Commander's message of thanks

The Ranger Training Brigade wishes to thank all the competing teams and donors who participated in the 26th Annual David E. Grange, Jr. Best Ranger Competition. This year's competition successfully highlighted the professionalism and expertise of United States Army Rangers, while emphasizing the teamwork that makes Rangers a significant combat multiplier. The support that the Ranger Training Brigade received from the Fort Benning and Columbus community dramatically increased our ability to host this year's competition. We are already looking forward to next year's competition.
Douglas L. Flohr
Colonel, Infantry
commander
Ranger Training Brigade

Because when your family is behind you, you can accomplish anything

From the top - Staff Sgt Benjamin and Staff Sgt Ian Hunter, brothers who competed as a team, after the award ceremony this morning.

- Family and Friends often sport custom T-shirts supporting their team

- A quick hug for dad, Master Sgt. Daniel Jenkins, at the Tri-tower challenge Saturday during Day Stakes

- Friends and families offer moral support on the Darby Queen Friday

- No doubts about who this vehicle belongs to!

Team 21 at the award ceremony

more sites with BRC coverage / what's next?

I have put up more photos of this year's BRC at www.flickr.com/eleki_j/
The Bayonet and BenningTV are posting stories, video and photos. Look for links at www.army.mil. BenningTV has also posted coverage on YouTube throughout the weekend.
The Army Times had a reporter and videographer cover the 2009 BRC. Their website is www.armytimes.com
And please visit the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer's website at www.ledger-enquirer.com for extensive coverage of this year's competition.

The award ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, May 11 at 10 a.m. The location for the event is the Ranger Memorial on main post, however, due to weather conditions it may be moved to Freedom Hall.

This blog will be monitored for comments but no new posts will be put up shortly after the BRC awards ceremony. For all intents and purposes, other than monitoring comments, this blog will be inactive by the end of May. If you would like to contact me about the Best Ranger Competition or Fort Benning, you can reach me at the Fort Benning Public Affairs Office, 706-545-3512 or email me there at elsie.jackson@us.army.mil.

If the information posted here was helpful or of some interest to you, please feel free to post comments. This was the first year that our office used the internet to cover the BRC so the jury is still out on if we will try again next year.

Sentiment of the day

...pretty much says it all.

FINAL team standings

24 teams completed the 2009 David E. Grange Best Ranger Competition.
Final team standings are -

