FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca hosted its Best Squad Competition July 25-28, to select the best team of Soldiers and noncommissioned officers to represent the installation at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Best Squad Competition scheduled for September 12-16.
The 111th Military Intelligence (MI) Brigade (BDE) team placed first in the competition with the Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center (RWBAHC) team named runner up.
The 111th MI BDE Best Squad team was selected from the elite competitors who participated in the brigade’s previously held Best Warrior Competition, said Staff Sgt. Jake Tokarzewski, 111th MI BDE team leader.
“We found out last week who was going to be on the squad,” he said. “We practiced on the M240 and M249 for disassembly and reassembly, and we went for it.”
The 12-mile ruck march and land navigation course were the most difficult events for his team, but due to inclement weather, it appeared the land navigation course would be cancelled, Tokarzewski said.
Mentally his team checked out of preparing for the land navigation course and began to focus on the 12-mile ruck march they had to complete the following morning, but a turn of weather events ensured the land navigation course event was back on.
“We mentally struggled with that, just trying to get ready for it, but also knowing our timeline was going to be pushed for the ruck,” he said. “But we were prepared to help each other … I think we did well.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Tammy Everette, USAICoE senior enlisted advisor, said installations across the Army hold these competitions to feed into the next higher competition with the ultimate goal of winning at the highest level: the Army’s Best Squad Competition.
While winning at the highest level is a worthy goal, there are other benefits for the team that will represent the Edge of the Frontier when they compete at TRADOC in September.
“It’s about team building, it’s about pride, and it’s about training,” Everette said. “The Best Squad Competition supports ‘This is My Squad’ and it’s an additional opportunity for squads to train together, and build cohesion through tough, realistic training while representing their units.”
During the 3-day event, teams had to perform tactical foot patrols while moving to each event including the M4 and M249 ranges and urban operation sites. They completed a day/night land navigation course, 12-mile ruck at Garden Canyon, a CBRN mask confidence course in full mop gear, a basic communications/radio etiquette class and a stress shoot.
RWBAHC executed a Tactical Combat Casualty Care Lane to evaluate each team’s application of preventative measures to control shock, how to open a casualty’s airway, how to apply an emergency bandage, hemostatic and occlusive dressings, as well as performing casualty movements and burn care.
The last event of the competition was the obstacle course. The teams ran the course as a relay event after the 12-mile ruck march, which tested each team’s endurance.
Sgt. 1st Class Justin Francis, RWBAHC team leader, said the endurance portion of the physical activities like the 12-mile ruck march and stress shoot were the most difficult for his team but participating in the competition has brought them closer together.
“Our team cohesion has developed,” he said. “We started out as a bunch of volunteers that wanted to do this, we embraced some suck together and I think we are definitely a lot closer now.”
Additional photos can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/us_army_fort_huachuca/albums/72177720300846407/page2
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