Army National Guard Sgt.1st Class Martin Cozens, a Rochester resident, is New York's Best Warrior for 2019

Competition tests physical fitness, marksmanship, knowledge and military skills; Soldier will compete in regional event at the end of April

Camp Smith, N.Y. (04/05/2019) — Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Martin Cozens, a Rochester resident, took top honors in the noncommissioned officer category during the New York Army National Guard Best Warrior competition held March 27-30 near Peekskill, N.Y.

Cozens represented the 27th Infantry Brigade in a competition against his peers from the New York Army National Guard's other three major commands at Camp Smith Training Site. Camp Smith is the New York National Guard's major training facility in the Hudson Valley.

Cozens is a rifle platoon sergeant assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry, which is based in Geneseo.

Cozens works full-time as a criminal analyst working in the New York National Guard's Counterdrug Task Force.

The Best Warrior Competition tests Soldiers knowledge and skills in a variety of situations.

The competition is split into two categories: junior enlisted, for Soldiers in the rank of private to specialist; and NCO, covering the ranks of sergeants, staff sergeants and sergeants first class.

The evaluated tasks are specifically designed to mirror today's operating environment, according to Sgt. Maj. Matthew Gutzweiller, the operations sergeant major for the competition.

Tasks included urban warfare simulations, basic Soldier tasks like operating a radio and putting on a protective mask, and battle drills, assessing and evacuating an injured casualty, day/night land navigation, a three-gun stress shoot, physical fitness tests, and a 12-mile ruck march.

The 3-gun stress shoot was a new event this year.

This new, dynamic event included sprints, high/low crawling, and ammo can carry while firing the M9 pistol, M4 Carbine, and an M26 Shotgun at steel targets in between the physical events.

"This event is unique, but we want to incorporate some fun into the competition," said Command Sgt. Maj. David Piwowarski, the New York Army National Guard senior enlisted advisor.

"Yeah, we scuff them up a little bit; they high crawl, low crawl and run around with ammo cans, but they still get to shoot weapons and that's always a win for a Soldier," Piwowarski said.

The competition ended with a 12-mile road march at West Point, in which Soldiers carry a rucksack weighing 25 pounds along with an M4 Carbine and finished at the Fort Putnam historic site high above the Hudson River on West Point.

Cozens will compete against other Army National Guard noncommissioned officers from New England and New Jersey in New Hampshire at the end of April.

The winner of that competition then competes to be the best in Army National Guard overall. The Best Warriors from the Army National Guard, the Army Reserve and the Active Army then compete in a special event.

"The most challenging part of the Best Warrior was staying focused; there's a lot of events coming at you in a very quick timeline and you don't have a lot of time to adjust and recover," Cozens said. "Hopefully, I set a good example for my Soldiers to compete in next year's competition."

Participants in the Best Warrior competition also got the chance to earn the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, which involves swimming in full uniform in a pool as well as the other Best Warrior events. Cozens had already held the award.

Cozens, age 32, joined the New York Army National Guard in 2011. He is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Rochester.

His military awards include the Combat Infantry Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, The Pathfinder Badge (an elite award for Army paratroopers) the Rams Head Device for completing Mountain Warfare School, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the NATO Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the NCO Professional Development Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

His military education includes U.S. Army Pathfinder School, Basic Military Mountaineer and Mountain Master Gunner courses, and Senior Joint Enlisted Professional Military Education.

Cozens and his wife Daniele have a son, Jack.

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