Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Herschel Talley | The Nebraska National Guard hosted the Region V National Guard Best Warrior...... read more read more
The Region V Best Warrior Competition 2019 was a three-day event, May 14-16, 2019, hosted by the Nebraska National Guard, at the Greenlief Training Site, near Hastings, Nebraska. The competition challenged the best Soldiers and noncommissioned officers of the states in the region – Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas- against each other in various physical fitness challenges, weapons exercises, a 12-mile ruck march and other Army warrior tasks. The winners will move on to compete in the National Guard’s national competition later this year.
The 13 competitors in this year’s Region V Best Warrior Competition were:
NCO Category
Staff Sgt. Ryan S. Houk, Missouri Army National Guard, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1107th Theatre Aviation Support Maintenance Group
Sgt. Joel C. Murphy, Louisiana Army National Guard, DET. 2-884th Engineer Company
Sgt. Entyse Puschzuniga, Kansas Army National Guard,
Staff Sgt. Heath Richardson, Oklahoma Army National Guard
Staff Sgt. Freeman Sandquist, Nebraska Army National Guard, 209th Regional Training Institute
Enlisted Category
Spc. Brendan M. Freeman, Missouri Army National Guard, A Co., 1-138th Infantry Battalion
Spc. Hunter Haskins, Texas Army National Guard
Spc. Bryan Kummer, Nebraska Army National Guard, 623rd Engineer Company
Spc. Tylor Lawrence, Arkansas Army National Guard
Spc. Whitan D. Marshall, Louisiana Army National Guard, DET. 2-844th Engineer Company
Spc. Josue A. Olguinresendiz, Oklahoma Army National Guard
Spc. Mishael Redenbaugh, Kansas Army National Guard
DAY 1
The competition began Tuesday afternoon with the competitors weighing in and receiving their welcome and in brief from the Nebraska State Command Sgt. Maj. Marty Baker. Baker encouraged the participants to give it everything thing they had and to represent their state to the best of their ability.
“This is a competition where Soldiers come together and test their skills against each other. It’s all the battlefield skills; shoot, move and communicate,” said Baker.
Baker also added that what lay ahead for the competitors was not going to be easy.
“This is the Best Warrior Competition,” said Baker. “Not the Mediocre Warrior Competition.”
Afterwards, the competitors changed and quickly moved out to the rifle range to begin zeroing their M16 rifles and competing in their first scored event, the M9 Patton Match. Firing their pistols at the paper targets, the Soldiers were scored on accuracy and time completion. While the scores were being calculated, they attended a block of instruction on the M500 shotgun, the M203 grenade launcher, M240 machine gun which were to be utilized later in the competition.
The competitors were not finished for the night just yet. Once shuttled back from the ranges, they had to quickly change into their service uniform and present themselves for the Command Sgt. Maj.’s board. Comprised of three Command Sgt. Maj. from the states in the region, the competitors answered questions to display their knowledge of the proper wear of the dress uniform, military history, current events and military rules and regulations. The boards were an intense part of the competition leaving many competitors rattled and just hoping to move on to more physical events. That chance was to come soon enough.
DAY 2
With the competition into its second day, the Soldiers rose before the sun to begin their second day at the Greenlief Training Site’s track. Starting their first event of the day was the Army Physical Fitness Test which consisted of push-ups, sit-ups and a two mile run. After a brief break and an opportunity for a small breakfast, the competitors were at it again in the Danger 1/2 mile. The timed event required the Soldiers to first perform two leg tucks before entering the track which also included stops at other stations to perform five lunges, five power jumps, five hand release push-ups, five quadraplexes, five bent leg raises, and finishing the event with two more leg tucks. Upon completion of the Danger 1/2 Mile, with little time to think about the past events, the competitors moved on to the next event, the obstacle course.
The obstacle course boasted 17 hurdles to navigate including the rolling logs, belly crawl, swing-stop-jump, incline wall, and the island hopper. The Soldiers quickly moved from obstacle to obstacle knowing their time was critical in this scored event. After the obstacle course, the contestants loaded their packs, picked up their weapons and began the trudge out to their next station where they showed their knowledge in radios, weapons, casualty evaluation and donning a pro-mask.
The next leg for the competitors required them to trek a mile and a half further into the training site to the grenade range. There they were given seven grenade simulators to get within the minimum effective range of their targets as they moved through. Once completed, the competitors threw on their packs again and moved down for a brief lunch and then moving towards the known distance range for the M16 Pershing Match.
The M16 Pershing Match is a marksmanship competition where competitors use their skills with their M16 rifles and agility to race from the 400 meter berm to 100 meter berm to have the most accurate score on their target. As the scores were being tallied, the competitors received their next block of instruction for their most grueling event of the day, the Stress Shoot.
