Spc. Brooke Hendricks, a saxophonist for the U.S. Army Japan Band, competes in the 12-mile ruck march during a Best Warrior competition at Sagami General Depot, Japan, May 13, 2021. Hendricks came in first in the event’s soldier category. (Winifred Brown/U.S. Army)
Two members of the U.S. Army Japan Band will represent their command during next month’s Army Pacific Best Warrior Competition.
Sgt. Jamal Walker, 28, of Augusta, Ga., and Spc. Brooke Hendricks, 31, of Burlington, Iowa, prevailed on May 14 over 14 other contenders after four days of more than 20 challenges to earn the Army titles of Best Warriors in Japan.
The annual event included a combat run, obstacle course, 12-mile ruck march and Army Combat Fitness Test, according to an Army statement. It also included tests on weapons proficiency, radio operations, medical skills and call-for-fire expertise.
It did not include a test of musical talent.
Sgt. Jamal Walker, left, a drummer for the U.S. Army Japan Band, nears the finish line of the 12-mile ruck march during a Best Warrior competition at Sagami General Depot, Japan, May 13, 2021. Walker came in first in the ruck march and also won the competition’s noncommissioned officer category. (Winifred Brown/U.S. Army)
“Being in the competition, we just see each other as competitors more than just the job we have chosen in the Army,” Hendricks, a saxophonist who won the Best Soldier title, told Stars and Stripes during a phone interview Friday. “The only way for someone to know if I was in the band was if they had asked me.”
The pair’s efforts earned them the Army Commendation Medal from U.S. Army Japan’s commander, Maj. Gen. Viet Luong. They go next to South Korea to represent the command in the next round of competition during the first week of June.
Soldiers in all military occupational specialties must remain proficient in combat-related skills, Luong said at the award ceremony, according to an Army statement on Facebook.
Both winners said they have areas to improve upon.
“I found the part about mapping skills to be most difficult,” said Walker, a drummer who was named Best Noncommissioned Officer. “I am just a very competitive person, we had roughly two to three weeks to prepare.”
Spc. Brooke Hendricks, of the U.S. Army Japan Band, plays a saxophone solo during a holiday concert at Camp Zama, Dec. 15, 2018. (Noriko Kudo/U.S. Army)
Hendricks said she was always aware of being a woman competing in a field dominated by men.
“Keeping up my endurance is the bigger struggle for me,” she said.
The two gave credit to their leaders, who allowed them time and space to prepare for the event through study and physical training.
“We were given the freedom to be the best we can be and to study, which was a blessing,” Hendricks said.
