NDSU senior Ryan Lindberg, a member of the North Dakota National Guard, was a competitor in the recent weeklong “Best Warrior Competition” at Fort Lee, Va. It was the first time a North Dakota Guardsman has qualified to compete at the high level event, according to State Command Sgt. Maj. Gerald Miller.
Lindberg, who is majoring in construction management, qualified for the competition after being named the best in his unit – the Jamestown-based 817th Engineer Company – followed by best at the brigade, state and eight-state region levels.
During the elite competition, he was put head-to-head with top soldiers from U.S. Army divisions around the world. Among other things, participants answered questions from a board of sergeants major, wrote an essay, completed the Army physical fitness test and competed in daytime and nighttime Urban Warfare Orientation Courses, Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills.
In a National Guard news release, Lindberg is quoted saying, “It’s really surreal for the most part, but it’s an honor for me to not only represent our unit but the state and the entire United States National Guard.”
Lindberg was the top enlisted soldier in a combatives tournament and also won the night version of the Urban Warfare Orientation Course. However, Lindberg missed the top spot – the only place announced – when the competition concluded. Spc. Thomas Hauser of Army’s Forces Command was named Best Warrior in the enlisted category and Sgt. Guy Mellor from the Utah National Guard received the Best Warrior title in the noncommissioned officer category.
“I didn’t hold anything back,” Lindberg said, according to the National Guard news release. “Everything I did was the best I could do.”
Lindberg is the son of Rob and Donna Lindberg of Jamestown.