God, Country & Family – Be the Best You Can Be
2026 Montana Army National Guard Best Soldier – Cole Bechtold
Huntley, Montana
Written by Cyd Hoefle
Photography by Stu Hoefle and Contributed by the Mt Army National Guard
Summer Issue - 2026
Jumping in a pool in full uniform, including boots, holding his rifle above his head and using only one arm to tread water does not sound like a good time. It wasn’t – and it was just one endurance test that National Guard Specialist Cole Bechtold was subjected to as he competed in the 2026 Montana Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Fort Harrison in Helena. Cole treaded water for almost three minutes and was one of the last to crawl out of the pool, exhausted and in his words, “half drowned.”
For four grueling days this past April, the soldiers’ feet hit the ground before 5:00 a.m. to compete against each other and the clock in strenuous events that tested the core of their being.
“It wasn’t easy by any means,” Cole said. “But my mindset was that it was temporary – only four days and I can suffer for four days.”
When Cole was chosen to represent his Guard Unit at the Best Warrior Competition, he was representing more than just his unit, he was also representing rural Montana. A Montana boy at heart, Cole grew up near Huntley where he spent weekends team roping, branding, and helping out at a friend’s ranch.
Right after graduating from Huntley Project High School, Cole immediately joined the Army National Guard and left for Fort Benning, Georgia. He spent six months in basic training and infantry school. A year after completing bootcamp, he returned to Fort Benning to complete Pre-Ranger School, a 16-day prelude to Ranger School. After one day of rest, he began the infamous U.S. Army Ranger School, a 4-month leadership and small unit tactics training program open to U.S. military personnel from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and the National Guard.
Mentally and physically challenging, the school develops functional skills directly related to units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battle. The students train to exhaustion, pushing the limits of their minds and bodies. Everyone going through the school experiences both leadership opportunities and being part of a platoon.
“It takes both leadership and teamwork to succeed,” Cole continued. “Guys are hungry and ridiculously tired. When you get 40 dudes in your platoon that haven’t slept in three days, you have to know how to control them when you’re leading them and how to be a team player when you’re not.”
Cole said during parts of the training, participants were operating on less than an hour of sleep with just two Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) per day. The training was so physically intense that even in the best shape of his life, Cole’s weight dropped from 205 to 170 by the end.
“It puts you in the worst conditions humanly possible,” Cole explained. “Easily the hardest thing in the military I’ve ever done, but probably the most rewarding I’ll ever do in my life.”
Starting with over 400 soldiers including active-duty Marines and Green Berets, Cole held his own and was one of only twelve that made it to graduation without having to recycle or start over because of a failure. In the end, only 150 remained to graduate.
“I have no quit in me,” he said. “Ranger School was something that I’d wanted to do forever. I just kept putting out what was needed to get done. That and wanting to go home motivated me.” Plus, it was a bit of an anomaly to have an Army National Guard soldier do so well.
“I was proud to be there as a Guardsman,” he said. “And I was definitely one of the youngest.”
He graduated from Ranger School in July of 2024 at 21 years old and is now part of a specialized Unit: the 190th Chemical Reconnaissance Detachment (CRD). The CRD is a special forces guard unit called to support and be subject experts on chemical, biological and radiation warfare.
Ranger School gave Cole an idea of what he would face at the Best Warrior battle this year. Competition was fierce. He and ten other handpicked soldiers from units across the state tested their endurance and skills in areas such as: treading water fully-uniformed, navigation, stress shooting, performing medical aid on mock casualties, operating radios, using and operating key weapons including pistol, rifle and machine guns and enduring an 18.6 mile “ruck” hike with a 25# ruck sack on his back, in 35 degrees with 30 m.p.h. wind and intermittent snow and rain.
“The ruck hike was rough,” Cole said. “My commanding officer and my sponsor both joined me and having them along gave me a lot of encouragement. I love to be challenged, and it was a good fit as far as competition, but that hike was rough.”
Cole’s competitive nature started long before he entered the Guard and was nurtured in high school where he was a standout athlete in football, basketball and track. He could have advanced to the collegiate level, but as a junior, his aspirations began to lean toward the military.
Huntley, Montana, a community of just over 500 residents, is located on the east end of Yellowstone County. Residents hold tightly to the small-town feel even though Billings, the largest city in Montana, is just 15 miles away.
Drawing from the neighboring communities of Worden, Ballantine and Pompey’s Pillar, the high school enrolls roughly 250 students. Mark Wandle, Superintendent of all three Huntley Project Schools said the tight-knit community is a great supporter of the military and its veterans. A veteran of the National Guard himself, Mark served 20 years and has a heart for the military.
“Our community recognizes the importance of service,” he said. “Cole was raised that way. He always had a leadership presence about him, both on the football field and at school. He’s the kind of guy that’s going to have success in whatever direction he decides to go.”
As the week at the Best Warrior Competition progressed, the days were long and arduous. The soldiers pushed themselves, not knowing where they stood as each event was scored by points accumulated throughout the week. The results of the competition were not revealed until the award ceremony held at the state capital.
“I don’t stand out in one area of competition more than another,” Cole said. “But my biggest strong suit is being super proficient in all the areas. Across the board I do pretty well.”
That proficiency earned him the title of Best Soldier Award in Montana. In late May, he will go on to compete in the regional Best Warrior competition in North Dakota against soldiers from seven states. The winner will advance to nationals.
“I think Cole’s chances are really great,” said his commanding officer, Captain Derek Taylor, “To be Best Soldier, we were looking for someone that represents Montana in the best light possible: someone capable, competent and not just a good soldier, but a good human with great values. He will represent us well in North Dakota.”
Montana’s Governor can call the National Guard into action during local or statewide emergencies, such as storms, fires, earthquakes or civil disturbances. As posted on the Montana National Guard website, the state mission assigned to the National Guard is: "To provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise provided by state law." In addition, the President of the United States can activate the National Guard for participation in federal missions.
“The 190th CRD Unit is called to paint the picture on the battlefield,” Captain Taylor explained. “It’s a job we hope we don’t ever have to perform in real life, but we’re always prepared for it.”
With the Guard, Cole has committed to serve one weekend a month and two weeks of training per year. When he’s not training, he is employed full time in construction and still works at the ranch when help is needed. He spends as many weekends as possible at his family’s cabin enjoying the lake, he’s an avid fan of country music concerts and enjoys hunting birds and big game every fall. He’s committed to staying physically fit by running and lifting weights every day.
“The National Guard has helped me in so many ways,” Cole said. “It’s not a huge commitment for what you get out of it. I’ve met some great people and had incredible experiences. It taught me discipline and responsibility and matured me for sure. I would recommend it to anyone who’s interested.”
Nationally just one percent of graduating high school students join the National Guard.
“I might be biased,” Superintendent Wandle said. “But our students going into the Guard are tremendous people. Cole’s one of them. We can all take a little bit of credit for how he turned out, but most of the credit really lies with the families that support their loved ones that serve and young men and women like Cole that make up the military.”
“Cole’s not typical,” Captain Taylor added. “He’s gifted naturally but on top of that, he has God, country, family, and his moral compass on point. He’s a good quality human, a great neighbor, a great friend, a great son, and going to be a great husband; he’s that kind of caliber of a human. He’s small-town Montana and that’s as good as it gets.”
Both Captain Taylor and Superintendent Wandle believe Cole has a great chance of winning at the regional contest.
“It’s the best of the best,” Captain Taylor said. “Cole has what it takes. I said to him at the Best Warrior at Fort Harrison, ‘it’s not about us versus them, this is about putting yourself out there and being vulnerable and challenging yourself to be the best you can be.”
