Best Soldiers in the northeast competing in 12-mile forced march along Hudson River bike trail in lower Manhattan on Thursday, May 16
Sixteen Soldiers from New York, New Jersey and New England will be wearing military uniforms and backpacks during the 12-mile race from Battery Park to the USS Intrepid and back
New York, NY (05/15/2024) — Sixteen National Guard Soldiers competing to be the Best Warrior in the northeast will be conducting a 12-mile "ruck march" from the Battery Park helipad to the USS Intrepid and back along the Hudson River bike trail on Thursday morning, May 16.
The Soldiers-- two each from New York, New Jersey and the six New England States-- are competing in the regional Best Warrior competition being run by the New York Army National Guard. The winner of this week-long competition will represent the region at the Army National Guard's national event in Vermont in August.
The Best Warrior events test the Soldiers' military knowledge, skills, land navigation abilities, marksmanship with a rifle and pistol and while on the move, physical fitness, and long-term physical endurance.
The 12-mile "ruck march"-named for the term for a Soldier's pack or "ruck", short for rucksack-is the last event in competition, which kicked off on May 13 at Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill. The event is due to start at 8:30 a.m. and finish no later than noon.
The Soldiers will be moving as quickly as they can over the 12-mile course while carrying a full pack with a helmet slung on the outside. After finishing the race, the 16 Soldiers will be bused to the 9/11 Memorial for a ceremony marking the end of the competition.
While the competition began at Camp Smith, on the afternoon of May 14 the competitors were airlifted from Camp Smith to the Youngstown Training Area in Niagara County on board a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
They spent the night camping at the training area and on the morning of Wednesday, May 15 they were bused to Niagara Falls State Park, for a 5-mile race around Goat Island, which sits between the American and Canadian Falls.
After pistol shooting and medical skills tests, they flew to Fort Drum in Jefferson County. There they were tested on their ability to use a radio to direct 120 millimeter mortar rounds on target as rapidly as possible.
On Thursday night, the Soldiers and event organizers will participate in a formal dinner at the Thayer Hotel, which is located on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
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New York Army National Guard Soldiers competing in the state Best Warrior Competition at Camp Smith Training Site are lined up and ready to start the 12-mile "ruck march" on April 18, 2024. The winners of eight state Best Warrior competitions will be competing to be the tops in the northeast during a similar competition on Thursday, May 16 in Lower Manhattan.