The seconds passed silently as Spc. Dominick Midell worked to complete his evaluation of a simulated wounded soldier.

"I'm going to start my rapid trauma assessment," he said half to himself and half to his evaluator, SSgt. David Nagle.

"I've stopped the bleeding; checked pulses and I've done a head-to-toe assessment," continued Midell.

"OK," said Nagle.  "Now move to the next lane."

Midell and Nagle ran across Gator Park to begin the land recognition phase of his test.

Last week, the Madigan Army Medical Center's Troop Battalion conducted an Army Warrior Tasks competition as part of a process to determine who the battalion's Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) and Soldier of the Quarter (SOQ) will be.

Midell's interest in the SOQ honors was apparent.

"I studied for this competition," he said, "and I want to continue to learn what I can in order to pass it on to the soldiers who follow me."

Landmark recognition, movement under direct fire and tactical medical care comprised the AWT phase of the competition.

The battalion is one of two battalions under the Madigan Army Medical Center.

Comprised of three companies that are responsible for about 1,600 soldiers, the Troop Battalion is zeroed in on mission accomplishment, warrior readiness and soldier development in the Army profession.

"This training is so very valuable to us," commented Nagle, as he kept a seasoned eye on Midell's performance.

"We work in a domesticated kind of environment, and it's good that we get out in the cold and mud to maintain our basic soldier skills."

Besides the AWT, the three-day training the soldiers faced included a physical fitness test, a 500-word written essay on sexual assault awareness, weapons qualification on the M-16, day and night land navigation, an 8.6-mile road march, and a question/answer examination by a board of senior NCOs.

"These soldiers aren't out here just to check off a box," observed Sgt. 1st Class Dennis Waycaster, the NCO in charge of the competition.

"This is challenging; it allows these soldiers to hone their skills. They are out here to improve themselves and the Army."

The seven soldiers who took part in last week's competition:

• Sgt. William Bermoy

• Sgt. Nathaniel Clarke

• Sgt. Mitchell Olson

• Spc. Rinda Elmore

• Spc. Yudhishthir Bhetwal

• Spc. Elizabeth Chappell

• Spc. Dominick Midell