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Command Sgt. Maj. John T. Raines, right, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, shakes hands with Spc. Tevin Kenton, an infantryman representing the Wisconsin Army National Guard, Aug. 8 at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition, Burlington, Vt. The Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition is a five-day event composed of 14 competitors representing the regional winners; the competition tests Soldiers’ physical and mental prowess with a series of events with the overall winners receiving either Soldier of the Year or Non-commissioned Officer of the Year recognition. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Lianne M. Hirano
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Spc. Tevin Kenton, representing the Wisconsin Army National Guard, takes part in a stress shoot Aug. 5 during the Army National Guard’s 2024 Best Warrior Competition at the Ethan Allen Firing Range near Jericho, Vt. Over five days of competition, 14 of the nation’s top Army National Guard Soldiers and NCOs will face a series of rigorous challenges, including multiple ruck marches, weapons proficiency tests, a written exam and an appearance board. The top competitors will go on to represent the Army National Guard in the Department of the Army Best Squad Competition. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti
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Spc. Tevin Kenton, an infantryman representing the Wisconsin Army National Guard, rucks through steep terrain Aug. 8 in the 12-mile final event during the 2024 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at the Army Mountain Warfare School, Jericho, Vt. Command Sgt. Maj. Duane Weyer, the state command sergeant major for the Wisconsin Army National Guard, cheers Kenton on. The Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition is a five-day event composed of 14 competitors representing the regional winners; the competition tests Soldiers’ physical and mental prowess with a series of events with the overall winners receiving either Soldier of the Year or Non-commissioned Officer of the Year recognition. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Lianne M. Hirano
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Spc. Tevin Kenton, an infantryman representing the Wisconsin National Guard prepares to throw a hand grenade Aug. 5 at the Army Warriors Task lanes during the 2024 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at the Army Mountain Warfare School, Jericho, Vt. The Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition is a five-day event composed of 14 competitors representing the regional winners; the competition tests Soldiers’ physical and mental prowess with a series of events with the overall winners receiving either Soldier of the Year or Non-commissioned Officer of the Year recognition. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Lianne M. Hirano
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Spc. Tevin Kenton, representing the Wisconsin Army National Guard, crosses the biathlon finish line Aug. 6 as Command Sgt. Maj. Duane Weyer, the state command sergeant major for the Wisconsin Army National Guard, cheers Kenton on during the 2024 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Ethan Allen Firing Range, Vt. Kenton is an infantryman assigned to Troop C, 1st Squadron, 105th Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Olivia Gum
By Vaughn Larson / Published Aug. 15, 2024
ARMY MOUNTAIN WARFARE SCHOOL, Vt.,
The Wisconsin Army National Guard’s Spc. Tevin Kenton, a member of Troop C, 1st Squadron, 105th Cavalry Regiment, was among 14 Soldiers representing the best of the National Guard at the national Best Warrior Competition Aug. 4-8 at Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont.
The Best Warrior Competition is a grueling event that tests a Soldier’s professionalism under challenging conditions and proficiency in Soldier tasks. It measures a Soldier’s physical and mental ability and resilience.
Kenton, from Wausau, Wisconsin, finished fourth among enlisted competitors from New York, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Montana and Hawaii, and will not advance to the Department of the Army Best Squad Competition. Even so, Command Sgt. Maj. Duane Weyer, the state command sergeant major for the Wisconsin Army National Guard, was pleased.
“Fourth in the nation is pretty good,” Weyer said. “The level of competition was pretty good, as you’d expect at a national level — everyone there was a state and regional winner.”
Staff Sgt. Kirtley Finnell of the Alabama Army National Guard was named Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, and Sgt. Peter Fillion of the New York Army National Guard was named Best Warrior of the Year.
To illustrate the caliber of the individual competitors, Weyer pointed to the 12-mile ruck march over mountainous terrain. Ruck marches for Best Warrior Competitions are typically conducted on level terrain.
“The slow time was around three hours,” Weyer said, “which is what we normally see for 12 miles on the flat.”
Kenton said he had been preparing for the national competition for about one and a half months, following the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Johnson, Louisiana. He said he is currently training for Special Forces, and was able to transition from that training to the Best Warrior Competition.
“The [task] I enjoyed most was the M-4 function check, disassemble and assemble,” Kenton said.
Kenton said he serves in the National Guard because he wants to be part of something bigger than himself.
“This organization is just different as a whole,” Kenton explained. “It allows people to really become friends as well as serve together. I continue to serve because I enjoy spending time out in the field and doing the tasks required of us, and being around like-minded people.”
Kenton did not have much time to reminisce about the Best Warrior Competition — he joined his unit at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin for a three-day drill as the brigade recovered its vehicles which had been shipped back from JRTC.
