NcDeuce
06-16-2004, 12:16 PM
Screaming Eagles assault competition
101st soldiers yearn to be toughest
By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The mud and rain hardly slowed the 34 soldiers fighting to keep the lead in the Toughest Air Assault Soldier competition Tuesday.
The event, part of the post's "Week of the Eagles" celebration, started at 4:30 a.m. with a 6-mile road march and was followed by an obstacle course, written test and air assault rigging and rappelling procedures.
It ended with a helicopter medical evacuation call in.
"(The competition) provides esprit de corps and gives soldiers something to look forward to," said coordinator 1st Lt. William Tombaugh, whose unit, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, had the task of running the event.
"It exemplifies the fact that we're the only air assault division in the world," he said.
Staff Sgt. Sherry Bartosik and Sgt. Laura Henry, the only female, two-person team competing among the 17 entries, called the competition "challenging."
Bartosik and Henry are Arabic linguists with the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion and recently returned from Iraq.
All of the competitors had graduated from the air assault school as a prerequisite.
"We volunteered and wanted to represent our battalion," Bartosik said.
Henry said the obstacle course was the most difficult part because "by that point you're already exhausted from the road march," she said, as she sat in the soggy grass waiting for her turn to rappel off the air assault tower and got soaked from a sudden downpour of rain.
Although the competition was difficult, it was all in fun for Team No. 1009 -- Staff Sgt. Harold Keanini and Sgt. Nathan Cross, both of Company B, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment.
"It's going all right except having to get up at 2 a.m. -- that was the hardest part," Cross said.
Keanini said he and Cross didn't know they were competing until they were told about it Monday after the Division Run.
"I'm a single dad so I didn't hardly get any sleep," Keanini said. "After today's event I'm going to go home to my kids and then get some sleep."
The Week of the Eagles is a biennial event celebrating the history of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell as well as a tribute to the soldiers, their families and the community. The theme this year is "The Legacy Continues," which is especially significant since 16,000 soldiers with the 101st returned from Iraq earlier this year.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/news/stories/20040616/localnews/654656-293702.jpg
Staff Sgt. Harold Keanini rappels from the tower during the Toughest Air Assault Soldier competition at Fort Campbell Tuesday. The competition is part of "Week of the Eagle," Fort Campbell's biennial celebration of the 101st Airborne Division.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/news/stories/20040616/localnews/654656-293703.jpg
Staff Sgt. Harold Keanini, left, and Sgt. Nathan Cross rig their harness to rappel during the competition.
TOUGHEST AIR ASSAULT SOLDIER RESULTS
First place -- Division Artillery
1st Lt. Samuel Linn
Spc. Joe Pospler
Second place -- 2nd Brigade
Sgt. Rance Schmidt
Staff Sgt. Eric McNamara
Third place -- 101st Aviation Brigade
Staff Sgt. Chad Stackpole
Sgt. Lyle Grose
IF YOU GO
Here is a list of events scheduled for this week's "Week of the Eagles" celebration. Some events are open to the public, others are only for the military community. For general information, contact the post public affairs office at (270) 789-3025. For specific event information, visit the Web site at www.campbell.army.mil.
Softball tournament -- Today through Thursday at North/South Softball Complexes, Fort Campbell teams only.
Boxing Smoker -- Today through Thursday, with finals at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dreyer Field House, open to the public.
Division Review -- 9 a.m. Thursday at Division Parade Field, open to the public.
Memorial Service Ceremony -- 5 p.m. Thursday at Building T-39, open to the public.
Super Saturday Air Show -- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Campbell Army Airfield, open to the public.
Super Saturday Concert -- 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Division Parade Field, open to all branches of the military active duty, reserve and National Guard soldiers, and their families and guests.
To attend a "Week of the Eagles" event on post, there are a few things the public should know:
No alcoholic beverages can be carried into any event.
No pets are allowed.
No weapons or glass containers are allowed.
Every persons, bag, backpack, stroller, cooler and vehicle are subject to search at anytime during the events.
Except for "Super Saturday," all vehicles without Department of Defense decals must enter through Gate 4 and obtain a visitors pass.
On "Super Saturday," vehicles without DoD decals must enter through Gate 7. Patrons should expect delays Saturday because of the high number of visitors expected.
