The David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition is an annual competition held in Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), Georgia, hosted by the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade. It is a two-man team competition where competitors must be active military who are Ranger Qualified. [1]
The Best Ranger Competition was first held in 1982. [1] The first competitions were limited to Ranger units, but from 1984 onwards it accepted teams from throughout the Army. [2] As of 2018, the competition involves 50 two-man teams, mostly from the 75th Ranger Regiment and the ARTB, but also including a Coast Guard team. [3] The competition takes 62 hours and involves tests of physical fitness, including runs and marches, and of marksmanship. The exact composition of events changes yearly. [3]
Mike Rose is the only service member to have won BRC three times, having won each time he has entered. At Rose's first win in 2014, he entered as a 2Lt. while with the 25th Infantry Division, his partner was 2Lt. John Bergman - Together making them the youngest winners. In 2017 while with the 75th Ranger Regiment, Rose (now a Captain) entered and won with MSG. Joshua Horsager. (Horsager was the oldest winner at 39). In 2019 Rose again partnered with John Bergman (now a Captain), this time representing the 101st Airborne Division. In 2019 the rules were modified to allow contestants only a maximum of 3 entries over their career, making Rose's achievement technical impossible to beat.
Five people have won BRC twice; Paul Scurka; Eric Turk; Walter Zajkowski; Timothy Briggs; (each with different partners each time); and John Bergman; who was Mike Rose's partner for two of Rose's three wins.
Sergeant Major Thomas Payne, who won the 2012 competition as a Sergeant First Class, had his Distinguished Service Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor. He was presented the Medal of Honor by President Donald Trump on September 11, 2020, the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. [4]
The 2020 Competition was scheduled to be from April 16–18 but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, officials decided to cancel the 2020 event but with plans to continue with the 2021 competition. [5]
List of past winners
| Year [5] | Soldier | Soldier | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | SFC Philip Sebay | SFC Charles Light | 3rd Ranger Company, Benning Ranger Division |
| 1983 | SSG Michael Tilson | SSG Kevin Connell | 2nd Ranger Company, Mountain Ranger Division |
| 1984 | SGT David Bazemore III | SGT Gregory Georgevitch | 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1985 | SSG Harvey Moore, Jr. | SGT Paul Scurka | HHC, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1986 | SGT Paul Scurka | SGT Bart Sexton | HHC, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1987 | SSG Joe Ullibari | SGT Ross Wilson | 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1988 | SGT John Schlichte | SPC Karl Schlichte | 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1989 | SGT Guy Fichtelman | SGT Mike Sonnenschein | 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1990 | SSG Mark Sheehan | SSG Bobby Beiswanger | 4th Ranger Training Brigade |
| 1991 | Canceled due to Operation Desert Storm. | ||
| 1992 | SFC Tom Wilburn | AFC Alven Brashier | 5th Ranger Training Brigade |
| 1993 | CPT Blain Reeves | SSG Erik Wilson | 4th Ranger Training Brigade |
| 1994 | CPT Edward Garcia | 1LT Michael Richardson | 82nd Airborne Division |
| 1995 | SSG Eric White | CPT Michael Trisler | 25th Infantry Division |
| 1996 | SSG Jeff Struecker | SPC Isaac Gmazel | 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1997 | 2LT Jay Hansen | 2LT Chris Robershaw | 101st Airborne Division |
| 1998 | SFC Eric Riley | SSG Thomas Smith | 4th Ranger Training Brigade |
| 1999 | SSG Kevin Teran | SSG Jim Moran | Ranger Training Brigade |
| 2000 | 2LT Mark Messerschmitt | 2LT Ahern | Infantry Officer Basic Course Detachment |
| 2001 | GYSGT Keith Oakes | SFC William Patterson | 5th Ranger Training Battalion |
| 2002 | CPT Duane Patin | SSG Daniel Jenkins | 5th Ranger Training Battalion |
| 2003 | Canceled due to the Invasion of Iraq | ||
| 2004 | SSG Colin Boley | SSG Adam Nash | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 2005 | CPT Corbett McCallum | SFC Gerald Nelson | 4th Ranger Training Battalion |
| 2006 | SFC John Sheaffer | SPC Mikhail Venikov | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 2007 | MAJ Liam Collins | MSG Walter Zajkowski | United States Special Operations Command |
| 2008 | SSG Shayne Cherry | SSG Michael Broussard | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 2009 | SFC Blake Simms | SFC Chad Stackpole | Ranger Training Brigade |
| 2010 | MSG Eric Turk | MSG Eric Ross | United States Special Operations Command |
| 2011 | MSG Eric Turk | MSG Walter Zajkowski | United States Special Operations Command |
| 2012 | MSG Kevin Foutz | SFC Thomas Payne | United States Special Operations Command |
| 2013 | SFC Raymond Santiago | SFC Timothy Briggs | Ranger Training Brigade |
| 2014 | 2LT Michael Rose | 2LT John Bergman | 25th Infantry Division |
| 2015 | SFC Timothy Briggs | SFC Jeremy Lemma | Airborne & Ranger Training Brigade |
| 2016 | CPT Robert Killian | SSG Erich Friedlein | Army National Guard |
| 2017 | MSG Joshua Horsager | CPT Michael Rose | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 2018 | SFC Joshua Rolfes | SFC Anthony Allen | Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade |
| 2019 | CPT Michael Rose | CPT John Bergman | 101st Airborne Division |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | 1LT Vince Paikowski | 1LT Alastair Keys | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 2022 | CPT Joshua Corson | CPT Tymothy Boyle | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 2023 | SPC Justin Rein | CPT Luke Ebeling | 75th Ranger Regiment |
References
- ^ a b "The Competition". US Army. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Leonard, Chuck (April 11, 2018). "Military Matters: Annual Best Ranger Competition returns to Ft. Benning". WTVM. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019.
- ^ a b Myers, Meghann (April 13, 2018). "Best Ranger competition kicks off with first Coastie, Army Cyber teams". Army Times. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne to receive the Medal of Honor from President Trump on 9/11/2020". US Army. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ a b "Past Competition Winners". Best Ranger Competition. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022.
External links
