National Guard soldiers use trail for competition

National Guard soldiers compete for honors to be the best at their job, the best in physical fitness and in military knowledge in the Guard?s Best Warrior Competition.

In January, 10 soldiers will compete against one another, using the Jefferson County Loop Trail for part of the contest. Two will move up and represent their battalion at the troop command level.

?We?d like to conduct a road march in January on the trails as part of our Best Warrior Competition,? Maj. Dave Harper, officer in charge of the 224th Battalion, wrote in an email to Jefferson County Trails Council member Ron Blair.

Harper asked permission to temporarily mark the portion of the trail soldiers will use.

?Thank you and to all that have worked on the trail. It is wonderful,? he wrote in conclusion.

This week, 1st Sgt. Matt Doty of the 831st Engineers, who works at the Armory in Fairfield, marked points along the Jefferson County Loop Trail.

?The local National Guard unit uses the Loop Trail on a regular basis and are even working toward installing a secure gate at the rear of their facility to have immediate access to the trail,? Blair wrote.

?We are pleased and proud that the trail is considered an asset for training by the National Guard.?

The Loop Trail will be used in the Warrior contest for a 9-mile road march on Jan. 7. Soldiers in full field uniform and boots, carrying rucksacks, will start at the Fairfield Armory, head east along the trail as it winds around and through Maharishi University of Management campus, crosses B Street and continues up to the two lakes bordering Pleasant Plain Road.

?They?ll do 4 and a half miles out, turn around and finish up where they started, at the Armory,? said Doty. ?The only thing that would stop us is if the weather is too icy on pavement areas. They can still operate with snow on the ground and even ice on the dirt or gravel sections of the trail.?

White, nylon engineer tape has been tied along the route to mark mileposts and a few other points to direct the soldiers which fork in the trail to follow.

?We like to mirror how our competition is training,? said Harper. ?Adding this component of using the trails is new for us, but it should really help our soldiers prepare for the next level of competition.?

The nearly 24-hour competition will begin on a Friday night. The road march will most likely begin in the early afternoon on a Saturday, said Doty.

?There?s a written exam, an Army physical fitness test, an Army Warrior task competition and the road march,? he said. ?The Army Warrior tasks are any tasks any soldier, no matter which occupation specialty, should know, such as map reading, medical evaluation in the field and such. The soldiers appear in front of a board and answer 125 questions,? he said.

Doty is helping his soldiers prepare for the competition and will be one of the five first sergeants, along with a sergeant major, sitting on the board and overseeing the competition.