The Welcome Center is just inside Gate 7 and provides all information about the week to the public and visiting veterans. The center is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
101st soldiers yearn to be toughest
By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The mud and rain hardly slowed the 34 soldiers fighting to keep the lead in the Toughest Air Assault Soldier competition Tuesday.
The event, part of the post's "Week of the Eagles" celebration, started at 4:30 a.m. with a 6-mile road march and was followed by an obstacle course, written test and air assault rigging and rappelling procedures.
It ended with a helicopter medical evacuation call in.
"(The competition) provides esprit de corps and gives soldiers something to look forward to," said coordinator 1st Lt. William Tombaugh, whose unit, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, had the task of running the event.
"It exemplifies the fact that we're the only air assault division in the world," he said.
Staff Sgt. Sherry Bartosik and Sgt. Laura Henry, the only female, two-person team competing among the 17 entries, called the competition "challenging."
Bartosik and Henry are Arabic linguists with the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion and recently returned from Iraq.
All of the competitors had graduated from the air assault school as a prerequisite.
"We volunteered and wanted to represent our battalion," Bartosik said.
Henry said the obstacle course was the most difficult part because "by that point you're already exhausted from the road march," she said, as she sat in the soggy grass waiting for her turn to rappel off the air assault tower and got soaked from a sudden downpour of rain.
Although the competition was difficult, it was all in fun for Team No. 1009 -- Staff Sgt. Harold Keanini and Sgt. Nathan Cross, both of Company B, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment.
"It's going all right except having to get up at 2 a.m. -- that was the hardest part," Cross said.
Keanini said he and Cross didn't know they were competing until they were told about it Monday after the Division Run.
"I'm a single dad so I didn't hardly get any sleep," Keanini said. "After today's event I'm going to go home to my kids and then get some sleep."
The Week of the Eagles is a biennial event celebrating the history of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell as well as a tribute to the soldiers, their families and the community. The theme this year is "The Legacy Continues," which is especially significant since 16,000 soldiers with the 101st returned from Iraq earlier this year.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/news/stories/20040616/localnews/654656-293702.jpg
Staff Sgt. Harold Keanini rappels from the tower during the Toughest Air Assault Soldier competition at Fort Campbell Tuesday. The competition is part of "Week of the Eagle," Fort Campbell's biennial celebration of the 101st Airborne Division.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/news/stories/20040616/localnews/654656-293703.jpg
Staff Sgt. Harold Keanini, left, and Sgt. Nathan Cross rig their harness to rappel during the competition.
TOUGHEST AIR ASSAULT SOLDIER RESULTS
First place -- Division Artillery
1st Lt. Samuel Linn
Spc. Joe Pospler
Second place -- 2nd Brigade
Sgt. Rance Schmidt
Staff Sgt. Eric McNamara
Third place -- 101st Aviation Brigade
Staff Sgt. Chad Stackpole
Sgt. Lyle Grose
IF YOU GO
Here is a list of events scheduled for this week's "Week of the Eagles" celebration. Some events are open to the public, others are only for the military community. For general information, contact the post public affairs office at (270) 789-3025. For specific event information, visit the Web site at www.campbell.army.mil.
Softball tournament -- Today through Thursday at North/South Softball Complexes, Fort Campbell teams only.
Boxing Smoker -- Today through Thursday, with finals at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dreyer Field House, open to the public.
Division Review -- 9 a.m. Thursday at Division Parade Field, open to the public.
Memorial Service Ceremony -- 5 p.m. Thursday at Building T-39, open to the public.
Super Saturday Air Show -- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Campbell Army Airfield, open to the public.
Super Saturday Concert -- 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Division Parade Field, open to all branches of the military active duty, reserve and National Guard soldiers, and their families and guests.
To attend a "Week of the Eagles" event on post, there are a few things the public should know:
No alcoholic beverages can be carried into any event.
No pets are allowed.
No weapons or glass containers are allowed.
Every persons, bag, backpack, stroller, cooler and vehicle are subject to search at anytime during the events.
Except for "Super Saturday," all vehicles without Department of Defense decals must enter through Gate 4 and obtain a visitors pass.
On "Super Saturday," vehicles without DoD decals must enter through Gate 7. Patrons should expect delays Saturday because of the high number of visitors expected.
The Welcome Center is just inside Gate 7 and provides all information about the week to the public and visiting veterans. The center is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.