FORT MEADE, Md. — Just 457 days after suffering a stroke, Staff Sgt. Anthony Nielsen led his team to victory as a squad leader in the Army Counterintelligence Command’s Best Squad Competition.
Nielsen, assigned to ACIC’s Region IV that covers the Northeast U.S., faced a daunting recovery after experiencing a stroke on December 1, 2023, while driving to work. He initially experienced a headache, blurred vision, numbness in his legs and doesn’t recall the events that followed.
Thanks to a fellow NCO at his work, Nielsen was taken to the emergency room at Frederick Health and received lifesaving treatment. After several days in the intensive care unit, he transferred to the neurology unit and continued to undergo testing in an attempt to determine the cause of the suspected stroke. Despite extensive testing, a diagnosis could not be found and Nielsen was discharged to outpatient care.
Initially, the stroke’s impact was significant with Nielsen requiring a cane to walk and the assistance of family and friends to function normally. However, driven by a determination to continue his Army career, he relentlessly pursued recovery, working with physical therapists and supplementing their guidance with his own rigorous training regimen — often tripling the prescribed workouts. By February 2024, he was able to walk a mile and jog.
“I was not going to allow the event to control my future,” said Nielsen.
It was his certification in kinesiology and human performance that gave Nielsen the knowledge to continue furthering his mental and physical recovery. With the continued support of his wife and four children, he moved forward with his recovery.
In July 2024, a new neurologist at Walter Reed reviewed Nielsen’s MRIs and scans. In one appointment, she told Nielsen she finally found the cause of his stroke and showed him the location where the clot lodged in his upper brainstem of the cerebellum, going on to inform him that there was no way he could remain on active duty.
Up until this doctor’s visit, Nielsen never considered medically retiring from the Army. He could understand the appeal to have financial security, however, wished to retire from the Army with over 20 years of service. This gave him a new mission, to keep showing improvement and get off his temporary profile within one year of his injury. “I needed to show I was still healing and progressing.”
His fight to remain in the Army involved passing a diagnostic Army Combat Fitness Test in August 2024, under the close watch of his doctors and with the limitation of only pushing to 60 points in each event out of 100. Nielsen passed his diagnostic test and in November 2024, achieved an impressive score of 495 on a record ACFT. His last hurdle for remaining on active duty was to successfully qualify on his assigned weapon. Nielsen attended a range in January 2025 and did just that. These achievements earned him a “green light” from his doctors to continue his service.
The 2025 ACIC Best Squad Competition, held in early March, tested Soldiers’ skills in a variety of areas including the ACFT, land navigation, situational training exercises, weapons qualification and a 12-mile ruck march with a 35-pound load, culminating in a knowledge-based board. Each team member had their specific strengths and weaknesses but bound together as a squad to form a singular unit of strength; this forged strength proved imperative as Nielsen led his five-person team to victory.
Throughout the competition, Nielsen emphasized the importance of teamwork, ensuring no one crossed the finish line of the ruck march alone, personally accompanying each team member. He views the event as a testament to the resilience and strength of NCOs.
Nielsen and his squad reunited to compete at the INSCOM Best Squad Competition, once again showing his strength, resolve and that NCOs really are the backbone of the Army. While the 704th Military Intelligence Battalion ended up taking home the gold, Nielsen is proud of how his squad performed.
Staff Sgt. Nielsen, originally from Ivanhoe, Minnesota, initially served as a C-130 airframe mechanic in the Marine Corps from 2006-2011 before transitioning to the Army in 2018 as a 19D, cavalry scout. He later reclassified to a counterintelligence special agent, completing his training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
By MSG Madeline Liberty
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