Ohio Army National Guard announces winners of annual Non-commissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year – Best Warrior Competition

Courtesy Photo | Staff Sgt. Keith Robinson (left), a medic with the 285th Area Support Medical Company and a Columbus, Ohio, native, recently was named Ohio Army National Guard Non-commissioned Officer of the Year, and Spc. Jeremy Stotz, a cavalry scout with Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment and a Toledo, Ohio, native, was named OHARNG Soldier of the Year. Both were winners of the challenging OHARNG Non-commissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year – Best Warrior Competition, held March 9-11, at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center. (Ohio National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Carden)  

CHILLICOTHE, OH, UNITED STATES

03.11.2012

Courtesy Story

Ohio National Guard Public Affairs

Story by Sgt. Michael Carden
196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Physical fitness, marksmanship, land navigation, military bearing, Army Warrior Task proficiency and overall soldiering knowledge are all essential components of what it takes to be the best in the Army.

At the Ohio Army National Guard Non-commissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year – Best Warrior Competition, March 9-11 at Camp Sherman Joint Training Center, soldiers and non-commissioned officers from across the state competed to find out who the best warrior indeed was.

“Being competitive in nature is what we do in the military,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Albert Whatmough, Ohio Army National Guard state command sergeant major and an Akron, Ohio, native. “Every soldier and NCO came out and represented their organization with pride. They certainly exemplified the Warrior Ethos."

“The National Guard has come a long way, in this fight in the War on Terrorism, and our role and the relevancy we play at the national level,” Whatmough said. “For the last three years in a row, the Best Warrior for the United States Army has been a selectee from the National Guard. It’s events like this one that springboard your career as an enlisted soldier.”

The competition started with the Army Physical Fitness Test, where soldiers tested their physical strength and endurance with two-minute timed events in pushups, situps and a two-mile run. From there, competitors transitioned into a live-fire range testing their rifle and pistol marksmanship proficiency.

The competitors, in helmet, body armor and full personal protective gear, had to fire their weapon and, then placing it safely down, run 50 yards with a sandbag, drop to the ground and do pushups, then carry their sandbag back to the firing line and fire again. Being graded on both time and accuracy, competitors had to balance shooting fundamentals, including regulating their breathing with an increased heart rate, with their haste to complete the task.

Soldiers and non-commissioned officers were then tested on their land navigation skills, having to plot and successfully travel to five points in succession. Once all competitors returned, they were quickly thrust into a battery of Army Warrior Tasks testing them on first aid, detainee operations, improvised explosive device identification and radio procedures. The day was capped off with a written 50-question general military knowledge test and then an appearance board where each soldier and non-commissioned officer went in front of a review board of sergeants major who questioned them on military bearing, appearance and general military knowledge.

Day two of the competition started at dawn with the last event, the ruck march, which saw competitors travel six miles on foot with a 35-pound rucksack and rifle as they attempted to finish as fast as possible, knowing that the scoring could come down to who had the best time in the final event.

At an award ceremony presided over by Whatmough, Staff Sgt. Keith Robinson, a medic with the 285th Area Support Medical Company and a Columbus, Ohio, native, was named OHARNG Non-commissioned Officer of the Year, and Spc. Jeremy Stotz, a cavalry scout with Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment and a Toledo, Ohio, native, was named OHARNG Soldier of the Year.

Both said they were excited about representing Ohio against other Midwestern state winners at the Army National Guard Region 4 Soldier and Non-commissioned Officer of the Year competition in May, at Camp Grayling, Mich. They also said they appreciated the opportunity to compete against the best.

“People don’t look at medics as someone who can go out and hump it.” Robinson said. “I wanted to represent my unit and show we could go out and do it.”

Both winners said they had trained extensively leading up to the competition. Stotz was training a minimum of five times a week to get in the necessary physical shape for the grueling competition as well as reviewing as much of his soldier skills as he could. Robinson’s unit leadership conducted mock boards for him, which he attributed to helping prepare himself mentally for the competition.

“It’s hard to get back in the mindset of the military sometimes from a civilian life,” Robinson said. “If you want to succeed in this career, you have to be able to do that.”

Several sergeants major, who were there to observe and cheer on their soldiers and non-commissioned officers in the competition, said they noticed the effort and the professional pride exhibited by all the competitors involved.

“It’s about the soldiers’ individual excellence,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Steve Shepherd, command sergeant major of the 16th Engineer Brigade and a Gahanna, Ohio, native. “There are over 11,000 Army National Guard soldiers in the state of Ohio. To be out here competing with 12 or 15 of your peers, to get to this level, and then to be No. 1 in the state, not too many people get the opportunity to do that.”

While the statewide Best Warrior Competition is the culminating event of this year’s Non-commissioned officer/Soldier of the Year competitions that began at the unit and battalion levels, it is really just a continuation of a cycle, Shepherd added, one that continues to foster professionalism and excellence across the Ohio National Guard.

“The takeaway is for the soldiers who have competed, to take it back to their units, share it with young soldiers, young NCOs and give them the tools to come out here and compete next year and take it to a whole different level,” Shepherd said.

• Date Taken: 03.11.2012
• Date Posted: 04.27.2012 18:01
• Story ID: 87494
• Location: CHILLICOTHE, OH, US