Interviews: From Scotland to Chicago: 173rd IBCT (A) Sappers bring grit and heart to a tough Army competition
173rd Airborne Brigade
April 9, 2025 | 2:06
With sweat, grit, and plenty of good-natured banter, two combat engineers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade are preparing to push themselves to the limit at the 18th Annual Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition later this month.
Staff Sgt. Jose Castillo, from Chicago, Illinois, and Staff Sgt. Pearce Somerville, originally from Glasgow, Scotland, will represent the 173rd Airborne Brigade as they join more than 50 teams from across the Army, National Guard, Marine Corps and allied partners at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, from April 25 to 29, 2025.
The Best Sapper Competition tests tactical proficiency, physical endurance, and mental toughness across more than 50 hours of grueling events—all while carrying heavy rucks and heavier expectations.
For these two paratroopers, it’s about where they came from and why they serve.
“I’m from Glasgow, Scotland,” Somerville said. “My father served in the British Army for 27 years. I wanted to follow in his footsteps and join the British Parachute Regiment. But he told me, ‘Don’t—go to the USA instead. You’ll get paid more money.’”
Somerville took that advice literally. Just four years ago, he stepped off a plane in the U.S. and walked into a recruiting station the next day. “I moved to the U.S. just to enlist in the U.S. Army,” he said. “Less than 24 hours later, I raised my right hand.”
Somerville vividly recalls his first impression of American military life. “Being in basic training, it was like being in a movie for me—all the drill sergeants yelling in the American accent. I thought the whole thing was so funny,” Somerville laughed. “I was yelling back in my Scottish accent. They were having a great time too.”
For Somerville, being part of the airborne community was a no-brainer. “I wanted to be infantry, and then some dude showed me a video of Sappers blowing stuff up. I said, ‘Hell yeah, I want to do that.’ Then he says, ‘And guess what? You get to jump out of planes too.’ I said, ‘Where do I sign?’”
His teammate, Staff Sgt. Castillo, brings his own brand of quiet determination to the team.
“I’m from Chicago,” Castillo said. “I started to have a family and just wanted a better life for them.”
Castillo, a seasoned 12B combat engineer, says it’s the people that make the job worthwhile. “What I like most about my job is the soldiers—dealing with the soldiers. I don’t like to just lead with the rank on my chest. I lead with my heart and what I feel is best for them.”
Somerville and Castillo have been preparing for the competition for months.
“My partner is an animal, so I feel like we’ve got the best odds coming into the competition,” Castillo said.
The pair were selected after a brigade-level tryout, earning the top two spots.
“I feel like I’ve got something you can’t teach,” Castillo said. “I definitely got heart.”
Somerville has heart, but he also has humor and a score to settle.
“My old first sergeant—1st Sgt. Ferguson—I saw his name on the list. He’s with 27th Engineer Battalion at Fort Bragg,” Somerville said with a grin. “I’m coming for you, 1st Sgt. Ferguson.”
Whether they win or lose, the Sapper team from the 173rd Airborne Brigade embodies the spirit of the competition.
“We’re all fighting the same fight,” Somerville said. “This is where I belong.”
The 173rd Airborne Brigade serves as the U.S. Army’s Contingency Response Force in Europe, postured to respond rapidly to crises across the United States European, African, and Central Command theaters. Stationed across Italy and Germany, the brigade consistently trains alongside NATO allies and partners, reinforcing collective defense and enhancing interoperability throughout the alliance.
(U.S. Army video by Capt. Jennifer French)
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