FORT LEE, Va., - Two Army National Guardsmen are among the 24 best non-commissioned officers and Soldiers participating in the Army’s Best Warrior Competition here this week.
Staff Sgt. Adam Little of Michigan, Army Sgt. Larry Isbell of Oklahoma and the other competitors will be pushed to their limits in the competition, which includes land navigation, day and night weapons firing, physical fitness, common Soldier tasks and Army knowledge.
The competitors come from several Army commands, including the Army Reserve and Army Guard, and the top NCO and the top Soldier will be announced at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting and exposition in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 25.
The two Army Guardsmen agreed that making it to the final competition is amazing.
“It feels great to have come this far,” Little said. “Back when we started this over a year ago, I never thought I’d be standing here with so many great Soldiers from across the Army. It really is an amazing experience.”
“I feel absolutely amazing knowing that I’ve made it this far,” Isbell said. “Now that I’m here, it’s good to know that this is the last competition.”
Little said he spent many long days preparing for the competition.
“I’d come in to work early everyday to work out, so I could increase my physical fitness,” he said. “And in the evenings, my wife, who was just amazing, would help me study in preparation for the [sergeant major] boards.”
Little, who was the top NCO from the Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., this year, said since his win he spent a lot of time recovering and also tailored his workout based upon the events scheduled for this competition.
“I try to keep a balance between my training and my family life,” he added.
Isbell, who was the top Soldier in the Army Guard competition, said he also spent a lot of time in physical training and studying.
“I have a really good work out partner who really pushes me to be better,” he said. “It’s been hard being away from my wife and family, but they understand that I need to train for each competition, and they support me, so I’m pretty blessed in that situation.”
Both Little and Isbell said that are proud to represent the Guard here.
“Representing the Army National Guard is a tremendous honor,” said Little. “It means so much, and it has been a motivator not only in my training, but also during the events in each competition.”
Isbell said he has been humbled by the experience “and to be put forward is quite a major honor. I doubt that I’m the absolute best, but it feels good to have been chosen to represent such a large organization.”
They said they also feel like role models for other Soldiers.
“As an NCO, I’ve always felt that it was my mission to ensure that Soldiers were properly trained and ready,” said Little, “but now that I’ve made it this far I feel like more Soldiers will look to me, so the size of my responsibilities have become greater, I think.
“The two of us here, we both want to do our best and represent the Guard against the other 22 active duty Soldiers, and I feel like we are on par with them.”