Spc. Benjamin Mason, Arizona, struggles along as he

Spc. Benjamin Mason, Arizona, struggles along as he drags a 30-pound rucksack and dummy rifle the length of a pool. The ruck had military equipment and clothing inside double-wrapped in waterproof bags. Army National Guard NCOs and Soldiers competing in the 2012 Region VII Best Warrior tournament at Camp San Luis Obispo, Calif., woke up on their second day of the match to warm temperatures. This was a good thing because at 6 a.m. they would drop into a 70 degree pool for the mystery event: water survival. Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah sent their two best warriors to the Golden State April 23-26 to pit their abilities against the best for that region. The water survival test would separate swimmer from sinker. After treading for five minutes the troops would swim laps, play a memory game and pull a ruck and rifle the length of an olympic pool. (Army National Guard photo/Master Sgt. Paul Wade)