Brubaker ready for National Warrior Contest
Matt Unrau
If you’ve been hiking up and over the Cabinet Mountains in the last few weeks you might have caught a glimpse of a military man running through the trails carrying a 25 lb. pack on his back. However, in order to catch a glimpse of Sergeant Ryan Brubaker you would have to be in pretty good shape yourself as he is only choosing the most difficult and steep terrain so he can train for his upcoming Army Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year competition in Fort Lee Virginia this week.
The competition is a grueling week long marathon testing the physical and mental extremes of each military man from different branches in the Army. This is the national competition for Brubaker who has been on the quest to get this far for the past year as he had to win the unit level, major command level, state level and the regional level.
“I’m going to try as hard as I can and leave my heart there, have no regrets and be able to stand tall at the competition,” says Brubaker who has spent the last month training with a rigerous physical regime and study program that can last up to four hours a day.
The strenuous training program proved necessary in the last competition where competitors were required to haul a 45 lb. ruck sack along with their combat gear and weapon 12 miles in under three hours.
Beside having confidence in his preparation Sgt. Brubaker has an advantage over the other competitors by having last year’s national winner shadowing and whispering him advice. Staff Sergeant Michael Noycemerino was the first National Guardsman to win the Army competition last year in the first year the National Guard could compete and he is in the same unit as Brubaker.
“I’m very optimistic,” says Sgt. Noycemerino. “His military bearing, his demeanor, his dedication to the program has really shown me that he can go all the way.”
It was a year ago that Noycemerino, fresh off his victory, gave a speech to the State Command Sergeant Majors, one from each territory and state, that his next goal was to find his replacement. It wasn’t long after this moment that he found Brubaker and approached him with the idea who quickly latched onto the idea despite the long road ahead.
“Early on I made up my mind that this is something I wanted to accomplish and I set my mind to it in order to prepare for it and meet the different levels of competition,” says Brubaker.
On Monday Brubaker underwent the knowledge portion of the competition where he stood in front of the top Senior Enlisted Commanders of the Army including the Seargeant Major of the Army. It was a group of people that Brubaker says you typically see on the television making policies for the Army and making strategies for the War in Afghanistan.
“I was a little nervous and intimidated,” said Brubaker on Tuesday. However, he adds that to just stand in front of them was a honor. “I come from an infantry squad in Missoula, Montana…to get feedback from them on what type of soldier I am is a once in a lifetime experience.”
Monday and Tuesday are what Brubaker dubs the “calm before the storm” and the action kicks off today and tomorrow with many of the field tests.
The week’s competition will be focused on testing the professionalism of the soldiers according to Noycemerino. “They’re looking for consistent performer, a professional, that can do all the tasks assigned to them with the same level of proficiency and professionalism needed (in real life scenarios).
Along with the help of Noycemerino, Sgt. Brubaker credits the support of his wife Heidi, his children and his unit for helping him make it to the national competition. Please see next week’s Valley Press for the competition results or see www.VP-MI.com later in this week to track Sgt. Brubaker’s quest to win the national competition.