Spc. Torey Jones, left, signal support systems specialist, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, receives moral support from Col. Christopher Norrie, 3rd ABCT commander, during the nine-mile ruck march as part of the 4th Infantry Division Best Signal Warrior Competition 2016 at Fort Carson Sept. 22, 2016. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Epperson)
By Capt. Scott Walters
3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
When Spc. Torey Jones returned from a monthlong rotation at the National Training Center (NTC) he thought he might get a little down time to recuperate from the rigors of setting up communications in an austere environment.
But just a few days after returning to Fort Carson from the desert of Fort Irwin, California, the signal support systems specialist with the brigade communications section of 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, found himself diving into the weeklong 4th Infantry Division Best Signal Warrior Competition 2016.
Although field weary, Jones proved battle tested after his intense NTC training by winning the Best Soldier category of the competition featuring challenges such as a nine-mile ruck march, weapons qualification, signal proficiency tasks, antenna setup, land navigation and a written essay and exam.
Sgt. Joshua Balasa, satellite communication system operator-maintainer, Company C, 588th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, participates in the nine-mile ruck march as part of the Best Signal Warrior Competition on Fort Carson Sept. 22, 2016. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Epperson)
“This whole week has been difficult with all the events. It’s been hard on your body, but I’m just happy I put my best foot forward,” Jones said. “I’m just thankful and proud I was able to represent for the ‘Iron’ Brigade.”
Jones said going straight into a competition that tested physical endurance and mental sharpness immediately following an NTC rotation raised the bar for him in terms of having little preparation time.
“In the beginning, which included the ruck march and a (physical training) test, you feel a little stressed because everybody else had so much prep time and you don’t know exactly how you’re going to be,” he said. “But then you get out there and you do your best, and you’re still on top, still proficient.”
The NTC field life, which saw Jones setting up FM communications for the Iron Brigade’s tactical operations center as it jumped to new locations almost every other day to stay ahead of opposition forces, kept him sharp on his signal tasks.
“NTC helped him a lot because everything that he had to do for this competition, we were doing out in the box,” said Maj. James Stall, 3rd ABCT signal officer and Jones’ supervisor. “Every bit of training helps.”
Stall added, “To be able to come back from NTC and go right into this and win it, it shows the high caliber of Soldier that he is and his ‘never quit’ attitude.”
Besides Jones, 3rd ABCT also was represented well in the NCO category by a newcomer to the brigade who had just arrived to Fort Carson from another desert environment.
Sgt. Joshua Balasa, satellite communication system operator-maintainer, placed second in the NCO category less than a month after arriving from the 160th Signal Brigade based at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
With his new unit, Company C, 588th Engineer Brigade, training at NTC, Balasa volunteered for the division signal competition despite still adjusting to the high altitude of Fort Carson.
“I have a personal philosophy of kicking in the door whenever I show up somewhere, so I figured this competition was a perfect opportunity to do that,” said Balasa, who will serve as a Joint Network Node/satellite communications team chief providing network access for the brigade’s forward tactical command post during a future deployment.
“The biggest challenge physically was definitely the ruck march; it was straight uphill and it was tolling. Technically, some of the equipment I’d never heard of before, but I picked it up and learned quickly,” Balasa said. “No matter what you do or where you go, you should always be able to meet the standard at the very least and do your best.”