U.S. Army Maj. Joseph Ahlborn, assigned to Regional

U.S. Army Maj. Joseph Ahlborn, assigned to Regional Health Command- Central, is awarded the Army Achievement Medal by the Army Surgeon General Lt. R. Scott Dingle, for finishing in 3rd place during the 2021 Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark, Jr. U.S. Army Best Medic Competition (ABMC) on Fort Gordon, Ga., Jan. 28, 2021. To qualify for the competition, Soldiers must have already earned the Combat Medical Badge or the Expert Field Medical Badge. The ABMC took place from Jan. 25-28 at Fort Gordon, Ga. Soldiers competed in teams of two. The 72-hour event is physically and intellectually challenging. The Soldiers operated in a demanding, continuous, and realistic operational environment. Competitors conducted events such as the Army Combat Fitness Test, rifle marksmanship, simulated combat casualty care, a 28-station obstacle course, night land navigation, water survival (which includes jumping off of diving board into 12-feet of water), and more--including mystery events. This year's competition took place amid the corona virus global pandemic. The Soldiers reported early to participate in a restriction of movement process. The competition took place inside of a "COVID-bubble". The bubble required COVID testing and strict adherence to avoiding under 20 feet of contact with anyone outside of the bubble. Even those outside of the bubble were tested for the virus. This year's event was hosted by the Army's Regional Health Command-Atlantic. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Adrian Pacheco)