Ohio Army National Guard Sgt. William C. Schmitt of Fredonia, an infantryman with Charlie Troop, 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 38th Infantry Division descends a hill during the Army Warrior Training (AWT) portion of the National Guard Region IV Best Warrior Competition at Fort McCoy, Wis., May 1.

Ohio Army National Guard Sgt. William C. Schmitt, of Fredonia, an infantryman with Charlie Troop, 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 38th Infantry Division, competed along with 13 other Soldiers from across the midwest during the 2025 Army National Guard Region IV Best warrior competition at Fort McCoy, Wis., this spring.

Schmitt and his fellow Guardsmen represented their respective states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

During the four-day event, the soldiers were pushed to their limits while being measured in their proficiency in warrior skills, military procedures, physical fitness, and mental fortitude. Each of them first competed in and won at their respective state-level competitions to earn a place in this regional competition.

The 14 Guardsmen were evaluated on their proficiency in the Army Combat Fitness Test; M4 rifle, M17 pistol and M249 squad automatic weapon qualification; a weapons assembly during a secret event; an appearance board; day and night land navigation; Army warrior tasks; combat water survival training; a call-for-fire scenario; a written exam; a confidence course; and a 12-mile foot march with a 35-pound pack.

Maj. Gen. Matthew Strub, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, spoke about what it takes to compete.

“This is a grueling competition for many reasons,” Strub said. “Representing your units, your states is remarkable… know you’ve gone further than you thought you could before.”

Schmitt currently serves in a full-time role with the Recruiting and Retention Battalion. He enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard in January 2022.

Schmitt spoke about what it means to be a part of this competition.

“A competition like this is never really about the individual competing,” Schmitt said. “It’s about being a representation of the time, energy, and effort your leaders and peers have poured into you. All it takes with everything (you’ve) got. Kill the enemy.”

Schmitt related Proverbs 27:17 to the competition.

“As iron sharpens iron, so does man sharpen fellow man,” Schmitt said. “We’re here to get more dangerous.”

Strub further explained what the significance of the competition is to participants and the Army as a whole.

“This is about building endurance,” Strub said. He continued, “As we build for potential large-scale combat operations, a fight that we hope we never have to do. This grit you went through, is going to be what it takes.”

The competitors were celebrated by Wisconsin state leadership with an award ceremony on May 3.