Maryland National Guard Announces 2024 Best Warriors
By Staff Sgt. Elise Moore
BALTIMORE – After five days of competition, three Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers were named 2024’s Best Warriors in the officer, non-commissioned officer, and soldier of the year categories during the Best Warrior Competition closing ceremony at the Fifth Regiment Armory, April 12, 2024.
Spc. Jordan Foster and Staff Sgt. Alexander Wilkinson-Johnson, both from the 29th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, and Capt. Logan Yox from Joint Force Headquarters earned the title of Maryland National Guard Best Warrior with the enlisted Soldiers moving forward to compete in next month’s Region II Best Warrior Competition.
“A specialist from my unit competed in Best Warrior last year, he was the one guy in our unit that had a higher physical fitness score than I,” said Spc. Jordan Foster, an intelligence analyst in the 29th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade and Best Warrior – Maryland National Guard Soldier of the Year. “He inspired me to raise my hand this year and compete.”
This year’s competition was conducted with nine competitors representing brigades throughout the state. Each competitor was pushed to their limits and graded across multiple disciplines, including physical fitness, a combat water survival test, an obstacle course, marksmanship, land navigation at night, 15-mile ruck march and military knowledge. Many of the events simulated stressors Soldiers could face under combat conditions, while evaluating their adaptability and resourcefulness.
“Being a best warrior to me means being ready at any time ready to go. When you go somewhere [combat deployment], people are safer because of that,” said Capt. Logan Yox, an Army military police officer in the 200th Military Police Company and Best Warrior – Maryland National Guard Officer of the Year. “I entered the competition to prove to myself I could be a Best Warrior.”
The competition serves not only to honor individual achievement but also to reinforce the Army values and standards of excellence. Winners are recognized as exemplars of the Army’s highest ideals, setting benchmarks for their peers.
“This competition tests one’s mental and physical toughness. Only those who have what it takes rise to the top” said Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, the adjutant general of Maryland. “We started with nine competitors and we finished with nine competitors, and that really says a lot about their character, perseverance and will to never give up, which is exactly the type of Soldiers I want to see within our formations.”
The Maryland National Guard will host the Region II Best Warrior Competition May 5-10, 2024. Region II comprises Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania and Maryland all vying for their chance to compete at the National Best Warrior Competition in June.
The U.S. Army’s Best Warrior Competition, established in the early 2000s, is an annual event designed to identify the Army’s top soldiers and NCOs through rigorous physical and mental challenges. Reflecting the Army’s commitment to excellence, the competition has evolved from localized contests to a comprehensive Army-wide event, emphasizing leadership, tactical proficiency, and resilience.
