Eight Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers took part in the second annual Sapper Stakes competition, a demanding competition that tested the limits of their teamwork and combat engineer skills, Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Fort Chaffee, Ark.Staff Sgt. Josh Steffens, Sgt. Levi Parker, Spc. Aaron Galindo, Spc. Craig Kiesgow, Spc. Josh Mezyk, Spc. Alex Scray, Spc. Cody Hartmann and Pfc. Zach Tesch of the Medford, Wisconsin-based 273rd Sapper Engineer Company were among nearly 100 National Guard and Army Reserve combat engineers to compete in the series of combat-related events in hot, humid weather.
Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers improved their physical fitness and cultivated techniques for refining their quality of life at the two-week Wisconsin Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Camp, offered through the 426th Regional Training Institute at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.According to Sgt. 1st Class Hayden Eckleberg, the camp operations non-commissioned officer, the goal of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Camp is to retain Soldiers struggling to pass their Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) or body mass ratio by providing them the resources necessary for improving their physical fitness and quality of life. This iteration of the course trained 69 Soldiers in early August.
