Rochester resident named winner in Army National Guard brigades Best Warrior Competition
Specialist Peter Fillion will represent the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during the New York Army National Guard's statewide Best Warrior Competition in 2024
Rochester, New York (11/06/2023) — New York Army National Guard Specialist Peter Fillion, a 23-year old Rochester resident, was named top Soldier in the 3,600-member 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, following a Nov. 3 to 5 military skills competition.
Fillion, an infantryman who is assigned to Charlie Troop of the 2ndSquadron, 101st Cavalry, will represent the brigade during the New York Army National Guard's statewide Best Warrior Competition in the spring of 2024.
The unit is based at the Masten Avenue Armory in Buffalo.
The competition involves physical fitness, marksmanship, and military knowledge.
"The Best Warrior Competition tests a Soldier's mind, body, and spirit," said Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Roeser, the 27th Infantry Brigade's top enlisted leader.
Over two and a half days from Nov. 3 through 5, Soldiers were tested in six events:
- Formal interview board in dress uniform
- 12-mile ruck march carrying a 35-pound pack
- Three-gun shoot, combining rifle, pistol, and shotgun qualification with 10 burpees, a high crawl, and 25 air squats
- Warrior tasks and battle drills
- Land navigation
- the Army Combat Fitness Test
Soldiers also had to submit a paper on their Army experience, with junior enlisted competitors focusing on how to improve peer relationships and best prepare for military schools, and NCOs focusing on how to improve leadership, operations, and management.
During the warrior tasks and battle drills, Soldiers were challenged to bound with a buddy while under fire - taking cover behind barriers, crawling under obstacles, and firing back at an enemy. Once they cleared the challenge, they had to immediately provide care to a simulated wounded Soldier under stressful conditions.
"Adding a lot of pressure like screaming, battle sounds, and even putting pressure like hinting at the time - that can allow them to perform under pressure in real scenarios," said Staff Sgt. Danielle Dillard, a combat medic evaluating Soldiers on their medical skills.
Competitors were chosen as the best-of-the-best from thousands of 27th IBCT Soldiers across the state, after completing competitions at their home units. Fillion and Wood spent extra time preparing for the challenges at the brigade-level.
Fillion works part-time as an architect for Kideney Architects, while pursuing his graduate degree in architecture from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
"A lot of my job is attention to detail. Reminding myself, you need to think about the little, tiny things. They all affect something later down the line," said Fillion. "And just [having] a never-quit attitude."
Fillion has served in the New York National Guard for more than two and a half years.
Sgt. 1st Class Travis Wood, who is in the same unit as Fillion, took the top honors in the noncommissioned officer category.
Media Attachments
U.S. Army Spc. Peter Fillion, an infantryman assigned to C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, poses for a photo in the Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo, N.Y., Nov. 5, 2023. Fillion came in first place in the junior enlisted category of the 27th IBCT’s annual best warrior competition. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. Avery Schneider)
New York Army National Guard Spc. Peter Fillion, an infantryman assigned to C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment crawls out from beneath an obstacle during a warrior tasks and battle drills evaluation in Youngstown, N.Y., Nov. 4, 2023. The evaluation was one of six challenging events in the 27th IBCT’s annual best warrior competition. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. Avery Schneider)