New National Guard recruits to participate in Commander's Cup this weekend

A new recruit with the Missouri Army National Guard participates at last year's Commander's Cup Competition at Fort Leonard Wood. Nearly 40 recruits from Southeast Missouri will compete in the event this weekend.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- More than 400 members of the Missouri National Guard's Recruitment Sustainment Program will descend upon Fort Leonard Wood June 26-28 for a Commander's Cup competition.

Soldiers from all nine of the program's different companies, which are located in St. Joseph, Springfield, Kansas City, Sedalia, Jefferson City, Cape Girardeau, St. Louis, Macon and Festus, will compete for bragging rights in a series of military events.

The events include of an Army physical fitness test, drill and ceremony, common task training, raft races and tug-of-war.

The physical fitness test consists of a timed two-mile run and the number of pushups and sit-ups each Soldier can do in a pair of two-minute intervals. A 25-point test of common knowledge each soldier learns throughout the year will make up the common task training. Events are scheduled to take place from 1 p.m.-6 p.m., Friday, and 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, with a Commander's Cup presentation at 10 a.m., Sunday.

Soldiers will also participate in rappelling, but it is not part of the competition.

The state-wide competition takes place twice a year in June and October and is always at Fort Leonard Wood.

The purpose of the event is to build team cohesion and a good competitive spirit, said Staff Sgt. Daniel Schaab, Area 5 RSP coordinator in Cape Girardeau.

"It gives us a chance to get out of the armory and the Soldiers get a chance to learn some of the tasks they're going to be doing at basic training," Schaab said. "It should be a fun time and a good learning experience."

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For more information about this release, please contact Scott Moyers at (573) 339-6237 or e-mail him at scott.moyers1@us.army.mil.