for about a month by practicing on the confidence course at Fort Knox, going to classes before work in the morning and running ruck marches on a weekly basis.

"I've been most excited about the confidence course that we are doing today," he said. "I love doing the obstacle courses. It's fun and it's something you don't get to do every day."

Although he wants to be able to bring the Best Warrior award to Fort Knox, Kelly said being supportive and doing his best are more important to him.

"It's always about more than [the competitors], it's always one team," he said. "The Army and your loyalty to your fellow Soldiers always comes first. I'd rather have someone do their best and beat me, and have them go on to the next level than be selfish and just do it for myself."