Page 5 - Fort Irwin High Desert Warrior, June 2022

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High Desert Warrior 5 June 2022
News
Gen. robert W. Cone TrADOC Awards of Excellence program announced
By Shelby Ethington
traDoC Communication Directorate
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. —
A year ago Gen. Paul E. Funk, II, commanding general, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, had a vision to create a program that encapsulated each of the “Best of TRA- DOC” competitions. On May 24, that vision became a reality as TRADOC announced the Gen. Robert W. Cone Awards of Excellence Program and unveiled its commemorative wall.
Annually across the Army, the Army Na- tional Guard, and the Army Reserve seven competitions are held, including the Instructor of the Year, Drill Sergeant of the Year, Career Counselor of the Year, Best Warrior, Noncom- missioned Officer of the Year, and the Soldier of the Year. Through this program, the win- ners will have their photos displayed on the Awards of Excellence Wall, located within the TRADOC headquarters building.
The dedication of the awards program and commemorative wall not only honors the for- mer commanding general, but each individual award is also dedicated to a Soldier or civilian who exemplified the award.
“For his name to be on this Awards of Excellence Program, along with the pictures of Soldiers who are the very best at what they do, is something that makes me proud,” said Jill Cone, the late general’s wife.
At the center of the Awards of Excellence Program is Gen. Robert Cone, the 14th com- manding general of TRADOC. Funk said he, “inspired an entire generation of Soldiers to serve” and that he more than deserved such a tribute.
He has also been honored previously with the Cone Heritage Center at Fort Irwin, Cali- fornia, and the Cone Memorial Room at the Thayer Hotel in West Point, New York. The dedication of the award program points to the lasting legacy he has had on TRADOC and on the Army as a whole, according to Funk.
Referencing Brian’s Song, Funk said, “I loved Bob Cone and I want all of you to love him, too.” Those who spoke of him at the event made it clear that caring for Soldiers was at the center of his mission. Both Funk and Jill Cone shared with the audience his mantra, “leadership is a privilege.” She also shared that he understood people were entrusting their sons and daugh- ters with his care and he took that role seriously. “He led by example, always going the extra mile to ensure that his Soldiers were the best trained and cared for, even when it required
long hours at work,” she said.
That dedication to Soldiers continues
to impact the Army today. He served when the Army was transitioning from an Army of execution to an Army of preparation. He restructured the leadership development pro- gram, accelerated digital learning, improved
that helped prepare an adaptive Army to fight conventional and unconventional future wars. Funk used the words of Gen. Martin Dempsey, another former TRADOC com- manding general, to characterize Cone, “When you look at Bob’s career, you can’t help but notice a common thread. He truly is a superb warrior, an accomplished scholar, and a leader
of consequence.”
From COmpETITIOn, Page 1
“Although our primary mission here is to provide world class Opposing Force at the National Training Center, with the proper motivation, training and equipment, we can compete with anyone in the Army,” said Sgt. 1st Class Travis Daddato, Regimental master gunner and coach for this year’s crew.
The next Sullivan Cup is scheduled to take place in the first week of May 2024 at Fort Benning, Georgia.
expeditionary maneuver, and helped develop the strategic land power concept and multi- domain battle. He was influential in the study of urban warfare in mega cities, helped in the formation of regionally aligned forces, and studied the interaction between social media and information technology. As TRADOC commanding general, he finished Doctrine 2015, which was a complete doctrinal overview
Sgt. Alex Jobe, tank commander, Sgt. Fernando Medina, gun- ner, Spc. Arath Flores, loader, and Spc. Joshua Kramer, driver, who all formed the crew of a M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams main battle tank.
The crew gunnery began for Jobe’s team on May 3 at the Digital Multi-Purpose Range Complex. The multiple gunnery engagements evaluated all competitor crews in their ability to engage stationary and moving targets arrayed in offensive and defensive positions during day and night conditions. After the gunnery iterations, the Sullivan Cup cadre held an after action review with the crews to discuss scoring based on U.S. Army crew and qualification standards, including the use of normal and degraded modes on the fire control system.
“Tensions were high and the pressure was on,” recalled Flores after seeing their crew standings in last place at the beginning of Table VI gunnery. In the previous competition held in 2018, 11th ACR finished in last place overall. “I made sure that I hit all of my targets and reloaded when I needed to. I feel like I did that to the best of my ability,” said Flores.
On the morning of May 5, the 11th ACR team moved to the Simpson and English ranges to be evaluated on their ability to rapidly and accurately engage targets with small arms and crew served weapons. The stress shoot began with an obstacle course involving running, vaulting, jumping barriers, balancing, and climbing a rope. After completing the obstacles, competi- tors engaged targets downrange with the M17 pistol, M4 rifle, and crew served weapons. Before crossing the finish line, two litters with simulated casualties were required to be pulled ap- proximately 100 meters.
Official standings were released that afternoon showing that 11th ACR had moved up in placement from 7th to 6th place. “It definitely felt great not to be last but we still had work to do. The competition wasn’t over,” said Kramer. “The stress
shoot was a lot harder than I expected. You had to think about every single thing that you were doing at that moment.”
After the stress shoot, the 11th ACR crew transitioned to the physical proficiency test at Stewart Field. Competitors were tasked to complete five stations: an ammunition lift, tow cable crawl, track block shuffle, road wheel roll, and one mile run.
This portion of the competition focused largely on indi- vidual physical ability. “We already knew where we stood at each individual event. We knew where each other’s strengths and weaknesses were and we built off that,” said Flores. Out of the five stations, Kramer believed that the track block shuffle was the most difficult. “It was the middle event and the most physically demanding. It was a mental battle and also a physical battle to push through,” said Kramer.
The final event on May 6, was the ‘Thunder Run,’ a footrace to Brave Rifles Field where the competitors then performed a series of physical and tactical tasks such as operating a radio, map reading, call for fire, medical evacuation, and weapons proficiency.
“I’m proud that the crew was able to keep the morale up every day throughout every single event or obstacle that was in front of us,” said Flores.
During the awards ceremony, the 11th ACR tank crew was recognized for their excellence by placing first in both the gun- nery skills test and the ‘Thunder Run’ events.
“I cannot express how proud I am of my guys,” said Jobe. “They have worked relentlessly to prove they can compete with the best. They have exceeded expectations and persevered through all uncertainties.”
With this year’s competition at an end, the 11th ACR crew attests that the Sullivan Cup this year would not have been a possibility for them without the right planning, training, and maintenance team to prepare and support them.
For more information go to home.army.mil/irwin