JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — Joint Base Lewis-McChord is hosting a special week of friendly competitions and pomp and circumstance as a part of the 105th anniversary of the 7th infantry Division.
Week of the Bayonet is an annual week of heritage that recognizes the continued service of today’s Bayonet Soldiers.
Week of the Bayonet features a series of team competitions, sports and other Esprite-de-Corps events that honor the historic division with a week of family-friendly team-building festivities that Major General Stephen G Smith says is vital to building a true team.
“Compete with each other and at the same time cheer each other on. We think it builds trust. It’s about teamwork. We are the trust in me division.”
Week of the Bayonet features dozens of teams competing in everything from a combatives tournament, fitness, a family fun run, flag football, softball, and cooking.
Command Sergeant Major Timothy D. Lawless admits he was eager to judge the BBQ competition but stresses that cooks are no different than the other skilled soldiers.
“It’s not just the soldier at the very tip of the spear. There’s a whole division of people supporting that soldier and it’s all one team. Everyone is just as important as everyone else," Lawless said.
The ranging competition is a constant for Week of the Bayonet and that’s intentional.
“Esprite-de-Corps comes from doing hard things together,” Lawless said.
The Seventh Infantry Division wraps up Week of the Bayonet Friday with a Patching ceremony and memorial introduction.