Former Posen man competes with best of the best in Army-wide competition this week
by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor
Twenty-four of the Army?s finest warriors, representing 12 commands from across the Army, have gathered at Fort Lee, Virginia, to compete in the 2008 Best Warrior Competition. It has been described as the Super Bowl of Army competitions. When it is all over in a few days, Sgt. 1st Class Steven Kroll, a former Posen resident and a 16 year Army veteran, hopes to have earned the honor of 2008 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. He earned the honor of Noncommissioned Officer of the Year from his unit in June and went on to win the U.S. Army Special Operations Command?s (USASOC) level of the competition in July at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The third level of the competition is the grand daddy of them all. Kroll said he?s stepped up his preparation since the competition in July.
?It?s definitely been stepped up a little bit more,? said Kroll in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon. ?As far as the physical training, I?ve maintained the physical training portion of it, just because I?m not getting any younger.? Kroll is the oldest competitor going forward. His physical program includes running up to 20 miles a week and maintaining a six-and-a-half minute mile for about three miles. Kroll works at the Special Forces Qualification Course teaching Green Berets everything they need to know about weapons, both U.S. and foreign.
THE BEST Warrior is in its seventh year. Two years ago, the competition underwent a makeover to better reflect how the Army trained soldiers to fight. What was more or less a board competition, one in which soldiers donned dress uniforms and were questioned by a panel of senior soldiers, has become something likened to an extensive training experience, one in which soldiers are honored to compete despite the fact that there can be only two winners. This year’s competition will feature not only a barrage of panel questions, but a mixed martial arts-style tournament, range events that feature explosions, a cast of role-playing insurgents, the latest weaponry, helicopter evacuations and various other tasks soldiers routinely practice – all strategically sequenced to create stress, a sense of urgency and a memorable training experience.
?This time around, with the different events that they have, I think I will excel in the land navigation portion of the event and the mystery events. We?ve got a little bit of a clue of what the mystery events are going to be, so I?m feeling really confident about it.? __ Last year the Mystery
?They are absolutely excited about it,? said Kroll. ?My brother just got married over the weekend and there were a lot of questions being asked about it.? Steve is the son of John and Mary Kroll of Posen. His wife Susan, an Army veteran herself, is the daughter of James and Donna Kuznicki of Rogers City. She will be bringing their four children to the awards ceremony Saturday. The Krolls live in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year will receive prestigious honors and cash awards in recognition of their achievement and represent the Army at special events throughout their 2008-2009 reign.