1st - Team 21 - 2483 points - Sgt 1st Class Blake A. Simms and Sgt 1st Class Chad E.W. Stackpole, 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Ranger Training Brigade, Fort Benning, GA
2nd - Team 22- 2396 points - Master Sgt Walter J. Zajkowski and Master Sgt Daniel E. Jenkins, US Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, NC
3rd - Team 7 - 2165 points - Sgt Michael A. Malchow and Sgt Jesse A. Collins, 75th Ranger Regiment
4th - Team 8 - 2151 points - Staff Sgt Brandon K. Farmer and Staff Sgt Luke R. McDowell, 75th Ranger Regiment
5th - Team 31 - 2138 points - Staff Sgt Michael C. Mutchie and Staff Sgt Miguel A. Antia, 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Ranger Training Brigade, Fort Benning, GA
6th - Team 46 - 2094 points - Capt Samuel E. Linn and 1st Sgt Robert F. Carter, 5th Bde, 2nd ID
7th - Team 23 - 2050 points - Sgt Maj Jesse D. Boettcher and Master Sgt Eric J. Turk, US Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, NC
8th - Team 29 - 1976 points - Sgt Jeremy K. Billing and Cpl Troy V. Jenkins, 75th Ranger Regiment
9th - Team 43 - 1970 points - 1st Lt Thomas M. Halverson and 1st Lt Michael J. Luth, 4th Bde, 4th ID
10th - Team 27 - 1920 points - Staff Sgt Benjamin C. Hunter and Staff Sgt Ian B. Hunter, 75th Ranger Regiment
11th - Team 16 - 1904 points - Staff Sgt Raylan J. Heck and Staff Sgt Adam J. Angisanio, 6th Ranger Training Battalion, Ranger Training Brigade, Camp Rudder, FL
12th - Team 33 - 1864 points - 1st Lt Chris S. Migliaro and Sgt 1st Class Jordan A. Martell, 4th Bde, 4th ID
13th - Team 24 - 1863 points - Maj Jose D. Salinas and Maj Edward A. Sedlock, 199th Infantry Regiment, Fort Benning, GA
14th - Team 17 - 1852 points - Sgt Edward F. Killmeier and Spc Michael E. Pierce, 75th Ranger REgiment
15th - Team 20 - 1779 points - Maj Pete S. Kranenburg and Sgt 1st Class John S. Przytulski, 1st SWTG
16th - Team 26 - 1735 points - Capt Ronald L. Garberson and Capt Anthony B. Aguilar, US Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, NC
17th - Team 49 - 1638 points - Sgt 1st Class Mark E. Breyak and Sgt 1st Class Steve W. Fields, SWC NCOA
18th - Team 5 - 1592 points - Sgt 1st Class Derek G. Wise and Sgt David M. Paul, 25th Infanty Division
19th - Team 14 - 1554 points - Capt Stephen P. Magennis and Capt Todd M. Tompkins, Maneuver Captains Career Course, 199th Infantry Regiment
20th - Team 45 - 1534 points - Capt Lloyd B. Wohlschlegel and 1st Lt Raymond A. Kuderka, 2-27 In, 25th Infantry Division
21st - Team 38 - 1516 points - 1st Lt Anthony J. Kivlehan and 1st Lt Alex B. Armstrong, 4th Bde, 4th ID
22nd - Team 35 - 1492 points - Capt David M. Cochrane and Staff Sgt Anthony L. Fuentes, 6th Ranger Training Battalion, Ranger Training Brigade, Camp Rudder, FL
23rd - Team 28 - 1310 points - Capt Robert B. Killian and 1st Lt Grant R. Barge, 10th Mountain Division
24th - Team 34 - 1297 points - 1st Lt Lauren A. Gore and 1st Lt Benjamin R. Juvinall, 4th Bde, 1st ID

Top three teams - FINAL

Top three teams - final
1st - Team 21 - Sgt 1st Class Blake A. Simms and Sgt 1st Class Chad E.W. Stackpole, Ranger Training Brigade, Fort Benning, GA
2nd - Team 22 - Master Sgt Walter J. Zajkowski and Master Sgt Daniel E. Jenkins, US Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
3rd - Team 7 - Sgt Michael A. Malchow and Sgt Jesse A. Collins, 75th Ranger Regiment

Unofficial final results

Unofficial final results - Team 21, Sgt 1st Class Blake A. Simms and Sgt 1st Class Chad E.W. Stackpole, have won the 2009 Best Ranger Competition. Simms and Stackpole are assigned to the 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Ranger Training Brigade.

Team 21 wins Leandri and Rippetoe awards

Team 21, Sgt 1st Class Blake A. Simms and Sgt 1st Class Chad E.W. Stackpole, are the winners of the Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe Trophy for their first place finish in the road march Friday night.
Simms and Stackpole also won the Richard A. Leandri Award for winning the night orienteering course on Saturday night.

One event to go

The final event will be a buddy run from near Fort Benning's small animal cemetery to Freedom Hall on Lawson Army Airfield. The buddy run is expected to start at 3:30 p.m., about a half hour from now.

Top three teams after canoe event

The top three teams after the canoe event are -

Team 21 - Sgt 1st Class Blake A. Simms and Sgt 1st Class Chad E.W. Stackpole, 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Ranger Training Brigade
Team 22 - Master Sgt Walter J. Zajkowski and Master Sgt Daniel E. Jenkins, US Army Special Operations Command
Team 7 - Sgt Michael A. Malchow and Sgt Jesse A. Collins, 75th Ranger Regiment

Lt.Gen. David E. Grange at Hurley Hill

Not exactly a pleasure cruise

Officially, the canoe event is 8.9 miles long. Let's just call it 9. The teams were flown by Blackhawk helicopters to the lawn behind the Confederate Naval Museum near Rotary Park on Victory Drive. After exiting the aircraft they moved down to the edge of bank of the Chattahoochee River, climbed into canoes and started paddling downstream back to Fort Benning.

