Airmen participate in first-ever Dyess Warrior Week

  • Published
  • By Airman Quay Drawdy
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The first Dyess Warrior Week took place at the fitness center here Aug. 24-28.

More than 50 Airmen of all ranks from over six squadrons and groups participated in Warrior Week. Airmen participated in friendly sports competitions as a way to boost morale while also promoting physical resilience and earning Comprehensive Airman Fitness credits.

"I was thinking one afternoon that I hadn't heard of any sort of base-wide competitions, so I decided to make some happen," said Airman 1st Class Kyrah Smith, 7th Medical Group Warrior Week lead. "I talked to my supervisors, and they were completely on board with helping me put the whole thing together. Their support was a huge help."

Teams competed in softball, basketball and a relay-race as part of the event. Squadrons from across the base were matched up and played one game each. The winners of those games faced off later in the week in a championship game.

"I wanted to pick things I knew would get a lot of participation," Smith said. "Everyone likes basketball, and Team Dyess has a real thing for softball; those two were pretty much givens. The relay race was just something a little off-the-wall."

The team from the 7th Logistics Readiness Squadron took first place in the relay-race with a time of 1:59. No other team finished in less than two minutes, putting the 7th LRS in a league of their own.

"I had a blast with it," said Airman 1st Class Jorge Diehl, 7th LRS vehicle maintenance apprentice. "I picked an athletic and capable team. We all have a really competitive nature, so it wasn't hard to get them to come out. We were all up for the challenge."

A final score of 78 to 56 meant the 7th LRS also took first place against the 317th Airlift Group in the basketball tournament.

"It was a cold start at that game," said Airman 1st Class Maurice Pugh, 7th LRS fuels distributor. "We got to pulling baskets, and things got better. It was a lot of fun and felt good bringing home the win."

The 317th Maintenance Squadron won the softball tournament against the 7th LRS with a final score of 16 to 13.

"It was really rewarding to win," said Senior Airman James Zorn, 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. "The 317th AMXS plays on a team together during the regular season, so we have the chemistry thing together. It felt good to just play."

The winners of each tournament received trophies and bragging rights they will hold until next year's competition.

"With as much fun as everyone had, I definitely want to make this an annual event," Smith said. "I learned a lot while putting Warrior Week together, so the planning will be smoother and all of the little things will get ironed out. I'm already excited about it!"