329th, 116th Soldiers tops at Best Warrior Competition
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 229th Chemical Company, 1030th Transportation Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group and the Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team took top honors at the 2025 VaARNG Best Warrior Competition March 13-16, 2025, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia.
The 229th’s Pfc. Nicholas Warren and the 1-116th’s Sgt. Ivo Garner were named the VaARNG’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer Of the Year year after four days of events designed to challenge the competitors’ strength, stamina, skills, knowledge and marksmanship.
“We’re looking for the best of the best,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Hawley, the VaARNG’s command sergeant major. “Competition drives Soldiers to do more and challenge themselves, and that makes us all better. It’s fun. You watch them grow together as a team – even though they’re six individuals, by the time they’re done they’ve got a bond for life.”
Garner said the event really tested the Soldiers’ endurance with a full schedule of challenges.
Pfc. Nicholas Warren and Sgt. Ivo Garner are named the Virginia Army National Guard’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year during a ceremony March 16, 2025, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia.