Mower County man among select group to compete in Minnesota National Guard's 2025 Best Warrior event
May 20—LITTLE FALLS, Minn. — Sgt. Hayden Sass, a combat engineer with Recruiting and Retention Battalion from Adams, Minnesota, was among the 25 service members from the Minnesota National Guard and NATO-allied nations Canada and Croatia, who competed in 18 warrior tasks, all for a chance to be named the Minnesota National Guard's 2025 Best Warrior.
The competition was held in April at Camp Ripley over four days and included 25 service members.
This year's competition was completely redesigned with several new events and significant modifications to test each service member's warrior ethos, discipline and capabilities, the Minnesota National Guard said in a press release.
The competition started with weapons zeroing on the M4 carbine and M17 pistol, then later a night land navigation event, before competitors were divided into three groups to face a new set of challenges each day.
Sass said his favorite was the ruck march. The 13.1-mile march is also known as a valor ruck.
"The trek stopped at five memorial stations honoring Minnesota's heroes," the National Guard's recap of the competition noted. "The ruck march was not about endurance but a journey through sacrifice and service. In addition to learning about these heroes, competitors had a chance to experience what they went through."
As a recruiter, Sass said he didn't have a lot of time to train for the competition, but regardless it gave him a chance to have some fun and connect with others.
"I had the two Canadian Army Reserve soldiers in my group. Those guys were really awesome. ... They were a lot of fun to hang out with. They just had good hearts and a good spirit," Sass said.
Another highlight for Sass was the chance to ride in a Black Hawk helicopter.
"It was a lot of fun," he said. "I thought it was like riding a roller coaster."
Army Staff Sgt. Mason Gumbiner, from Minnetonka, who serves as a cavalry scout with Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 94th Cavalry Regiment, was named the top noncommissioned officer, and Army Spc. Dan Whited, from Moose Lake, who serves as an infantry Soldier with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 194th Armor Regiment, earned the title of top Soldier. Croatian Army Pfc. Kristofor Josip Jurjević, from Zadar, Croatia, who serves as a land forces reconnaissance Soldier was named the top international competitor.
"You are part of a legacy that is the best warrior," Command Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Erikson, the command senior enlisted leader for the Minnesota National Guard, said. "It is one of excellence, resolve, mentorship, and continuous improvement. Be immensely proud of what you have accomplished over the past four days."
While he didn't win the competition, Sass said he had a lot of fun.
"It was really nice to get a chance to do some cool Army stuff again," he said.
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