Happy Mother's Day to Capt Micah Niebauer's mom

Day 3 - Competition continues at Hurley Hill

There are now 24 teams left in the 2009 Best Ranger Competition. The teams are now on the Water Confidence Test followed by the helocast.

The team standings this morning, posted after last night's land nav course are -
1st - team 21 - Sgt 1st Class Blake A. Simms & Sgt 1st Class Chad E.W. Stackpole, 4th Ranger Training Bn, Ranger Training Brigade with 1914 points
2nd - team 22 - Master Sgt Walter E. Zajkowski and Master Sgt Daniel E. Jenkins, US Army Special Operations Command with 1857 points
3rd - Team 7 - Sgt Michael A. Malchow and Sgt. Jesse A, Collins, 75th Ranger Regiment with 1637 points
4th - Team 31 - Staff Sgt Michael C. Mutchie and Staff Sgt Miguel A. Antia, 4th Ranger Training Bn, Ranger Training Brigade
5th - Team 23 - Sgt Maj Jesse D. Boettcher and Master Sgt Eric J. Turk, US Army Special Operations Command
6th - Team 8 - Staff Sgt Brandon K. Farmer and Staff Sgt Luke R. McDowell, 75th Ranger Regiment
7th - Team 46 - Capt Samuel E. Linn and 1st Sgt Robert F. Carter, 2nd ID
8th - Team 29 - Sgt Jeremy K. Billings and Cpl Troy V. Jenkins, 75th Ranger Regiment
9th - Team 27 - Staff Sgt Benjamin C. Hunter and Staff Sgt Ian B. Hunter, 75th Ranger Regiment
10th - Team 43 - 1st Lt Thomas M. Halverson and 1st Lt Michael J. Luth, 4th Bde, 4th ID
11th - Team 24 - Maj Jose D. Salinas and Maj Edward A. Sedlock - 199th
12th - Team 33 - 1st Lt Chris S. Migliaro and Sgt 1st Class Jordan A. Martell, 4th Bde, 4th ID
13th - Team 16 - Staff Sgt Raylan J. Heck and Staff Sgt Adam J. Angrisanio, 6th Ranger Training Bn, Ranger Training Brigade
14th - Team 17 - Sgt Edward F. Killmeier and Spc Michael E. Pierce, 75th Ranger Regiment
15th - Team 20 - Maj Pete S. Kranenburg and Sgt 1st Class John S. Przytulski, 1st SWTG
16th - Team 26 - Capt Ronald L. Garberson and Capt Anthony B. Aguilar, US Army Special Operations Command
17th - Team 49 - Sgt 1st Class Mark E. Breyak and Sgt 1st Class Steve W. Fields, SWC NCOA
18th - Team 5 - Sgt 1st Class Derek G. Wise and Sgt David M. Paul, 25th ID
19th - Team 14 - Capt Stephen P. Magennis and Capt Todd M. Tompkins, 199th Inf
20th - Team 38 - 1st Lt Anthony J. Kivlehan and 1st Lt Alex B. Armstrong, 4th Bde 4th ID
21st - Team 35 - Capt David M. Cochrane and Staff Sgt Anthony L. Fuentes, 6th Ranger Training Bn, Ranger Training Brigade
22nd - Team 45 - Capt Lloyd B. Wohlschlegel and 1st Lt Raymond A. Kuderka, 2-27, 25th ID
23rd - Team 34 - 1st Lt Lauren A. Gore and 1st Lt Benjamin L. Juvinall, 4th Bde, 1st ID
24th Team 28 - Capt Ronald L. Garberson and Capt Anthony B. Aguilar, US Army Special Operations Command

Top three teams at the end of day stakes

At the end of day stakes on day two, team 22 (Zajkowski and Jenkins) is in first place, followed closely by team 21 (Simms and Stackpole). In third is team 7 (Malchow and Collins).

