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Victoria McDuffie works her way through an obstacle course during the Georgia Army National Guard 2023 State Best Warrior competition earlier this month in Fort Stewart. (Photo/US Army)
Special to the WCN
The Georgia Army National Guard 2023 State Best Warrior Competition was held March 5-10, 2023, coinciding with International Women’s Day.
This year, 18 competitors, supported by hundreds of support staff, converge to Fort Stewart, Georgia, for the annual competition to determine the state’s best Soldier and noncommissioned officer.
This year's event included White County High School graduate Spc. Victoria McDuffie.
McDuffie is also a full-time student majoring in biology at Kennesaw State University. Along with being a student, she is a cadet in the reserve officer training corps program that is joint between KSU and Georgia Tech.
McDuffie explained she chose her military occupation as a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist to compliment her college studies. She dreams of either commissioning as a chemical officer or working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or even both at the same time which is a realistic possibility for Citizen-Soldiers serving in the National Guard.
McDuffie’s leadership mentoring her at the competition praised how well she has performed. In turn, McDuffie explained that she could not be successful without their support, including her platoon sergeant who happens to be a woman.
“Me being here paves the way for more women to compete in the future,” said McDuffie, who is assigned to the Marietta-based 138th Chemical Company, 265th Chemical Battalion, 201st Regional Support Group. “The women that came before me and support me now make me more confident to come here, compete, and hopefully win.”
McDuffie, and all Soldiers in the Georgia Army National Guard don’t have to look far to find prominent female leaders within their ranks, including right here at the best warrior competition.
Master Sgt. Megan Goodman, who is promotable to sergeant major, oversees support staff and operations for this year’s best warrior competition. On a day-to-day basis, she is the full-time operations sergeant major for the Marietta-based 78th Troop Command.
By training, Goodman holds multiple occupations within military intelligence, so she has a keen sense of perspective among all the competitors, including Ruiz and McDuffie. And she likes what she sees.
“We planned this year’s competition to be tougher than past, and the competitors have risen to the challenge,” Goodman said. “Knowing these are the future leaders of the Georgia Guard, I’m confident we’re going to be in good hands.”