Email   Print   Share By Staff Sgt. Daniel Wallace, III Corps and Fort Hood Public Affairs

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Sgt. Samuel Retke and Sgt. Heather Billings, Winn Army Community Hospital team, plot grid coordinates during the day land navigation portion, of the Southern Regional Medical Command Best Medic Competition, Sept. 4 at Training Area 71 at Fort Hood. Staff Sgt. Daniel Wallace, III Corps and Fort Hood Public Affairs

Staff Sgt. Geovanny Montufar and Sgt. 1st Class Edwin Rotger, CRDAMC team, run towards the end point of the day land navigation course Sept. 4 at Training Area 71 at Fort Hood. Staff Sgt. Daniel Wallace, III Corps and Fort Hood Public Affairs

The competitors wouldn’t know which team had won until the awards ceremony, Sept. 6. The cadre and judges were keeping the results a secret from the competitors every step of the way, but they all knew that only one team could win this year’s Southern Regional Medical Command Best Medic Competition and move forward to compete in the All-Army Best Medic Competition.

Fort Hood and Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center hosted this year’s Southern Regional Medical Command Best Medic Competition Sept. 4-6. This year, 1st Sgt. Michael Pini and Sgt. 1st Class David Murray, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital team, will go back to Fort Polk, La. as the winners of the Southern Regional Medical Command Best Medic Competition.

The six teams had to complete several events: a day and night land navigation course, M16 weapons qualification, the Army Physical Fitness Test, Army warrior tasks and medical skills lanes, a 100-question written exam and a 12-mile road march.

Each team received points, based on predetermined scales, upon completion of each event. At the end of the three days, the points

were calculated to determine the winning team to represent the Southern Regional Medical Command at the Army level competition.

Pini said that this was his second time participating in the competition and that he felt more physically prepared this time than before. He said that being the highest ranking competitor could work to both his advantage and disadvantage.

Pini said that the younger competitors were in better physical shape, but that the years of experience and knowledge were to his advantage. He said his motivation during the competition was simply being the epitome of a 68 Whiskey (his military occupational specialty designation).

“You know, it’s getting out there with these young Soldiers and showing that I’ve still got it,” Pini said with a laugh. “It’s about getting out there in front of the troops.”

He added that it felt good to win, but it came as a bit of a surprise to him.

“I was actually betting on two of the other teams,” Pini said. “As my battle buddy, Sgt. Murray said, ‘It’s a year later, and a couple surgeries later.’ So that weighed on our minds.”

Looking forward, Pini said that they would both rest for a couple of days and then would get back to training and focusing on their weak areas.

Murray said he felt very good coming into the competition.

“First sergeant and I, we trained daily. Literally, we physically trained all the time,” he said. “We came here with a good background and a good understanding of everything we were going to have to do. We just did it. We took knowledge we learned in the past and applied it to today.”

Murray said that he and Pini motivated each other very well.

“We competed before together,” he said, “and I just think that we got a little more to go.”

Murray spoke highly of the other competitors.

“First and foremost, these other competitors we have here are top-notch,” he said. “They’re all professionals and took it serious.”

Pini’s advice to future competitors is to never give up.

“Don’t be afraid to learn something, and if you don’t know something, ask somebody,” he said. “Set a goal, achieve it and then move on to your next goal. You’re always going to grow, and if you’re

not growing, then what are you doing?”