Soldier from 108th named Best Warrior for 2015 in Georgia
Georgia’s soldier of the year is a sergeant with great ambitions based right here in Polk County for the time being.
Sgt. Sam Shuler, who is originally from Smyrna, is based here in Polk County with the Apache Troop of the 108th Cavalry as part of the Georgia National Guard’s 48th brigade combat team, and will be representing the state in the U.S. Virgin Islands in an upcoming regional competition for Soldier of the Year, with a chance at the National level following.
Shuler said years of training got him to where he is today, including a stint at Mountain Warfare School in Vermont and with the Army Rangers school.
“Deployments can be great for your career,” he said. “I wanted to go, but right now I’ve been focusing on what I can do here stateside.”
Shuler’s ambitions for a future in the military include hopes to graduate from college and a chance
to move up the ranks if he can get into officer candidate school.
“I would love to make a career in the Army, and that’s my goal,” he said. “But you never know where life will take you, so right now I’m focused on finishing college and doing my best.”
Shuler joined the Army National Guard following graduation from high school, and though he’s trained for a number of years he has yet to be sent into combat. He was originally planned to be deployed with the 108th, but a scale down in deployments kept him in the United States. His biggest motivation to go overseas, Shuler said, was to ensure that he and his friends come home alive after accomplishing whatever mission their leadership tells them to do.
“With all the training I’ve gotten, and all the training that others have been in, I feel like the biggest thing is to help keep people alive,” he said. “I might not agree with the reasons why we’re over there, but we are and it’s my job.”
His advice for those who want to join the military? Talk to someone who is or has been in the service before, not just a recruiter.
“Tell them ‘this is what I want do, what do you think?’,” he said. “They’ll give you a lot more advice on what to do than a recruiter will honestly.”
Shuler said he’s looking forward to competition in the Virgin Islands, which will work much like the state’s competition.
The Georgia National Guard’s Best Warrior of the Year contest, the official title for the state’s top soldier annually, includes a physical fitness test, qualifying with several different weapons, undergoing various simulated combat tests, and an obstacle course, among other areas.
“It’s a tough and challenging competition, but it was great to compete and I’m looking forward to representing the Georgia National Guard,” he said.
Shuler won the Best Warrior title for non-com- missioned officers, and will represent more than 11,000 Georgia National Guard members in the coming weeks at the regional competition.
In a story from the Georgia National Guard, Col. Thomas Carden, Georgia’s National Guard commander, was among those praising’s Shuler and Spec. John Pettas, who took the junior enlisted Best Warrior title, for their three day performance in early March at the Fort Stewart competition.
“I am proud of the pace our best warriors set and know each of these warriors pushed their teammates to the next level during this competition,” said Carden. “And I know each of the warriors will go back to their unit taking that same attitude and pursuit of excellence to raise the bar for their peers, subordinates and superiors alike. That competitive spirit pushes us all to the next level and that is what will continue to make the Georgia Army National Guard the best in the nation.”