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New York Army National Guard Sgt. Austin Manville, a Rochester resident, who competed in the Army National Guard Best Warrior contest in August, was one of five National Guard soldiers who made it to the final round of the Army-wide Best Squad Competition which concluded on October 10.
Manville and the other Army Guard soldiers competed against 11 other squads from the Army Reserve and active Army commands at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from September 12 to October 6.
The final four top squads then went to Washington, D.C., where they were quizzed on their military knowledge. The Army Guard team was bested by a five-man squad from Army Special Operations Command.
The Army Guard squad’s success in being one of the final squads in the competition demonstrates the capabilities of National Guard Soldiers, according to Command Sgt. Maj. John Raines, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard.
“It’s a tough competition. It’s physically and mentally challenging,” Raines said. “Working cohesively as a team is what allows for success here, and it’s also what makes Army Guard units effective when deploying overseas or responding at home.”
Manville is a member of Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment based in Buffalo, and joined the Army National Guard in 2018.
Manville was picked as the top Soldier in the New York Army National Guard in the spring and then won the Best Warrior Competition for Army National Guard Soldiers in the northeast.
He competed against six other Soldiers for best in the Army Guard honors during an August competition in Tennessee. Five of those seven Soldiers were selected to be on the Army Guard best squad team.
He served in the New York National Guard response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
His unit is currently deployed in East Africa as part of a task force built around the New York National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, providing security for U.S. bases in the region. Manville will join his unit there.
Manville’s participation in this Army competition represents the sixth year in a row that New York Army National Guard soldiers have made it to national competitions, according to New York Army Guard Command Sgt. Maj. David Piwowarski.
“Sergeant Manville continues a tradition of excellence in competition for New York,” Piwowarski said.
The Army competitions are like a football game, Piwowarski said. There are a lot of factors at play in these events.
“It is an outstanding achievement that the best of the Army National Guard can compete with the best of our Army’s Special Operations Soldiers,” Piwowarski said. “It is truly incredible.”
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