Five soldiers from U.S. Army Pacific are the winners of the Army’s 2024 Best Squad Competition.

Staff Sgt. Ethan Hays, Sgt. Luke Burton and Spcs. Mason Breunig, Colin Burrows and Gage Buck were named the winning squad Oct. 14 during a luncheon at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C.

Additionally, Breunig was named the 2024 Soldier of the Year, and Sgt. 1st Class Alexander Haynes of U.S. Army Medical Command is the NCO of the Year.

“To all the competitors, thank you for daring to step into the arena and remind us all what it means to push to our limits, to lead from the front and to trust in your team,” said Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus, the event’s keynote speaker.

In his remarks, Mingus emphasized the importance of thinking and training like a champion. “Champions aren’t just made on the day of the competition—they are shaped long before through mastery of the fundamentals,” he said. “Training like a champion is about the pursuit of excellence and building habits that endure under pressure.”

Thinking like a champion means trusting those fundamentals and knowing that when a plan falls apart and chaos sets in, “you and your team will be ready,” Mingus said.

The Best Squad Competition, overseen by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer, took place Sept. 29–Oct. 13 at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and in Washington, D.C. Twelve squads representing major commands across the Army competed in the event. Each squad had five soldiers—a squad leader who is a sergeant first class or staff sergeant, a sergeant or corporal team leader and three squad members in the ranks of specialist or below.

The competition featured fitness and combat skills events, including the Army Combat Fitness Test, weapons lanes, a 12-mile foot march and individual warrior tasks and squad battle drills. It culminated with a board-style interview testing the soldiers’ knowledge and professionalism in front of top Army leaders.

Recognizing and celebrating excellence is a hallmark of any true profession, and the profession of arms is no exception, Mingus said. “You make the entire Army proud, and you represent all that is good about the American soldier,” he said.

Honorary SMA

Also at the luncheon, Weimer announced that Johnny Morris, founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, is this year’s Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army.

Morris is “incredibly passionate” about service members and veterans, Weimer said. “I couldn’t be prouder to be standing here and [recognizing Morris] today,” he said.

Morris dedicated the award to his father, a decorated World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. “I accept this honor on his behalf … thank you, dad,” he said.

For many years, Morris and Bass Pro Shops have been fervent supporters of soldiers and veterans. Nearly 4,000 veterans are employed by the organization, and it hosts a variety of fundraising events and fishing contests to improve the lives of disabled veterans.

In 2022, Morris and Bass Pro Shops received AUSA’s National Service Award, which recognizes exemplary service and enduring support to the American soldier and the Army community, and in September, the organization signed an agreement to become the official outdoor gear retailer for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service.

“To every soldier who has served or will serve, who have dedicated some of the best years of your lives—we are so blessed to have you,” Morris said. “Thank you for all you have done and continue to do … to defend our freedoms and our way of life here in the greatest God-given nation on earth.”

The tradition of naming an Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army began in 2016 when retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, a past president and CEO of AUSA, received the honor.

-Luc Dunn