Looking for more coverage of the competition?

The Bayonet and BenningTV are uploading stories, photo and video on the Army homepage. Check it out at www.army.mil.
The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer ran a story about the competition on the front page of today's edition. The Ledger is also running extensive coverage online with still photos and video. Their website is www.ledger-enquirer.com.
The local TV news can be followed at www.wtvm.com, www.wrbl.com and www.wltz.com.
What will tomorrow bring? The teams still standing tomorrow morning will assemble at the Ranger demonstration area on Hurley Hill in Harmony Church. For starters they will go through the water confidence test...a log walk 30 feet above the water, then make their way over a rope to a Ranger tab. Once they touch the tab the competitors will hang from the rope and drop into the pond. After getting out of the pond, each competitor will make their way over to a tower on the edge of the pond, climb to the platform at the top, grab hold of a pulley and slide down to the water. They don't call it a zipline for nothing.
As each team completes the water confidence test, Blackhawk helicopters will take them to the boat dock at Rotary Park where they will don safety vests, grab paddles and canoe back to Fort Benning.
The teams will line up together for the last event of the competition, a buddy run to Freedom Hall at the edge of Fort Benning's Lawson Army Airfield.

Day Stakes continues

The competitors are putting on quite a show for their families and friends. On the Tri-tower challenge. (Team 22) Zajkowski and Jenkins' time on the Tri-tower challenge beat (Team 21) Simms and Stackpole's time by one second. These two teams started day stakes with a mere 29 points separating them.
The Tri-tower Challenge starts with a climb up a 60-foot "rock" wall and rappel down the side, followed by rope climbing and fast roping on two 20-foot towers.
The teams are rotating every hour. Two of the events today are "mystery events."
The teams will face a land navigation course tonight. To pass, they will need to find a set number of required points inside of the time limit. There will also be a number of bonus points that the teams may choose to pursue in an effort to improve their standings.
Media shooting the competition include Zaragoza Films and a Canadian crew shooting episodes for season 5 of "Truth, Duty, Valour." The Canadian crew is actively marketing their series to American networks, and their producer says that they are close to signing a contract with SpikeTV.

Top ten teams after the night road march

The top ten teams at the conclusion of last night's road march and as today's day stakes kick off are -

1st - team 21 - Sgts 1st Class Chad E.W. Stackpole and Blake A. Simms - 4th Ranger Training Bn, Ranger Training Brigade
2nd - team 22 - Master Sgts Walter E. Zajkowski and Daniel E. Jenkins - US Army Special Operations Command
3rd - team 23 - Sgt Maj Jesse D. Boettcher and Master Sgt Eric J. Turk - US Army Special Operations Command
4th - team 31 - Staff Sgts Michael C. Mutchie and Miguel A. Antia - 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Ranger Training Brigade
5th - team 8 - Staff Sgts Brandon K. Farmer and Luke R. McDowell - 75th Ranger Regiment
6th - team 7 - Sgts Michael A, Malchow and Sgt Jesse A. Collins - 75th Ranger Regiment
7th - team 29Sgt Jeremy K. Billings and Cpl Troy V. Jenkins - 75th Ranger Regiment
8th - team 46 - 1st Sgt Robert F. Carter and Capt Samuel E. Linn - 2nd ID
9th - team 33 - 1st Lt Chris S. Migliaro and Sgt 1st Class Jordan A. Martell - 4th ID
10th - team 27 - Staff Sgts Benjamin Hunter and Ian Hunter, 75th Ranger Regiment

The first round of day stakes is in full swing. There is some cloud cover this morning but the temperature is already on the rise. There is a pretty stiff breeze on occasion so the weather is tolerable in the shade for now.
Sunblock and bug spray are the words of the day today.

