Vilson Skoko has won the title of best serviceman of the first 2016 generation in voluntary military service at the competition held in the “Gašinci” Training Range on 13 April 2016. The first follow-up was Dominik Brajković and the second runner-up  Vanja Puljak. The three servicemen were the best among 468 servicemen. 

Vilson Skoko has won the title of best serviceman of the first 2016 generation in voluntary military service at the competition held in the “Gašinci” Training Range on 13 April 2016, taken by nine young servicemen (three per each training company).

The first follow-up was Dominik Brajković and the second runner-up  Vanja Puljak. The three servicemen were the best of a total of 468. They were cheered loudly by their fellow servicemen, regardless of the final score. 

To qualify for the competition the servicemen were required to get the best marks in military subjects, as well as the best mark in physical preparedness, along with the commitment demonstrated during the 7-week training which preceded the competition. 

The winners and all competitors were congratulated by the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mirko Šundov, the Croatian Army Commander, Lieutenant General Mate Ostović and the Assistant Defence Minister for Human Resources Zoran Piličić who visited Gašinci. General Šundov extended his contratulations to the servicemen, their commanders and instructors and emphasised the importance of proper  manning, equipment and training of the Croatian Armed Forces. 

The 2016 first best serviceman is 20-year-old Vilson Skoko from Split, a member of the 1st Training Company, interested in becoming a member of the special forces of the Croatian Armed Forces. “My motivation comes from my family, my girlfriend and friends.The voluntary military service is a great experience and the soldier life is interesting; I appreciate the order and discipline, the respect for the superiors. All servicemen have equal treatment, and it is up to them to put their potential to use during the training“, said the Best Serviceman. He also emphasised that he made new friends. Seven weeks might seem a short period but the competitors share life and the common space for 24 hours in its course. 

The winner expressed apprecation to his instructors who helped him win the title, which had been one of his major wishes. Although a graduate of the Nautical Secondary School, he is interested in the career in the Croatian Army. Following the victory ceremony, the Chief of the General Staff learned that all competitors had the ambition to pursue military career and stated that the best performing servicemen had precedence to choose their specialties,“ to excel among 468 competitors is a commendable achivement“. 

This year’s winner, Vilson Skoko himself said“It is a great feeling, I am looking forward to telling my father, who is a volunteer of the Homeland War. The competition was tough, they are superb servicemen and it is an honour to be with them regardless of the placement“ 

The “Best Serviceman Competition“ has been ongoing since 2013. The winners will receive the prizes and the challenge cup at the ceremony marking the completion of voluntary military service to be held in Požega on 21 April 2016. 

The training programme 

The command staff sergeants, senior instructors and instructors select the servicemen throughout their training. They nominate the serviceman of the week and select the best of them. The competition comprises 14 workposts, during which they are monitored by nine instructors controlling their time and recording the scores.   “The competition is designed in 14 workposts  which reflect their regular tasks – physical exercise, first aid administration, orientation, shooting, arms assembly etc. “The criterion is the task performance time and quality” specified 1st Sergeant Predrag Samaržija, the acting Basic Training Centre command staff sergeant. 

The first and the second workposts are the tunnel and obstacle jumping;  the administration of first aid and more obstacles. The competitors then reach the workpost where they shoot the air gun and identify and mark mines and explosives . The following workpost demands crawling skill and the next is a taks in the programme area of tactics – the competitors need to identify a signal and demonstrate it by hand. After that they go through the labyrinth and reach the workpost with a task in the programme area of topography, determining the magnetic azimuth using a hand bearing compass. The servicemen were also required to demonstrate   the automated gun and pistol assembly skills (from mixed-up parts). The last workposts involved air gun shooting with the protective mask which they had to adjust as a task. The criteria were the performance times and precision, as for each mistake the competitors were penalised by extra seconds in the overall score.