Photo By Sgt. Darin Douin | The winners and alternates for the Best Warrior Competition (BWC) stand together...... read more read more
Bangor, Maine - Soldiers from across the Maine Army National Guard (MEARNG) came together to represent their units in the 2021 Best Warrior Competition (BWC ) at the 240th Regional Training Institute (RTI) in Bangor, Maine, April 9-11, 2021.
Units from across the state send their best non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and enlisted soldiers to compete in the annual three-day state competition, which challenges soldiers mentally and physically.
“The purpose is to select the best NCO and soldier in the State of Maine to compete at the regional level,” said the State Command Sgt. Maj., Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Dill. “The overall goal of the competition is to build morale, push soldiers to their limits, then ask for a little bit more and I couldn’t ask for anything better from those competitors.”
Even though soldiers are selected by their units as the best candidates to represent them, some of the competitors were apprehensive going into the competition.
Spc. Andrew Killen from the 251st Engineer Company (Sapper) spoke about his experience before coming to the BWC. “I was overthinking it a lot coming here, debating if it was the right choice or not,” Killen said. “Once you make the final decision and actually show up it’s smooth sailing from there.”
When the soldiers arrived to the BWC they were briefed on the schedule of events, which the soldiers and NCOs competed in to earn points. The events they were tested on ranged from basic soldier skills like land navigation, to unique soldier skills like setting up a claymore, a type of anti-personnel mine. Competitors can refresh their training on these skills to prepare for the competition, but one thing they could not prepare for was the mystery event.
“The second mystery event was a gas attack, which is never fun, but it’s also even more humbling to be able to trust your equipment and go through the motions,” said Spc. Brandon Thibeault, a competitor from the 185th Engineer Support Company. Thibeault said the competition was a good opportunity to test himself and learn new things.
To help the competitors through the events, especially new experiences, they are recommended to have a mentor to keep them focused and motivated.
“That comforting feeling to look at somebody and say hey just keep going, do the best you can, don’t worry about that last task we’ll move on and look forward to the next one” Dill said.
Not only are the mentors encouraging, but so are the other competitors. They continued to motivate and push each other to do better in each event.
“They’re a group of soldiers that have all gone through the same thing, endured the same stress level, the same gut check,” Dill said regarding the high stress situation. “It’s incredible the amount of motivation and camaraderie that comes out of an event like this.”
Soldiers and NCOs faced the same challenges, overcoming them together, building a sense of accomplishment which only comes from an experience like the BWC.
“All around it was a really great experience, I learned a lot, made some new friends and met some new people,” said Thibeault.
Once all the events were complete and points were tallied, Dill announced the winners for Best Soldier of the Year and Best NCO of the Year. Spc. Andrew Killen from the 251st Engineer Company (Sapper) won Soldier of the Year.
“Competing in the Best Warrior Competition was a mix of ups and downs but overall it’s a good experience,” said Killen. “I learned a lot. I can teach other soldiers as well about what I learned. I’m excited to move on from here knowing that I can do this. It boosts my confidence to do even more.”
This year, Sgt. Devon Hoyt from the 136th Engineer Company won Best NCO of the Year. Both Hoyt and Killen earned the opportunity to represent Maine in the regional competition in New Jersey this May.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2021 08:06 |
| Story ID: | 396813 |
| Location: | MAINE, US |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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