NY Army Guard Staff Sgt. Matthew Ortiz, a Bethpage resident, to participate in national Army National Guard Best Warrior event

Ortiz was the winner in the non-commissioned officer category during the Northeast Region Best Warrior Competition held in Vermont, August 13-16

JERICHO VERMONT (08/19/2020) — New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Matthew Ortiz, a Bethpage resident and member of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry will be participating in the Army National Guard's Best Warrior Competition set for Sept. 13 to 16 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

Ortiz, finished in first place in the non-commissioned officer category at the Army Guard's regional Best Warrior event held at Camp Ethan Allen, Vermont over the weekend of August 13-16.

This qualifies him to compete in the national Army Guard event. The winner of that event competes against representatives of the Active Army and the Army Reserve for top honors in the entire Army.

He previously won New York's contest held in July at Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill.

Corporal Troy Perez, another member of the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, finished in first place in the junior enlisted category during the regional Best Warrior event.

This is the third time in three years that New York Army National Guard Soldiers have won in both categories in the regional Best Warrior contest.

"It's a pretty big deal over at the unit right now," Ortiz said.

"We are following in the footsteps of these guys who came before us. It means a lot to us to make them proud of us," he added.

Ortiz and Perez are also both emergency medical technicians in the New York City Fire Department, who first met while training at the city's Emergency Medical Services Academy.

Their experience as EMTs, and the bond they share outside of the National Guard, helped them do better at the Best Warrior events, Ortiz said.

The two men trained together for the competition with the assistance of other members of their National Guard battalion, Ortiz said.

"We'd take the American flag and run it across the Brooklyn Bridge," said Ortiz. "It helped keep our morale up."The regional competition, like the New York Best Warrior, included a fitness test, combat lane, day and night land navigation courses, an appearance board, Army warrior tasks, a written test, an essay and rifle and pistol course and a 12-mile road march with full pack.

The surprise event -held between the day and night land navigation courses- which Perez and Ortiz had not been able to train for, was axe throwing.

The event, Ortiz explained, was included as a salute to Vermont's Green Mountain Boys, the state's first militia who took Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775.

A tomahawk, or small axe, was part of their equipment and they were expected to keep it sharp and clean and be able to use it to start a fire or kill an enemy scout, he said.

The Soldiers were given a chance to practice, and then threw axes at silhouette targets.

"It was a fun event," Ortiz said. " When I started I couldn't throw the thing to save my life, but they coached me and I threw 16 out of 18 points."

Now, his emphasis will be on getting ready for the national Army Guard Best Warrior event at Camp Shelby, Ortiz said.

New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Major David Piwowarski, the state's top enlisted Soldier, said he was confident that Ortiz has what it takes to win at the Army Guard national competition.

"Staff Sgt. Ortiz took first in 15 of the 22 scored events, or almost 70 percent of the events," Piwowarski said. "This is dominant work by a hard working infantryman."

Ortiz, who joined the Army in 2013, served as an infantryman in the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia before joining the New York Army National Guard in 2016. He is currently assigned to Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry as a squad leader.

In civilian life Ortiz is an Emergency Medical Technician in the Fire Department New York and also serves as a volunteer with the Bethpage Fire Department.

Ortiz holds an associate's degree in fire science and is working towards a bachelor's degree in emergency management.

His military education include the Army Basic Leader's Course, the Survival, Escape, Evasion and Resistance course, the Advanced Leader's Course, the Combat LifeSaver Course and the Air Assault Badge.

His awards include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Overseas Training Ribbon.

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