The Competition moves into Day Two

As of 7:30 a.m. this morning, 26 teams will start Day Stakes.
Team 21, Sgt. 1st Class Blake A. Simms and Sgt. 1st Class Chad E.W. Stackpole was the first team to finish the 18-mile road march last night in an unofficial time of 4 hours, 23 minutes. Keep in mind that they accomplished this feat with both team members carrying full rucksacks, weighing about 65 pounds each.
Top three teams at the end of the litter carry yesterday were -
1st place - team 21 (Simms and Stackpole, 4th Ranger Training Bn, RTB)
2nd place - team 22 (Zajkowski and Jenkins, US Army Special Opns. Command)
3rd place - team 8 (Farmer and McDowell, 75th Ranger Regt.)

1715 hours and it is hot, hot, hot

The skies cleared and the sun is beating down on the Best Ranger teams and spectators. Thankfully, if you are in the shade there's a nice breeze, which is great for the friends and families fortunate enough to be here to support their Rangers.
The teams are making their way through a series of marksmanship challenges. Most of them are through the first two ranges and about a third of the competitors have made it through the last event of the day. To get there they had to finish all of the marksmanship challenges, then make their way through the woods instead of walking on the road like they've been doing for most of the day to the litter carry.
When they reached the litter carry event, they were confronted by a "seriously injured casualty" who looked a lot like the first aid dummies you learn CPR on. They had to administer first aid, build a field expedient litter out of poles and blankets and then move the "casualty." Of course, this is the Best Ranger Competition so as an added bonus, a simulated IED went off shortly after they picked up the litter to evacuate the "casualty." This means that the team had to stop and reassess the casualty before continuing to move him. All this while still hauling a full rucksack, camelbacks filled with water and their weapons!
At last check, the night road march will start at around 8:30 p.m. tonight. Mixed in with a lot of mileage will be some additional Ranger tasks that the teams will have to perform in near darkness.
Tomorrow morning will find the teams surviving the road march on Todd Field in Harmony Church for Ranger Day Stakes.
There are 45 teams still in the mix. Best guess has it that there will be a little more than half that number starting day stakes tomorrow.

The Darby Queen takes its toll

The Darby Queen lived up to its reputation as the Army's toughest obstacle course this morning. At last count, three more teams were forced to withdraw from the Best Ranger Competition due to injuries sustained on the 1 1/4 mile long course. There are now 45 of 49 teams in the competition.
Team 41's SSG Tony C. Eshoo (4th Ranger Training Bn.) and Team 48' Capt Michael A. Hamilton (1st Infantry) were injured on the Island Hopper obstacle. Team 19 (101st) was eliminated on the aptly named "Tough One."
The first teams to finish the Darby Queen were trucked to Lee Drop Zone, but the ceiling has now lifted and teams are being flown to Lee Drop Zone but they are not jumping.
Once the teams are on the DZ they are putting their equipment on litters and carrying them to a finish line. From there they take off on a buddy run toward the Malone Complex for a series of marksmanship events, with a little orienteering exercise thrown in.
Team 27, Staff Sgt Ben and Staff Sgt Ian Hunter are on the front page of today's Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (www.ledger-enquirer.com). Their family members are following their progress today in vehicles declaring their support for "daddy, "Uncle Ben" and "Uncle Ian."
Other families are wearing T-shirts with their Soldiers' names, team numbers and units.
As of now, the last of the teams have made their way to Lee Drop Zone.

The Competition is ON!

Forty nine teams started the competition this morning. At the end of the first event, a four-mile buddy run around Camp Darby which took the teams through a swamp, 48 were still standing. Team 9, Capt Eric T. Lo and 1st Lt Mason N. Ward from the 101st, is out of the competition.
Top three teams at the end of the buddy run -
1st - Team 8, Staff Sgt Brandon K. Farmer and Staff Sgt Luke R. McDowell, 75th
2nd - Team 22, Master Sgt Walter J. Zajkowski and Master Sgt Daniel E. Jenkins, US Army Special Operations Command
3rd - Team 46, Cap Robert F. Linn and 1st Sgt Robert F. Carter, 5th Bde, 2 ID
The teams are being sent out on the Darby Queen obstacle course.
Due to low ceiling and poor visibility, the spot jump has been cancelled. Teams will be trucked to Lee Drop Zone and the competition will pick up from there.

Team photos on flickr

To view the team photos, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/eleki_j/... Sorry that they are not in order yet.

