“This is why I wanted to do Best Warrior,” said Capt. Garry Wellisch, a Nurse Practitioner with the Utah Air National Guard’s 151st Refueling Wing based out of Salt Lake City.
“I keep myself in good condition physically and I have good coping skills, but I think with this competition, the best thing I can do is take things one step at a time and not get ahead of myself.”
Competing warriors experience late nights, early mornings, and physical demands designed to test their resolve and push them to their breaking point. Like clockwork, unpredictable Rocky Mountain spring weather follows competitors wherever they go.“The weather was nice the first day we were out,” said Spc. Brighton Bluth, a heavy vehicle operator with the 1457th Engineering Battalion, Utah Army National Guard. “But today there was a bit of an overcast early in the morning.”
He continued dryly, “In the afternoon it became a downpour. As they say ‘ if it’s not raining it’s not training.”
Bluth’s enthusiasm for the conditions isn’t universally shared among his peers, but an esprit de corps forms among competitors at the shared struggle. Contestants begin the competition with an Army Physical Fitness Test, which measures their strength and endurance. Following that they are subject to numerous interview situations with senior leaders, where they are tested on their knowledge of military tactics and history. The first day wraps up with them firing weapons late at night, with limited visibility, and day two begins approximately 2.5 hours after the first day ends.
“There are things you can’t prepare for,” said Spc. Kameron Howell, an equipment repairer from the Utah Army National Guard who is a first-time competitorin the event.“You can work out, you can study, but you can’t throw grenades, you can’t place mines. I didn’t prepare for the night land navigation. Also I didn’t think I’d be hurting as bad as I am,” he chuckled.
“I found myself physically holding my head while I was marching because I was weighed down so much. It was fun though. I was smiling the whole time, even though I’m tired and my back hurt.”
Howell added that he had never done a ruck march as long and as taxing as what the competition called for, and it had been 15 years since he had thrown a hand grenade. As a joint-service event, the competition honors the Army as the senior service and as a result, Air Force competitors must adapt to Soldier tasks and challenges.
“That has been an experience in itself,” said Airman First Class Nicole Ligeza, a first-year competitor who serves with the 151st Air Refueling Wing as a Public Health Technician.
“I think you rise to the level of your competition and training.” she continued. “As Air Force people, we don’t dabble in this training environment. But I’m super competitive and I am learning things on the fly and moving through the lanes by the seat of my pants.”
“Being here with all these competitors, both Army and Air Force and admiring them, I’ve found that I can keep up with them,” said Bluth.
“So mentally, I feel like when I go back to my unit, I should be doing more. I can train harder and I can teach.” he said.
“That’s really what stands out the most,” he added. “Realizing that you are with the very best Utah National Guardsmen, both from the Army and the Air Force in the state. It makes you realize that you really are at that level. I think everyone should experience that.”
“Anyone who is considering doing this, should do it,” he added, “because they should know how it feels to be the best in the state.”
No comments:
Post a Comment