The Protector

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin John | Staff Sgt. Landon Nordby, a military police officer and a ranger with the 200th Military Police Command, cools down and catches his breath after the 2-mile run for the Army Physical Fitness Test during the 2014 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, June 23. Forty-two warrior-citizens from across the U.S. have come to compete in the USARC BWC, a multi-day training event designed to challenge participating Soldiers’ physical, mental and tactical abilities to determine the best qualifying Soldier and noncommissioned officer for advancement to the Department of the Army BWC. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Benjamin W. John)  

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, UNITED STATES

06.25.2014

Story by Sgt. Benjamin John 

U.S. Army Reserve Command

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - Comic book heroes stand for greatness. Some are driven by their past. Some are driving by their training. Some are driven by traumatic events. All are protectors of those around them.

“I love protecting,” said Staff Sgt. Landon Nordby. “I care for people and that's what drives my military career. My favorite comic book character is Snake Eye from G.I. Joe”

In his civilian life, Nordby is a security supervisor for Section 8 housing complex in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The complex is in a rough neighborhood and crime is common.

“I get to run around and fight crime,” said Nordby with excitement. “Many of my days at work I have to react under pressure and the Army has helped me with that.”

If Nordby was a character in the comic books he read as a child, he would be a member of G.I. Joe. The broad-shouldered Nordby stands almost 6'2 and carries himself like like a real American hero.

Right now, Nordby is competing in the 2014 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

He is challenging 41 other Soldiers in events that tests their skills. They are all trying to come out on top as the Best Warrior. The competition calls upon all skills and abilities a "Joe" is required to have.

Nordby is a warrior that has fought evil in Iraq, Africa and Afghanistan. He did his job so well that one of the "Top Joes" took notice and personally recommended him for Ranger school.

Commanding Gen. David Petraeus "Top Joe" is one of the few people that has seen Nordby in action when he was a part of the protective service detail in Iraq. He impressed Petraeus so much, he was personally selected to join his protective service detail in Afghanistan as a member of the International Security Assistance Force protecting the general.

Ranger school updated Nordby's fighting skills and brought him into the ranks of squad leader. His duties as a military police officer, with the 79th Military Police Company out of Wabasha, Minnesota, are to train new recruits into becoming a "Joe" like him.

We all look up to someone or something in life. The childhood dream of becoming a hero to others is Nordby's. Living by the Army values and being a warrior-citizen comes natural to him and the Best Warrior Competition is the perfect fit to test his abilities.

However, he said becoming a Best Warrior and a hero isn't just about physical stamina, it's also about overcoming the mental challenges like board appearances and written exams. And knowing is half the battle.

• Date Taken: 06.25.2014
• Date Posted: 06.25.2014 23:51
• Story ID: 134454
• Location: JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US
• Hometown: MINNEAPOLIS, MN, US
• Hometown: ST. JAMES, MN, US