Ranger Challenge

Guest Author: Cadet Jonathan Dieckman, University of Notre Dame '13


     Army ROTC units rarely interact and compete with other units from other schools, except in the glorious and competitive experience known as Ranger Challenge. Ranger Challenge is the premiere Army ROTC event that allows cadets from various regional schools to display their physical capabilities and military skills in a competition to determine the best team in our region of the country.


     The competition takes place on a single day in October, at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. But, for all of us on the Ranger team, the "challenge" began almost two months earlier when we started training as a group. Towards the end of August, we signed up to be part of the Notre Dame Army ROTC Ranger Challenge Team. The next several months were dedicated to achieving excellence in two areas: physical fitness and military skills.


     "Ranger PT" was conducted four times a week, instead of the regular two times per week, in order to prepare the team for the rigorous events that awaited them at Ft Knox. We did insane ab workouts, 6 mile team ruck runs, and obstacle courses to build and maintain solid physical fitness. The physical fitness was important because of the incredibly hilly terrain of Fort Knox, and the 50 pound ruck sacks that everyone carried. Military skills tested at the Ranger Challenge competition included the one-rope bridge, bridge assessment, levee assessment, reconnaissance of enemy objectives, and reconnaissance of IEDs [improvised explosive devices].


     After 7 weeks of solid physical preparation and skill training, we began the trip to Fort Knox. Upon arriving at Fort Knox from South Bend, the 9 man team, with two alternates, was allowed to rest up in a barracks. The Challenge began the next day with a levee assessment, which we breezed through. From that point on, we rucked from point to point in order to compete in events. In between each point the team interacted with actors playing the part of opposing forces operating in our area. "SALUTE reports" on enemy troop concentrations and IED reports were then recorded for later use in the competition. 


     As for events, the rope bridge was first, and due to challenging terrain, it did not go as well as it should have for the Notre Dame team. The second event we encountered was evacuating a casualty; we carried one of our teammates for a mile to the next destination. The third event was conducting a "recon" of an enemy base, which we successfully completed. The fourth event was the bridge assessment, and because of the numerous engineers on the team, the Notre Dame team demolished the event. The next event was a Humvee push that was successful completed by our team. Finally, there was one more event; a 1000 meter march with water jugs, ammo cans, and a heavy wooden box. With that final event, we completed the Challenge.


     The results were great, with our team finishing in 6th place. Being part of Ranger team for another year was a great experience. It allowed us to form a close knit team, a team that was able to be serious at one moment, but cracking jokes the next. The Ranger Challenge was a fun and demanding event, one that I look forward to competing in again my final year next year. 

Junior Year Perspective on the Fall FTX

By Guest Author: Cadet Kyle Griffin, ND '13

Two and a half years into my ROTC career, I knew what to expect going into the Fall Field Training Exercise (FTX) at Fort Custer.  There would be land navigation, leadership positions, and not too much sleep.  Knowing this did little to ease my nerves.  Being a junior in ROTC would be a completely different experience compared to my first two years, as alumni know well.  It is difficult to prepare for the stress of leadership, of having accountability for everyone and everything beneath you, and of getting results above all else.

Luckily, I am a firm believer in the idea that these types of situations bring out the best of people who provide the effort.  By tossing cadets into situations that they have been trained to handle, but have not actually experienced in real life before, the FTX prepared us for a multitude of situations.  The ability to take a job head on, feel the responsibility, and come out the other side with a new understanding of what you can handle, is vital to officers in the Army, as well as in the civilian sector.

For example, junior cadets experienced “garrison positions” for the first time this past weekend.  Those in these leadership roles must determine how to accomplish all of the scheduling and tasks surrounding training during the FTX, including time for food, hygiene, and equipment issue.  After getting all the leaders on the same page, the timeline must be communicated and enforced at all levels.  This task does not seem overwhelming on the outset, but putting all of the responsibility on a few key shoulders adds to the pressure.

 Platoon Sergeants and First Sergeants have to maintain accountability of their people at all times, and if you mess up or drop the ball on a task, your mistake is very visible.  On top of this, you know that any mistake you make as a garrison leader will lead to discomfort felt by your troops (your fellow cadets), whether it means they only have five minutes for breakfast or they do not have time to shower.  This pressure can bring the out the best and sometimes the worst in us as leaders, but either outcome helps us development for the future.

The FTX was a valuable chance for ROTC cadets to employ all of the training we have received over the past few months.  The younger cadets were able to learn more technical and tactical skills of being in the field, while the older ones were put into situations to apply leadership skills and solve problems under pressure.  This weekend was a prime example of us all rising to the occasion to develop as leaders.   

Our author, Cadet Kyle Griffin, leads his Squad during Situational Training Exercises. 

The REAL Frosh-O

By: Cadet O'Shea, Class of 2015

How much do you think you can learn in 5 days?

