Ohio National Guard News
State's top Soldiers,
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Some of the best Soldiers from across Ohio gathered at Camp Ravenna to test their warrior skills in the 2016 Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition. READ STORY |
Command Sgt. Maj. Rodger M. Jones (right), state command sergeant major, presents Staff Sgt. Matthew Paul, a chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear (CBRN) specialist with the 637th Chemical Company, with a trophy after Paul won the Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition in the noncommissioned officer category March 19, 2016, at Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center in Newton Falls, Ohio. The top Soldier and noncommissioned officer from each brigade in the state faced off in a two-day competition to see who would take home the title of “Best Warrior.” (Staff Sgt. Michael Carden)
Command Sgt. Maj. Rodger M. Jones (right), state command sergeant major, presents Spc. Matthew Allen, an infantryman with Troop C, 2nd Squadron,107th Cavalry Regiment, with a trophy after Allen won the Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition in the enlisted category March 19, 2016, at Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center, near Newton Falls, Ohio. The top Soldier and noncommissioned officer from each brigade in the state faced off in a two-day competition to see who would take home the title of “Best Warrior.” (Staff Sgt. Michael Carden)
Spc. Ryan Acker, of the 1487th Transportation Company, checks his bearings March 19, 2016, during the land navigation portion of the Ohio Army National Guard’s Best Warrior Competition held at Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center in Newton Falls, Ohio. Acker came in second in the enlisted competition. (Staff Sgt. Michael Carden)
A Soldier engages targets with an M-4 carbine during a stress shoot. (Staff Sgt. George B. Davis)
Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Paul, of the 637th Chemical Company, grits his teeth in effort. (Staff Sgt. George B. Davis)
Spc. Taylor England, an information systems analyst with 73rd Troop Command, plots her route on a map.
(Staff Sgt. Michael Carden)
Spc. Matthew Allen, of Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment, sorts through weapons components.
(Staff Sgt. Michael Carden)
Spc. Mark Slone of the 1194th Engineer Company applies a tourniquet to a simulated casualty. (Staff Sgt. Michael Carden)
Spc. Ryan Acker, of the 1487th Transportation Company, seats the barrel of the M2 .50-caliber machine gun. (Staff Sgt. Michael Carden)
NEWTON FALLS, Ohio — Ten competitors representing the “best and brightest” of the Ohio Army National Guard met March 18-19 at Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center to determine the State’s Best Warriors.
After a grueling 24-hour competition, eight events, and much effort, the winners were announced to cheers and applause. Spc. Matthew Allen, an infantryman with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment, won the enlisted competition, while Staff Sgt. Matthew Paul, a chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear (CBRN) specialist with the 637th Chemical Company, won the noncommissioned officer division.
“You see the best and brightest,” said Command Sgt. Maj. William Workley, 73rd Troop Command brigade sergeant major and one of the competition’s organizers. “It really shows the core of what our Soldiers are.”
Competitors started the weekend with a written test and an appearance board before a panel of sergeants major where they were questioned on several topics including regulations, protocol and military procedures. The next morning started before dawn, where their physical fitness was tested before heading straight into the marksmanship event. Land navigation followed immediately, forcing competitors to slog through the northeastern Ohio hills and wetlands. An 8.5-mile road march came next for the competitors, who were laden down with body armor, helmet and a 35-pound rucksack..
“Just keep moving forward,” said Allen, who came in second in the ruck march but won the overall enlisted competition. “Don’t ever give up. I tried to maintain a positive attitude the whole time, even when I didn’t think I was doing so well.”
Rounding out the competition were weapons assembly and medical skills testing. Soldiers had to treat a casualty and call for medical evacuation, then sort out the correct pieces of four different weapons systems from a pile and assemble them properly.
The two winners will go on to represent Ohio at the upcoming regional competition this May, where they will face the winners of six other states.
“There’s a lot of pride and humility, being judged by your peers and seniors,” Paul said. “At the time it can be pretty intimidating, but that’s where you find your strength.”
