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 Florida Guard Soldiers compete in Kuwait Military Pentathlon By Staff Sgt. Marc Heaton,
                Task Force Spartan
 KUWAIT – Soldiers from the Florida National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Hurricane recently had the unique opportunity to represent the U.S. Army in a military pentathlon hosted by the Kuwaiti Land Forces, Jan. 30 - Feb. 3. The competition consisted of five events: rifle marksmanship, a 4km run, grenade throwing, and individual and relay obstacle courses. “Being able to participate with our partner nation forces in events such as this is imperative to building trust, relationships, and interoperability between our forces,” said Lt. Col. Robert Virant, commander, 1-124th Infantry and Task Force Hurricane. This competition is just one example of the myriad of partnership exercises and engagements between U.S. and Kuwaiti forces and helps demonstrate the strong bond between the two nations’ militaries. “Events like this help to build morale, camaraderie, and partnership between us and the Kuwaiti military,” said Command Sgt. Major Richard Rafford, the command sergeant major for 1-124 Infantry. For most U.S. Soldiers participating, this was quite a unique experience, one they most likely were not anticipating when they arrived in theater. “When I deployed, I never thought I’d be doing something quite like this,” said Spc. Austin Ondrek, an Indirect Fire Infantryman with A-Company, 1-124th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Hurricane. “It was amazing that the Kuwaitis were nice enough to invite us to compete with them,” said Ondrek.  “The language barrier was a challenge at times, but it was cool working with them, and they were happy to have us here.” “For these Soldiers out here, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Virant.  “The experience and lessons learned from working with and competing against our Kuwaiti partners in this type of friendly and supportive environment isn’t something you can learn in the schoolhouse or through reading a book.” “I feel our guys performed well,” said Rafford. “They only had about 45 days to prepare and had to do that on top of their regular duties.” Out of the ten teams competing, nine from Kuwait and one from the U.S., the U.S. team finished in fifth place overall. “I think the whole team performed amazingly,” said Ondrek.  “It was a tough competition and given a chance; I’d love to do it again.” The 1-124th Infantry is currently deployed to the U.S. Army Central area of responsibility as Task Force Hurricane, supporting Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve.
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