Soldiers, NCOs compete for

Dental  Command Warrior of the Year

By Ignacio “Iggy” Rubalcava

U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder

Public Affairs Office

     Six dental technicians were a long way from the comfort an examination room recently as they trudged up and down Baumholder’s unforgiving landscape while participating in the European Dental Command Warrior of the Year competition recently.

     After four days of rigorous challenges ranging from a formal NCO and Soldier board, to combatives and a six mile road march on Baumholder’s  military training area in the crisp winter air, Baumholder’s own Staff Sgt. Cesar Quintana was selected as the European Dental Command Best Warrior NCO of the Year. The Best Warrior Soldier of the Year was Spc. ScottieT. Bullock. Bullock is assigned to the Bavarian Dental Activity and is a native of Chicago, Ill.

     “I feel great and excited to represent the Europe Region Dental Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina for the DENCOM NCO/Soldier of the year competition,” said Quintana after the competition.

Quintana said the board portion was the most challenging for him. “I could never feel comfortable answering questions in front of board members no matter how many times I have done it,” he said.

     The other participants included Sgt. Alvin E. Iribhogbe from the Bavarian Dental Activity and a native of Idadan, Nigeria; Sgt. Akeiko R. from the Heidelberg Dental Activity and a native of Fairfield, Calif.; Pvt. 1st Class Richard A. King from the Heidelberg Dental Activity, a native of Modesto, Calif.; and Spc. Kaitron S. Bryant of the Landstuhl Dental Activity, a native of Petersburg, Va.

Some of the other challenges the six warrior candidates faced included the M-16 range, day and night orienteering, AWT at the MAUT site, a written test and an essay.

     “The winners will on to compete at DENTCOM for the best warrior of the year. The winner of that will compete for MEDCOM and the winner of that competition goes to Army level, for the best warrior competition,” said Sgt. Tracy Underwood, coordinator of the four-day competition.

     Although Baumholder’s challenging hills and training facilities served as the site for the competition, the actual host of the competition was the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.  “The competition is being held here because of all the training resources that Baumholder has. Some of the contestants aren’t from here but everyone is doing pretty good,” said Underwood. The competition included contestants from Graefenwoehr, Heidelberg and Baumholder.