2009 Best Ranger Competition sequence of events

To access the installation, go to the Visitors' Center at the Benning Road OR the I-185 gate. Take your drivers' license and proof or registration (or rental car contract), and ask for a three-day pass. Beginning Friday morning, May 8, special Best Ranger information packets will be available at these Visitors' Centers. You can also get Best Ranger Competition information in the post newspaper, the Bayonet, which is publishing a special BRC supplement on May 8.

FRIDAY, 8 MAY
0600 - 0745 BUDDY RUN - CAMP DARBY
0745 – 1230 DARBY QUEEN - CAMP DARBY
0830 – 1400 SPOT JUMP - LEE DZ
0930 – 1445 BUDDY RUN - LEE DZ TO MALONE 12
1000 – 1515 MACHINE GUN RANGE - MALONE 12
1030 – 1600 STRESS SHOOT - MALONE 16
1115 – 1630 MOVING TARGET RANGE - MALONE 18
1145 – 1730 ORIENTEERING - MALONE 18 TO COOMBS
1230 – 1830 EXPEDIENT LITTER CARRY - COOMBS DZ
2100 – 2400 FOOT MARCH - FORT BENNING

SATURDAY, 9 MAY
0001 – 0300 FOOT MARCH - FORT BENNING
0330 – 0600 WEAPONS ASSEMBLY - TODD FIELD
0400 – 0630 MYSTERY EVENT - TODD FIELD
0430 – 0700 ADMINISTER IV - TODD FIELD
0500 – 0730 EQUPMENT LAYOUT - TODD FIELD
0800 – 1610 DAY STAKES - TODD FIELD
0800 – 1610 TRI-TOWER CHALLENGE - TODD FIELD
0800 – 1610 STRESS SHOOT - BRINSON RANGE
1930 – 2400 ORIENTEERING - FORT BENNING

SUNDAY, 10 MAY
0001 – 0800 ORIENTEERING - MCKENNA MOUT SITE
0830 – 1100 HELOCAST/SWIM - HURLEY HILL
0930 – 1400 WCT - HURLEY HILL
1400 – 1600 CANOE - CHATTAHOOCHEE
1430 – 1600 BUDDY RUN - FREEDOM HALL/LAAF
1700 – UTC SUPER SUPPER - FREEDOM HALL/LAAF

MONDAY, 11 MAY
1000 – 1100 AWARD CEREMONY RANGER MEMORIAL

The teams have signed in...

