ARLINGTON, Va. - In the early morning hours of Aug. 5, 14 Army National Guard Soldiers from ten states began the first full day of the 2011 Army National Guard’s Best Warrior Competition at the Warrior Training Center, Fort Benning, Ga.
At about 5 a.m. the competitors donned their physical fitness uniforms and hit the asphalt as fellow Soldiers, cadre and spectators arrived at a track and field area near the training center to kick off the day with the Army Physical Fitness Test, consisting of pushups, sit-ups and a two-mile timed run.
This was just the beginning of what would become three physically challenging and mentally exhausting days for them. After in-processing and orientation, the Soldiers begin the competition with a written exam and essay the day before the AFPT.
The Soldiers are not only competing to be the Army Guard Soldier and noncommissioned officer of the Year, but the two winners will have earned the honor of representing the National Guard at the Department of Army’s Best Warrior competition scheduled for this fall.
To ensure the best of the best are selected, the 14 Soldiers had to win at local, state and regional levels in order to make it to this point, thus beginning a long journey to ultimately be crowned best warrior.
“You’re not here to compete. You’re here to win!” said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Burch, command sergeant major of the Army National Guard.
Burch said the BWC validates the professionalism of Army National Guard Soldiers.
“As the Soldiers compete… at the regional levels, we’re identifying those Soldiers who have stood out throughout the course of their pursuit of best warrior title, he said.
“We’ve found the Soldiers who are the best of the best within the states, … who have the drive and determination to meet whatever challenge it is, to not accept defeat, and to continue to move forward through levels of competition.”
This year’s competition had at least two returning competitors. Army Sgt. Guy Mellor, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, Utah National Guard, who won Soldier of the Year here in 2009 and Army Sgt. Joel Erickson, Detachment 1, 188th Engineer Battalion, North Dakota National Guard was a Region VI Soldier of the Year winner in 2007.
Erickson admitted that being a previous competitor gave him a feel for what the competition would look like and what areas he would need to work on.
Though it would seem an advantage to have already competed at the national level, Burch said the courses have enough variety built in to challenge every Soldier.
“The Soldiers are kept on their toes,” he said.
“It’s not like a cookie cutter approach is taken. A Soldier cannot make it from the unit level all the way to the national level studying the same things, doing the same things over and over.”
The big challenge for Guard members is the time commitment.
National Guard members often have to balance their military duties with their civilian lives, to include full-time jobs, raising families and going to college. Now, add to the mix Mother Nature’s surprises.
For Erickson and Army Spc. Lindberg, of the 817th Engineer Company, North Dakota Guard, they have their regular lives, BWC training and the added challenge of assisting with the historic flooding this spring throughout their state.
Lindberg said it has been difficult because he attends college and had to study and train for the BWC all while with the state’s active-duty mission. He feels that even though it cut into his training, study time and regular job, he would have done it no other way.
Army Sgt. Brent Schipper, of the 263rd Army Air Missile Defense Command, South Carolina National Guard, competitor in the Soldier category, said he believes Army National Guard members have a bigger commitment toward training for the BWC than do active duty Soldiers because Guard members still have to balance their civilian jobs with their military training in most cases.
He said BWC training at the Army level becomes a Soldier’s fulltime job.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Dana Graham, 3rd Battalion, 166th Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard, had her own challenge unlike any other competitor. While she is employed full-time at her unit and doesn’t have to balance a civilian career, Graham was the only senior noncommissioned officer competing this year.
“It makes me nervous,” Graham said. “Being a senior NCO, looking like I should be able to just knock it out quicker, faster than any of them when in fact, I am just like them. [If] you don’t do it for a while, you have to retrain yourself.”
Graham said she tried to remain humble throughout the BWC.
“It’s pretty intimidating to have the rank standing next to them knowing that I should be able to execute better and I am not. We’re all on the same playing field.”
While these 14 Soldiers have been training for months and knew their strengths and weakness coming to the BWC, not all fixated on what they might not be good at.
Army Sgt. Nakomus Oliver, 2nd Battalion, 198th Combined Arms Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi National Guard, competitor for the NCO category, said it was a long journey from competition to competition to get here, but said he gave 100 percent every time.
“I really don’t have weaknesses, just areas I need to improve on,” Oliver said.
Though each came into the competition with different levels of confidence and knowledge of what to expect, Burch reminded them of how they got here.
“Have confidence in yourself,” Burch said to the competitors during their in-processing briefings. “Have confidence in your abilities because you are the best. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
- The Soldiers competing to be the National Guard’s outstanding Soldier and NCO were as follows:
Region I
- NCO – Army Sgt. Shawn Chapple, 53rd Troop Command, New York National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. James Nelson, Staff Sgt. N’Kosi Campbell, 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry, Louisiana National Guard
Region II
- NCO – Army Sgt. 1st Class Dana Graham, 3rd Battalion, 166th Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Erich Friedlein, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard
Region III
- NCO – Army Sgt. Nakomus Oliver, 2nd Battalion, 198th Combined Arms Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Brent Schipper, 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, South Carolina National Guard
Region IV
- NCO – Army Sgt. Brandon Swanson, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, 32nd Combat Brigade Team, Wisconsin National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Steven Dahl, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, 32nd Combat Brigade Team, Wisconsin National Guard
Region V
- NCO – Army Sgt. Guy Mellor, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, Utah National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Brian Wood, 35th Combat Aviation Brigade, Missouri National Guard
Region VI
- NCO – Army Sgt. Joel Erickson, Detachment 1, 188th Engineer Battalion
- Soldier – Army Spc. Ryan Lindberg, 817th Engineer Company, North Dakota National Guard
Region VII
- NCO – Army Sgt. Guy Mellor, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, Utah National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Alessandra Jacobson, 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Utah National Guard