MD Best Warrior 2017: bigger and badder than ever

Article by Staff Sgt. Margaret Taylor, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

EDGEWOOD, Md. (March 19, 2017) – Blisters. Aching, stiff muscles. Ibuprofen. Water – lots of it. Weapon smoke. Tear gas. Piles of laundry. Miles of foot traffic. Brains crammed to bursting with military trivia from every Army regulation imaginable.

Best Warrior competitions were never meant to be easy.

The Maryland National Guard’s 2017 competition, which lasted March 16-19 at Edgewood and Gunpowder Military Reservation, brought together 18 competitors from three different countries and four different military services – all of whom were seeking more than a souvenir collection of aches and pains. They sought to push themselves harder than ever before, to compete against themselves and each other, and maybe – just maybe – come out a victor.

Competition Gallery: (left/right to view photos)

Unlike many other state Best Warrior competitions, Maryland allows officers to compete as well as junior enlisted soldiers and noncommissioned officers, said Maryland Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Beyard, the state’s senior enlisted leader. Additionally, this year teams from both of Maryland’s state partner countries, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Estonia, and a representative from the Maryland Air Guard joined the competition.

“The competition this year was very unique,” Beyard said.

It all started with a written test on Thursday, March 16. Later, the 18 competitors tackled weapons assembly and marksmanship task, land navigation during the day and night, casualty care, radio communication, an Army Physical Fitness Test, and various other demanding exercises that tapped into every ounce of strength and skill the competitors had. An appearance board capped things out on Sunday.

None of the 18 had an easy time. Competition organizers increased the difficulty of several traditional tasks this year and added a few new ones to better prepare Maryland service members for the regional and national Best Warrior competitions

“It was intense, challenging; it was very interesting,” said Maj. Vladimir Kuznetsov, the officer competing for the Estonian army contingent.

Though snowy weather caused an obstacle course to be scratched from the list of challenges and other events to be modified, the 18 still toughed out the weather for the 9-mile ruck march on Saturday.

Capt. Alexi Franklin

“The ruck march: it’s a steep hill, icy roads, heavy weight, cold day, wet boots – just a lot of challenges,” said MDARNG Capt. Alexi Franklin, the officer representing Joint Force Headquarters and the 70th Regiment.

Though the ruck was no one’s favorite, one of the new events, a stress shoot, was warmly received by several of the competitors. The shoot was a timed race that alternated ammunition crate carries with accuracy drills on the M16 rifle and the M9 pistol.

“It was a lot of fun running around, shooting, transitioning between weapons – it was pretty fun,” Franklin said.

Spc. Philip Flint

Sgt. Charles Contic

When all was finished on Sunday, Maryland named its top warriors, those in each category whose scores tallied highest across all events. Winning the soldier category was Spc. Philip Flint, who represented the 58th Troop Command. Sgt. Charles Contic, representing JFHQ and the 70th, won the NCO category. And, for the second year in a row, Capt. Alexi Franklin won the officer division. State partners came in a close second in both the NCO and officer divisions.

No matter how the scores tallied, each competitor walked away with more than he had before the competition started.

Tech. Sgt. Brenton Deal

“I did better in a lot of the events where I expected to struggle, and I struggled in some of the events where I expected to do well,” said Tech. Sgt. Brenton Deal, who represented the 175th Medical Group and was the first Maryland Air National Guard member to compete for Best Warrior. “I’m glad I got to go through it, and I’ll be able to pass on all these details to the airmen at my unit.”

Awards Ceremony Photos: (left/right to view photos)