DATE: August 20, 2024 12:03:24 PM CDT

Fort Leonard Wood team wins TRADOC Best Squad Competition

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (August 20, 2024) — A team of five Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Soldiers earned the title of “Best Squad” during Training and Doctrine Command’s Best Squad Competition held at Fort Leonard Wood Aug. 10-19.

The team consisting of Staff Sgt. Brandon Ratliff, Staff Sgt. Dallas Simmons, Spc. Andrew Burgess, Pfc. River Merrifield and Pfc. Daniel Cruz beat out seven other teams to earn the prestigious title.

At an awards ceremony, held Aug. 19 in the Engineer Regimental Room at the John B. Mahaffey Museum, the five Soldiers, also known as Team 6 during the competition, took center stage as they were honored for earning the coveted title.

The grueling competition assessed each squad on their technical and tactical proficiency, as well as their ability to work as a disciplined and cohesive team. The competition featured a multitude of different fitness and combat related events ranging from the Army Combat Fitness Test and various weapons lanes, to a strenuous 12-mile foot march and detailed individual warrior tasks and squad battle drills.

During TRADOC’s Best Squad Competition each squad was tested on their ability to complete common Soldier tasks as the competitors were pushed “to be all they can be.”

Team 6 will move on to compete in the U.S. Army Best Squad Competition slated for Sept. 29 to Oct. 14, 2024.

At the awards ceremony, MSCoE and Team 6 member Staff Sgt. Dallas Simmons was also named TRADOC Best Non-commissioned Officer of the Year.

A team of five Fort Leonard Wood Soldiers won the title of Best Squad during Training and Doctrine Command’s 2024 Best Squad Competition. (From left) Pfc. River Merrifield, Spc. Andrew Burgess, Staff Sgt. Brandon Ratliff, Staff Sgt. Dallas Simmons and Pfc. Daniel Cruz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Maneuver Support Center of Excellence are the 2024 TRADOC Best Squad winners. They will represent TRADOC at the U.S. Army competition in October. (From left) TRADOC Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond Harris, Staff Sgt. Brandon Ratliff, Staff Sgt. Dallas Simmons, Spc. Andrew Burgess, Pfc. Daniel Cruz, PFC River Merrifield and MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood Command Sgt. Maj. Jorge Arzabala.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staff Sgt. Dallas Simmons (left) from the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence was named the TRADOC NCO of the Year in a ceremony held at Fort Leonard Wood Aug. 19. Spc. Michael Massey, on Simmon’s right, from the Maneuver Center of Excellence, was named TRADOC Soldier of the Year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.