Army Reserve's Soldier of the Year not stopping

Published July 10, 2014
By Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Matson
U.S. Army Reserve Command

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Many of the world's top runners and elite athletes have taken their shot at conquering the Manitou Incline in Colorado Springs.

About two thirds of the way up the grueling trail, which shoots more than 2,000 feet straight up the side of a mountain, is a point that allows one to go back to its base. Locals call this spot the "Wimpout" point. It gives a hiker or runner a chance to go back to the bottom of the trail without conquering the steepest part of the Incline at the top.

You can bet Spc. Keegan Carlson, a 21-year-old civil affairs specialist with the 440th Civil Affairs Battalion from Fort Carson, Colorado, will never take the easy way out.

"He's a special person in the fact that he doesn't accept defeat or loss," Carlson's father, Ryan, said."He simply refuses to lose - it may sound cliché, but it's true. He will never quit."

Carlson has been scaling the Incline with a 75-pound ruck sack strapped to his back for the past several months in an attempt to gain the edge it takes to win the 2014 U.S. Army Best Warrior Competition, which takes place June 23 to 27 on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Top Soldiers from the Army Reserve compete in a variety of military skills in an effort to claim the title of Best Warrior.

"I'm definitely here to win," he said.

Winning is something Carlson has achieved so far. He won his battalion Best Warrior competition, which allowed him to compete in the United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command Best Warrior Competition April 24 at Fort Hunter Liggett, California.

After winning that competition, Carlson not only quit his job, but even took a break from college so that he could devote all his time solely to training for the Army Reserve competition.

"I acknowledge the fact that this week is going to be a smoker, so I've been trying to focus a lot of emphasis on distance runs with a lot of weights," Carlson said.

With him every step of the way has been Carlson's sponsor in the competition, Sgt. 1st Class Angel Lechuga, also from the 440th.

"What Carlson has, above all others, is dedication to the uniform,"Lechuga said.

"He takes time out of his personal life. He'd show up at 7 a.m. asking for training and he would continue until 11:30 or 12 at night, every night, then do it again. It gets me all giddy, because it reminds me of when I was a young junior Soldier just hungry for knowledge."

Carlson has known Lechuga since before entering basic combat training to join the Army, and has been a constant source of support ever since.

"He's my lion's heart," Carlson said.

With three brothers all serving on active duty in the Air Force, and father Ryan being a retired Air Force master sergeant, one might be surprised to find Carlson wearing an Army uniform.

The decision did not surprise his father in the least.

"He does his own thing," Ryan Carlson said. "He wanted to blaze his own trail."

Coming from a military family, Carlson said he was always interested in serving, but didn't know it was for him. Now that he has gotten his first taste of life in the military, however, the young Soldier said he is hooked.

"I wasn't sure if it was right for me, that I'd be able to adapt as well as my brothers did," Carlson said.

"I want to pursue a degree and my goal now is to apply to West Point to see if I can get in."

They may seem like lofty goals for someone with 29 months in the military, but with his drive and determination, one would be a fool to bet against him.

It's just another mountain to climb.

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