Photo By Sgt. Michael Baltz | Spc. Stephen Spinogatti, with the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, throws a training...... read more read more
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STARKE, Fla. – (March 7, 2020) – Seven elite Soldiers of the nearly 10,000 Florida Army National Guard (FLARNG) force competed in the 2020 state-level Best Warrior Competition March 4-7.
The competitors battled it out in an effort to determine who was the best of the best during the grueling three-day competition. Each participant started the event with a sergeant major board, and continued by completing the Army Combat Fitness Test, various weapons qualifications, a 10-mile ruck march with a heavy pack, obstacle course, and a three-hour land navigation course.
After the evaluators scores were tallied, it was Sgt. Benjamin Storie and Spc. Stephen Spinogatti who rose above the rest to become the noncommissioned officer of the year and Soldier of the year for the FLARNG. Both Soldiers are from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and will now represent the state in the regional competition in South Carolina.
“Just being at the state-level Best Warrior competition is a great accomplishment,” said Sgt. Maj. Jeff Topping, the action officer of the Best Warrior Competition. “All of the competitors are equipped for success anywhere in their career.”
During the competition, Spinogatti allowed the challenge of the events to be his motivation.
“I always enjoy a good challenge, and I realize that challenges will make me a better person, better solider,” Spinogatti said. “I think every Solider should aspire to be here.”
Uniquely, Storie and Spinogatti competed alongside each other during each iteration level of the Best Warrior competition - with Spinogatti striving for the best Soldier category, and Storie focused on the noncommissioned officer category. They each won the competition at the company level and continued their success at the battalion level, then brigade level and now the state level.
“We kept each other in check,” said Storie, who was first in completing the 10-mile heavy-pack ruck march in 1 hour and 49 minutes. “Seeing [Spinogatti] grow through the course of the competition has been fantastic.”
Brig. Gen. John Haas, the Assistant Adjutant General for the Florida National Guard, awarded Storie and Spinogatti with an Army Achievement medal for their accomplishments.
“They take what they learned [during the competition] and take it back to their units to encourage other [Soldiers] to compete as well,” said Toppings, “[Best Warrior] raises a good crop of Soldiers. It allows Soldiers to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”
Five additional Soldiers competed in the event and represented their major subordinate command: Sgt. Dennis Taje and Spc. Nathaniel Harris, with the 50th Regional Support Group; Spc. Matthew Dixon, and Sgt. Jared Henry, with the 83rd Troop Command; and Sgt. Alexandre Begossi, with the 164thAir Defense Artillery.
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2020 13:17 |
| Story ID: | 364721 |
| Location: | STARKE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 339 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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