The Washington National Guard concluded its state-level Best Warrior Competition on March 3 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord with two winners.
The Best Warrior Competition is a rigorous two-day event that evaluates soldiers across various skill sets. The challenging assessments include a simulated Army combat fitness test, a command sergeant major’s (CSM) board, an individual weapon qualification range, a stress shoot and a demanding land navigation course. The event then finishes with a 6-mile timed tactical ruck march.
Sgt. Isaac Duncan from the 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, and Specialist Zachariah Johnson from 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, 81st SBCT, emerged as the recipients of the Best Soldier and Best Non-Commissioned Officer awards.
“The most challenging portion of the competition for me was the CSM’s board,” Johnson said. “It was a little more difficult to prepare for. I had been studying for the NCO boards for a while. However, with the volume of doctrine, I felt like I was trying to drink the ocean.”
Second Lt. Joshua Peters, the project officer overseeing the competition, said notable changes were implemented this year. The stress shoot was restructured to mirror the conditions soldiers can expect at the upcoming regional competition. Furthermore, the competition was expanded to include more participants from major subordinate commands, allowing more than two soldiers per brigade to compete.
“It was a great success. It sounds like the competitors had a lot of fun,” Peters said. “The biggest takeaway, I wanted to see that they enjoyed their time, as well as find who our best warrior was.”
Duncan and Johnson will represent the Washington National Guard in the upcoming Region VI Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition this spring.
“I’m very excited to represent Claymore Company 1-161 for the regional competition,” Johnson said. “I’m currently developing my training plan and trying to make the most of the time I have before it arrives.”
The Washington National Guard is a component of the United States National Guard, with a role in safeguarding the state of Washington. Comprising both Army and Air National Guard units, its primary mission is to support and protect communities during emergencies and disasters.
Duties include disaster response, humanitarian assistance and homeland defense. The Washington National Guard currently has 8,200 personnel.
