Photo By Staff Sgt. Jasmine McCarthy | Spc. Fernando Torres from the 3rd Battalion, 133rd Field Artillery Regiment, Texas...... read more read more
BASTROP, Texas - Texas Military Department’s annual Best Warrior Competition challenges competitors through a series of scored events that test their combat readiness and military knowledge–skill sets that traditional guardsmen do not always have the opportunity to improve upon at their home station.
On average, traditional Guardsmen train less than 50 days a year, yet they are expected to maintain the same level of mission readiness as their full-time counterparts.
Command Sgt. Maj. Michelle Thompson, Senior Enlisted Advisor for the Texas Army National Guard, said the competition is designed to teach competitors new skills and improve upon them.
“This competition allows soldiers to be exposed to new training, like using weapons systems that they typically do not have the opportunity to see,” said Thompson. “They’re exposed to some things that they may have learned in basic training, but at the end of the day, we’re drawing down into the individual skill sets that soldiers may not have the opportunity to accomplish during traditional monthly training, border missions, or on deployments.”
From March 28 to April 1, 2023 on Camp Swift near Bastrop, Texas, the competition tested the competitors’ abilities through various tasks such as an appearance board testing their military knowledge, rifle marksmanship, land navigation, a written examination, and overall physical fitness.
“Events like these were picked to be challenging and varied so that competitors can focus on developing their basic tactical and technical skills,” Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel Johnson, Operations Sergeant Major for the Best Warrior Competition, said.
Spc. Benjamine Wallace from 454th Engineer Company out of Kingsville, Texas, said he learned how to shoot a different weapon system during the rifle marksmanship event.
“We got to shoot a M240B machine gun and I have never done that before,” said Wallace. “It’ll probably be awhile til we get to do this in my unit, so this competition helps me get the hands on I need.”
Senior Airman Jake Schlang from the 147th Air Support Operations Squadron out of Houston, Texas, said he gained a new experience by competing in the Army Warrior Task lanes.
“I definitely learned a lot about the condition and standards that are required to complete these lanes,” said Schlang. “It was unfamiliar territory for a lot of us in the Air National Guard, so it was a valuable experience that I can take back to my unit.”
“The Texas Best Warrior Competition is an opportunity for competitors to embrace the diversity of each service, to include our State Partners, and to continue to develop future leaders,” said Thompson. “It is designed to push them their comfort zone, mentally and physically, which allows them to gain confidence in new areas while sharpening their skills.”
This year’s competition hosted twenty-six competitors. The Texas Army National Guard winners were Sgt. 1st Class Ben Theiring of the 136th Military Police Battalion, 136th Maneuver Enhance Brigade, for the non-commissioned officer category; and Spc. Dylan Waite, 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment for the enlisted category; and for the Air National Guard, the winners were Staff Sgt. Johnathan Nichols, 147th Air Support Operation Squadron, 147th Attack Wing, for the non-commissioned officer category; and Senior Airman Jake Schlang of the 147th Air Support Operation Squadron, 147th Attack Wing, for the Air enlisted category.
Waite, Theiring, and Schlang will move on to represent Texas at the National Guard Bureau’s Region V competition on May 7-13, 2023, at Camp Crowder, Missouri. This will be the first time an Airman will move on to the Region V competition.
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2023 14:44 |
| Story ID: | 441788 |
| Location: | BASTROP, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 125 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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