'Best Warrior' competition returns to Pelham Range

Apr. 10—PELHAM RANGE — It takes about three miles of marching to really understand the true burden of 35 pounds, according to Army Reserve Sgt. Maj. Duane Ross.

Academically, the weight sounds manageable enough. That's the weight of the average cinderblock (or about half the weight of an average Dalmatian dog, according to themeasureofthings.com). Strapped to your back in a ruck sack on a 12-mile march, though, 35 pounds becomes a master class in physics, willpower and endurance.

"I have some experience with that," joked Ross, a 38-year veteran from the Army Reserve's 3rd Medical Command, based in Forest Park, Ga.

Friday afternoon, five soldiers from the 3rd had set up on Gate 3 Road at Pelham Range to take that lengthy march. The long walk was part of the Army's Best Warrior Competition, an annual Army contest that tests field judgment, marksmanship, academic know-how and, of course, endurance. Soldiers began the contest Thursday with day and night navigation in the wooded parts of the range, and in between, six hours of testing in "combat lanes," where they apply their medical and decision-making training in mock firefights.

Friday around 1 p.m., the soldiers were packing rucksacks to hit the 35-pound marker. They filled the sacks with helmets, water, sleeping gear and other essentials that would go in their real kits while deployed. One participant went about ten pounds over; Ross said that some soldiers do so on purpose as a kind of power move. The soldier who went over Friday, perhaps wisely, pulled some gear out of the bag.

"Once you hit that third or fourth mile, you're realize, 'Oh hey, this is some extra weight,'" Ross said. "And you see adjustments in speed. Some people will try to get faster and just force themselves to get faster ... it's actually a good experience. That's what soldiers actually do in deployment environment."

Participants in this year's contest include:

— Sgt. Nicholas Mitchell, of Maryland, from the 338th Medical Brigade

— Spc. Aerial Poole, of Virginia, from the 444th Medical Ground Ambulance Company

— Spc. Angelo Madden, of Massachusetts, from the 399th Field Hospital

— Staff Sgt. Ashley Sedrowski, of Connecticut, from the 405th Field Hospital

— Staff Sgt. Norberto Domingo, of Tennessee, from the 332nd Medical Brigade Headquarters

Ross said the march would likely take about 12 hours, before the soldiers headed to a pistol range for the second of two marksmanship contests.

Each soldier was picked as the best of their unit, he explained, so competing is by itself considered an honor. Winners, however, get a good chance at following whatever dream they may have for their career. Soldiers had already set out on the walk before they could be interviewed Friday. In the 2019 contest participants said they intended to use a win as a springboard to Ranger school, allowing a chance to join the elite regiment.

Two winners — one non-commissioned officer and one soldier — would be chosen by the next evening, when the soldiers would finally have a chance to rest with an awards ceremony and banquet. Later in the year, the winners move on to a wider competition among winners from throughout the Reserve, and later still, a final competition that's Armywide.

The late stages of the competition also offer a chance to meet high-level Army staff, Ross said, and a great deal of prestige.

"We don't get to do this stuff everyday," he said.

Assistant Metro Editor Ben Nunnally: 256-235-3560.