CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, CORTLANDT MANOR, NY (05/18/2012)(readMedia)-- An Army National Guard Soldier from Maine and a Sergeant from Massachusetts were the top performers at the Army National Guard's Northeastern Best Warrior Competition held this week at the Camp Smith Training Site here.

Maine Army National Guard Specialist Clay Landry scored higher than six other junior enlisted Soldiers, while Massachusetts Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Vanessa Urban out-scored six other non-commissioned officers during the competition.

The event tested the Soldiers' physical fitness, military knowledge, marksmanship, land navigation skills, and ability to perform basic Soldier tasks.

The winners of the event will compete to be the best Soldier and Non-commissioned Officer in the 360,000-member Army National Guard. The winners of that event then compete against winners from Active Army and Army Reserve Best Warrior competitions.

The annual competition, which is now regularly held at Camp Smith, helps build Soldier skills across the force, said New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Major Frank Wicks.

Each unit holds its own Best Warrior selection process before sending those Soldiers and NCOs to a statewide competition. The Soldiers who do best in each northeastern state end up pitted against each other at Camp Smith.

"It really helps build the skill sets of all the Soldiers because everyone wants to be the best," Wicks said.

"It just makes for a more professional force," Wicks added.

New York's top junior enlisted Soldier, Specialist Brian Lekhmus, a community college student from Salt Point, was the runner-up in his competition category.

New York's top Non-Commissioned Officer was Sgt. David Martinson from Troy, NY.

Posted Friday May 18, 2012 at 02:30 pm by New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs
Last Updated Thursday May 31, 2012 at 09:19 am