EABestSquad

U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition

US Army Europe Best Warrior Logo

Teams from across U.S. Army Europe and Africa will meet at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, to compete for the title of Best Squad, July 31 - August 9, 2024.

The event tests the squad’s effectiveness, communication, and overall cohesion, as well as the individual Soldiers’ technical and tactical proficiency, endurance, and fortitude.

This competitive training event exercises a full range of Squad-Level Skills; highlighting professional excellence and knowledge to determine the command’s top teams.

Winners of this competition will advance to represent U.S. Army Europe and Africa at the Army Best Squad Competition.

One noncommissioned officer and one junior Soldier will be selected out of the final winning squad to be named the Army’s Best NCO and Best Soldier of the Year, respectively.

For more imagery, videos and news visit our DVIDS feature page at: U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition

Videos

Video by Steven Stover

Vanguard Army 250 Exhibit interview with CW2 Rodrigues 01

780th Military Intelligence Brigade (Cyber)

May 23, 2025 | 0:11

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Caitlyn Rodrigues, a cyberspace operations technician, with C Company, 781 MI Battalion, talked about her grandfather’s service in Vietnam, and her brother and father’s service in Afghanistan. Rodrigues grandfather, Chuck Schuder served his country in the U.S. Army for 28 years. He was deployed to Vietnam as an armor officer and later as an Army psychiatrist. Rodrigues father, Steve Chavez, served as a 91G (fire control repairer), 18E (Special Forces communications sergeant, commonly known as a ‘Green Beret’), 19A (armor officer), and 18A (Special Forces Officer) and served for 28 years with the 5th Special Forces Group from 1993-2000; 7th SFG 2005-2010; 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) 2010-2012; U.S. Army Special Forces 2012-2013; 1SFG 2013-2015; and his specialties and positions included: SF communications sergeant, scout platoon leader, SF officer. She said her father served in Egypt, Kuwait, Ecuador, Colombia, and would joke that he might even own a home in Afghanistan. Rodrigues brother, Aaron Chavez, served as an 11B (infantryman) and 15T (UH-60 helicopter repairer/aircrew member) from 2008-2017 with 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2d Infantry Division, at Fort Lewis, Washington. For Rodrigues, the items that she brought for the Army 250 Exhibit, “are deeply personal artifacts from my Family.” She quotes an unknown author, “I didn’t join the army for mom or apple pie; I joined for the man on my left & right.”

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Vanguard Army 250 Exhibit interview with CW2 Rodrigues 01