Photo By Maj. Bryant Wine | U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Dwayne Wilson (far left), commanding general of the Georgia Army...... read more read more
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The Georgia Army National Guard held its annual State Best Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer Competition March 20-25, 2022. Leadership announced winners of the competition at a banquet March 25 at Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Georgia.
U.S. Army Spc. Keenan Baxter won the Best Soldier Competition while Sgt. Matthew Fiore took the title of Georgia’s Best NCO.
“I told them [Baxter and Fiore] to take all this knowledge that they gained over the week and show their peers and junior soldiers on how to do all these tasks and get them prepared to do this, maybe even next year,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Logan, state command sergeant major of the Georgia Army National Guard. “Have them follow in their footsteps.”
By winning the state competition, Baxter and Fiore will represent Georgia at the Region III Best Warrior Competition in May at Camp Blanding, Florida. There, they will compete against Guardsmen from Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and the Virgin Islands.
The 2022 Georgia Best Warrior Competition comprised of 15 Soldiers and NCOs representing all five of Georgia’s brigades and major commands, including the state’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion. Competitors included:
Spc. John Dabbs, an infantryman representing 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
Sgt. James Meacham, an infantryman representing 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
Sgt. Mario Mora, an infantryman representing 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
Staff Sgt. David Dividu, an infantryman representing 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
Spc. Lisandro Padilla, an artilleryman representing 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
Spc. Cameron Wilson, a Black Hawk helicopter repairer with 78th Aviation Troop Command
Spc. Sterling Brewer, a military policeman representing 201st Regional Support Group
Sgt. Randall Brown, a military policeman representing 201st Regional Support Group
Staff Sgt. Jacob Engstrom, a parachute rigger representing 78th Troop Command
Spc. William Manning, a parachute rigger representing 78th Troop Command
Sgt. Michael McNerney, a parachute rigger representing 78th Troop Command
Spc. Skyler Steen, a parachute rigger representing 78th Troop Command
Sgt. 1st Class Corey Collins, a recruiter representing Recruiting and Retention Battalion
“This is my third year doing this as the state command sergeant major and I tell you, we get better and better, and the competitors get better and better, every year,” Logan said. “I can take any one of these young men to regionals and they will do very well.”
Baxter is a mortar infantryman assigned to the Winder-based Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He resides in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Fiore hails from Marietta, Georgia. He is a Black Hawk helicopter repairer assigned to the Marietta-based Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment, 78th Aviation Troop Command.
Both Fiore and Baxter received Georgia Commendation Medals for winning the competition in their categories.
Mora received the Chad Mercer Award for commendable performance during the competition.
The award is named in memory of Sgt. Chad Mercer, a Georgia Guardsman that competed multiple times in the State Best Warrior Competition. Mercer died in June 2005 during Operation Iraqi Freedom while assigned to 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The competition opened with participants taking the Army Combat Fitness Test at Clay National Guard Center. Immediately after, competitors flew aboard a CH-60 Chinook helicopter destined to Fort Stewart, Georgia.
At Fort Stewart, competitors faced a gauntlet of events to test warrior tasks and skills. These included: timed obstacle course, weapons familiarization and marksmanship tests, timed 12-mile road march, medical treatment lane, radio assembly, map reading test and land navigation course, water survival and swim test, and call for fire test.
After participants returned to Clay National Guard Center, they demonstrated their knowledge and presence through boards in front of Georgia’s command sergeants major to complete the competition.
The Georgia Army National Guard’s mission is to provide the governor and president with ready, resilient and relevant forces to support unified land operations at home and abroad. Best warrior competitions held from battalion to state level allow leaders to gauge mission preparedness and push formations to their limits.
Based upon the ferocity of this year’s competition, the outlook for the Georgia Army National Guard to accomplish its mission looks stronger than ever.
“We’re always relevant, we’re always ready to go,” Logan said. “Our Soldiers are ready for anything at a moment’s notice.”
| Date Taken: | 03.26.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2022 13:47 |
| Story ID: | 417245 |
| Location: | MARIETTA, GA, US |
| Hometown: | LAWRENCEVILLE, GA, US |
| Hometown: | MARIETTA, GA, US |
| Hometown: | WINDER, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 553 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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