Best Warrior Competition

Hawaiʻi Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition tests competitors on a variety of tactical and technical tasks including weapons proficiency, land navigation, emergency medical tasks and combat casualty care. These tasks are completed over a grueling set of courses throughout the state that includes multiple timed ruck marches and the Army Combat Fitness Test.

Winners in the competition – one Soldier and one Noncommissioned Officer – are named the Hawaiʻi Army Guard’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. They compete in regionals against other National Guard Soldiers, and then the Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition, if they succeed there, they compete in the Department of the Army Best Squad Competition.

2025

U.S. Army Spc. Vu Nguyen, a cavalry scout assigned to Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry Regiment, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Hawaii Army National Guard, poses for a photo during the Region VII Best Warrior Competition (BWC) 2025 at Camp Navajo, Arizona, May 15, 2025. The region-level BWC highlights the adaptability, resilience and lethal precision of our forces, reaffirming the National Guard citizen-Soldiers’ unwavering readiness for every mission. Competitors from Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah National Guards battled it out in physically and mentally challenging events to determine Region VII Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Lianne M. Hirano)
U.S. Army Spc. Vu Nguyen, a cavalry scout assigned to Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry Regiment, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Hawaii Army National Guard, poses for a photo during the Region VII Best Warrior Competition (BWC) 2025 at Camp Navajo, Arizona, May 15, 2025. The region-level BWC highlights the adaptability, resilience and lethal precision of our forces, reaffirming the National Guard citizen-Soldiers’ unwavering readiness for every mission. Competitors from Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah National Guards battled it out in physically and mentally challenging events to determine Region VII Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Lianne M. Hirano)
U.S. Army Spc. Vu Nguyen, a cavalry scout assigned to Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry Regiment, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Hawaii Army National Guard, poses for a photo during the Region VII Best Warrior Competition (BWC) 2025 at Camp Navajo, Arizona, May 15, 2025. The region-level BWC highlights the adaptability, resilience and lethal precision of our forces, reaffirming the National Guard citizen-Soldiers’ unwavering readiness for every mission. Competitors from Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah National Guards battled it out in physically and mentally challenging events to determine Region VII Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Lianne M. Hirano)
U.S. Army Sgt. Christopher Petersen, a network communications systems specialist assigned to Charlie Company, 227th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Hawaii Army National Guard, poses for a photo during the Region VII Best Warrior Competition (BWC) 2025 at Camp Navajo, Arizona, May 15, 2025. The region-level BWC highlights the adaptability, resilience and lethal precision of our forces, reaffirming the National Guard citizen-Soldiers’ unwavering readiness for every mission. Competitors from Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah National Guards battled it out in physically and mentally challenging events to determine Region VII Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Lianne M. Hirano)
Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Sgt. Christopher Petersen, Charlie Company, 227th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
Soldier of the Year Spc. Vu Nguyen, Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry Regiment, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
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See past winners of the best warrior competition