The Connecticut National Guard hosted its annual Best Warrior Competition at various training sites around the state March 25-29, 2026.
At the end of the competition, 2nd Lt. Luis Rodriguez-Veras from the 192nd Military Police Company, Sgt. Nicholas Cody from the 192nd Engineer Battalion, and Spc. Anthony Delia, also from the 192nd Engineers, were named the 2026 officer, non-commissioned officer, and soldier of the year for winning the competition in their respective category.
This was the first year the Connecticut National Guard authorized officers to participate in the annual training event.
While this was the first Best Warrior for most of these competitors, this year’s event was something of a redemption tour for Cody, who was competing for the third year in a row.
When asked about why he chose to compete again, this is what he had to say: “Because I didn’t win the first two. There are really two ways of doing something, the right way or again. I didn’t do it right the first two times, so I ended up doing it again. The third time’s the charge as they say.”
This stalwart dedication to pushing to be the best version of yourself is something that runs deep within the competitors in Connecticut. Sergeant Matthew Hallgren is also a third time competitor. In 2024 and 2025, he was crowned Soldier of the year and represented Connecticut in the regional competition with other New England soldiers, but fell short of earning a spot in the national competition. When asked why he wanted to do it again, he said, “I won it twice as a junior soldier, this year I want to win it as an NCO.”
In total, eighteen soldiers participated in this year's event. That number is a stark increase from the seven competitors who competed a few years ago when Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur Fredericks first took over as the Connecticut National Guard's senior enlisted advisor.
Fredericks saw the competition dying and worked on developing ways to increase interest among the troops in the Connecticut Guard to maximize participation. To do this, he added events like the Norwegian Ruck March and the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, allowing participants to earn some impressive hardware for their uniforms, even if they don't come out on top at the end of the competition.
“We reinvigorated [the Best Warrior Competition] by adding the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge and Norwegian Ruck March,” said Fredericks. “That first year back we had 21 competitors versus seven, it was pretty significant. I think we had 12 get the [GAFPB] and 15 get the Norwegian Ruck March. It was great, and so, fast forwarding, we’re looking for other opportunities to build on this.”
While the Best Warrior is a tough head-to-head competition, the Soldiers participating understand that, while the ultimate goal is to win, the real reward is the journey they find themselves on along the way.
“Yeah, I won and I’m happy to win, but if you look at the other people, some people won GAFPB, that’s a win compared to everyone else in the Guard that doesn’t have it,” said Delia. “Some people earned the Norwegian Ruck March, that’s tough.”
Cody and Delia will represent Connecticut in the Regional One Best Warrior Competition, comprising of the top soldiers and NCOs from New England, which is scheduled for June 8-12, hosted by the Rhode Island National Guard. If they should win that competition, they'll represent the region in the National Guard's Best Warrior competition for a chance to compete in the Army's Best Squad Competition later this year.