Newton, Cooper tops at VaARNG Best Warrior Competiton

Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion and the Staunton-based 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team took top honors at the 2026 VaARNG Best Warrior Competition, held March 11 – 15, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia.

Staff Sgt. Frederick Newton, assigned to R&R, and Spc. Javan Cooper, assigned to the 116th, were named Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year after five days of intense competition. Newton and Cooper advance to the Region II Best Warrior Competition, scheduled for May 2026 at Camp Dawson, West Virginia. The winners were announced at a ceremony, where Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, Brig. Gen. Charles Martin Jr. and Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Hawley, the VaARNG command team, and Chief Master Sgt. John Nye, the VNG Command Senior Enlisted Leader, all thanked the Soldiers for their efforts.

“You represent the best of what the Virginia National Guard offers,” Ring said during the awards ceremony. “Every single one of you are rising above the best by
the fact that you participated in this competition. Thanks for showing the you’re willing to compete. Thanks for stepping beyond and being not an average Soldier, but
a Best Warrior.”

Read more: https://va.ng.mil/Portals/55/Documents/Newsletters/VaGuard_Newsletter_2026_Issue3.pdf