Wisconsin Guard members vie for Soldier of the Year honors

At 5 a.m. today [April 1], 15 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers began their day with push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run - the first three events in a grueling three-day span that will test their abilities in marksmanship, physical fitness, land navigation, Soldier task knowledge and military bearing. Each competitor's composure will also be tested through the weekend's long hours and demanding schedule.

Last year, Pfc. Randy Fendryk of Waukesha, Wis., won the annual Soldier of the Year competition, and Sgt. Cody Brueggen of Oconomowoc, Wis., won the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. Fendryk, now an officer candidate, is a member of Battery C, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery in Sussex, Wis., and will serve as a sponsor for a new competitor this year. Brueggen is a member of Detachment 1, 107th Maintenance Company in Sparta, Wis.

Fendryk advanced to the Army National Guard's best warrior Competition last August at the Warrior Training Center, Fort Benning, Ga. Two years ago, Spc. John Wiernasz of Detachment 1, 950th Engineer Company, also represented the Wisconsin Army National Guard at the National Guard's Best Warrior Competition.

The competition is not open to the public, but check out photos from each day of the competition at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiguardpics/.

Competitors include: Sgt. Steven Dahl (Oconto), Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry (Menomonie); Spc. Wayne Diedrich (Milwaukee), Battery A, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery (Racine); Sgt. John Eckert (St. Francis), Battery A, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery (Racine); Spc. Kimberly Gass (Wausau), 106th Engineer Detachment (Tomah); Spc. Alex Goehring (Dresser); 64th Rear Operations Center Support Detachment (Monroe); Sgt. Jessica Gray (Milwaukee), Detachment 1, Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion (Merrill); Staff Sgt. Charles Hensen (Lake Mills), Troop A, 1st Battalion, 105th Cavalry (Fort Atkinson); Staff Sgt. Jason Kirch (Prairie du Sac), 106th Engineer Detachment (Tomah); Spc. Shelby Reynolds (Stitzer), 229th Engineer Company (Prairie du Chien); Sgt. Jonathan Shufflebotham (Sheboygan); 1157th Transportation Company (Oshkosh); Sgt. Brandon Swanson (St. Croix Falls), Detachment 1, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry (Chippewa Falls); Staff Sgt. Paul Vaillancourt (De Forest), Rear Detachment, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation (Madison); Staff Sgt. Benjamin Van Auken (Sparta), Headquarters Detachment, 1st Battalion, 426th Field Artillery Regiment (Fort McCoy); Staff Sgt. Jon Vandebogert (De Forest), Joint Force Headquarters (Madison); and Spc. Joseph Wong (Milwaukee), Troop A, 1st Battalion, 105th Cavalry (Fort Atkinson).