Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets at American University placed third in Division I at this year's Ranger Challenge competition, held at Fort A.P. Hill on Oct. 28.
Ranger Challenge is a one-day competition that brings together ROTC battalions from universities around the region. The battalions competed with one another in a series of physically and mentally demanding events to test their basic infantry skills, earning points based on their performance.
Participating in the competition were 18 battalions assigned to one of three divisions. Each division had six battalions competing against one another. The Hoya Battalion, consisting of cadets from AU, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Marymount University and Catholic University, was placed in Division I, the highest and most competitive division.
Hoya Battalion scored 1,287 points out of a possible 1,980 points, according to Jon Duncan, a junior cadet in the School of International Service and the Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge of AU Ranger Challenge.
"As a battalion, we're harder, stronger and faster than other ROTC programs. We expect more from our cadets, and because we expect more, we also get more," Duncan said.
The events consisted of a physical training test (PT), hand grenade course, M16 rifle assembly and disassembly, Rope Bridge, six-mile ruck run and a Commander's Event determined by the Commander of Brigade, the colonel in charge of all the battalions.
Duncan said he was impressed by the battalion's performance in the six-mile ruck run. Each cadet ran and carried 35 pounds worth of equipment in their rucksack, hauling items such as extra pairs of boots and battle dress utilities on their back. As a rule, one cadet from the team can choose to fall out if the remaining cadets finish the run and carry the cadet's rucksack with them, according to Duncan.
"Our team was not leaving anyone behind. One of our cadets got shin splints during the run and he was just dying, but we just stopped with him and walked when he needed to. We wanted to finish with all nine of our cadets," Duncan said.
The team also improved in the Rope Bridge event compared to past performances, according to Duncan. In the event, a cadet ties one end of a rope around a tree and crosses a creek to tie the other end of the rope to a second tree. The team uses the rope to crawl to the other side without getting wet.
The order of events remained unknown before the competition. However, each battalion was given an Operations Order at the beginning of the year, outlining each event so that they could train accordingly.
For two months, Army ROTC cadets at AU trained for the competition six days a week, starting at 6:15 a.m. on weekdays and 6:30 a.m. on Saturdays, according to Duncan.
The cadets were organized into two groups, A Team and B Team, based on their performance in training and PT tests. The A Team consisted of nine cadets chosen to compete in the competition. The B Team consisted of other cadets and alternates.
Matt Conard, a sophomore cadet in SIS, made the A Team.
"Our training had an emphasis on team performance, but I found the competition focused more on our individual performances. That was disappointing because our team is a really unified force," Conard said.
David Tannenbaum, a sophomore cadet in SIS, made the B Team.
"I was disappointed because I had shin splints during training and had to be on B Team. Nonetheless, I stuck with the team, and I was glad that they did well in the end," Tannenbaum said.
After the competition, the team took a week off from training. They will continue to train, but now for only four days a week.
"I felt really good after Ranger Challenge. I felt really close to all of the team members. We had really bonded from the suffering and it made it really special," Duncan said.
Now that Ranger Challenge is over, Duncan is opening up a Best Ranger competition to all ROTC cadets in Hoya Battalion. The cadets will form two-person buddy teams to participate in events similar to those in Ranger Challenge.
The competition will take place either this December or in May 2007.
