NY Army Guard Staff Sgt. Derek Tucker, a Corning resident, wins NY Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition

CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, New York (04/09/2026) — New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Derek Tucker, a Corning resident, was one of two winners of the New York Army National Guard's statewide Best Warrior Competition on March 23.

Tucker, a member of Buffalo's 105th Military Police Company, won in the non-commissioned officer category.

Another member of the 105th MP Company, Specialist Trevor Lock, won in the junior enlisted category.

The Best Warrior competition evaluated the Soldiers in physically and mentally demanding events designed to replicate real-world warfighting conditions, according to New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Major Leylan Jones.

Tucker will now compete in the Army National Guard northeast region Best Warrior event in Rhode Island in June. The winners of that event will compete against National Guard Soldiers from around the country at the end of summer.

Taking part in the week-long competition was one of the "better experiences" of his military career, Tucker said.

The stress shoot event, where the Soldiers fired four different weapons-the M-4 carbine, the M-17 pistol, the M320 grenade launcher and an Army shotgun-was a real highlight, he said.

The competition also involved two air insertion exercises, from both a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter and a CH-47F Chinook helicopter. This was new for him, and very memorable, Tucker said.

The 25-year-old Tucker is a graduate of Painted Post High School and enlisted in the New York Army National Guard as a Military Police Soldier in 2020.

He also holds a bachelor's degree in history from Nazareth College in Rochester.

Tucker is currently serving on State Active Duty in support of the Department of Corrections and Community Services. He has been serving as an instructor for National Guard personnel working in the correctional facilities.

Tucker deployed to Poland in 2023 and 2024 with the New York National Guard's Rochester-based 222nd Military Police Company. He said that the company provided support to NATO forces operating in the area and conducted a variety of security missions, he said.

Throughout the Best Warrior event, Soldiers navigated situational training exercise lanes, completed land navigation, and were tested on their physical fitness through the Expert Physical Fitness Assessment and the Army Fitness Test. The Soldiers also got a chance to compete for the German Military Proficiency Award.

Competitiors also took a written test on military regulations and protocol, and appear before a board of senior NCOs in their Class A uniforms to answer verbal questions, complete a medical skills test. The final challenge was a 12-mile timed "ruck march" with a 25-pound pack.

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