Amanda Sullivan
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (April 21, 2022) The U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School named 1st Lt. Jordan Anderson and Sgt. Austin Howard, from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, the winners of the six-day Best CBRN Warrior competition during a ceremony April 15 at Baker Theater.
The competition, hosted by Col. Sean Crockett, USACBRNS commandant, and executed by Soldiers from the 3rd Chemical Brigade, tested 20 two-person teams from across the Chemical Corps on their CBRN technical knowledge, as well as their mental and physical capabilities.
Anderson said his team trained for about a month leading up to the event, and that their day-to-day job duties helped them throughout the competition.
“We treated it like anything else we train up for — with intensity and dedication,” he said. “A lot of things we do in Ranger Regiment revolve around similar activities in the competition, like long-distance running, rucking and obstacle courses. It comes very naturally to us, because as Rangers, we do it for our job.”
At the ceremony, Crockett reminded the attendees why competitions like this are key to Army readiness.
“Competition is absolutely critical for what we do every day,” he said. “Unit cohesion, team cohesion — that’s what we do, and that’s what the Army is about. This competition itself is about improving our readiness. We have to be ready. There’s no second in our business.”
Anderson and Howard were chosen to represent their unit because of their natural ability to work as a team, said Capt. Adam Pionke, deputy chemical officer for the 75th Ranger Regiment.
“This is a talented team,” he said. “They are indicative of the specially-selected and well-trained Soldiers that comprise the 75th Ranger Regiment. They appreciated the opportunity to compete against the top talent of the Chemical Corps, and contribute to the overall readiness of our profession.”
Photos from throughout the week-long competition are available on the Fort Leonard Wood Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortleonardwood/albums/72177720298116021.
In addition to the BWC, the Chemical Regimental Week is scheduled to take place here in June, providing an opportunity to celebrate the corps’ 104th anniversary, while also promoting esprit-de-corps and pride in the regiment’s heritage.
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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 80 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains nearly 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.
More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission