SATMO Soldiers prepare for AMC Best Warrior competition

By Kristen PittmanJuly 16, 2024

SATMO Soldiers prepare for AMC Best Warrior competition
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st Class Angel Alemanmondragon, Security Assistance Training Management Organization foreign area counter threat course instructor and military advisor, conducts land navigation tasks as part of a ruck for U.S. Army Security Assistance Command's NCO of the Year competition at Fort Liberty, N.C., July 8, 2024. Alemanmondragon took the title of USASAC NCO of the Year and will go on to compete at Army Materiel Command's Best Warrior and Best Squad competition later this month. (U.S. Army Courtesy photo) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
SATMO Soldiers prepare for AMC Best Warrior competition
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st Class Kane Victory, Security Assistance Training Management Organization senior signals operations NCO, conducts medical care tasks as part of a ruck for U.S. Army Security Assistance Command's NCO of the Year competition at Fort Liberty, N.C., July 8, 2024. Sgt. 1st Class Angel Alemanmondragon took the title of USASAC NCO of the Year, and he and Victory will go on to compete at Army Materiel Command's Best Warrior and Best Squad competition later this month. (U.S. Army Courtesy photo) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
SATMO Soldiers prepare for AMC Best Warrior Competition
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st Class Kane Victory, Security Assistance Training Management Organization senior signals operations NCO, completes a portion of a physical assessment during U.S. Army Security Assistance Command's NCO of the Year competition at Fort Liberty, N.C., July 8, 2024. Sgt. 1st Class Angel Alemanmondragon took the title of USASAC NCO of the Year, and he and Victory will go on to compete at Army Materiel Command's Best Warrior and Best Squad competition later this month. (U.S. Army Courtesy photo) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
SATMO Soldiers prepare for AMC Best Warrior competition
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st Class Angel Alemanmondragon, Security Assistance Training Management Organization foreign area counter threat course instructor and military advisor, conducts tasks as part of a ruck for U.S. Army Security Assistance Command's NCO of the Year competition at Fort Liberty, N.C., July 8, 2024. Alemanmondragon took the title of USASAC NCO of the Year and will go on to compete at Army Materiel Command's Best Warrior and Best Squad competition later this month. (U.S. Army Courtesy photo) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL

Two members of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command’s (USASAC) Security Assistance Training Management Organization (SATMO) competed in the USASAC Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competition July 8-9 at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.

The event was two-fold as it determined USASAC’s NCO of the Year and prepared the two representatives to compete at the Army Materiel Command Best Warrior and Squad competition later this month at Fort Novosel, Alabama.

Sgt. 1st Class Angel Alemanmondragon, a foreign affairs counter threat instructor and military advisor for SATMO, took home the title of NCO of the Year while Sgt. 1st Class Kane Victory, senior signal operations NCO, will be joining him at Fort Novosel for the AMC competition.

The two-day event began by testing Alemanmondragon and Victory’s physical endurance and various skillsets.

“We started with the (Expert Infantryman Badge) physical assessment then moved into a ruck march that included tactical tasks such as weapons, medical care, patrolling, and land navigation,” said Alemanmondragon. “After that, we finished the day with an obstacle course.”

The second day demanded more skills testing with weapons evaluations and an administrative board led by USASAC’s Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen Burnley.

“The administrative board was similar to a promotion board where they’re evaluating our knowledge on different military subjects,” said Alemanmondragon. “Topics include anything from Army regulation to training to leadership.”

He said the toughest part of the event was following the fitness test with the 12-mile ruck, but that overall, he enjoyed the competition and thought it was a great opportunity to self-assess as well as receive feedback from Burnley heading into AMC’s competition.

“Those two days were fun and humbling at the same time,” said Victory. “As senior leaders, we’re sometimes removed from Soldier tasks, so it was great to get out there and be pushed physically and mentally and it’s humbling to see how much you’ve grown and what you need to work on.”

For the AMC-level event, Alemanmondragon and Victory will be competing in similar events over four days against other members from the command. The five members named to the best squad will go on to compete in the Army’s Best Squad competition as representatives of AMC.

The pair have been preparing for the competition since the spring. During that time, they’ve spent countless hours reading manuals and regulations and practicing for weapons evaluations and other task performances.

Alemanmondragon said at this point he is preparing for the heat and humidity of southeast Alabama by conducting his workouts outside in the afternoon, and that he is looking forward to doing his best and performing well enough to represent AMC at the Army-wide competition.

“I’m excited to go down and compete because I know the competition pool is going to be a lot bigger,” said Victory. “It will be a great opportunity to see where we are in comparison to the top-level personnel that will be there.”