2009 Best Ranger Competition team roster as of 5 May 2009

# TEAM MEMBERS UNIT SPONSOR

1 SSG TISSERAND, MITCHELL R. ------ 5TH RTB
CPT CHONKO, AARON W.
2 1LT STANFORD, RANDALL T. -------- Warrior Training Center
SSG HOFFMAN, JAMES E.
3 MGYSGT PADILLA, CHARLES H.------- RTC (RECON TNG COMP)
SGT BAUMGARTNER, CHRIS B.
4 1SG GAN, JERIMIAH E. ------------ 1-15 IN, 3RD BDE, 3RD ID
1LT LOSTROSCIO, JAMES W.
5 SFC WISE, DEREK G. -------------- 25TH ID
SGT PAUL, DAVID M.
6 SSG ROYALTY, MATTHEW S. --------- 6TH RANGER TRAINING BN, RTB
SGT HERSHFIELD, THOMAS E.
7 SGT MALCHOW, MICHAEL A. --------- 5TH RANGER TRAINING BN, RTB
SGT COLLINS, JESSE A.
8 SSG FARMER, BRANDON K. ---------- 75TH RANGER
SSG McDOWELL, LUKE R.
9 CPT LO, ERIC T. ----------------- 101ST
1LT WARD, MASON N.
10 MAJ GENDREAU, CRAIG W. ---------- 95TH CIVIL AFFAIRS
CSM WALL, THOMAS E.
11 CPT CRAFTON, A. BRITTON --------- 1-29 INF, 197TH INF REGT
SPC TYLER, SKIRIK N.
12 1LT STUTES, TRAVIS B. ----------- JRTC, FT POLK
SGT LAZO, ANDRES F.
14 CPT MAGENNIS, STEPHEN P. -------- MCCC, 199TH INF REGT
CPT TOMPKINS, TODD M.
15 SSG DELISLE, MATTHEW S. --------- 1-15 IN, 3RD BDE, 3RD ID
SFC PENA, ORACIO
16 SSG HECK, RAYLAN J. ------------- 6TH RANGER TRAINING BN, RTB
SSG ANGRISANIO, ADAM J
17 SGT KILLMEIER, EDWARD F. -------- 75TH RANGER
SPC PIERCE, MICHAEL E.
18 CPL HEALY, MATTHEW B. ----------- 75TH RANGER
SGT PIERCE, KEITH W.
19 1LT KEATON, MATTHEW R. ---------- 101ST
CPT STEPHENS, DANIEL M.
20 MAJ KRANENBURG, PETE S. --------- 1ST SWTG
SFC PRZYTULSKI, JOHN S.
21 SFC SIMMS, BLAKE A. ------------- 4TH RANGER TRAINING BN, RTB
SFC STACKPOLE, CHAD E.W.
22 MSG ZAJKOWSKI, WALTER J. -------- USASOC
MSG JENKINS, DANIEL E.
23 MSG TURK, ERIC J. --------------- USASOC
SGM BOETTCHER, JESSE D.
24 MAJ SALINAS, JOSE D. ------------ 199TH INF REGT
MAJ SEDLOCK, EDWARD A.
25 CPT EISSLER, BURTON D. ---------- 199TH INF REGT
CPT SMITH, ANTHONY D.
26 CPT GARBERSON, RONALD L. -------- USASOC
CPT AGUILAR, ANTHONY B.
27 SSG HUNTER, BENJAMIN C. --------- 75TH RANGER
SSG HUNTER, IAN B.
28 1LT BARGE, GRANT R. ------------- 10TH MTN
CPT KILLIAN, ROBERT B.
29 SGT BILLINGS, JEREMY K. --------- 75TH RANGER
CPL JENKINS, TROY V.
30 SFC VAZZANA, JEFFREY S. --------- 95TH CIVIL AFFAIRS BN
CPT HETZEL, JASON S.
31 SSG MUTCHIE, MICHAEL C. --------- 4TH RANGER TRAINING BN, RTB
SSG ANTIA, MIGUEL A.
32 CPT CARRION, MICHAEL A. --------- 5TH RANGER TRAINING BN, RTB
SFC COOK, PATRICK R.
33 1LT MIGLIARO, CHRIS S. ---------- 4TH BDE, 4TH ID
SFC MARTELL, JORDAN A.
34 1LT GORE, LAUREN A. ------------ 4TH BDE, 1ST ID
1LT JUVINALL, BENJAMIN R.
35 SSG FUENTES, ANTHONY L. --------- 6TH RANGER TRAINING BN, RTB
CPT COCHRANE, DAVID M.
36 SSG DELEON, TIMOTHY A. ---------- 75TH RANGER
SGT MCGARRY, GRANT A.
37 CPT NORTON, JOSH R. ------------- 1-3 IN (OLD GUARD)
SSG MALONE, CHRIS L.
38 1LT KIVLEHAN, ANTHONY J. -------- 4TH BDE, 4TH ID
1LT ARMSTRONG, ALEX B.
39 SGT JOHNSON JR., ERIC V. -------- 95TH CIVIL AFFAIRS BN
SGT JOBE, JOSHUA A.H.
40 CPT HAMEL, RYAN M. -------------- 1-3 IN (OLD GUARD)
1LT ANDERSON, DERRICK M.
41 SSG SHRESTHA, ZENAS ------------- 4TH RANGER TRAINING BN, RTB
SSG ESHOO, TONY C.
42 SGT LEGGITT, ALAN --------------- JRTC
CPT TALMADGE, DANIEL C.
43 1LT HALVERSON, THOMAS M. -------- 4TH BDE, 4TH ID
1LT LUTH, MICHAEL J.
44 SFC KING, CEDRIC J. ------------- 1/507 PIR, 199TH INFANTRY REGT.
SSG HURTADO, ROMMEL H.
45 CPT WOHLSCHLEGEL, LLOYD B. ------ 2-27 IN, 25TH ID
1LT KUDERKA, RAYMOND A.
46 1SG CARTER, ROBERT F. ----------- 5TH BDE, 2ND ID
CPT LINN, SAMUEL E.
47 SFC GREENWOOD, WILLIAM E. ------- 75TH RANGER
SSG COOK, JEREMY S.
48 CPT NEAL, CULLY D. -------------- 4TH BDE, 1ST ID / 3RD BDE, 1ST ID
CPT HAMILTON, MICHAEL A.
49 SFC BREYAK, MARK E. ------------- SWC NCOA
SFC FIELDS, STEVE W.
50 CPT BURKHART, JOHN A. ----------- 199TH INF REGT
CPT NIEBAUER, MICAH A.

