CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, N.Y. – After four days of physically demanding tasks, mental challenges and military skill assessments, a cavalry scout and infantryman earned top honors in this year’s New York Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition.
Spc. Christian Habecker, a member of Bravo Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, took the Best Warrior title in the junior enlisted category. Habecker, 21, enlisted in the Army in 2023 and lives in Houghton, N.Y. As a civilian, Habecker works as a powerline tree trimmer.
Staff Sg. Alejandro Sanchez Mendez, a member of Charlie Company of the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, was named Best Warrior in the non-commissioned officer category. Sanchez Mendez, 40, lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in 2018.
He graduated from the Army Mountain Warfare School at Camp Ethan Allen, Vt., and the Brazilian Jungle Warfare School International Jungle Operations Course. He completed the French Desert Commando Course and the Norwegian Foot March while deployed to the Horn of Africa with Joint Task Force Wolfhound in 2022-2023.
As a civilian, Sanchez Mendez is a carpenter. In 2021, he received the American Legion Spirit of Service Award for his volunteer efforts to help rebuild homes and schools destroyed in natural disasters.
Habecker and Sanchez Mendez will represent New York at the northeast states regional competition in Pembroke, N.H., from May 19-23. The winners from that competition will advance to the national level to vie for best in the Army National Guard.
In 2024, New York Army National Guard Sgt. Peter Fillion, who is also a member of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry, won the national Best Warrior competition in the junior enlisted category.
Habecker said the competition gave him a clearer sense of his limits and how far he could go beyond them.
“I came in wanting to challenge myself, and I definitely did,” he said. “Winning is an honor, but just getting through the week with this group was something to be proud of. I’m excited to represent New York at the next level.”
Sanchez Mendez said the event was a reminder of why training matters.
“This competition brings out the best in everyone,” he said. “No matter where you place, you come out of it sharper, more focused, and more connected to the team.”
The annual event brought together eight Soldiers, including two from Sweden, who competed in rigorous events designed to test their readiness, resilience and core soldiering skills.
Throughout the event, participants tackled day and night land navigation, a simulated weapons qualification course, a multi-event firing range, and a task-based round-robin covering everything from casualty care to tactical movement.
Participants also stood before a board of senior enlisted leaders to test their knowledge, bearing and professionalism.
The competitors also competed to earn the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge. This test, administered by German officers assigned to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, included a 100-meter swim, pistol qualification, a timed sprint, flexed arm hang and a 12-mile ruck march under full load.
Fillion, the 2024 Best Warrior Winner, took part in this event and won the gold medal, said Sgt. 1st Class James Monetsano, the Best Warrior NCOIC.
Six Soldiers represented units across New York. They won their battalion competitions before competing at the brigade level for the right to compete statewide.
Sgt. Alexandro Dierdonne, a member of Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Regiment, said he had been looking forward to the competition.
“It is definitely a goal to strive for, winning the Best Warrior,” he said.
Other competitors in the 2025 Best Warrior Competition were Spc. Brian Ciarlante, a member of the 1108th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company; Staff Sgt. Daulton Bull, a member of the 1108th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company; and Sgt. David Amendola, a member of the 442nd Military Police Company.
Swedish Army Pvt. Jesper Andersson and Cpl. Simon Drie Runnander, members of Sweden’s First Brigade, also competed in the event as part of the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program.
The program, launched in 2024 between New York and Sweden, aims to strengthen multinational collaboration and improve operational readiness through shared training.
“This has been one of the toughest training experiences I’ve ever done, but also one of the most rewarding,” Drie Runnander said. “Working side by side with American Soldiers pushed me outside my comfort zone. I’ve learned a lot that I’ll take back to Sweden.”
Eric Durr and Stephanie Butler assisted with this story.