Springing Forward to Victory: 2021 Maryland Best Warrior Competition
Article by Spc. Christina Chang, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Department
Video by Sgt. Chazz Kibler, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Department
Amidst the backdrop of the easing COVID-19 restrictions, the Maryland National Guard’s 2021 Best Warrior Competition differed from the state’s past competitions in a few respects. This year, Maryland’s partners, and worthy competitors, from the Estonian Defence Forces and Armed Forces of Bosnia-Herzegovina didn’t participate due to ongoing travel restrictions.
Many of the eight competitors this year – who all came from the Maryland Army National Guard – are normally part-time Guard members and supported ongoing COVID-19 support missions as well inauguration support. After winning at battalion and/or brigade level competitions, many competitors were unsure when exactly they would compete at the state level.
In the end, Spc. Richard Granke, a healthcare specialist with the 104th Medical Company Area Support, and Sgt. James McGill, a radiology specialist with the 224th Medical Company Area Support, were deemed the best Soldier and noncommissioned officer for the 2021 MDNG BWC, respectively. Capt. Ryan Slaughter, a logistics officer with the 70th Regiment, was deemed the best Officer for the 2021 MDNG BWC.
The competition ran from March 11-14, 2021, at the H. Steven Blum Military Reservation in Glen Arm, Maryland, and on the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
However, Maryland’s BWC remains one of the crucial ways Soldiers with different stripes maintain their readiness. The competition itself embodies the Army’s fundamental values and lessons. Though the competitors may have been given only a short time to prepare before the start of the competition, they all rose to the challenge.
Due to the pandemic, some of the competitors this year also lost their civilian jobs or had to put their education plans on hold. That didn’t stop them from their training. The competitors came together from March 8-10 to familiarize themselves with knowledge they’d need for the competition, introducing and reintroducing them with experts in military radio operations, combat medicine, and other essential Soldier skills.
“[The instructors] definitely know their craft. They honed in on what areas they need to test us in, to make sure we get the full experience of what a well-rounded competitor needs to be,” said Capt. Victor Nguyen, a health services administrator with the 1297th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. “These are perishable skills, [many Soldiers] forget the Army warrior tasks and stuff that you learned about in basic training.”
This initial period allowed the competitors to learn about each other. The support the competitors exchanged amongst each other would prove invaluable in the days to follow.
“Everybody in this competition [are] some of the best Soldiers I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around,” said Sgt. Hellmann, a military police with the 200th Military Police Company. “I’ve learned something from every single person in this competition.”
The competition kicked off with a 12-mile ruck march and the Warrior Task Lane. Competitors bore 35lb loads over the steep rolling terrain at H. Steven Blum Military Reservation.
“[The ruck march] was a rough course, but I think it set the tempo for the competition,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Smith, a military intelligence officer with the 629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion. “It got us in the mindset of ‘this is useful, this is challenging: we got to really dial it in.’”
Just as physical strength is built from tearing and rebuilding individual muscle fibers, the competitors endured aching muscles and joints, blisters, and a sprained ankle to overcome their physical limits in a test of stamina and will. The timed Warrior Task Lane event tested them with hands-on scenarios in basic Army knowledge skills on weapons assembly, radio communication, tactical combat casualty care, and reacting to chemical attacks.
“Being able to get down on the dirt and do a lot of these exercises is something that I definitely want to bring back to Soldiers that work for me,” said McGill, BWC noncommissioned officer winner.
After the first day, the events stepped up in difficulty and plunged the competitors into realistic combat scenarios. During the stress shoot, competitors dragged and lifted heavy loads and sprinted to push their bodies to the limit once more, before they tested their aim on the range with the M4 carbine rifle, a weapon that every Soldier learns to fire; the 9mm pistol, what many Soldiers learn to fire, and the M500 shotgun, which is used by a smaller number of troops.
The obstacle course tested the competitors’ stamina and ability to move swiftly through, over, and under obstacles in their way. Soldiers are trained to be able to fight anywhere on any battlefield, which includes being able to wield a variety of weapons on and off a firing range. After firing on the range, the competitors took aim in more complicated situations a vehicle crew and gunnery skills test.
“I’m always supposed to be back behind [in these situations],” said Granke, BWC Soldier winner. “So being able to do that [gunnery and crew serve] was pretty awesome.”
Each one of them fired while moving on foot through both constructed building-like structures and from the top of one of a Humvee, where they had to identify which of the actors in the combat scenario was the enemy or innocent bystander.
“Each year the [Best Warrior] competition grows a little bit,” said Master Sgt. Amber Isley, 70th Regiment, one of the key organizers of this year’s BWC. “Our [state competition] mirrors closely what the regional competition does […] so we decided we should incorporate it into the state competition to get back to gunnery training and weapons training across the force.”
Land navigation has been important since the early militiamen, tradesmen and farmers with intimate knowledge of the land, put down work tools and picked up rifles in defense of the colonies. The competition’s land navigation event had the competitors sleeplessly pushing their way through the dense and dark woods until the sun rose.
While the competitors shed their tactical gear for a high intensity workout event, it was no less strenuous or physical than the other previous events. After the physical came the mental exercises, as the competitors confronted the mystery task, which was revealed to be a written essay explaining the benefits and drawbacks of the Army’s new standard qualification tests in individual rifle marksmanship and the new Army Combat Fitness Test.
On the final day of the event, they donned their dress uniforms and reported before the board, answering questions on a variety of Army topics and current events.
“I didn’t think I’d make it this far,” Spc. Granke said. “I’m excited […] but at the same time I’m thinking ‘I hope I can live up to the [Army] name.’”
He doesn’t plan to rest on his laurels. Instead Granke plans to continue to train for the next level of the Best Warrior Competition, no matter what the year brings.
