SD Guard Soldier wins Region VI Best Warrior Competition

Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army Spc. Bailey Ruff, Detachment 2, 842nd Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard, left middle, receives the 2018 Soldier of the Year Award at the Army National Guard Region VI Best Warrior Competition at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, May 17, 2018. The Region VI BWC was a four-day competition that tests Soldiers' mental and physical toughness through a series of events that demonstrate technical and tactical proficiency to determine the top Soldier and Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year in the region. The competitors represent the top Soldiers from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.  

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, UNITED STATES

05.23.2018

Story by Staff Sgt. Austin Pearce  

South Dakota National Guard Public Affairs   

A South Dakota Army National Guard Soldier was named the 2018 Soldier of the Year in the Army National Guard Region VI Best Warrior Competition at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, May 17.

Spc. Bailey Ruff, of Sturgis, and a member with the Sturgis-based Detachment 2, 842nd Engineer Company, competed against the top Soldiers from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming in a four-day competition that tested them physically and mentally, while their knowledge and skill sets were assessed in a high-stress environment to become this year’s regional Soldier of the Year.

“We set the goal to have our Soldiers compete at a high level at the regional competition every year; this year, we finally met that goal and Ruff exceeded our expectations,” said State Command Sgt. Maj. James Hoekman, the SDNG’s senior enlisted leader. “The adjutant general’s vision is to be the most professional, competent and reliable Guard organization in the nation and this victory falls right into that vision. We strive for excellence and to be in a position to be number one and Ruff put us in that category.”

Ruff is the first Soldier from South Dakota to win Soldier of the Year in the Region VI Best Warrior Competition since regionals began in 2011.

“Ruff’s success at regionals not only speaks highly of himself, but also of the quality of Soldiers and NCOs in the 842nd Engineer Company – who really are the best in the state,” said 1st Sgt. Nathan Hedin, senior NCO of the 842nd. “The 842nd has sent three of the last four competitors to the regional competition and it’s truly an honor and privilege to be able to lead Soldiers like Ruff that show such dedication and determination to our organization.”

The competitors were asked to demonstrate their proficiency in a variety of categories, to include: weapon systems, physical strength and endurance, land navigation and map reading, first aid, general Army knowledge and their ability to perform a variety of warrior tasks and battle drills throughout different scenarios.

“It’s crazy humbling to be selected as Soldier of the Year in our region,” said Ruff. “The guys that I was going against were the best of the best; they were tough competition and I was honored to be in their presence, let alone to come away with the victory and represent South Dakota in a positive way.”

Ruff will move on to represent South Dakota and Region VI in the National Guard Best Warrior Competition scheduled for July 23-27 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. The winner of nationals will go on to compete in the U.S. Army Best Warrior Competition slated for this fall.

“The main thing I look forward to with nationals is representing South Dakota most of all,” said Ruff. “Going in, I think I was overlooked because I’m a generator mechanic competing against infantry personnel, so I want to continue representing our state well.”

• Date Taken: 05.23.2018
• Date Posted: 05.23.2018 15:15
• Story ID: 278142
• Location: JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US