Sgt. Dong Moon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, maneuvers through a litter carry course Oct. 4, 2017, at the Medical Simulation Training Center as part of the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition. Moon and fellow 1st SBCT medic Sgt. Andres Fernandez advanced to represent the division at the Army-level competition.
By Capt. Daniel Parker
14th Public Affairs Detachment
Soldiers challenged their minds and bodies as they battled for the top spots during the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition Oct. 3-5, 2017.
Sgt. Dong Moon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion, and Sgt. Andres Fernandez, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, both with 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, achieved the two highest overall scores. They will represent the 4th Inf. Div. at the 2017 Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark Jr. Army Best Medic Competition Oct. 28, 2017, to Nov. 3, 20917, at Joint Base San Antonio and Camp Bullis, Texas.
“The important thing about a competition like Iron Horse Best Medic is that it allows those medics who already distinguished themselves with either (Expert Field Medical Badge or Army Combat Medical Badge) to continue advancing their skills to perform at the top of their practice,” said Staff Sgt. Mitchell D. Walker, HHC, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg., and planner and evaluator for this year’s competition.
Soldiers must have earned the Expert Field Medical Badge or the Combat Medical Badge to participate in the best medic competition, as they set medics apart either through rigorous training or combat experience.
4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy L. Metheny, right, poses with the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition winners Sgt. Andres Fernandez, center, and Sgt. Dong Moon, both medics with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Daniel Parker)
The competition proved difficult for Sgt. Seamus K. O’Neel, HHC, 299th BEB.
“You gotta give it your all to move on and progress, and it shows you what you’re capable of when normally you don’t really get the opportunity to compete against your peers,” said O’Neel. “There’s nothing easy about it.”
The competition began with the Army Ranger Physical Fitness Test at Pershing Field followed by a 100-question exam. Competitors also conducted simulated medical evaluation and casualty treatment lanes at the Medical Simulation Training Center. The third and final day culminated with a 12-mile foot march.
Lt. Col. Mark Stackle, 4th Inf. Div. surgeon, believes the competition showcases the talents of “Ivy” Division medics.
“They are not only great medics and professionals who are certified to render aid, they are also outstanding Soldiers, and this competition gives a chance to kind of highlight both aspects of that,” Stackle said.
The Ivy Division has a 100-year history of service, and medics have been an integral part of that history since the division’s activation Dec. 10, 1917.
“The 4th Infantry Division has utilized medics on the battlefield since the First World War,” said Joseph E. Berg, 4th Infantry Division Museum director.
“They have really provided that thread of care for the combat Soldier throughout the existence of the division.
4th Infantry and Fort Carson Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy L. Metheny, right, addresses the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition participants Oct. 5, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Daniel Parker)
Staff Sgt. Pedro Benavides, Company C, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, finishes the 12-mile foot march Oct. 5, 2017, the culminating event of the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Daniel Parker)
Spc. Cody Sanford, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducts pullups as part of the Army Ranger Physical Fitness Test during the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition, Oct. 3, 2017, on Pershing Field. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Daniel Parker)
Sgt. William Ortiz, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, finishes the 12-mile foot march Oct. 5, 2017, the culminating event of the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Daniel Parker)
Sgt. Dong Moon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, finishes the 12-mile foot march Oct. 5, 2017, the culminating event of the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Daniel Parker)
Staff Sgt. Pedro Benavides, right, Company C, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, executes a litter carry during a simulated MedEvac at the Medical Simulation Training Center Oct. 4, 2017, during the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Daniel Parker)
A medic performs pushups Oct. 3, 2017, as part of the Army Ranger Physical Fitness Test during the Iron Horse Best Medic Competition on Pershing Field. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Daniel Parker)