Best Warrior Excellence In Competition

Best Warrior Competitions (BWC) are becoming popular among Soldiers and for good reason. The event tests a wide range of Army skills and pits Soldiers in friendly competition. Competitive events have been long recognized as a positive motivating force for improving ability. The 11th Aviation Command recently held a Best Warrior Competition.

Staff Sgt. Matthew Anderson served as the Non Commissioned Officer In Charge of the 11th Aviation’s BWC marksmanship events and the assistance NCOIC of the overall event. “While I shot a lot while serving in the Marine Corps, I recently had a chance to compete in an Excellence In Competition event hosted by Army Reserve Careers Division. I liked the pace of the ARCD EIC event as it challenged marksmanship in detail versus merely training to hit somewhere as done in routine qualification.”

With that background, Staff Sgt Anderson had members of the Army Reserve Marksmanship Program (ARMP) conduct a formal Excellence In Competition event as a scored component of the 11th AVN BWC.

Master Sgt. Norman Anderson, a top shooter and rifle coach with the ARMP, ran the line at the event. “Marksmanship is the only Skill Level One task that can simultaneously save your life, your buddy’s life, and accomplish the mission. It is important for Soldiers to learn how to shoot better than routine qualification allows.”

EIC events are designed as both a competition and a training event, serving to train and support the war fighter. To earn awards, a Soldier must participate in a recognized EIC event and finish in the top ten percent. Unlike routine qualification, where everyone is expected qualify, Excellence In Competition pits skills against the rest of the field and the bottom 90 percent receive nothing. Events that have a restricted roster, such as to a specific unit or command, may only award four leg points to the finishers and only if the shooter does not yet have any points. Such events are said to be “baby legs” and a way to get a Soldier started in higher-level shooting. Only events that are open to all comers may award more Leg points and to those personnel having already earned points. Among those in the top ten percent, points are awarded based on order of finish. The first place finisher receives ten points, the top third receive eight points and the remainder will earn six points. Again, those finishing below the top ten percent of all shooter earn nothing. The goal is to not merely pass, but to surpass. Everyone seems to think they shoot expert. Only an event that recognizes the top ten percent can show who the real experts are.

The EIC program awards a Bronze medal after earning any number of points, Silver after accumulating 20 points and the Distinguished Rifleman and Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge after earning 30 points. These points can be accumulated any time in a person’s life and are a part of your permanent records. This program began in the 1870′s and Army Marksmanship records show that since then only 3,395 Soldiers have earned the Distinguished Rifleman, 1,689 members have earned the Distinguished Pistol Shot badge and 499 have earned both.

Best Warrior Competition: Army Reserve Careers Division

Best Warrior Competitions (BWC) are becoming popular among Soldiers and for good reason. The event tests a wide range of Army skills and pits Soldiers in friendly competition. Competitive events have been long recognized as a positive motivating force for improving ability. The 11th Aviation Command recently held a Best Warrior Competition.

A number of Soldiers assigned to Army Reserve Careers Division competed at the event, not the sort of thing normally associated with an Army Reserve Career Counselor. “Letting our ARCCs (Army Reserve Career Counselors) become Subject Matter Experts is beneficial as it demonstrates to their Soldiers they truly believe in effective training, “ said SGM James Mauer, of ARCD Bn 3. “This builds camaraderie, esprit de corps and team building.”

SFC Richard Silva, assigned to ARCD 11th Battalion, has competed in a number of Best Warrior Competitions. SFC Silva won the board with 11th BN and his strongest events were the Army Physical Fitness Test and Combatives. “I find these events are always good, as there are differences between how they’re conducted,” he said. This is SFC Silva’s third Best Warrior and he finished in first place amongst his peers.

SFC Kyle Vanderlann is an ARCC with ARCD 10th BN. He competed at a Best Warrior Competition hosted by the 11th AVN two years ago and was invited back. Unfortunately, a week prior to what would have been his second competition, SFC Vanderlann was in a motorcycle collision and unable to compete. After recovering, he completed the Army’s Master Resiliency Course and Senior Leader Course. Based on successful performance there, he was asked to compete again. SFC Vanderlann is an avid practictioner of Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which he practices five days each week, as well as teaching cardio/metabolic conditioning classes. Not surprisingly, Combatives was his strongest event. SFC Vanderlann was the Runner Up at this Best Warrior competition.

Competing for ARCD 3rd BN, Area 4 is SFC Romeo Santos. The 11th AVN BWC is his first Best Warrior event. His best event was the Road March, which he attributes to his training for 10 mile races. SFC Santos also managed to earn Excellence in Competition points by finishing in the top ten percent at the Best Warrior EIC event.

SFC Paul Núñez is assigned to ARCD 5th BN. Two months prior to attending the 11th AVN Best Warrior Competition, SFC Núñez won a BWC held by the 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and was asked to compete again. SFC Núñez’s strongest event was Land Navigation.

