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Montgomery, Ala. – For a second consecutive year, the Alabama National Guard will be showcasing the highest levels of military discipline, strength, and dedication at the National Best Warrior Competition. This time, however, two soldiers are set to represent the state of Alabama at the national level.
After a stellar performance at the 2025 Region III Best Warrior Competition in South Carolina, two Alabama National Guardsmen, Spc. Jaden Hughes and Staff Sgt. Nathanael Sanders are prepared to push themselves even further.
Region III includes the National Guards most southeastern states and two territories, with one junior enlisted Soldier and one noncommissioned officer (NCO) each competing from Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Best Warrior Competition is a series of intensive physical, mental, and strategic tasks that test an individual’s military knowledge, strength, endurance, and lethality. The competition escalates from a state-level event to the regional and national competitions with only one Soldier and one NCO advancing from each stage.
After winning the Soldier category for Region III, Hughes, who serves full-time with the 731st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, recalled, “I was at the awards ceremony last year and I remember thinking, that’s going to be me next year.”
Hughes did just that and this year he was the one on stage accepting an award.
Originally, Hughes earned the Region III top spot alongside a Florida National Guard NCO, Sgt. Matthew Golden.
However, due to a schedule conflict, Golden declared himself unable to attend.
Now Sanders, who finished only a few points behind is slated to compete. Meaning, the Alabama National Guard is preparing to send two competitors to this year's competition.
Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Elmore, the Command Sergeant Major of the Alabama Army National Guard, said this achievement is unique.
“I won’t say it hasn’t happened before, but I can’t remember one state ever sending two competitors to the national competition before,” Elmore said. “It says a lot about the level of training going on in Alabama right now and the NCOs who are leading the way.”
Sanders, a member of 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), was a fierce competitor and took gold in the German Armed Forces Marksmanship Badge event during regionals.
“I realize how fortunate I am to be presented with this opportunity, considering that this is a second chance for me after placing second at the Region III competition” Sanders said.
“At nationals, I carry the weight of representing not only the state of Alabama, but also the NCOs I competed against.” Sanders continued, “They were some of the finest soldiers I have had the privilege of meeting as well as the toughest competitors I have had the honor of facing. I owe it to them to perform at the highest level I can going forward.”
Hughes explained, “Sanders and I were constantly in each other's ear during events, motivating each other during the PT test, calling each other’s shots during shooting, or walking through steps on weapons or medical skills together.”
Sanders spoke on the bond they forged by saying, “We kept each other focused and motivated for the next event, regardless of how it seemed we were performing.”
They added that they plan to bring this support and brotherhood into nationals.
The pair will be following in the footsteps of Staff Sgt. Kirt Finnell, an Alabama National Guardsman who won “NCO of the Year” at the National Best Warrior Competition in 2024. Earlier this year, the Alabama National Guard’s competition marksmanship team won the 2025 U.S. Army Small Arms Championship, which Elmore said further proves Alabama’s soldiers as elite, ready, and lethal.
“Alabama’s been in the spotlight a lot lately,” Elmore said, “but that [Small Arms Championship] was also the tenth year in a row a National Guard team has won. It speaks volumes about the dedication of these part-time Soldiers that they keep performing at the very highest military levels.”
Hughes said the competition is the pinnacle of a lifetime of preparation.
“It’s been very rewarding growing up here in Alabama,” Hughes said. “I’ve been here my whole life and I just want to make everyone proud. This isn’t just for me, it's for the entire state.”
As Hughes and Sanders prepare to head into the national spotlight, they do so with experience, confidence, and the full support of their state and their Alabama National Guard family.
The 2025 National Best Warrior Competition will take place in July and culminate in a squad of Guardsmen selected to compete against the best of the Active Duty U.S. Army.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2025 11:03 |
| Story ID: | 496822 |
| Location: | MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Two Alabama National Guardsmen Set to Advance to National Best Warrior, by SGT Lisa Arnett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
