Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Klestinski | Two Soldiers (pictured in the middle) assigned to the 50th Regional Support Group...... read more read more
Florida Army National Guard Soldiers representing units of the 50th Regional Support Group (RSG) reported to Joint Training Center Camp Blanding, Florida, to participate in the brigade-level Best Warrior Competition (BWC), Jan. 23-26.
During this extended drill weekend, eight Soldiers endured an intense series of physical and mental tests that decided who would earn the titles of the 50th RSG’s “Soldier of the Year” and “Noncommissioned officer [NCO] of the Year.” Assessment involved a battery of Army Warrior Tasks, as well as the Army Combat Fitness Test on the first day after in-processing.
This year’s BWC presented an extra challenge for competing Soldiers: the weather. The average high temperature for the Camp Blanding area in January is in the high 60s. Before the 50th RSG’s Soldiers arrived, a cold snap descended that kept daily highs in the 50s, and lows dipped as far as 25 degrees during the competition. While all the candidates overcame the elements, the unseasonably cold weather did represent an extra factor to actively consider as they participated in outdoor challenges.
The second day began early in the morning with a nighttime land navigation course, which became a daytime land navigation course after the sun rose. Afterwards, the competitors completed a series of “lanes” that tested their knowledge of calling for indirect fire, crew-served weapons, field radio operation, providing care for a battle buddy in an “under fire” scenario, and executing “9-line” medevac procedures. Later that afternoon, candidates tackled Camp Blanding’s Air Assault Obstacle Course where they competed for the best time.
The BWC’s final day of contest once again started before sunrise when the candidates stepped off for a 12-mile ruck march while hauling 35-pound packs. After a quick rest for breakfast, they reported to the firing range where they zeroed and shot M-4 carbines for qualification and competition purposes. The final events involved academic testing and a formal board wherein Soldiers fielded questions from senior enlisted evaluators
With all the formal events complete, BWC officials calculated the candidates’ scores and announced the winners at an awards breakfast, Jan. 26.
The first award presented by Army Col. Jeremey Davis, 50th RSG commander, went to Spc. David Vrban, a wheeled-vehicle mechanic assigned to the 146th Expeditionary Signal Battalion. Vrban received the 2025 BWC “Warrior Spirit” award, which recognized the candidate designated by contest officials as having most consistently demonstrated the warrior ethos during the competition.
Army Pfc. Jeston Curry, a motor transport operator assigned to 1218th Transportation Company, 254th Transportation Battalion, won “Soldier of the Year” for the RSG. Curry said that he sought guidance from the NCOs at his unit in preparation for the BWC.
“I had a lot of resources within the 1218th to help me out,” Curry said. “This competition gives you a reason to really do your best and be the best Soldier you can be.”
Army Sgt. Sanchit Mehta, a human intelligence collector with Alpha Company, 260th Military Intelligence Battalion, took the title of the 50th RSG’s “NCO of the Year.” Mehta said he wanted to challenge himself, and after hearing about previous BWC competitors’ experiences, he learned that those Soldiers “got to do cool things they never would’ve done” if not for the contest.
“The way I saw [those BWC Soldiers], it pushed me to go to the gym and train,” Mehta said. “I kept going to the gym pretty much every day, watching what I was eating, and I was trying to keep myself in a good mindset.”
During the ceremony, Davis recognized the hard work and effort of all the Soldiers who participated. He also stressed the importance of “being brilliant at the basics of Soldier skills for large-scale combat operations,” especially in an era of potential great-powers conflict.
“The director of the Army National Guard emphasized being ‘always ready,’” Davis said. “Everything you do in this uniform and all the skills [you develop] build towards that.”
Davis referenced the current war between Ukraine and Russia, noting the scale of that war, and that it represented “an unfortunate reality” for which American warfighters need to be ready.
“The Best Warrior Competition gives us the ability to prepare for that,” Davis said. “We have limited training time… and being able to do this keeps those skills in the formation. Each and every one of you essentially forms a cadre where those skills are refreshed – for example, with sponsors and mentors – where you can pass those skills along to somebody else in the next generation.”
All BWC candidates received command coins from Davis acknowledging their efforts in the competition. Curry and Mehta received Florida Commendation Medals for winning their respective categories, but they are not done competing. Winning their titles at the brigade level of the competition means that their journey will continue as the 50th RSG’s champions at the state-level BWC, which will take place in Camp Blanding from Feb. 26 to March 2.
The 50th RSG is headquartered in Homestead, Florida.
| Date Taken: | 01.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.05.2025 09:21 |
| Story ID: | 489796 |
| Location: | CAMP BLANDING, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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