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Approximately two years of preparation paid off for Sgt. Luke Cloward with the Utah National Guard as he won the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year category at the Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition held July 14-18 at locations throughout Maryland.
Cloward, assigned to the Utah National Guard’s the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), joined 13 other champions from the seven National Guard regions around the country to battle for the titles of Soldier and NCO of the Year.
Over the course of the five-day event, the competitors were tested on a variety of technical and tactical Soldier skills. The tested events included the Marine Combat Fitness Test, The Army Fitness Test, small arms shooting ranges, day and night land navigation, Army warrior task lanes, obstacle course, medical lanes, a presentation board, a 15-mile ruck march, and many other events designed to test their mental and physical toughness.
The competitors received a tour of the state as the contest was held at several locations throughout Maryland. Events were held near or in Baltimore at Camp Fetterd Military Reservation, Lauderick Creek Military Reservation, Blum Military Reservation, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, and the Under Armour world headquarters. For the live-fire shooting event, the competitors flew by Black Hawk helicopters to Aberdeen Proving Ground. Several events were held in the western part of the state at Sideling Hill Creek Park and Fort Frederick.
The competitors also had to deal with the complexities of competing in different terrains and in inclement weather. Rain and high humidity were a daily challenge for the competitors. Coming into the competition, Cloward felt he may have a competitive edge since he lives at a high altitude, but the humidity was an unexpected challenge for him.
“This low altitude is not necessarily advantageous in comparison to the humidity and the heat that we're dealing with out here. The humidity is definitely a challenging factor. It's pretty hot and pretty sweaty here,” said Cloward.
The weather wasn’t the only difficulty, Cloward cited the mental testing events as a significant challenge especially after being sleep deprived during the competition. Several of the events like the ruck march and kayak race that tested physical endurance were followed by events that tested mental agility to include written and memory tests.
“We are on day two or day three of about 4 hours of sleep and very tired,” said Cloward. “They want to see if a soldier can still stay mentally sharp after being physically aggressive.”
Cloward, whose military occupation is a motor vehicle operator, feels that participating in the competition and the study and discipline needed to prepare for Best Warrior has made him a better soldier. The competition has also given him training opportunities that he normally would not get due to his combat support position.
“The most exciting thing while training and competing is the military experiences that have broadened me outside the normal scope of my military occupation. I get the chance to shoot weapon systems and to train with different groups and forces that I don't normally get to train with outside of the Best Warrior Competition,” said Cloward.
Cloward is not a newcomer to best warrior competitions. Last year he represented Utah at the Region 7 Best warrior competition and placed second in the Soldier category. This year is his second year competing and his first at the NCO level. On top of his training he is also a pre-med student and studied for the MCAT while training for the regional competition.
“This is what having discipline, work ethic and a drive can do for someone,” said Master Sgt. Cole Christensen, the state training NCO with the Utah National Guard. “Sgt. Cloward is a phenomenal NCO and soldier and Luke, the person, will be successful in anything he does.”
Another highlight during the event was the camaraderie shown between the competitors.
“I think all of us have enjoyed the fact that we get called the cream of the crop, but none of us feel like it. We are out here competing for our units, for honor and pride, and we are still helping each other. That's surprising for sure, and it's really cool,” said Cloward.
The winners of this year’s Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition in the NCO and Soldier of the Year categories will be joined by the next top three competitors and compete in the U.S. Army Best Squad Competition to be held in October.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2025 18:16 |
| Story ID: | 543787 |
| Location: | ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 318 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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