Photo By John Hughel | Oregon Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Colby Schols (left), assigned to the 270th...... read more read more
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WARRENTON, Ore. – Perseverance. The dictionary defines it as, “to continue despite difficulties, opposition, or discouragement,” which is a fitting description of Oregon Air National Guard Master Sgt. Daniel Gardner’s achievement at the 2025 Oregon Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition. Making his second appearance at the event in back-to-back years, Gardner left nothing to chance, as his determination was evident from start to finish during the rigorous three-day contest held at the Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center from March 13-15, 2025.
His victory marked the first time an Oregon Air Guard member won in either category of the competition. The support from the 173rd Fighter Wing and their commitment to aiding Airmen like Gardner reflect the importance of promoting a culture of excellence and mutual support within the Oregon Air National Guard. This win not only highlights the personal achievements of one individual but also illuminates the collective effort and enthusiasm within the entire unit.
With two members entered in the Soldier/Airman classification and Gardner in the noncommissioned tier, ‘Team Kingsley’ has been sending representatives to the Best Warrior Competition for the past eight years and has embraced the U.S. Army's "Warrior Ethos” culture at the event, which emphasizes placing the mission first, to never leave a fallen comrade, never quitting, and never accepting defeat.
“This was an amazing event the first time I participated, and I knew I had to come back," Gardner said, following the awards ceremony on March 15. “There were some aspects I attempted the first time that I knew I could improve upon, and knowing that, I wanted to re-engage with this event. It was just great to see it through.”
A member of the 173rd Fighter Wings since 2000, Gardner is the Maintenance Group Q&A manager. The unit is the nation’s sole F-15 Eagle fighter pilot schoolhouse, training both Air Guard and active duty pilots to fly the Eagle airframe in air-to-air and air-to-ground operations.
While Gardner was rehearsing for his ‘second season’ at Best Warrior, Senior Airman Alma Gomez, and Airman 1st Class Colby Schols, assigned to the 270th Traffic Control Squadron were entered into the Soldier/Airman tier for the first time. The trio, along with their sponsors and other key support staff, has been drawing inspiration from fellow Airmen participating on the Army’s home field since 2018.
“The Army National Guard invited the Air National Guard to come observe what was going on here at Best Warrior and see if this was something that we would be potentially interested in competing in,” said Chief Master Sgt. Ross Hawking, assigned to the 173rd Communications squadron. “After observing the entire event, I put together a training plan to take back to my base and get participants to compete in the next Best Warrior Competition.”
In August of 2018, Tech. Sgt. Jared Boyer and Senior Airman David Garcia arrived at Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center to represent the Oregon Air National Guard for the first time. The 173rd Security Forces Squadron played a crucial role in their preparation by putting them through a series of trial events designed to test their skills and readiness for the rigorous challenges of the Army's Best Warrior competition.
It was an important moment for Boyer and Garcia, along with the organization to be part of something so unique, and set a precedent for future Air National Guard involvement in the competition. In addition, Tech. Sgt. William Griffith was selected as the Sparrow Award for the Sponsorship support for the event, voted on by all the Cadre for leadership, morale support, and positive attitude during the competition.
“I wanted to compete in the Oregon BWC to represent my unit and challenge myself,” Garcia said, as he entered the Best Warrior Competition in 2018.
For his part, Boyer said his goal was to focus on being an enthusiastic competitor and to acknowledge the people who helped make his participation in Best Warrior a reality as the 2018 event concluded. “It is Army’s world, they are offering us a sample – I hope it stays Army–centric and we can adapt.”
The two Airmen made a remarkable impact, setting a high standard and clear expectations for their peers. The tryout for this year's team took place on October 19, 2024, with eight contestants arriving promptly at the base gym at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls. They reported at 4:00 a.m. to tackle a series of events designed to mirror the state’s Best Warrior Competition. These challenges included interview boards, essay writing, the Army Combat Fitness Test, weapons qualifications, ruck marches, and other rigorous tasks. Tech. Sgt. Cody Cox from the 270th Air Traffic Control Squadron and Airman Phanuphong Phongprayoon from the 173rd Logistics Readiness Squadron were chosen to compete at the state level alongside Gardner. Unfortunately, as is often the case, injuries and military commitments kept Cox and Phongprayoon from participating.
“So my supervisor, Sergeant Cox advocated for me to come and compete since he wasn’t able to attend, so I filled in and showed up to see what I could do on short notice,” said Schols, as the contestants were heading off to well deserved a post-event BBQ following the awards ceremony. “This was my first time interacting with the Army and what they do and train for regularly. All things considered, I think I did well.”
If an Army ‘Marches on its stomach,’ as Napoleone Buonaparte said, Schols stated that if he came back to Best Warrior, it would be with upgraded footgear.
“If I could make one big change, it would be better boots. I am feeling every step from the past three days,” he said, with a noticeable soreness in his stance, recalling the task of the morning ruck march. “It was physically and mentally very challenging. I haven’t pushed myself like that for a very long time, maybe ever.”
Competitors had to carry a list of essential items and the pack, and it had to weigh at least 35 pounds. Schols said his pack came in at 55 pounds, an added dilemma to an already demanding chore. “Yeah I was trying to fit all the required gear in the bag…figuring out how these Army guys make it skinnier is the key.”
Toward the end of the second day, Senior Airman Gomez had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from the competition. A knee injury kept her from maintaining the stringent pace of the contest.
“My knee had nearly doubled its normal size,” she said, still upbeat about her effort. “I could walk but running became too much, but I hung in there as long as I could.”
Injuries play a big part in the competition, oftentimes well trained Soldiers and Airmen get hurt or sick during the event as attrition is factored into the equation. A total of 21 participants had been on the opening roster for this year's event. By the time the contest was over, only 15 would finish.
“First and foremost, this is a physically demanding event, it’s one of the reasons I prepared myself better for this year’s event,” Gardner said, describing his training experiences. “We don’t process our medical casualties the same way the Army does, and we don’t have access to things like their specialized weapons and radios. That’s why it has been important for our members to have a long-term commitment to this event.”
The real driving factor that brought him back this year was the shared experience of the Best Warrior Competition, an event that pushed him to adapt and overcome obstacles time and again. When he wasn't leading the group formations between events, he was regularly interacting with his fellow competitors and often cheering them on from the sidelines.
“The camaraderie is such a big part of this experience and I was determined to improve my performance this year,” he said, still trying to soak in his accomplishment. “It’s such a great event.”
The investment in the Best Warrior competition has been an evolving process for 173rd Airmen. After scoring their first win, the sense of accomplishment will only help promote the event to future members wanting to take part.
“As long as we keep motivating the Airmen at Kingsley Field, and finding people to compete and run our local competition, we will keep sending people to this event,” said Hawking, listing off many of the distinctions between the Air Force and Army training. “There is a perspective and appreciation to what our sister service is doing that comes out in this event each year as well.”
Hawking said the predominant tangible that emerges is establishing trust and building on the total war-fighting effort by the Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen. “So many of our people have never fired a machine gun, they’ve never done a long-distance road march or taken on an obstacle course like the one here at Camp Rilea.
Building on these common skills, and the ability to take on new challenges, Hawking paused to confirm the process had only helped Air Guard members find success as leaders and warriors.
“The growth and development of our Airmen throughout the Best Warrior Competition is a clear testament to their dedication and hard work. Their progress underscores the success we’ve achieved together as a team. We take immense pride in this achievement.”
* Previous file stories by Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class April Davis and Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Shirar contributed to this report.
| Date Taken: | 03.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.20.2025 18:26 |
| Story ID: | 493398 |
| Location: | WARRENTON, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 247 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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