WARRENTON, Ore. – Eighteen competitors from Oregon National Guard units across the state battled it out over three grueling days to determine the top noncommissioned officer and junior enlisted Soldier/Airman of the Year during the 2025 Oregon Best Warrior Competition. This event took place at Camp Rilea in Warrenton, Oregon, from March 12-14, 2025. Participants tested their tactical, technical, and physical abilities throughout the competition.

The annual competition is designed to challenge each participant across a wide variety of events that test Soldiers’ competencies. Competitors’ physical and mental toughness is assessed through a comprehensive range of military tasks, including coursework, weapons, and combat-like scenarios. These challenges are made even more difficult by the harsh adversities of rugged terrain and unpredictable late-winter weather.

“All I ask is that you don’t quit during the next three days and that you put your heart and soul into this experience,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Lee Smith, as the nervous entrants gathered at Warrior Hall before the completion began. As the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Oregon National Guard, Smith echoed many of the Army’s Core Values such as integrity, respect, and courage – stating that “this experience will push each of you to overcome multiple setbacks…just give it all you got, so in the end, you can be proud of your effort.”

Service members compete in two categories: enlisted Soldiers [E-4 and below] and noncommissioned officers [E-5 to E-7]. Each participant must outperform their peers at the unit level before advancing to the state-level Best Warrior Competition. The overall event reflects the unpredictable nature of a real-world battlefield, as contestants move from station to station without a published schedule. The first day concluded late after a series of fitness tests, a 50-question exam, a written essay, and individual Soldier/Airman boards.

Day two began at 0300 hours with a pre-dawn land navigation course that lasted nearly four hours. Afterward, participants were able to enjoy a hot morning meal, which was a welcome break from the intense pace of the day’s activities. The contestants then proceeded to a series of ranges at Camp Rilea. They started with a “zero range” to qualify their accuracy with M-4 rifles, followed by a calculation of their marksmanship on a grenade course. Next, they transitioned to a three-gun range event and concluded the day by being assessed on their sharpshooting with a variety of automatic weapons.

Towards late day, the obstacle course confronted the challengers’ fatigued muscles with 10 demanding barriers, as participants then wrapped up the long day with a computer-based ‘Call for Fire’ test and finally, a medical response assessment as the completion of events approached midnight.

“This is how we get the best of the best,” Smith said. “As Soldiers go through each grueling station, by the end of the competition, we’re able to find out who’s got what it takes to go onto the regionals later in the year.”

The final day started with a long ruck march, with most of the course running north along the Pacific Ocean beach. Participants faced strong winds and choppy tides as they approached the traditional finish line, marked by the remains of the ‘Wreck of the Peter Iredale.’ This four-masted steel sailing vessel has been a prominent feature on the Oregon coastline since it ran ashore on October 25, 1906.

“This was a demanding course and overall, the cadre put on a great event,” said Master Sgt. Daniel Gardner, the 173rd Fighter Wing Maintenance Squadron Q&A manager, making his second consecutive appearance at Best Warrior. “I knew I wanted to come back and I improved in some areas that I bombed in last year. The camaraderie is such a big part of this experience and I was determined to improve my performance this year.”

Saying he “improved” would be an understatement. Gardner’s all-around performance earned him recognition at the non-commissioned officer (NCO) level, making him the first member of the Oregon Air National Guard to win the Best Warrior Competition. Gardner acknowledged that he wouldn’t be able to advance to the Best Warrior Region VI Championships as a member of the Air National Guard, but he emphasized that this was never his primary goal. “We don’t interact with the Army Guard very often, so when we do, it’s always a positive experience,” he said at the event conclusion.

The last two events on day three emulate two historic U.S. Army conflicts – “Mogadishu and Normandy Beach,” pushing the competitors to finish Oregon Best Warrior with a meaningful note while replicating momentous battlefield action.

“I didn’t know what they would throw at us, but at the end of the day, they could throw whatever they wanted at us… I was just kind of going with the punches,” said Army Specialist Justin Slothower, an infantryman assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, who took top honors in the Soldier category. “The lack of sleep really played a big part in this competition, which is one of those things that is hard to prepare for.”

The Wilsonville native and Oregon State University finance student hopes to build on this victory when he goes to the regional competition in Idaho in the coming months. He explained that his preparation for Best Warrior emulates some of his overall goals in the Army.

“I came here trying to learn a few new things and maybe in the processes advance my career in the military, he said, reflecting on the results. “Now I have to look to the regional and fix some mistakes…I am not going to be perfect, but I know what I need to work on and learn from this event – and hopefully improve upon for the next one.”