SMYRNA, Tenn. – The Army National Guard will find its best warriors this week in the 2022 Army National Guard’s Best Warrior Competition.
Fourteen Soldiers will battle it out to see who will earn the titles of Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year as they brave the physical and mental challenges of the competition in five locations throughout Tennessee.
The five-day competition July 25-29 includes more than 30 evaluated events, running the gamut of warfighter training from marksmanship and land navigation to urban operations, fitness assessments and combat casualty care.
“We have developed a rigorous competition that will challenge each competitor both mentally and physically through dynamic and realistic scenarios that take advantage of Tennessee’s unique training areas,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Dale Crockett, command sergeant major of the Tennessee Army National Guard.
In the end, he said, the competition is about the Army Guard’s best warriors surpassing their own strengths while inspiring other Soldiers to do the same.
“Competitions like this inspire our Soldiers to strive for excellence and to find their limits and exceed them,” Crockett said. “Tough, realistic training is critical to ensuring our Soldiers are prepared to fight and win our nation’s battles, and these highly trained and disciplined Soldiers are role models for our formations to emulate.”
The seven Soldiers and seven NCOs participating won their state’s competition and then regional contests before advancing to the national event in Tennessee.
States represented in the finals are Nebraska, Texas, Utah, New York, Maryland, West Virginia, Hawaii, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wyoming, Minnesota and Tennessee.
The winners of the Soldier and NCO of the Year categories will move on to the All-Army Best Warrior Competition later in the year.