Maryland Soldier Competes in National Best Warrior Competition July 24-29
Spc. Daniel Reading, an infantryman with Maryland’s D Company 1-175th Infantry Regiment, will compete in the 2022 National All Guard Best Warrior Competition July 22-29. Reading was named Maryland’s Soldier of the Year earlier this year. (Photo Illustration by Tennessee National Guard Joint Public Affairs)
EASTON, Md. – A member of the Maryland National Guard will compete for the title of “Soldier of the Year” during a national-level competition this week.
Spc. Daniel Reading (center), an infantryman with the Maryland Army National Guard’s D Company, 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, and Army Sgt. Jefferson Gwynn (right), a combat engineer with the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 19th Engineer Company, prepare to execute a call for fire function during at the Army National Guard’s 2022 Best Warrior Competition at Volunteer Training Site-Milan, Tennessee, July 26, 2022. The competition spans five physically and mentally demanding days as 14 competitors vie to be named the Army National Guard’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. The winners will go on to represent the Army Guard in the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition later this year. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Erich B. Smith)
Spc. Daniel Reading, an infantryman with Delta Company of the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, will represent his home state at the 2022 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition in Smyrna, Tennessee, July 24-29.
Reading will compete against will compete against seven other top National Guard Soldiers after winning at the regional competition held at Camp Dawson, West Virginia, back in May.
U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Reading of the Maryland National Guard fires his individual weapon at the zeroing range, July 24, at Tullahoma’s Volunteer Training Site. Each competitor trained and earned their spot for an opportunity to win this title. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Kalina Hyche). (This photo has been edited to enhance the subject.)
The Guard members at these events compete in both basic and advanced soldier skills that measures their endurance, strength, and grit. Spc. Reading has been training physically five days a week and mentally preparing studying his warrior tasks and Army regulations.
“What I love about competing in BWC is I get to test myself in doing the tasks and skills needed to do my job well,” said Reading, who also works full-time as a security patrol officer for an aerospace and defense contractor when not serving in the Maryland Guard.
“The sense of competition is also pushing myself to do better than the soldier next to me.”
U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Reading, an infantryman with Maryland’s D Company, 1-175th Infantry Regiment, and Sgt. Tyler Holloway, a fire support specialist with Wyoming’s 115th Field Artillery Brigade, sprint during the 2022 ARNG National Best Warrior Competition at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., July 25, 2022. National Guard Soldiers serve as the primary combat reserve of the Army and are personally responsible for their readiness. (U.S. National Guard photo by Spc. Olivia Gum)U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Reading, an infantryman with Maryland’s D Company 1-175th Infantry Regiment, converses with a fellow competitor prior to advancing to the individual weapons zeroing range, July 24, at Tullahoma’s Volunteer Training Site. All competitors were set to complete their zeroing at the same time. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Kalina Hyche). (This photo has been edited to enhance the subject.)U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Reading, an infantryman with Maryland National Guard’s D Company, 1-175th Infantry Regiment, has a 200 pound litter hooked to his belt to be dragged during the 2022 ARNG National Best Warrior Competition at the Volunteer Training Site in Tullahoma, Tenn., July 28, 2022. Reading enlisted in the National Guard in 2019 and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and minor in history from Mount Saint Mary’s University. (U.S. National Guard photo by Spc. Olivia Gum)Spc. Daniel Reading, an infantryman with the Maryland Army National Guard’s D Company, 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, secures an area during the tactical combat casualty care event at the Army National Guard’s 2022 Best Warrior Competition at Volunteer Training Site-Milan, Tennessee, July 26, 2022. The competition spans five physically and mentally demanding days as 14 competitors vie to be named the Army National Guard’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. The winners will go on to represent the Army Guard in the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition later this year. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Erich B. Smith)
