Warfighter

Mark your calendars for the Warfighter Challenge!
September 15-18, 2009, Fort Leonard Wood’s U.S. Army Military Police Corps Regiment will sponsor the 13th annual Warfighter Competition. What’s a Warfighter Competition, you ask? It’s a grueling, four-day competition between 34 teams from all over the United States and even a team from overseas, that showcases, challenges, and celebrates the abilities of MPs.
A few weeks ago I sat down with Sergeant First Class Dodson to talk about the upcoming Warfighter Challenge. SFC Dodson is the “Game Master” of it all. He makes sure everything runs smoothly, and that all of the events are doable. He praised the local support of the event and acknowledged all of the many moving parts that contribute to the competition.
Many people spend many hours preparing for the event. Everyone involved exudes professionalism; no one person could arrange this alone. I was lucky that these guys took the time to sit down and talk to me about everything that will happen during those days. Believe me; I had quite a few questions!
I found out that each team can have 3 members and the competitors are the best of the best. The events and challenges are intense and the competition gets harder every year. Competitors aren’t just tested on “cop stuff,” but all five MP functions (police intelligence operations, internment/resettlement, law and order, area security, and maneuver and mobility support). The teams will not know specifics events before the competition, but they know that the emphasis will be on team battle drills, warrior skills, and other events that require teamwork and sound decision making. Every event is timed, graded according to standards, and scored. The best score wins, and winning is a big deal.
The first official event is Physical Fitness, and it starts at 8pm on the 15th. Sounds easy enough, right? It is easy, I’m sure, as long as you can do 3 minutes each of elevated push-ups, sit-ups with a 25 pound plate on your chest, and pull-ups. Then, head out for a 10K run (that’s 6.2 miles) and when you get back, push a Humvee 50-100 meters before you get out your math skills to set up ammo cans for your team. Sure, real easy. And, they do all of this wearing ACUs! (Army Combat Uniforms, or ACUs, include a sand-colored t-shirt, a long sleeve jacket, long pants and boots).
Competitors will perform their tasks under whatever conditions Mother Nature hands us those days. Keep in mind, there are teams coming in from Alaska and Texas and everywhere in between. Some teams may have just come back from Iraq. They’ve been training in the conditions of their home station. They come here to heat and humidity of Fort Leonard Wood on a Sunday, and then on Tuesday they are competing. They don’t have time to acclimatize or to rehearse under these conditions. For safety reasons, some events have been carefully scheduled to avoid the heat, and if it rains, some events may have to be changed. This competition is demanding, but it is safe.
For the next two days, competitors get up at 4 am and start their event at 6 am. They keep going until they complete their tasks. Some teams might finish as early as 6 pm; others might take until 10 pm. During the events, no eating or sleeping is allowed. They are assessed on their overall knowledge and practical application of everything they’ve ever learned since the beginning of their training as an MP. This includes warrior skills and tasks, battle drills and weapons proficiency. Endurance is tested throughout the entire event. SFC Dodson suggests that all the competitors need to be mentally and physically ready because they will be challenged.
In addition to the practical exercises, there is also a written assessment. It includes 50 questions of various skill levels, and each member of the team has a different test. The test topics will include preventative maintenance, training, counseling, MP Corps history, leadership and map reading skills. The test topics are available to the participants before the event, but they won’t know which questions will be asked.
I asked specifically about the map reading skills because I wanted to know how MP map reading skills are different than a civilian’s. (Map reading was one of the things, if not the only thing, on the list that I thought I could do). It may be obvious to some of you out there, but the difference is that when I look at a map, I’m looking at which road will get me to my destination. When these guys look at the map, they have to figure out how to get there without roads. They also have to take terrain and other geographical factors into consideration, among other things. (I had to quickly mark that off my list of potential abilities – the last time I went somewhere without roads I definitely had a tour guide.)
On the last day, teams participate in a road march. SFC Dodson says this year’s road march is really hard – the event should take around three and a half hours—and since it’s the last event they do, the guys are extremely tired by that point.
After the road march, competitors prepare for the awards ceremony that will take place at 7 pm on Friday. Although the teams rehearse for the awards ceremony; the winning team is kept a secret until it is announced. In addition to a whole slew of awesome prizes (SFC Dodson estimates that each member of the first place team will win as much as $5,000 worth), the winners are entitled to bragging rights for the rest of their lives, essentially. Being a part of the winning Warfighter team is an honor and an accomplishment that is highly respected, especially among MPs.
Oh, and one more thing: in addition to the long list of exciting events taking place at the War fighter Competition, at Gammon Field on Friday the 18th at 11:00 the 101st airborne guys with their K-9 Halo team will be jumping in for a parachute demonstration exercise– with a dog! These guys are from Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, and they’re coming to Fort Leonard Wood to jump out of an airplane with a canine. Yes, a dog is going to jump out of an airplane from 10,000 feet.
Do me a favor, now, if you will.
Think of your dog. (I’m thinking of my sweet yellow Labrador, Pablo.)
Now think of your dog jumping out of an airplane. (This one is hard to imagine – is there a bone involved?)
Now think about how much you want to see a dog jump out of an airplane.
It’s open to the public, and you know you want to see it. Come on down. Actually more than half of the competition is open to the public, which is more than any other past competition. These guys would love to have you come out and see what they do. Don’t worry, you won’t be recruited and you won’t have to do any push-ups, but you will have the opportunity to learn a lot about what your Army does. And see a dog jump out of an airplane.