ETHAN ALLEN FIRING RANGE, Vt. – Fourteen competitors from throughout the Army National Guard battled it out in a physically and mentally challenging five-day competition to determine the Army Guard’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the year, Aug. 4-8 at Ethan Allen Firing Range, Vermont.
Hosted by the Vermont Army National Guard, the 2024 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition tested competitors on a variety of tactical and technical tasks, including weapons proficiency, land navigation, mountaineering skills, emergency medical tasks, and combat casualty care. These tasks were completed over a grueling course that included multiple timed ruck marches and the Army Combat Fitness Test.
Winners in the competition – one Soldier and one NCO – are named the Army Guard’s Soldier and NCO of the Year and will compete in the Department of the Army Best Squad Competition this fall. Runners-up in the Best Warrior Competition fill out the Army Guard squad competing in the Best Squad Competition based on their finish in Best Warrior.
This year’s winners are Sgt. Peter Fillion, an infantryman with C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, and Staff Sgt. Kirtley Finnell, with the 20th Special Forces Group, Alabama Army National Guard. They were named the Army National Guard’s 2024 Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year and will represent the Army Guard in the Department of the Army Best Squad Competition from Sept. 29 to Oct. 10.
The pair bested 12 competitors in the 2024 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition, a physically and mentally challenging event held Aug. 4-8 at Ethan Allen Firing Range, Vermont. Runners-up in the competition will fill out the Army Guard squad that competes this fall.
Competitors in this year’s Army Guard Best Warrior Competition included:
Soldier Category
Spc. Peter Fillion, New York Army National Guard
Spc. Carter Cooper, Virginia Army National Guard
Spc. Noah Green, Tennessee Army National Guard
Spc. Tevin Kenton, Wisconsin Army National Guard
Spc. Trace Thompson, Missouri Army National Guard
Spc. Adam Broden, Montana Army National Guard
Spc. Andrew Nakamura, Hawaii Army National Guard
NCO Category
Sgt. Chadwick Larter, Massachusetts Army National Guard
Staff Sgt. Alexander Wilkinson-Johnson, Maryland Army National Guard
Staff Sgt. Kirtley Finnell, Alabama Army National Guard
Sgt. Lucas Peterson, Iowa Army National Guard
Staff Sgt. Brock Wilson, Oklahoma Army National Guard
Sgt. Hunter Grunhurd, Montana Army National Guard
Staff Sgt. Caden Biddinger, Utah Army National Guard