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More than a dozen soldiers from a combat brigade that returned from Iraq last fall are competing this week at Fort Lewis to find out who’s the most skilled.
The top soldier and noncommissioned officer from the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, will join their peers from across the post for the corps-level competition, which runs from June 2-6.
“It’s friendly competition,” said Master Sgt. Mickey Robinson, who has competed in similar events in the past. “You end up getting bragging rights.”
For the soldiers and noncommissioned officers who advanced by winning their battalion-level competitions, the contest is another opportunity to put their skills to the test after they were put into overdrive for 15 months in Iraq. The brigade returned home in September.
Sgt. Harrison Barber, a 21-year-old infantryman, earned the NCO title from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, while still recovering from a friendly fire incident in Iraq in July that did significant damage to his right knee.
Still undergoing rehabilitation, Barber can’t fully participate in his unit’s training regimen because he can’t jog long distances and has trouble sprinting and jumping.
The spot in the competition “makes me feel like I’m contributing somehow and able to represent the battalion in a positive way,” he said.
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