ASHTON — U.S. Army Specialist Troy Mairs of the 1/106th Aviation Battalion, from Peoria has been selected as one of four finalists to compete for Illinois Army Soldier of the Year.
On the path to being named a finalist, Mairs competed against soldiers from his Peoria 106th aviation battalion in February.  After being chosen the division’s top soldier he advanced to the 65th Brigade competition in March, which includes over 5,000 soldiers. While there, he competed against ten other division winners in challenges that included physical training, rifle marksmanship, written test exams, and an interview board of high ranking officer.
He will compete again April 6-9 in Marseilles for the honor of being selected as Illinois’ top soldier against three of the Army’s finest Warriors. This four-day competition will include, rifle and pistol marksmanship, obstacle cross, day and night land navigation, written exams, a two-mile run, physical fitness challenges, interviews, urban warfare situation and a ten mile full gear march that must be completed in under two hours.

“Throughout the competition so far, I thought I was doing okay, but we didn’t get to see any of the other competitors compete. So you’re basically judging yourself against yourself. I thought I was performing decent. But to see those other guys, the best of soldiers from your brigade, you never know how well someone else is doing, so I was totally shocked and honored to be competitive at this level,” said Mairs.
Specialist Troy Mairs has been active in Illinois National Guard for three years and serves as the head armorer for the 106th aviation battalion in Peoria.