116th’s Cooper takes top Soldier honors at Region Il BWC
Sgt. Carter Cooper, a Virginia Army National Guard infantry Soldier assigned to the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, took top honors in the Soldier category of the National Guard Bureau Region II Best Warrior Competition held May 6-10, 2024, at multiple locations in Maryland. Carter was a specialist when he competed and was just recently promoted to sergeant.
Staff Sgt. Alexander Wilkinson-Johnson, an intelligence analyst in the Maryland Army National Guard, took top honors in the noncommissioned officer category. Staff Sgt. Patrick Bradner, a combat engineer assigned to the VaARNG’s Petersburg-based 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, placed fourth overall in the NCO category with just nine points separating him from the top spot.
Cooper and Wilkinson-Johnson move forward, represent Region II and their home states as they compete in the Army National Guard National Best Warrior Competition in Vermont later this summer. Cooper will still compete in the Soldier category even though he is now an NCO.
Sgt. Carter Cooper is recognized at the top Soldier in the 2024 National Guard Bureau Region II Best Warrior Competition May 10, 2024, at the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.