Best Ranger competition kicks off today

FORT BENNING, Ga. — U.S. Army Ranger teams will gather on Fort Benning for the 32nd annual David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition, April 10-13.

The first event is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m., April 10, and conclude, April 12. The formal awards ceremony will be at 10 a.m., April 13, in Marshall Auditorium in McGinnis-Wickam Hall.

A field of 51 teams is expected at the starting line, April 10.

The three-day Best Ranger Competition was established in 1982 and has been compared to the Ironman and Eco-Challenge competitions. The competition challenges two-man Ranger teams in events that test their physical conditioning, Ranger skills and team strategies. The events are purposely scheduled back-to-back and around-the-clock for 60 hours, allowing little time for rest and meals.

This year’s events will include sit ups, the Malvesti obstacle course, the Darby Queen, a moving target range at Malone Range, an urban assault course at McKenna Military Operations in an urban terrain site, an unknown distance run, an unknown distance swim at Victory Pond, a combat water survival assessment, a helocast, an unknown distance foot march, night land navigation, night orienteering and weapons assembly.

Other events will include a written test on the Ranger handbook, silhouette charge demolitions, an unknown distance weighted carry, an unknown distance body armor run, a stress shoot at Krilling Range, establishment of a mortar firing point, a grenade assault course, a Ranger first responder event, knot tying, an unknown distance buddy run, a spot jump with litter carry, metronome pushups and a tower with a rock wall, rappelling, caving ladder, rope climb and fast rope. There will also be a number of mystery events.

All events are timed and competitors score points for each completed event. Both team members must complete each task.

All competitors are graduates of the U.S. Army Ranger Course on Fort Benning.

Of the 50 teams at last year’s starting line, only 26 finished the competition. During the 2013 competition, 50 teams started the competition with only 23 finishing.

The competition was not conducted during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The only other time the competition was canceled was during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.