A soldier competing in the 18th Military Police Brigade's Best Warrior Competition conducts land navigation in Ansbach, Germany, on March 3, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Pvt. Gustavo Dominguez didn’t appear to be the obvious standout Friday among a sea of higher-ranking soldiers from the 18th Military Police Brigade marking the end of the Best Warrior Competition.
But just a month after arriving at his first duty station, the 529th Military Police Company in Wiesbaden, he has already made his mark. Dominguez emerged as the event’s top physical performer and earned the title of Iron Soldier.
“I kind of had a chip on my shoulder, being the lowest-ranking person in the competition,” said Dominguez, a tactical power generation specialist. “I wanted to prove myself. I wanted to show that I wasn’t just some little guy.”
More than 25 additional competitors traded their badges for rucksacks beginning Monday at the Army’s vast training areas of Grafenwoehr and Ansbach to see who would emerge as the top performers.
Joining Dominguez in receiving recognition were five military police soldiers: 2nd Lt. Justin Wyatt, Staff Sgt. Terrell Stokes, Sgt. Isaias Frausto, Spc. Brenton Heeter and Pfc. Jesus Badillo.
Next month, the six of them will shift from individual to team orientation at the 21st Theater Sustainment Command Best Squad Competition.
Six soldiers from the 18th Military Police Brigade were chosen to represent their unit at the 21st Theater Sustainment Command Best Squad Competition in April after a weeklong Best Warrior event in Grafenwoehr and Ansbach, Germany, that concluded on March 6, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Sgt. Isaias Frausto of the 554th Military Police Company talks to fellow competitors in Ansbach, Germany, on March 3, 2026, during the Best Warrior Competition. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Pvt. Gustavo Dominguez, right, a tactical power generation specialist with the 529th Military Police Company, was named the Iron Soldier following the 18th Military Police Brigade’s Best Warrior Competition in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on March 6, 2026. The honor is given to the event’s top physical performer. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
A soldier competing in the 18th Military Police Brigade's Best Warrior Competition walks through a land navigation course in Ansbach, Germany, on March 3, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Wyatt, Stokes and Heeter also earned individual honors, being recognized as the brigade’s best officer, best noncommissioned officer and best soldier, respectively.
Throughout the week, the soldiers pushed their limits across a demanding series of events designed to test both physical endurance and mental resilience.
Competitors navigated long-distance movements under heavy rucks, fired weapons on stress-inducing live-fire ranges, traversed rugged terrain on land navigation courses, endured the sting of tear gas, and took part in other mental and tactical challenges.
“We have to do law enforcement as MPs, so they don’t get a lot of time in the field,” said Sgt. 1st Class Andrew McCannon, the brigade’s planner, on Wednesday.
McCannon said competitions like this help give soldiers an opportunity to learn and train skills they don’t always get to practice during their regular duties.
Staff Sgt. Victor Garcia, a soldier in the 92nd Military Police Company, jumps over a wall on the obstacle course in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on March 3, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Army Sgt. Miguel Penate, a vehicle mechanic with the 18th Military Police Brigade, shoots a pistol during a Best Warrior Competition event in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on March 4, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
A soldier competiting in the 18th Military Police Brigade's Best Warrior Competition fires on a rifle range in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on March 4, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Many competitors, including Dominguez, Badillo and Wyatt, said the 12-mile ruck march Wednesday morning was the most challenging event of the week.
“I could kind of feel the blood sticking to the back of my boot,” Dominguez said.
He credited the mantra “1 more mile” for keeping him moving and finishing in the top percentile.
But it wasn’t all suffering. Some participants said one of the competition’s most thrilling moments came Tuesday when they boarded a CH-47 Chinook in Grafenwoehr and flew to Ansbach, expanding the terrain for a land navigation course.
“We are still combat support,” Wyatt said Friday. “We need to know our basic soldier tasks and be able to understand that when we put on this green suit, we’re not just MPs. We’re here to support a grander mission.”
Depending on their performance at next month’s event, the team of six could advance to higher-level competitions, including U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s annual Best Squad Competition.
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter transporting soldiers for the 18th Military Police Brigade's Best Warrior Competition prepares to land in Ansbach, Germany, on March 3, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Soldiers with the 18th Military Police Brigade competing in a Best Warrior Competition load onto a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on March 3, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Soldiers participating in the 18th Military Police Brigade’s Best Warrior Competition in Germany fly in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter on March 3, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Spc. Ian Glei of the 554th Military Police Company looks through a compass during the Best Warrior Competition in Ansbach, Germany, on March 3, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Pfc. Jeffrey Shaw of the 527th Military Police Company climbs down a rope net while running the obstacle course at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Grafenwoehr, Germany, during the Best Warrior Competition on March 3, 2026. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