Let the games begin…

And so they have…at zero dark thirty this morning four Soldiers from the Army Reserve Careers Division and fifteen Soldier from 11 Aviation command are competing for the honor of being the “Best Warrior” for their respective commands.

The competitors will spend the week on a variety of challenges; the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) consisting of push-ups, sit-ups and a two mile-run; weapons qualifications; negotiate day and night Urban War fighting Orienteering courses; complete a timed Road March; complete a written examination and essay on general military topics; perform in an Army appearance board and other tests of skill such as hand-to-hand combat, first aid, and various mystery events.
Today the Soldiers completed the APFT, weapons firing on two weapons completed mystery event and the Night Urban War fighting Orienteering courses.

The winner will compete at the U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior competition at Fort McCoy, Wis., from June 23-28, 2013. Enlisted Soldiers in the rank of E-1 to E-7 are eligible to compete.

Check us out on FaceBook to view more photos of this week’s events at https://www.facebook.com/stayarmyreserve and leave your comments of encouragement.

Army Reserve Careers Division Excellence In Training

“Not too back for a bunch of career counselors. They shot very well, ” notes Sgt. Major James Mauer or Army Reserve Careers Division, Battalion Three (ARCD Bn 3), nicknamed “Team Firestorm.”

In recent years, ARCD has been noted for hosting improved marksmanship events, including higher level shooting events normally seen at more advanced training. SGM Mauer explains, “Letting our ARCCs (Army Reserve Career Counselors) become Subject Matter Experts in marksmanship is beneficial as it demonstrates to their Soldiers they truly believe in effective training. Our events formally recognize the top ten percent in our Battalion with orders published by Department of Army and kept in their permanent records. This builds camaraderie, esprit de corps and team building.”

Better than merely hosting a range event, the training is proving effective. The unit is now enjoying a nearly 90% first time go rate on qualification, with the remainder passing on the second attempt. Soldiers that previously struggled to qualify a year prior were now earning awards within the Battalion for superior shooting. Staff Sgt. John Arcularius of ARCD Bn 3 said, “This is the second year that our Battalion has conducted actual training prior to qualification and it shows. The results are validated by improved performance.”

ARCD Bn 3 commander, LTC Stephen Keck noted, “This was absolutely OUTSTANDING Annual Training. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I am truly humbled to be a small part of Team Firestorm.”

Staff Sgt. Arcularius, a former member of the Marine Corps Weapon Training Battalion, praised the Marine shooting team at Quantico for their help. “The Marines spared no effort in helping us. Gunnery Sgt. Fernald, Staff NCOIC of the Rifle Team, made sure we had everything needed while at Quantico.”

For rifle shooting, ARCD BN 3 “Firestorm” Soldiers achieved a 76% first time qualification rate. With pistol, personnel achieved an 80% first time qualification rate. With a combined 82 Soldiers, this was a total 91% of ARCD personnel achieving a first time successful qualification rate. In addition, Firestorm shot rifle and pistol Excellence In Competition events. EIC events have been formally recognized by the Army since 1884. The program tracks marksmanship achievement via a point system commonly referred to as “Leg” points in an effort to obtain awards signifying heightened marksmanship ability. EIC badges are much more prominent than normal qualification badges, issued in Bronze, Silver and Gold, as opposed to the typical “tin” qualification badge, and eligible for wear on dress uniforms, as per 670-1. This EIC program is governed by AR 350-66 and is recognized by all services, not just the Army, as well as civilians.

All Army 2013

Nearly all marksmanship skill and knowledge was created via organized, competitive shooting. The US Army’s first marksmanship manual was developed and written by competitive shooters, people who learned their skills in competition shooting. Army Regulation 350-66 states that all organized, formal shooting events are classified as training and is an ideal vehicle for developing skilled and knowledgeable small arms instructors.

In 2004, the Army Marksmanship Unit revitalized The The All Army Small Arms Championships and have held it every year since. The event consists of matches with the M16/M4 series and M9/M11 pistol fired in a series of individual and team events. Matches consisted of precision and timed fire on known distance ranges on scored silhouette targets from 75 to 500 yards for rifle and 10 to 35 yards for pistol, along with Combined Arms matches utilizing both weapons in Close Quarters Battle rifle and pistol scenarios scored by elapsed time.

Army Reserve Careers Division Soldiers excelled in many of the matches conducted at the All Army Small Arms Championships. Notable individual performances included SFC John Buol winning second place in Pistol, second place in Combined Arms and a second place overall finish. SFC Leslie Lewis finished thirteenth place overall and SFC Charles Parker finished in the top bracket of the Excellence in Competition event, earning a full ten point leg towards his Distinguished Pistol Badge.

As a team, ARCD Soldiers took second place in Pistol, third place in the Combined Arms CQB events and fifth place overall.