Utilizing the known distance range again, the Soldiers had to race through concertina wire, stop at the 300 meter berm and begin to engage their targets while M240 machine guns fired blanks besides them and the range officials threw smoke grenade to increase the competitor’s difficulty shooting. After expending their first rifle magazine, the contestant moved to the next berm, flipping a large tractor tire midway, before being to fire at their target again while the smoke and machine gun noise continued to roll over them. Once their second rifle magazine was depleted, they moved to the next berm to fire their last rifle round. They were promptly met with a canister of CS gas causing the competitors’ eyes to water and sinuses to run, as they tried to regain themselves to fire their last shot.
Then they continue to the next station, by moving 5 five gallon water jugs one hundred meters down the berm. Here, the competitors switched weapons to their M9 pistols and began shooting at swinging targets which made things more challenging. Once they finished with the pistol targets, another sprint of 200 meters was required to the next shooting lane where the competitors put their new knowledge of the M500 shotgun, M203 grenade launcher and M240 machine gun to use, firing at targets and finishing the Stress Shoot.
Once all competitors had made it through the Stress Shoot, they enjoyed their evening meal and despite being exhausted and sore from the day’s activities, still had one more event to accomplish before they could sleep, the night land navigation. The Soldiers, with their headlamps, maps and compasses, were given five points to find in the inky blackness of Greenlief Training Site before they could rest from their arduous day.
Spc. Tylor Lawrence, from the Arkansas Army National Guard’s 1036 Combat Engineers, said the night land navigation was no joke.
“I got a little turned around on land navigation and that’s usually my best one,” said Lawrence. “I think I got hit hardest on that.”
DAY 3
On the final day of the competition, the Soldiers rose before the sun to finish their last day with a twelve mile ruck march around the training site and a quiz. Loading their packs with 35 pounds, the competitors took off in the predawn light.
Spc. Bryan Kummer, representing the Nebraska National Guard’s 623rd Engineer Company, said the competition was all a challenge while trying to mentally telling himself to keep going, but the ruck march was his weakness.
“I always have a little struggle with the ruck march,” said Kummer.
Finishing the last turn of the ruck march, the competitors were met by their State Command Sgt. Maj. who grabbed their state flag and ran the last quarter mile with their state’s competitor.
Once they set their ruck sacks aside, the competitors completed their final event with a quiz and just like that the Region V Best Warrior Competition 2019 was over.
Three days of intense physical and mental challenges which lead the competitors over 30 miles around Greenlief Training Site, firing over 200 M16 rounds and 100 M9 rounds brought them to the Awards banquet.
The winners in the NCO category were First place: Staff Sgt. Ryan Houk of the Missouri Army National Guard, Second place: Staff Sgt. Freeman Sandquist of the Nebraska Army National Guard and Third place: Sgt. Colby Siegler of the Arkansas Army National Guard.
In the Enlisted Category, the winners were First place: Spc. Bryan Kummer of the Nebraska Army National Guard, Second place: Spc. Hunter Haskin of the Texas Army National Guard and Third place: Spc. Brendan Freeman of the Missouri Army National Guard.
The winners were presented with plaques declaring them the Regional Best Warriors in their category and were even present with the Sgt. Maj. of the Army’s coin presented by Command Sgt. Maj. Kannon John, the Missouri National Guard State Command Sgt. Maj.
Staff Sgt. Ryan Houk, as the winner of the NCO category, said you just have to have fun with the competition.
“The army tries to take the fun out of everything and I’m going to fight it, so I’m going to put a smile on and grit my teeth and find a way to get through it,” said Houk.
Houk added the comradery was very special in this competition.
“The competition is what a lot of people focus on, but I think the comradery was neat,” said Houk.
“To meet people from different states, to hear about their experiences; it was a neat experience.”
Spc. Kummer, the enlisted category winner, also said the comradery was his favorite part of the competition.
“I met a lot of really cool people this weekend. Hopefully keep some friendships for a while with them and I get to see their strengths and skills that they bring to the competition,” said Kummer.
“It’s just a lot of fun.”
Even the competitors who did not place said the Best Warrior Competition was something every Guardsman should try.
Sgt. Joel Muphy of the Louisiana Army National Guard placed fourth in the NCO category. Murphy said he wasn’t sure if the competition was something he wanted to do but ended up enjoying.
“I kind of got thrown into it at the battalion level, but it ended up been fun. I’m glad I did it. It’s a learning experience. It’s something that if you have the opportunity to do, it is worth trying,” said Murphy.
Spc. Lawrence, of the Arkansas Army National Guard, also placed fourth but in the enlisted category and echoed Murphy’s feelings.
“It’s fun. More people should do it and go up for it because it’s a great experience and you learn a lot,” said Lawrence.
“You never know everything and there’s always something to learn.”
The winners move on to the National Best Warrior Competition held in Oklahoma in July later this year.
| Date Taken: | 05.16.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.14.2023 04:21 |
| Story ID: | 446670 |
| Location: | HASTINGS, NE, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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