What if I told you that after 5 days, a kid who grew up in the suburbs could navigate dense woods armed with only a map and a compass in the pitch dark? Or, that you could learn to handle and fire a M4 Carbine and shoot as if you’ve been shooting all of your life? Most importantly, what if I said that in less than a week you could come out with new confidence in yourself and create friendships that will last a lifetime? This is the experience of an Army ROTC Cadet at Frosh-O.

At 0630 on August 14th my alarm went off. Today, I'm leaving for college. There was one problem: I hadn’t packed for college yet. So, for the next hour and a half I spent getting what I'd need for the next four months of my life (obviously not up to Army standards). The relatively short car ride to South Bend was filled with emotion--excited that I was about to live out my dreams of attending Notre Dame and joining the U.S. Army at the same time, but also uncertain about what lay ahead. The fact that I didn't come from a history of military service, I felt as if I was jumping into the unknown, not sure what was going to happen the next week.

I was instantly welcomed to the Army ROTC family the moment I walked into the door. After I signed in, my "Chalk Leader," Cadet Wagner, personally walked me through the maze of getting my gear and quickly adjusting equipment before I was set to leave for Fort Custer with the rest of the Fighting Irish Battalion.

After a quick goodbye, we were off to Fort Custer, Michigan, a National Guard training facility. It may be a little cheesy to say so, but it was at this point that I knew that a new chapter in my life was about to begin.

The first aspect of the Army that every new cadet figures out is that no matter what task you are doing, it must be done with a sense of urgency. As soon as we stepped off that bus we were instantly ordered to fall into formation (none of us quite knew how to respond). After a bit of instruction about how to "fall into formation," we unloaded all of the rucks form the truck (they were fairly heavy to say the least). The rest of the night was focused on learning the basics of military customs and courtesy (i.e. how to address different ranks, how to march in formation, etc.). The real fun started the next morning.

Cadet Morris, a junior year (MSIII) cadet with experience as a Marine, promptly arrived at the barracks at 0500 to give us a rude awakening. We were given 5 minutes for “hygiene” and to change into our gear. This was the first time I’d ever had to fit brushing my teeth, using the bathroom and changing into my clothes in less than 300 seconds--plus, all of this was occurring at 5:00 in the morning with the sophomores (MSII) cadets reminding us how little time we had.

We were all headed out for our first experience with the infamous APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). With only 5 hours of sleep under my belt, the push-up and sit-up test, topped off with a 2-mile run seemed like a blur. It was not the most enjoyable event of the week, but I was glad to get it over with. The rest of the day was filled with class after class to prepare us for the coming week. The seniors (MSIVs) spent most of the time showing us how to interpret a grid coordinate and plot it on a map in preparation for land navigation the next day. In land navigation, the goal is to successfully find different "points" (say a marked tree or stake in the woods) in a given area with the use of a map, grid coordinates, a protractor and a map.

For a second morning in a row we woke up at 0500 and then took a bus over to a staging area in the middle of a forest preserve. All of us freshmen were paired with a senior and were given our grid coordinates to go find. Having lived in the suburbs of Chicago all my life, I’ve never really experienced navigating through the back woods. Luckily, as a rookie my objective was not too difficult, as the targets were placed in fairly easy locations, during the day at least.

Later that night we returned to that same woods with different locations to find but with one added element: darkness. Land navigation at night was a challenging experience that I enjoyed taking on. At one point, my partners and I traveled 400 meters into the forest (with the help of a little bit of light from the sunset), but discovered by the time we were ready to head back, it was pitch dark. In what took 35 minutes to complete (but felt like hours), we walked back through thick vegetation with less than 1 foot of visibility due to my fogged up goggles.

The next day was about to become the highlight of the trip: range day. Wednesday was a day I’d been looking forward to for weeks. I had never shot a gun before, and what better way to start then shooting the amazing M4 carbine! After a few hours of instruction by experienced NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers), we were taken to a zeroing range to align our sight picture. After shooting those practice rounds, we went to the qualifying range. At a qualifying range, you shoot from 3 different platforms: prone supported (where you can use a "simulated sandbag" to rest the barrel on for support), prone unsupported, and the kneeling position. Then, a series of targets pop up, ranging from 50 meters away up to 300 meters away. After I fired all 40 rounds I was on an adrenaline high that lasted for the duration of the day. Unless you’ve had the pleasure to fire this beautiful, yet destructive weapon, it’s hard to compare it to anything else.

Our last day at Fort Custer was relatively short and we headed to the hands-on leadership course, where we as freshman cadets had a chance to lead a group. We took turns leading teams though a course that tested both our leadership ability and ability to work under pressure. After the course, we headed back to campus where we were reunited with our parents. We took part in an oath ceremony where we were formally inducted as first year ROTC cadets.

I feel honored that I was able to experience training using the facilities at Fort Custer, something that not all ROTC battalions can do during orientation. I’m looking forward to returning to Fort Custer next summer for orientation, but thankfully, next time I won’t be a freshman.