There is no team 13.
Two sets of brothers are competing this year. Team 27, the Hunter brothers competing for the 75th Ranger Regiment; and the Jenkins brothers. Team 22's Master Sgt. Jenkins' (who is competing for Special Operations Command with his partner Master Sgt. Walt Zajkowski) has a younger brother, Cpl. Troy Jenkins (who is competing with his partner Sgt. Jeremy Billings) who is competing for the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Master Sgt. Jenkins and Zajkowski are both former BRC winners, Jenkins in 2002 and Zajkowski in 2007.

Follow the competition 8 to 10 May

For the first time, the Public Affairs Office will be posting updates throughout the competition via this blog and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FortBenningPAO, dependent on signal availability.

Best Ranger Competition update

We are expecting a full field of 50 teams at the starting line on 8 May. A finalized team roster is being processed now, and should be available by the end of the week. The roster will be posted here ASAP.
Fort Benning's official newspaper, the Bayonet, will publish a special Best Ranger Competition supplement, which will be on newstands for one week starting 8 May. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, the local newspaper, is planning on extensive coverage, both in print and online. The Ledger is planning on posting video on their website, http://www.ledger-enquirer.com.

The team roster is getting more and more interesting!

A quick run through the current team roster shows a number of competitors who have competed before, a team traveling from Guam (!) a team of Marines from Camp Pendleton, Ca. There are also two teams representing the 25th Infantry Division that are coming from Iraq, where they are currently deployed.

A full field for this year's competition?

The preliminary team list is being put together and it is starting to look like there may be a full field of 50 teams at the starting line on May 8.
Fort Benning's weekly newspaper, the Bayonet, will be publishing a special 2009 Best Ranger Competition supplement that will hit news stands the day the competition kicks off.
You can read the Bayonet and watch BenningTV online. Go to http://www.benning.army.mil/ and follow the Public Affairs links.
View My Milblogging.com Profile

2009 Best Ranger Competition

Two-man U.S. Army Ranger teams will compete in the annual David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning May 8 through 10, 2009.
The first event is scheduled to start at 6 a.m. May 8.
The formal awards ceremony will be held May 11.
The three-day competition will challenge the two-man Ranger teams in events that will test their physical conditioning, Ranger skills and team strategies. The events are purposely scheduled back-to-back and around the clock from the start of the competition to the finish line.
Conducted on a “come as you are” basis, no tasks or events are announced prior to the competition. In the past, competitors have faced events such as rock wall climbing, rappelling, weapons firing, rope bridges, extended road marches and land navigation courses, Rangers skills and parachute jumps.
All events are timed and competitors score points for each completed event. Both team members must complete each task. It is estimated that each competitor will cover upwards of 60 miles on foot over the course of the weekend.
The Best Ranger Competition was established in 1982 and has been compared to Ironman and Eco-Challenge competitions.
Of the 29 teams that started the 2008 competition, only 16 finished.
For more information, call the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-3512 or (706) 545-2211.
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Benning TV coverage of the 2008 competition is available on line at https://www.benning.army.mil/PAO/fbtv/video122/index.htm.