CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – Through freezing temperatures, heavy rain and relentless winds, Indiana Guardsmen pushed themselves to the limit in the 2025 Best Warrior Competition.

The grueling three-day event brought together 31 competitors who tackled a series of physically and mentally demanding challenges, including an obstacle course, a medical evaluation exercise, multiple weapons ranges, an Army Combat Fitness Test, an eight-mile ruck march, land navigation, a written exam, an essay and an appearance board.

When the dust settled, Staff Sgt. Zachary Green, Roachdale resident of 1st Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment, and Spc. Josiah Bowen, Fairland resident of 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, emerged as the state’s top warriors. Green earned the title of Best Noncommissioned Officer, while Bowen was named Best Warrior.

“While most were home in bed this weekend, you were fighting it out in the mud, the rain and the dark,” said Brig. Gen. Larry Muennich, Indiana’s adjutant general. “You sit here right now, exhausted, knowing you gave it your all and left everything on the field. These soldiers have chosen the challenging path—the path of service and commitment to something greater than themselves.”

Green said he was honored to continue competing on behalf of his fellow soldiers.

“I’m proud to have represented my unit well, and I hope to represent my state in the same way,” he said.

Green and Bowen will go on to face top the top citizen-soldiers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin in the regional Best Warrior Competition at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, later this year.

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