Photo By Capt. Kealy Moriarty | Tennessee National Guard Cpl. Sesar Peraz, assigned to 2nd Squadron, 278th Armored...... read more read more
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TULLAHOMA, Tenn. – Soldiers and Airmen with the Tennessee National Guard competed in the State’s Best Warrior Competition held at Tullahoma’s Volunteer Training Site, Feb. 23-26.
This competition is designed to test non-commissioned officers and junior enlisted leaders on their ability to perform soldier tasks under high-stress situations to reinforce warfighter skills.
“The most difficult part was turning off the part of my brain that tells me to stop,” said Sgt. James Baggett, a Franklin native assigned to Smyrna’s Medical Command. “It’s all mental; I had to turn that part of my brain off and focus on the mission.”
Events included a 12-mile ruck march, land navigation, obstacle courses, weapons’ qualification under stress, a physical fitness test, and uniform inspections. These warriors were challenged in every aspect to earn the highly coveted title of State Best Warrior.
“I’m a Soldier first and a generator mechanic second,” said Sgt. William Lukens, a Murfreesboro native and member of the 208th Area Support Medical Company. “I love enhancing my soldiering skills with all of these guys, and the brotherhood we built instantly was great.”
Of the eight Soldiers and Airmen who competed, three surpassed the rest. Sgt. James Baggett placed first, earning the title of Tennessee’s NCO of the Year. Airman 1st Class Benjamin O'Neal, assigned to the 118th Security Forces Squadron, placed first in the junior enlisted competition and earned the title of Tennessee’s Warrior of the Year. The top Army finisher in the junior enlisted competition, Sgt. William Lukens will continue on and represent Tennessee in the regional competition.
“I persevered, I gave it everything I had, and I won. It feels amazing,” said Baggett.
The State Best Warrior Competition is a prequalification to the Region III Best Warrior Competition, held each year. The top-scoring non-commissioned officer and the top-scoring junior enlisted Soldier or Airmen from the State BWC will represent Tennessee and advance to the regional competition.
“It was a grind, and it definitely challenged us to the brink, but it was a blast because I was going through it with all of my brothers; winning is secondary, but it still felt terrific,” said Lukens.
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.02.2021 13:53 |
| Story ID: | 390340 |
| Location: | TULLAHOMA, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 447 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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