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Sgt. Matthew Farinella, assigned to 75th Ranger Regiment, takes a drink from his canteen as he completes the final event in the best medic competition. U.S. Army Medical Command hosts the 2022 CSM Jack L. Clark, Jr. U.S. Army Best Medic Competition at Fort Hood, Texas, January 24-28, 2022. Twenty-two two-Soldier teams from all around the world traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to compete in the finals to be named the Army’s Best Medic. The competition is a 72-hour arduous test of the teams’ physical and mental skills. Competitors must be agile, adaptive leaders who demonstrate mature judgment while testing collective team skills in areas of physical fitness, tactical marksmanship, leadership, warrior skills, land navigation and overall knowledge of medical, technical and tactical proficiencies through a series of hands-on tasks in a simulated operational environment. (photo by Staff Sgt. Desmond Cassell)
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Staff Sgt. Heather Kicki and Spc. Chad Wilburg assigned to 3rd Infantry Division, performs medical and tactical procedures to move a casualty. U.S. Army Medical Command hosts the 2022 CSM Jack L. Clark, Jr. U.S. Army Best Medic Competition at Fort Hood, Texas, January 24-28, 2022. Twenty-two two-Soldier teams from all around the world traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to compete in the finals to be named the Army’s Best Medic. The competition is a 72-hour arduous test of the teams’ physical and mental skills. Competitors must be agile, adaptive leaders who demonstrate mature judgment while testing collective team skills in areas of physical fitness, tactical marksmanship, leadership, warrior skills, land navigation and overall knowledge of medical, technical and tactical proficiencies through a series of hands-on tasks in a simulated operational environment. (photo by Staff Sgt. Desmond Cassell)
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Maj. Bryan Ahlborn and Sgt. 1st Class David McAfee, assigned to Regional Health Command-Central, take a selfie as they complete the final event in the competition. U.S. Army Medical Command hosts the 2022 CSM Jack L. Clark, Jr. U.S. Army Best Medic Competition at Fort Hood, Texas, January 24-28, 2022. Twenty-two two-Soldier teams from all around the world traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to compete in the finals to be named the Army’s Best Medic. The competition is a 72-hour arduous test of the teams’ physical and mental skills. Competitors must be agile, adaptive leaders who demonstrate mature judgment while testing collective team skills in areas of physical fitness, tactical marksmanship, leadership, warrior skills, land navigation and overall knowledge of medical, technical and tactical proficiencies through a series of hands-on tasks in a simulated operational environment. (photo by Staff Sgt. Desmond Cassell)
(Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Desmond Cassell)VIEW ORIGINAL
By: Sgt. Melissa N. Lessard, III Corps Public Affairs
FORT HOOD, Texas— After a long and grueling 72 hours, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, along with U.S. Army Medical Command, announced the top three teams from the Army’s 11th Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark Jr. U.S. Army Best Medic Competition.
The winners are:
1st place: Team 15, Regional Health Command-Central, Maj. Joseph Ahlborn and Sgt. 1st Class David McAfee.
2nd place: Team 14, 75th Ranger Regiment, Staff Sgt. Shaun Shea and Sgt. Matthew Farinella.
3rd Place: Team 21,82nd Airborne Division, Staff Sgt. Brian Leddie and Spc. William Duncan.
McAfee, one half of the duo that placed first, is a native of Vidalia, Georgia, and is the non-commissioned officer in charge at Weed Army Community Hospital in Fort Irwin, California.
His partner, Ahlborn, is a Houston native, is the chief of the Department of Optometry at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood.
Regional Health Command-Central commands 13 subordinate commands all over the western region of the United States which is why the team is from two separate locations.
Being geographically separate in their jobs did not stop the champions from winning the competition.
“The Army holds courses for all their training,” Ahlborn said. “So we signed up for some of the same courses and met up at those locations to train.”
When it came to physical fitness, they trained alone.
“We both were individually responsible for our physical fitness,” McAfee said. “We are both pretty passionate about it, so it wasn’t too much of an issue for us. Regional Health Command-Central put forth a great effort to get us together at multiple different classes before the competition began.”
Forty four medics paired up from 22 different Army units to compete. The annual competition is designed to challenge the Army's best medics in a multi-day, demanding, continuous, and realistic simulated operational environment.
McAfee said the competition was physically and mentally exhausting.
“They gave us a ruck march on day one,” he said. “Some really thick mud, some heavy bags, some wet clothes in it and my feet haven’t been the same since.”
The competition consisted of rigorous events, multiple long ruck marches, lanes consisting of assessing casualties, and stress shoots. The stark realistic training and competition does not stop McAfee from enjoying his job.
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