Fort Knox, Ky. –
After a week of grueling competition and intense board appearances, U.S. Army Recruiting Command announced the winner of its Best Warrior Competition May 20.
Staff Sgt. Zachary Olszewski, Harrisburg Recruiting Battalion, 1st Recruiting Brigade, claimed the title of USAREC 2021 Best Warrior and will move on to the Training and Doctrine Command competition happening later this year.
“It is a great honor to be a representative of USAREC and my city of Pittsburgh,” Olszewski said. “I think it shows other recruiters that you can still be efficient and effective in warrior tasks and drills even while assigned as a recruiter.”
Sgt. 1st Class Justin Loyd from the Atlanta Recruiting Battalion, 2nd Recruiting Brigade, was selected as the runner-up and will compete at the TRADOC level if Olszewski is unable to participate.
Olszewski and Loyd were two of the seven total competitors representing their brigades and the Recruiting and Retention College. They spent a full week here demonstrating their leadership, knowledge, competence and grit as Soldiers to determine who would come out on top.
Competitors from the other brigades included Staff Sgt. Adam Gine, 3rd Recruiting Brigade; Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lloyd, 5th Recruiting Brigade; Staff Sgt. Mark Staffen, Marketing and Engagement Brigade; and Sgt. 1st Class Tom Countryman, Recruiting and Retention College, had to win at the brigade level in order to compete at the USAREC headquarters level.
While at Fort Knox, the competitors demonstrated their Soldier skills through a variety of events throughout the week, to include a 12-mile ruck march, water combat fitness test, obstacle course, land navigation, and various weapons tasks. This competition does not include recruiting tasks, as it is separate from the USAREC Recruiting NCOs of the Year competition.
The official recognition ceremony will take place at USAREC Headquarters July 29.