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 Seaman Lucas Krug, Seaman Apprentice Braxton Overby, Seaman Apprentice Soley Reed, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jahlena Riveraroyer

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Daily Operations Aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77)

Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet

March 31, 2026 | 1:25

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. (March 31, 2026) Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) conduct underway operations in preparation for deployment as the ship departs Naval Station Norfolk. The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group departed Naval Station Norfolk on March 31, 2026, for a regularly scheduled deployment. The strike group, comprised of nearly 5,000 Sailors, provides combatant commanders and America's civilian leaders increased capacity to underpin American security and economic prosperity, deter adversaries, and project power on a global scale through sustained operations at sea. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Soley Reed, Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Janae Townsend, Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Lucas Krug, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jahlena Rivera-Royer, and Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Braxton Overby)