Shooting events like All Army offer a great opportunity to take the training advantages that formalized shooting competition offers. All the courses shot offer near perfect feedback and allow the Soldier-shooter to see the exact placement of every shot fired. Courses on a KD range mark the location of groups and individually fired rounds, hit or miss, and the opportunity to record the results for later study. Zero settings and marksmanship error is readily observable and more easily diagnosed. Contrast this to the current Army norm of shooting on RETS “pop up” targets where this lack of critical feedback is simply not available and hinders the Soldier from improving skills. Merely participating in events such as All Army offers superior training compared to the norm of current Army qualification ranges.

The USAR Marksmanship Program is organizing events like this to be held regionally to encourage greater participation. Combining training, qualification and Excellence in Competition into one event eases the small arms training burden on units while offering a better state of readiness throughout the Reserves.

All Army Long Range Championship

Long range rifle competition represents some of the oldest and most traditional forms of small arms competition. The oldest, most recognized trophies in the marksmanship world are for long range rifle events. The events are also very useful to our Army as Sniper doctrine, as well as all forms of marksmanship training, were first developed by long range rifle competitors.

Members of the USAR Marksmanship Team won nearly every match at the US Army Long Range Championships. Army Reserve Careers Division now has the number one Long Range Individual Champion and the first place Long Range Team in the entire Army.

MSG Norman Anderson, an Army Reserve Career Counselor, won four out of five individual matches, all shot from 800 to 1000 yards. MSG Anderson used the Army’s new XM 2010 Sniper Rifle and was crowned the US Army Long Range Champion, outperforming snipers from numerous infantry units from the Active Army and National Guard in the process.

In Team events, SGM Mauer and SFC Gervasio of the Army Reserve Careers Division won the Army Long Range Team Championship with both both firing M24 Sniper Rifles at 1000 yards. MSG Anderson along with SFC Leslie Lewis also took third place in the Open Division Team Match.

The US Army Long Range Championships were fired at ranges of 800, 900 and 1000 yards. Soldiers either fired the M24 Sniper Rifle (.308) or the XM 2010 Sniper Rifle (.300 WIN MAG). On day 1 and day 2, individual matches were fired at 800, 900 and 1000 yards. On day 3, Soldiers fired an individual 1000 yard match and teams fired a 1000 yard team match.

MSG Norman Anderson (4th BN ARCD) was the overall match winner with a score of 1045 and 58 X’s out of a possible 1050 points. MSG Anderson and SFC Lewis also earned 3rd Place in the Open category of the Team Championships. They fired a 148 with 6 X’s.

SGM Mauer and SFC Gervasio earned first place honors for ARCD in the Army Long Range Team Match (Service Rifle Category) firing the M24 Sniper Rifle with a score of 143 and 3 X’s.

“165 Miles for USO of Illinois”

Journal Gazette & Time-Courier

Brian Andries, a graduate of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston and a US Army veteran, is walking from the Chicago area back to Charleston this week, with plans to arrive at EIU’s Old Main about 6 p.m. Friday.

CHARLESTON — When Brian Andries was a student, the three-hour drive from his home near Chicago to the campus of Eastern Illinois University probably often seemed like it would never end.

Think of how long those 165 miles must seem now that he’s making the trip on foot.

Andries, a 2009 EIU graduate and Iraq War veteran, is marking the end of his four-year U.S. Army commitment by walking from his hometown back to EIU. To make the most of the experience, he is raising money for the USO of Illinois, a branch of the national nonprofit organization that has long been known for its support of U.S. troops.

His journey, which he calls “165 Miles for USO of Illinois,” began Saturday in Oswego. Plans call for the last leg of the trip to take place on Friday, when he’ll leave Tuscola en route to EIU’s Old Main — “the definitive ‘welcome to Eastern’ symbol” — for an estimated 6 p.m. arrival.

Donors can contribute online at http://www.gofundme.com/walkforuso. Four different donation levels each offers its own rewards. For example, a $20 gift will earn the donor a photo/video bundle from the walk. The top level, $100, entitles the donor to several perks, including an original song written and recorded by the musically inclined Andries — and the donor can name the subject.

Capt. Andries was already in shape from his Army career — in fact, he was the fastest runner in his infantry company. He’d just returned from the National Training Center in Fort Irwin in mid-March when he focused his fitness regimen for the walking-intensive trip. Training included backpacking at least once a week; lots of running; weightlifting; and hundreds of step-ups, simulating walking up steps. The training culminated with 900 step-ups while carrying a 50-lb. backpack.

The trip would sound daunting to most, but for a veteran who served a year in Iraq as both an infantry and engineer platoon leader, conducting partnered patrols with Iraqi forces and route clearance missions, it’s relatively easy. Plus, Andries is happy that this trip will include gear that is more comfortable than Army-issued backpacks and boots.

Andries will soon move to Los Angeles and remain in the Army Reserve as a public affairs officer specializing in broadcast management. For civilian employment, Andries plans to become a personal trainer, as well as pursue a career in music and acting. more >> http://ow.ly/kqznm