NY National Guard Spec. Robert Marino is 369th Sustainment Brigade Soldier of the Year

CAMP SMITH, NY (03/19/2018) New York Army National Guard Specialist Robert Marino, a Franklin Square, N.Y. resident, has been named Soldier of the Year by the 369th Sustainment Brigade.

Marino, who joined the New York Army National Guard in August 2015, and serves in the 107th Military Police Company, was selected following a competition held at Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill Feb. 23-25.

He will compete against National Guard Soldiers from around the state for the New York National Guard title of New York National Guard Soldier of the Year in April. The winner of that competition competes in a regional event as part of a process of finding the best Soldier in the Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard.

The competition tests a Soldier's military knowledge, their ability to complete tasks involving weapons and equipment, and their physical fitness.

Marino, who works as a high school rifle coach and is currently attending Nassau Community College, has been awarded the National Defenses Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. He deployed to Puerto Rico in the fall of 2017 as part of the relief effort following Hurricane's Irma and Maria.