Spc. Jacob Valderrama has never been one for competition.
Though the 23-year-old played soccer in his youth, his family described him as “low-key” and reserved. All that changed when he joined the Army.
Valderrama, a horizontal construction engineer with the 557th Engineer Company, 864th Engineer Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade in the Third Army, is making his way through the Army’s Solider of the Year competition. He was nominated by his company to be its representative in competition in March and has advanced further than he ever thought possible.
“I knew it was a big honor, especially deployed,” Valderrama said in a phone interview from Afghanistan. “It’s a lot easier for everyone back in the states to travel and go places. But since I’m deployed in Afghanistan, it’s like taking me away from the mission. Just to get the chance to prove to everyone that I can do it — and actually win — is a really good feeling for myself and for the leadership around me.”
He has already won four Solider of the Year awards — at the company, battalion, brigade and Third Army ARECENT levels — and shows no signs of stopping now.
Valderrama will next be tested at the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) competition in Fort Bragg, N.C. July 20-26. A victory here means a trip to the Department of the Army competition and a chance to win Solider of the Year at the highest level. For him, it would be like a trip to the Super Bowl.
But first he needs a win at FORSCOM.
The competition consists of a written test, board exam with the Sgt. Majors, disassembling and reassembling of weapons, an urban orienteering course and a grueling physical test of push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run.
“I’ve definitely been stepping up my physical training,” Valderrama said. “It’s a very important factor, especially in this competition with the way the points are going to be weighed. … I’m mainly just trying to stay humble. A lot of people get to this point and they start getting big heads. I’ve just got to remember my place and I think I’ll do well.”
Valderrama will arrive at Fort Bragg on July 9, giving him 11 days to adjust and prepare for his biggest challenge to date.
His family will make the trip to North Carolina to cheer on their favorite soldier.
His father, Robert Valderrama, served in the Army during the Vietnam War and said he was honored his son chose to follow in his footsteps.
He has watched in marvel as he transformed from a reserved young man to a confident, competitive American solider.
“I couldn’t be any happier or prouder of my son for doing this,” Robert Valderrama said. “He has grown up so much in the Army. … Doing this, he has shined like a star. I didn’t know that he had it in him, but I am very, very proud of him.”
