North Dakota Soldier Returns from Best Warrior Competition

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood | As part of the Army National Guard Best Warrior competition in Fort Benning, Ga., Soldiers were sent on a road march of unknown distance. Here, North Dakota Army National Guard Spc. Adam Walsvik walks up a hill during the march, which ended up covering 12 miles of road. Walsvik won a series of competitions on his way to this event, where he was named a runner-up.  

FORT BENNING, UNITED STATES

08.14.2009

Courtesy Story

North Dakota National Guard Public Affairs

FORT BENNING, Ga. — The road to the Army National Guard Best Warrior competition has ended for one North Dakota Soldier, but not without a great deal of success.

Spc. Adam M. Walsvik, of Hazen, N.D., advanced through numerous tests, interviews and physical challenges to reach the finals in the nationwide competition. The winner — Spc. Guy Mellor from Utah — was announced during the Enlisted Association National Guard of the United States Conference this week.

"We couldn't be prouder of Spc. Walsvik's accomplishments. Simply reaching this level of competition, being one of the seven best Army National Guard Soldiers in the entire United States, is a significant accomplishment. It's indicative of this young Soldier's drive and determination to be the best Soldier he can be," said State Command Sgt. Maj. Gerald Miller.

The road to the Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition was a long one. First, Walsvik competed at the company level, winning Soldier of the Year for the 188th Engineer Company (Vertical). Then, he represented the 188th at battalion level and moved on to the first phase of state-level competition at Camp Grafton Training Center, near Devils Lake, N.D., in September 2008. There, Guardsmen competed in a variety of events to test their Soldiering skills including a physical fitness test, written test, day and night land navigation tests and weapons qualification, as well as writing an essay on the Army values. The second phase came in February 2009, when Walsvik came out on top after facing a board of sergeants major asking a barrage of questions on current events, military history, maintenance, supply, military law, awards, acronyms, Army manuals, first aid and more. He was named North Dakota's Soldier of the Year during the Combined State Associations Conference banquet Feb. 21. From May 14-17, Walsvik competed in, and won, the regional Best Warrior competition in Fort Lewis, Wash.

He trained and studied along the way, and then left July 30 for Fort Benning, Ga. After a few intensive days of physical endurance tests, weapons qualification and question-answer sessions, Walsvik toured Washington, D.C., with the group of competitors and then moved on to Rochester, Minn., for the Enlisted Association National Guard of the United States Conference on Aug. 8-13.

Walsvik, the son of Dan and Sue Walsvik, of Hazen, joined the National Guard in December 2005. He earned an associate's degree in civil engineering and surveying technology from North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, N.D., and will begin working with the North Dakota Department of Transportation at the end of this summer.

Since the terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 2,800 Soldiers and more than 1,600 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. In recent months, nearly 2,000 North Dakota National Guardsmen were mobilized for flood fighting missions all across North Dakota. With a total force of about 4,400 Soldiers and Airmen, we have sufficient forces available to provide emergency response and homeland defense.

• Date Taken: 08.14.2009
• Date Posted: 08.14.2009 08:56
• Story ID: 37486
• Location: FORT BENNING, US