2008 Sobrato High grad Valderrama won third contest stage last month
Published in the August 7, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life.
By Marty Cheek
Jacob Valderrama, a Sobrato High School graduate, competes in the U.S. Armed Forces Command in Fort Bragg, N.C. Valderrama will now go up against other soldiers in the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition, the fourth and final stage in the Soldier of the Year contest in October.
(Photo Courtesy Beverley Hansen)
Sgt. Jacob Valderrama of Morgan Hill is on his way to the “Super Bowl” of U.S. Army competitions. In October, the Sobrato High School graduate will compete in Fort Lee, Va. against the best soldiers in the military at the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition, the fourth and final stage in the annual Soldier of the Year contest.
“I expect this last competition to be the toughest thing I have done in my life so far,” said the 23-year-old Valderrama, who serves in Afghanistan in the 557th Engineer Company with the Third Army/U.S. Army Central’s 864th Engineer Battalion. “I know that I’m really going to have to step it up and give 110 percent. I like to think of the last competition as the Super Bowl — that’s what I’ve been calling it ever since I started this chain of competitions.”
In late July, Valderrama came in first place after competing for five days in an arduous test of physical exertion and leadership skills against 15 other soldiers in the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) in Fort Brag, N.C. Valderrama engaged in a fast-paced and intense battle against himself and his fellow soldiers where he earned points through physical fitness challenges (such as sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups and a two-mile run), land navigation during both the day and the night, first aid skills, writing an essay in an hour’s time, and a M-4 rifle qualification at a shooting range where he shot a total of 40 rounds at pop-up targets.
One of the competitions was a “ruck march” where he had to travel eight miles carrying a 45-pound rucksack backpack. At five-feet, eight-inches tall and weighing 154 pounds, Valderrama finished the course in two hours. “That was hard because my feet are not the strongest,” Valderrama said. “It’s walking with a heavy weight, and often you’re actually running.”
Receiving the title of Soldier of the Year for FORSCOM is the greatest achievement up to this point in his life, Valderrama said. “I’m so proud of myself and happy to be part of these great units and organizations. FORSCOM did a great job at putting together a competition that was both physically and mentally challenging. I hope that I will be able to represent at Department of the Army and make FORSCOM proud.”
The Army promoted Valderrama to sergeant July 1. Because he started the competition as a specialist, he competed at FORSCOM at that rank and will compete as a specialist at the Best Warrior Competition.
Jacob Valderrama does sit-ups as part of last month’s competition.
(Photo Courtesy Beverley Hansen)
On July 25, Valderrama’s mother Beverley Hansen watched the live streaming broadcast on her computer as officers awarded her son the medal for winning the FORSCOM competition.
“I just started crying. I started saying, ‘Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh,’” she said. “I was surprised, but I know he is capable of this and so much more and so I felt so proud of him. This particular level of competition was just physically the most toughest that he had done. They added some elements that they hadn’t had in the prior levels. The physical part of it was just grueling.”
Not only did Valderrama excel physically, he also showed excellent leadership and communication skills during the board review, Hansen said. “There’s a whole table full of officers asking questions on all different topics regarding the Army,” she said. “They told him he did so well, better than everyone else. In prior competition board reviews, he did perfectly on it, which is unheard of.”
Valderrama’s father, Robert Valderrama, was on a pontoon boat on Shasta Lake during a camping trip when he heard that his son had won the competition at Fort Bragg. “I started telling everyone about it, yelling to everyone about it. His older brother Robert was here and was so excited…. Jacob’s always been a bright individual, but he’s also been a low-key individual growing up and in school. He’s always been smart, but he’s kept it low-key in school.”
Valderrama, right, is honored.
Photo Courtesy Beverley Hansen
Jacob credits his mentor Sgt. Kurtis Weaver for helping him stay mentally motivated and physically fit during all the competitions. “He’s taken me under his wing and prepared me for all the events,” he said. “The reason I’m here now is a big part due to him.”
Valderrama graduated from Sobrato in 2008 and joined the Army at age 19 after spending some time studying at Gavilan Community College.
His military experience helped him mature and be more focused and disciplined, he said. After reenlisting recently, he plans to continue his Army career in Fort Lewis, Wash.
“The Army has taught me many different skills sets from the technical side of the jobs, to people skills that a leader requires,” he said. “Not only that but I have been able to put my mark in history as a deployed soldier in Afghanistan. I have visited many different countries and have grown to be a better person because of that.”
