Soldiers vie for win at First Army Division East quarterly Best Warrior Competition

By Staff Sgt. Darron Salzer, First Army Division East Public AffairsApril 24, 2017

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1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Richard Hernandez, an observer coach/trainer from 3rd Battalion, 395th Armor Regiment, 188th Infantry Brigade, engages targets downrange as part of the stress shoot event at the First Army Division East fourth-quarter Best Warrior Competit... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers competing in the First Army Division East fourth-quarter Best Warrior Competition zero their M16 and M4 carbines before qualifying on their weapons at Fort Knox, Ky., April 10, 2017. Six competitors from the division's five brigades competed... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Tyron Wade, an observer coach/trainer from 2nd Battalion, 305th Field Artillery Regiment, 177th Armored Brigade, plots his first navigation points on a map during the land navigation event at the First Army Division East fourth-quarter Bes... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers competing in the three-day First Army Division East fourth-quarter Best Warrior Competition move to their next event during day one at Fort Knox, Ky., April 10, 2017. Six competitors from the division's five brigades faced off in events such... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT KNOX, Ky. -- The recent First Army Division East quarterly Best Warrior Competition, hosted here by the 4th Cavalry Multifunctional Training Brigade, showcased six of the best Soldiers from across the division's five brigades going head-to-head during the multi-day event.

Soldiers were tested both physically and mentally, pushing their bodies to the limits in events such as a combatives tournament, 12-mile ruck march, stress shoot, U.S. Army Ranger fitness assessment, obstacle course and land navigation course.

"Personally, I actually enjoy doing stuff like this," said Sgt. 1st Class Rafael Morales-Rojas, an observer coach/trainer with 2nd Battalion, 315th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 188th Combined Arms Training Brigade, Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Morales-Rojas said not only is the competition fun, he also sees it as an opportunity to set himself apart from the average Soldier or OC/T.

"Winning would mean being able to show what your competency levels are as a Soldier and [noncommissioned officer], especially in our roles of teaching and evaluating Soldiers," he said. He doesn't worry too much about awards and recognition, he added, and, as a very competitive person, just getting to say he beat the other senior NCOs and the younger guys would be a huge victory.

Staff Sgt. Chris Taylor, an OC/T from 1st Battalion, 335th Infantry Battalion, 157th Combined Arms Training Brigade, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, agreed.

"I want to win because it's competitiveness," Taylor said. "It has been great coming here to compete against other Soldiers who are just as competitive as I am and see how we all stack up against one another."

Taylor, it turned out, was at the top of the stack. During a ceremony on the final day of the competition, he was named the fourth-quarter best warrior for First Army Division East.

"It's very relieving to know that there is nothing in front of me that I have to worry about, because I expended all of my resources and gave this competition everything I had," he said. "Not until the next level competition anyway."

Taylor -- an infantryman -- said he highly recommends more Soldiers who are in non-combat military occupational specialties to participate in competitions such as Best Warrior.

"Soldiers should give themselves the opportunity to compete in the Best Warrior Competition," agreed Staff Sgt. Richard Hernandez, an OC/T from 188th CATB. "The NCOs that come to these events are the top-tier Soldiers from their units and, if you want to challenge yourself, then come to one of these events."

It won't be easy, he said.

"It's going to be physically and mentally challenging, but it will make you a better person, a better Soldier," he said. "Everyone, I guarantee, will walk away with something, no matter what it is."

The competition was designed for competitors to feel -- regardless of winning or not -- that they accomplished something before they walked away from the event, said Master Sgt. Christopher Henning, the 4th Cavalry MFTB operations sergeant major and NCO in charge of planning the competition.

"Those Soldiers that competed, even if they didn't win the competition, should still be proud in how they performed, because it is physically and mentally demanding," he said, adding that it's a lot to have accomplished in such a short time.

"It's a lot of events packed into roughly 64 hours -- not everybody does that," he concluded. "They should be proud that they represented their brigades well."

Taylor and winners from this year's previous quarterly competitions will move on to compete in the all-First Army competition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington next month.

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