Watch CBS News

Local Soldier Competes In U.S. Army's 'Best Warrior Competition'

DETROIT (WWJ) - A local soldier is at Fort Lee in Virginia competing in an event to find the U.S. Army's "Best Warrior."

Bernard Quackenbush, a 24-year-old from Shelby Township, is competing against more than two dozen other soldiers in a variety of categories including shooting and land navigation.

Quackenbush has been in the Army for five years and spent time in Iraq. He said the skills he gained there have helped him in this competition.

"I used to be infantry, so a lot of the skills that I learned while I was in infantry - shooting, land navigation and overall just a bunch of battle drills and warrior tasks, stuff like that. That has helped me tremendously."

Quackenbush said he hopes he wins, but not all will be lost if he doesn't.

"It just makes me feel proud and hopefully, you know, overall it will just make me a better person in the Army and out of the Army as well."

Described as the "Super Bowl" of Army competitions, the Best Warrior will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year.

The competition wraps up Saturday and two winners will be announced Monday.

To learn more about the Best Warrior competition, visit www.army.mil.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.