715th MI Soldiers Compete in Joint Warrior Challenge

WAHIAWA, Hawaii -- Soldiers assigned to 715th Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion, 500th Military Intelligence Brigade-Theater, hosted the 3rd Annual National Security Agency-Hawaii (NSA-H) Warrior Challenge May 18, 2018 consisting of service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

The NSA-H Warrior Challenge is a multi-event that was established by NSA-H to build camaraderie and esprit de corps. It is open to all of branches of the armed services and Department of the Army Civilians assigned to the NSA-H and Soldiers from 715th MI Battalion.

The challenge comprised of four teams of six and six events, which included a ruck march, navigating from one point to another while carrying a 125 lbs. stone, transporting a casualty, a mental challenge and more.

"I thought the competition was awesome, to be able to build that morale and kind of team booster with it within the unit and the other company's," said Spc. Benjamin Smedema, a signals intelligence analyst, assigned to A Company, 715th MI Battalion. "Competing against the other branches made us push until the end," he said.

The teams began the event in 30-45 minute iterations, starting with a 45 lbs. ruck march of more than 2-miles to their first event while carrying four five-gallon water cans. The water cans and their ruck sacks were carried throughout the entire competition.

Each event challenged the competitors to work as a team and push each other to stay motivated and finish strong as a team. Additionally, the Soldiers felt the pressure competing against the other service members within the least amount of time.

The heat and humidity didn't seem to be a factor as the competitors made their way to each point nonstop, with only a short rest and water break during instructional brief at the start of each challenge.

"The most challenging part was on the ruck, back," said Smedema. "We definitely knew it could be a bit of a hike, but we kept pushing and stayed motivated."

The 715th MI Battalion won the warrior challenge last year, which was hosted by the Marines. Each year the challenge is different and is coordinated by the winning team.

"I wanted to make it more challenging than it was last year," said Sgt. Michael Mars, D Company, 715th MI Battalion. "Knowing that this is a joint service competition, you assume that everyone will put their best warrior forward."

The challenge focused on mental and physical toughness. Although it's a competition, the challenges are very relevant to some scenarios that the competitors may face in a real-world experience.

"The brain challenge and physical challenge required critical thinking and how well the competitors will perform under stress," Mars said. "It gives the competitors some on the spot experience in an unfamiliar situation."

After a long day of physical and mental challenges, the 715th MI Battalion is named this year's winning team, for the second year in a row. The team will go on to host and compete in next year's challenge.

"We couldn't have done it without the whole team, especially with everyone pushing me to do my best," said Smedema. "I loved it overall and would definitely do it again."