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We just finished the Best Army Unit competition, and let me tell you, I've been in the Army for 9 years, and this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It was continuous work around the clock. I think we slept a total of 5 hours in the first 3 days, and I learned a lot about myself as a leader and as a person in general, about how to lead young guys and keep competing despite stress and adversity. I don't even know exactly how many tasks we completed, but when there are 17 or 20, it's impossible to avoid difficulties. There will definitely be difficulties. They will inevitably arise, and then how do you lead your people when these difficulties arise?
How to keep them motivated? How do we provide them with purpose, direction, and motivation? How to actually do it on the spot when guys say, "My feet are wet. "I haven't slept for 25 hours." What kind of person are you? What kind of leader are you when all this is happening? I've definitely learned this about myself in the last week. The "Best Unit" competition is the result of the army's principle: "competition breeds excellence." It's a way for the Army's largest units to showcase their best people and see how they work as a team, not just as individuals. Being a "Best Unit" means you are the standard. You are an example to the rest of the army, and when a rookie, a new private, or a new soldier comes into his unit, he thinks of "The Best
Unit" and says that's the standard. This is what we should strive for. continue to build the team. You don't have much time. The mindset and spirit required to win are not for the faint of heart. These are unknown time standards, unknown distances, unknown tasks. There are many unknowns, and the army is usually quite structured, so this unknown environment will be a test of will and ingenuity. In such competitions, I think discipline is more important than motivation, because when a difficult stage comes, like a 12-mile race or 6-8 miles in full gear, motivation quickly disappears, you know?
It gets hard, motivation quickly flies out of your head, and you start thinking about how hard it is and that you want to quit everything. I want to give up, you know? But when you are disciplined and determined to get things done, you push those thoughts aside and see things through to the end. It's not like five. We need My advice to soldiers who want to compete in the Best of the Army Unit competition-you have to master the basics. We are at the highest level of competition for the department, and we are tested solely on our knowledge of the basics. So, well, anyone who's thinking about participating in " The Best Department," if you can get to that level, I definitely encourage it, because it not only tested us
to the limit in physical endurance, but it also tested our technical skills and our mindset. And if you come in as a squad leader, just rely on your guys, because ultimately they will be your main workforce. And without them, the department is nothing. The ability to handle and shoot your weapon is perhaps the most important thing for a soldier, because we are fighters first, and only then are experts in our specialty. The Best Army Detachment competition strengthens leadership skills, physical fitness, and professionalism through every event we host. There is no event we do that is not an imitation of real life. And in real life, nothing you do is stress-free. Everything will cause stress. Your pulse will be 180 beats per minute. You will be so sweaty you can
barely see in front of you. Your eyes will hurt from the sweat dripping from under your glasses, and you will be exhausted to the point of exhaustion. So all we're doing here is balancing all these factors to learn how to make decisions under stress. When you have five individual soldiers and you turn them into a squad, it takes teamwork to make them work together. A group of people who were able to create a brotherhood through perseverance, and in this perseverance, not giving up on each other , supporting each other no matter the outcome, being there for each other, and ultimately supporting each other after achieving the goal.
Communication is extremely important for team cohesion. If the team doesn't have to spend time discussing or explaining the smallest details so that everyone understands and is on the same page, it saves time and can help at various stages to win the entire competition. A winning team looks like one where each member is extremely skilled at moving, shooting, communicating with each other, and truly supporting everyone when someone is down. When someone is struggling with a backpack, you can support them, take some of the weight and carry it a little further to improve the results of the entire section. The importance of performing complex tasks together for reservists or any military force ultimately lies in the readiness to fight and win
their country's wars. When we do hard things together, like during the "Best Department" competition, it's a chance for everyone to push each other forward. This is an opportunity for everyone to work together for a higher purpose. When we overcome challenges together, we step outside our comfort zone. These challenges force us to evolve. We all need to step out of our comfort zone to grow. And when we do it as a team, iron sharpens iron. We constantly push each other, whether within our team or with other competitors. We all push each other to become better. None of us will leave this competition without becoming a better person, soldier, or partner. Of course, not everyone will have the best day or the best performance, and not always.
Someone is bound to have a bad phase or a bad day. It happens, but it's important that your peers back you up with tasks that you weren't very good at before. For example, I usually have the lowest push-up scores of all the guys here, but they did n't have the best day and I suddenly became the best, so I pulled them up at that point. The same applies to the entire competition distance. We all came out of this experience better. We did things we didn't even know we were doing. We accomplished tasks we thought we couldn't do. And we succeeded. We managed. We learned more about our bodies, minds, and fellow humans than we could have imagined
in 6 days. Believe me, this is just a small part of what these soldiers have gone through to reach this level, to compete at this level, and someone has to win here. And now the moment we've all been waiting for- the announcement of the best department of the year. U.S. Army Shock. Come out here. Third Ranger Battalion. I am proud of you above all else.
