In the mind of Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, vice chief of staff of the Army, the winners of the 2014 Best Warrior Competition reflect the characteristics needed for noncommissioned officers and soldiers who will lead the Army in the new, expeditionary force of the future.Allyn and Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler III recognized the winners of the Best Warrior Competition during the Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year Recognition Luncheon at the 2014 Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington.A total of 28 warriors competed in the competition, which was held at Fort Lee, Va.The Soldier of the Year is Spc. Thomas C. Boyd, a cryptologic linguist with the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Hailing from Alexandria, Va., Boyd is a three-year Army veteran.The Noncommissioned Officer of the Year is Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Carpenter, a Special Forces engineer with the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Collins, Colo. Carpenter is a 15-year Army veteran.Now in its 13th year, the Best Warrior Competition has been dubbed the "Super Bowl of Army competitions."The contest combines tests of physical prowess and endurance, with intellectual and tactical challenges considered a test of the skills necessary to be a modern soldier.Reflecting on the difficulty of the completion, both pointed to the very same challenge: dealing with tasks associated with the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) suits."I trained hard," said Boyd, "and my unit back in Hawaii helped me train, and with all their support, it made it significantly easier."Similarly, Carpenter looked back on the test in which he was required to put on all of the heavy CBRN gear, including a mask, and carry a wounded "casualty" down a road."In the heat of the day, after walking around the training site, those things are very difficult to move in, and very difficult to breathe in. It probably only lasted a few minutes, but it felt like a long time, maybe 30 minutes when in fact it was really only 5-10 minutes," remarked Carpenter in an interview following a ceremony recognizing him and Boyd for winning the competition.Both said that they are anxious to return to their units and get back to work.In his luncheon remarks, Allyn noted that Boyd and Carpenter exemplify the qualities of soldiers who will be needed in the years to come as the Army shifts to a smaller, more expeditionary force at a time of great unpredictability."Force 2025 will require small-unit leaders, decentralized from forward organizations, to thrive in uncertainty, to adapt to their environment, to make critical decisions consistent with our new operating concept," said Allyn.