Photo By Spc. Jack Schave | Army National Guard Service Members complete the 12-mile foot march and pose for a...... read more read more
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FORT McCOY, Wis. -- Fourteen Army National Guardsmen competed in the 2025 Region IV Best Warrior Competition here April 30 - May 3. The seven Noncommsioned Officers (NCOs) and seven Soldiers represented Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. They put their Soldier skills to the test for the opportunity to advance to the national level.
The four-day event challenged the Guardsmen, pushing them to their limits while measuring their proficiency in warrior skills, military procedures, physical fitness, and mental fortitude. To earn a place in the regional competition, each Service Member first competed in and won at their respective state-level competitions.
Michigan Army National Guard Spc. Logan J. Rutledge, an infantryman with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 38th Infantry Division was named Region IV Soldier of the Year.
Wisconsin Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Brandon M. Byrne, a recruiting and retention NCO with Alpha Company, Recruiting and Retention Battalion was named the Region IV NCO of the Year.
Runners up for Soldier and NCO of the Year respectively were Minnesota Army National Guard Spc. Daniel P. Whited, an infantryman with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 194th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division; and Illinois Army National Guard Sgt. Luke A. Birtch, a combat medic NCO with the Illinois Army National Guard's Joint Force Medical Detachment.
Participants were evaluated on their proficiency in the Army Combat Fitness Test; M4 rifle, M17 pistol and M249 squad automatic weapon qualification; a weapons assembly during a secret event; an appearance board; day and night land navigation; Army warrior tasks; combat water survival training; a call-for-fire scenario; a written exam; a confidence course; and a 12-mile foot march.
Maj. Gen. Matthew Strub, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, spoke about what it means to compete.
“This is a grueling competition for many many reasons,” Strub said. “representing your units, your states is remarkable… know you've gone further than you thought you could before.”
Strub also highlighted the hardships competitors went through.
“This is about building endurance,” Strub continued. “As we build for potential large-scale combat operations, a fight that we hope we never have to do. This grit you went through, is going to be what it takes.”
Rutledge, the 2025 Region IV Soldier of the Year, demonstrated his endurance and expressed his love of competitiveness and the training.
“I’m happy to take the good memories with me, with fellow Soldiers from the midwest,” Rutledge said. “The call-for-fire was something new I learned, it’s a basic skill but it's great to revisit the basics.”
Byrne, the 2025 Region IV NCO of the Year, expressed a similar passion for training and comradery, as well as a chance to ‘get out of the office.’
“I wanted to go out and get some trigger time, to be back in the field,” Byrne said. “You miss that, you miss the time with the guys.”
Byrne and Rutledge expressed their excitement to compete at nationals.
“I am excited to become a more lethal Soldier, to be better at my job, and to get tested and prove myself,” Rutledge said.
Byrne shared Rutledge’s sentiment.
“To be able to represent Wisconsin, at such a high level, is so cool,” he said.
Byrne and Rutledge will compete in the 2025 National Guard Bureau’s Best Warrior Competition, scheduled for July 11-20 in Maryland.
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.03.2025 22:48 |
| Story ID: | 496932 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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