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

Video Gallery

Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Charlotte Dudenhoeffer

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USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) steams in formation with 7th Fleet ships, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships, as U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force aircraft fly over in support of Valiant Shield 2024

USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76)

June 7, 2024 | 0:31

PHILLIPPINE SEA (June 7, 2024) The U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), steams in formation with the flagship of U.S. 7th Fleet, USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, USS Robert Smalls (CG 62), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Higgins (DDG 76) and USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), along with Japanese ships, Taigei-class attack submarine, JS Jingei (SS 515), Izumo-class helicopter carrier, JS Izumo (DDH 183), and Maya-class guided-missile destroyer, JS Haguro (DDG 180), as four F/A-18 Super Hornets attached to Carrier Air Wing 5, two U.S. Air Force (USAF) B-1 Lancer heavy bombers, four USAF F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft, four USAF F-16 Falcon fighter aircraft, two Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Mitsubishi F-2 multirole fighters, two JASDF Mitsubishi F-15 Eagle air superiority fighters, one USAF RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, and one USAF KC-46 Pegasus tanker conduct a formation fly over in support of Valiant Shield 2024 in the Philippine Sea, June 7. Exercises such as Valiant Shield allow the Indo-Pacific Command Joint Forces the opportunity to integrate forces from all branches of service and with our allies to conduct precise, lethal, and overwhelming multi-axis, multi-domain effects that demonstrate the strength and versatility of the Joint Force and our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Charlotte Dudenhoeffer)