Best Warrior

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BALTIMORE – Fourteen competitors from throughout the Army National Guard are slated to battle it out in a physically and mentally challenging five-day competition to determine the Army Guard’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the year July 14-18 in locations throughout Maryland.

Hosted by the Maryland Army National Guard the 2025 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition tests competitors on a variety of tactical and technical tasks including weapons proficiency, land navigation, emergency medical tasks, and combat casualty care. These tasks are completed over a grueling set of courses throughout the state that includes 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.

Competitors in this year’s Army Guard Best Warrior Competition include:

Soldier Category
Spc. Adam Andrews - Rhode Island
Spc. Robert Ruiz-Rhoades – Pennsylvania
Spc. Jaden Hughes - Alabama
Spc. Logan Rutledge – Indiana
Spc. Alexander Thomson – Nebraska
Spc. Canyon Blassingame - Montana
Sgt. Michael Fouts – Arizona

NCO Category
Sgt. Kristopher Piwowarczyk - New Jersey
Staff Sgt. Miles Crawford – Maryland
Staff Sgt. Nicolas White – Georgia
Staff Sgt. Brandon Byrne - Wisconsin
Sgt. Luke Entz – Nebraska
Sgt. Matthew Lee – Montana
Sgt. Luke Cloward - Utah

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Video by Chief Petty Officer Joshua Karsten

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Historic Ship Nautilus gets underway

Submarine Readiness Squadron (SRS) 32

Oct. 15, 2021 | 5:20

The 1954 Historic Ship Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, went "underway" for the first time in nearly two decades today when it left its place at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut, and was towed to nearby Naval Submarine Base New London.

There, she'll begin an estimated $36 million preservation project to ensure the National Historic Landmark will be fit to remain the centerpiece of the museum for the next 30 years.

The Nautilus preservation work will include the replacement of topside decking; the repair and painting of the hull and superstructure; inspection of internal and external tanks and voids; and upgrades to the lighting and electrical distribution. The overall project is expected to take up to eight months.

Nautilus served as an active U.S. Navy submarine for more than a quarter century before decommissioning in 1980 and, after an extensive conversion, opening as a museum ship on the Thames River waterfront in 1986.

She last left the museum moorings for preservation work in 2002.