Harper student named Soldier of the Year by Illinois Army National Guard

At 19, Nathan Johnson is one of the youngest soldiers ever to win first place in the physically grueling, three-day Illinois National Guard Best Warrior Competition.

Due to his rank as a junior enlisted man, Nathan Johnson, from Arlington Heights, was named Soldier of the Year by the Illinois Army National Guard at the April competition, which took place at the Illinois Guard training ground in Sparta.

The Best Warrior Competition tested soldiers’ physical strength, mental agility, and analytical and decision-making skills. Events included an Army Combat Fitness Test, marksmanship tests, land navigation, medical tasks and concluded with a 12-mile road race under 50 pounds of weight in military gear. Nathan wanted to build his skills on the way to his goal of becoming a warrant officer and military helicopter pilot. 

“I was just going out there to have fun, which made the awards ceremony that much more surprising,” Nathan said. “When they said my name, I was smiling the whole time, I couldn’t hold it back. I was really proud of myself, but also just kind of shell-shocked.”

In addition to his military training, Nathan has been managing a full course load at Harper College. His pursuit of becoming a warrant officer has allowed Nathan to be a student first. 

He graduated from John Hersey High School in 2022 and briefly attended a private university before enrolling at Harper. Nathan wanted to find a school where his military benefits covered tuition and Harper was a convenient, flexible choice. It’s also a Military-Friendly School, earning 2024-25 Gold status because of Harper’s services and outreach to those currently or previously in the armed forces, including the college’s Center for Student Veterans and Military-Connected Students.

“I promised my parents that I would get a degree, so I’m going to get my degree before becoming a warrant officer,” he said. “It takes about a year of full-time, active-duty training, and I know it would be hard to go back to school after that.”

In addition to his Harper courses and military training, Nathan has been attending aviation school in his free time. He plans to transfer to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the fall to continue studying towards a bachelor’s degree in political science and an associate degree in aviation.

Needless to say, he’s been busy. Nathan explained that the amount of time spent working out, as well as training on equipment, tactics and other tasks takes a significant amount of time away from day-to-day life. 

“You don’t get rest days when you’re not training, so balancing civilian life can be challenging.” Nathan said, before explaining why he chose the military and the path of an Illinois warrant officer. “I come from a military family and I feel like I have the skills to do the job well. And that’s a kind of responsibility, since a lot of people might not have those skills. In that way, I guess you could say I do feel ‘called to serve,’ and I always have.” 

In conversation, Nathan conveys a sense of purpose and humility. He mentioned that he signed up for the Best Warrior Competition on a whim to get in some extra training, the main priority of the event.

“It is a competition, but first and foremost we’re there to work hard, test our skills and learn something new.”  Nathan said. “I definitely feel like I matured a little bit, since I was the youngest competitor by about three to four years. Just being around people who are older and experienced has an impact on you.”

Reflecting on his experiences as a Harper student, Nathan discussed the importance of education and the opportunity to try new experiences.

“I think Harper has taught me that I can do both and be great at both,” he said. “It’s not necessarily how much you have on your plate, but how you manage it and the mindset in which you deal with it.”