New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jeff Dorvee, from Queensbury, Heads for National Competition

Local Citizen Soldier Will Compete to Be Best Sergeant in 350,000-Member Army National Guard

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New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jeff Dorvee

LATHAM, NY (07/11/2014)(readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jeff Dorvee, a combat veteran and a Queensbury, N.Y. resident, will be one of seven Soldiers competing to be the best non-commissioned officer in the 350,000-member Army National Guard next week at the National Guard Professional Education Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The winner of this competition-- from July 14-16-- will go up against sergeants from the Active Army and the Army Reserve for the honor of earning the Best Warrior Title for the total Army at Fort Lee, Virginia in October.

Dorvee won first place in the regional competition against non-commissioned officers from New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine during a regional competition at Camp Ethan Allen, Vermont, held May 13-16.

Dorvee, is a full-time Active Guard and Reserve Soldier assigned to the 1427th Truck Company in Queensbury as supply sergeant.

A native of Glens Falls, N.Y., Dorvee joined the Army in 2003 and served with several active component and New York Army National Guard infantry units.

He served two tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, was awarded the Purple Heart, two Afghanistan Campaign Medals with campaign stars, two Army Commendation Medals and two Army Achievement Medals, among his other awards. He is a graduate of the Air Assault Course, the Basic Airborne Court and the Army National Guard Honor Guard Course.

He and his wife Shannon have twin sons and he enjoys hunting and sports. He and his wife are both avid runners.

His goal is to eventually serve as an Army command sergeant major, the top enlisted rank.

"Staff Sgt. Jeff Dorvee is an exceptional Soldier, and all of us in the New York Army National Guard are proud of his victory in the regional competition and believe he has a good chance of winning the Army National Guard and eventually the total Army competition," said New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Major Frank Wicks.

Soldiers in grades E-4 and below-specialists and privates-also compete in a separate Best Warrior event.

Soldiers in the competition are nominated by their leaders and then compete within their units to enter the state competition. The winners of the state Best Warrior Competition then go onto compete at the regional level.

The Best Warrior competition tests Soldiers in a grueling three-day evaluation of stamina, technique and mental toughness.

Soldiers and Non-commissioned officers take the Army Physical Fitness Test consisting of push-ups, sit-ups and a five mile-run, complete a timed twelve-mile road march; fire rifles, pistols, grenade launchers and shotguns and negotiate an urban assault course.

Highlights of the National Guard competition will include an urban assault course involving the rescue of a downed helicopter pilot using simulated weapons and a 12-mile timed road march.