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CAB Soldier Finishes Near Top in Army Combatives Tournament

By Sgt. Roland Hale

FORT RILEY, Kan. - An Army lieutenant with the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, finished near the top of his class in this year's All-Army Combatives Tournament at Fort Hood, Texas.

The tournament was hosted at Fort Hood from July 20 to July 23 to challenge competitors from around the Army in the Modern Army Combatives Program.

Second Lt. Matt Valnoski, a Soldier with the brigade's 601st Aviation Support Battalion, fought his way to the third place match for the 155 lb. welter weight category. Valnoski was placed in the fight by default after one of the Soldiers originally scheduled to compete suffered an injury. He lost the match, making his final finish in fourth place.

Second Lt. Matt Valnoski, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, takes on an opponent during the All-Army Combatives Tournament at Fort Hood, Texas. U.S. Army photo

Though he narrowly missed the podium, the 23-year-old Allentown, N.J., native said the competition was worth every minute.

"This is the best thing I've ever done in the Army," he said. "It was a great overall experience, and even though I lost it was good to see the hard work pay off."

Valnoski is a supply officer in his unit, but has an extensive background as a fighter. In high school, Valnoski received the U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Male Athlete Award, as well as a varsity letter in wrestling. Afterward, he received a small scholarship to attend Norwich University in Vermont, where he continued to compete in collegiate wrestling for four years. The combatives tournament was one of the first tests of Valnoski's skills in Army combatives, which is quite different than his background in traditional wrestling, he said. "It took a lot of work," he said. "I've been training with the Fort Riley combatives team since February, and I also train at night at a combatives center in Manhattan."

The training paid off, and yielded one of the most exciting competitions of his athletic career, he said.

"The atmosphere was great," said Valnoski. "The competitors from the different posts have huge rivalries every year, and it was pretty cool to represent Fort Riley."

Second Lt. Matt Valnoski, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, stands ready for a fight during the All-Army Combatives Tournament at Fort Hood, Texas. U.S. Army photo

True to his competitive nature, Valnoski said he already has his sights set on next year's tournament. He started training the day he got back to Kansas, he said.

"The bruises and cuts hurt, but not as much as losing that last match," he said. "I'm excited to win next year."