Photos by Staff Sgt. Chad Menegay, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
Soldiers prepare to fire M4 carbines and M9 pistols for the stress shoot event as part of the Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 2, 2019, at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center in Chillicothe, Ohio. The objective of the competition was to determine the best, most competent Soldier and noncommissioned officer to represent the state in the Army National Guard Region IV BWC, scheduled for May 7-10 at Fort Custer Training Center near Augusta, Michigan.
Ohio Army National Guard’s top Soldier, NCO named during State Best Warrior Competition
Story by Staff Sgt. Chad Menegay, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (03/03/19)
Staff Sgt. George B. Davis, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
Sgt. Whitney Schalk, a heavy vehicle driver with the 1483rd Transportation Company out of Walbridge, Ohio, earned the title of Noncommissioned Officer of the Year and Spc. Adam Pinkerton, an infantryman with Company D, 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment out of Sandusky, Ohio, was named Soldier of the Year during the 2019 Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center.
“While the purpose of the Best Warrior Competition may be to determine who the best Soldier and best NCO in the state are, there is also camaraderie developed and to have the MSCs (major subordinate commands) kind of get to know each other and to have fun,” said Sgt. Major Craig Murray, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) operations sergeant major.
Junior NCOs from across the 37th IBCT hosted and planned this year’s competition. “It’s designed by junior NCOs and Soldiers for junior NCOs and Soldiers,” Murray said.
The competition featured the following events: weapons stress shoot, land navigation course, personal appearance board, physical fitness test and various Army warrior tasks, which are common skills that all Soldiers train on like first aid, voice and radio communications, and individual movement techniques during combat scenarios.
“Some of the more physically demanding events that lead into other physically demanding challenges were especially difficult, such as pulling a dummy on a SKED (a sled/skid plastic stretcher that is moved by dragging it across the ground), then going to do a weapons qualification,” Pinkerton said. “You get exhausted after that and really have to focus on the task at hand.”
Schalk, of Defiance, Ohio and Pinkerton, of Tallmadge, Ohio, competed against about 20 other Soldiers representing every Ohio Army National Guard major subordinate command across the state.
“I want Soldiers to come away with camaraderie,” Murray said. “I want them to come home tired and feel like they did something to be proud of. It’s easy to get pigeonholed into your own company. The BWC allows Soldiers to see other units in the state, every MOS (military occupational specialty), every MSC, every region of the state, and just talking to them, sharing some experiences and having fun.”
In addition to shared experiences from across the state, the 2019 OHARNG BWC went international for the first time in its history as two members of the Hungarian Defence Forces competed as part of an Ohio National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) exchange, with HDF Master Sgt. István Fésűs placing first in the shooting portion of the competition. Ohio and Hungary have been paired since 1993 through the Department of Defense SPP, which aims to foster civil-military relationships between U.S. National Guard states and militaries from nearly 80 nations around the world.
The next step for the BWC winners is the Army National Guard Region IV Best Warrior Competition May 7-10 at Fort Custer Training Center near Augusta, Michigan. There, state winners (or alternates/runners-up, if winners cannot compete for whatever reason) from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin will vie for recognition as the best, most competent National Guard Soldiers in the Midwest.
Sgt. Whitney Schalk (left), a heavy vehicle driver with the 1483rd Transportation Company out of Walbridge, Ohio, earned the title of Noncommissioned Officer of the Year and Spc. Adam Pinkerton, an infantryman with Company D, 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment out of Sandusky, Ohio, was named Soldier of the Year during the 2019 Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 2-3, 2019, at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center near Chillicothe, Ohio. Category winners move on to compete in the Army National Guard Region IV BWC, scheduled for May 7-10 at Fort Custer Training Center near Augusta, Michigan.
Sgt. Zachary Smith, a combat medic with the Ohio Army National Guard Medical Detachment in Columbus, Ohio, completes a pushup during the physical fitness event as part of the Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 3, 2019, at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Sgt. William Collins, a training noncommissioned officer with Company B, 237th Support Battalion out of Youngstown, Ohio, shoots an azimuth during the land navigation event as part of the Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 2, 2019, at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Sgt. Shane McGraw, a CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive) noncommissioned officer with the 52d Civil Support Team out of Columbus, Ohio, fires an M4 carbine during the stress shoot event as part of the Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 2, 2019, at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Hungarian Defence Forces Lt. Szabolcs Kocka waits for his noncommissioned officers to finish a 2-mile run during the physical fitness event as part of the Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 3, 2019, at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center in Chillicothe, Ohio. For the first time, Hungary sent two competitors to the BWC as part of its State Partnership Program pairing with the Ohio National Guard. Ohio and Hungary have been paired since 1993 under the Department of Defense program, which aims to foster civil-military relationships between U.S. National Guard states and military entities from nearly 80 nations around the world.
Staff Sgt. Vincent McNamara, a construction operations noncommissioned officer with the Camp Perry Joint Training Center, completes a 2-mile run during the physical fitness event as part of the Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 3, 2019, at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Sgt. Whitney Schalk (left), a heavy vehicle driver with the 1483rd Transportation Company out of Walbridge, Ohio, catches her breath after completing a 2-mile run during the physical fitness event as part of the Ohio Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 3, 2019, at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center in Chillicothe, Ohio. Schalk, of Defiance, Ohio, earned the title of Noncommissioned Officer of the Year with a first-place finish overall in her category.
