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.