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About this video:
THE STRESS SHOOT
Soldiers operate the standard issue M4 Carbine. This is a warrior skill: Shoot, Move, and Communicate!
After the longest Best Ranger opening event in history, followed quickly by the Urban Obstacle Course, the buddy teams are at full throttle and will need to stay there.
CSM Dennis Smith: They come up here till now, they been outside and doing the out obstacle course, and it’s pretty grueling; the guys are pretty tired – we’ve already lost one team – but the teams that are out front are doing extremely well. They’re gonna pick up the rucksacks; they’re going on the orienteering course.
The smothering heat and humidity is affecting Sergeant First Class Rippey as he battles to keep fluids down, risking hydration. Team 15 must quickly regroup and focus on the task at hand, close the gap on the leaders.
Sergeant First Class Rippey: Feeling much better now.
This event is a fundamental Ranger skills test. Now, throw on a 70-pound rucksack and it becomes a two-mile smoke fest. Armed with only a map, grid sheet, protractor and a compass, they have to hit three weigh points within the allotted two hours or be dropped from the competition. No GPS crutch for this one. The orienteering course will take them to the next challenge. Team 6, Ross and Turk, are the first to complete the orienteering course, maintaining their lead over the rest of the field. They’ll operate the standard issue M4 carbine. This is a warrior skill: shoot, move and communicate.
Sergeant First Class Chad Stackpole: These Rangers have already finished an orienteering course where they’ll immediately move into the Stress Shoot Range. Their minds are smoked, their bodies are smoked. The task, conditions, standards for the next event which is the Malone 3 Stress Shoot, is to effectively shoot, move and communicate as a buddy team, while maneuvering through a flat range. They have to make the sound tactical decision, effectively move as a team, communicate as a team and cover one of those fires as they move throughout this range.
Captain Aaron Chonko: It’s a buddy team, so as opposed to one person moving, he has to acknowledge to the other person that he is moving and the other person has to cover him, so any targets that are up at that time he can shoot while the other person moves. It’s supposed to replicate an actual fight, maybe oversees or so, in Iraq or Afghanistan, in moving while under fire.
Stackpole: Competitors will be evaluated on their overall time, their ability to knock down targets, and to shoot and move as a team. Bottom line is the team with the most points and the fastest time wins.
Team 18, Captain Chonko and Captain Smith, in 13th place after orienteering, hope to move up with a strong performance in the Stress Shoot.
Providing movement cover is critical, especially when practical battle experiences are thrown in.
Stackpole: Sometime throughout this range, the Ranger’s weapon will malfunction. With that, he has to apply remedial action, place his weapon back in operation, and get it back up to let his partner know that they can continue on throughout the range. As a Ranger, this is a real-world situation; we encounter these on the battlefield, as well as throughout training. As an individual Ranger, you must be proficient at this skill of placing your weapon back into operation because the men on your left and right depend on you to get that weapon back up so you can effectively fight the enemy.
Chonko: These are some of the skills here, moving through this range, it’s easier, things are taught to you as a soldier, from private to basic training, on up.
The heat is becoming a major factor, especially when you’re loaded down with full body armor.
Chonko: It’s harder than I thought, just with the target set that we’re up to; it’s harder to see them. They weren’t up very long, and the heat right now, it’s getting pretty hot out in the midday.
Next time, it’s a leap of faith into the Spot Jump.
If you like that, you may also be interested in these:
SEE WHAT THEY'RE UP AGAINST
THE BUDDY RUN
Without knowing the course length, teams set out at dawn on this 7.2-mile trek.
THE DARBY QUEEN
26 obstacles spread over 2,000 meters make this one of the most difficult obstacle courses known to man.
MACHINE GUN RANGE
Using different weapons, teams must engage several targets while making sure they don't misfire.
STRESS SHOOT
Teams sprint to different shoot points where their firing skills are tested using different weapons.
WEAPONS ASSEMBLY
Teams will be timed as they try to assemble weapons from various mixed parts.
ADMINISTER IV
Under stressful conditions, soldiers will be required to administer emergency care.
TRI-TOWER CHALLENGE
Three massive towers that competitors will attempt to climb, then rappel down using fast-rope techniques.
HELOCAST-SWIM
Teams must jump from moving helicopters into Victory Pond, then compete in a swim event.
MEET THE COMPETITION
Team 1
SFC Mark Breyak / SFC Steven Fields
JFK Special Warfare School & Center NCOA
Team 3
MSG Joshua King / CPT Kevin Toth
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Team 5
SSG George Sankey / MSG Kevin Quant
US Special Operations Command
Team 6
MSG Eric Ross / MSG Eric Turk
US Special Operations Command
Team 7
SGM Evert Solderholm / SGM James Moran
US Special Operations Command
Team 8
LTC Thomas Foster, COL Argo
US Special Operations Command
Team 9
SGT Anthony Vasquez, SSG Keith Back
3rd Infantry Division
Team 10
SSG Danny Shedd, SSG Warren Cash
3rd Infantry Division
Team 11
SSG Brett Graves, SSG Joshua Sullivan
82nd Airborne Division
Team 12
SSG Jeremiah Waggoner, SSG Bernado Mota
Team 14
SGT William Cole / 1LT Lauren Gore
1st Infantry Division
Team 15
SSG Raymon Santiago / SFC Mason Riepe
4th Ranger Training Battalion
Team 16
CPT Jeremy Shute / SFC Jared Sarten
4th Ranger Training Battalion
Team 17
SFC Larry Forrest / SFC James Anderson
4th Ranger Training Battalion
Team 18
CPT Andrew Smith / CPT Aaron Chonko
5th Ranger Training Battalion
Team 19
SSG Thomas West / SFC Jose Magana
6th Ranger Training Battalion
Team 20
SSG Kyle Skaggs / SSG Michael Ayotte
6th Ranger Training Battalion
Team 21
SGT Michael Malchow / SGT Jesse Collins
75th Ranger Regiment
Team 22
SFC William Greenwood / SFC Gerald McKinney
75th Ranger Regiment
Team 23
Eugene Mirador / SGT Jeremy Billings
75th Ranger Regiment
Team 24
SFC Brett Johnson / SSG Joshua Horsager
75th Ranger Regiment
Team 25
SSG Charles Cogle / SGT Frank Horbay
Team 26
SPC Cristob Cruz / SSG Wilton Gleaton
75th Ranger Regiment
Team 27
CPT Adam Patten / CPT Darrell Fawley
Team 28
CPT Sean Justi / MAJ Robert Risdon
199th Infantry Brigade
Team 29
CPT Ashton Ballesteros / CPT Luke Bandl
199th Infantry Brigade
Team 30
SSG Rommel Hurtado / SFC Cedric King
199th Infantry Brigade
Team 31
SSG Mark Taylor / CPT John Intile
199th Infantry Brigade
Team 32
CPT James Lostroscio / CPT Eric Schmitz
199th Infantry Brigade
Team 33
CPT Joseph DeChauny / 1LT Kevin Alger
199th Infantry Brigade
Team 34
CPT Mark Breugem / CPT Owen Broom
199th Infantry Brigade
Team 36
MSG David Roels / MSG Joseph Schoch
Asymmetric Warfare Group
Team 37
CPT Derrick Anderson / SSG Christopher Malone
3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)
Team 38
1LT Daniel Norwood / MSgt Michael Miller
USAF 820th SFG
Team 39
SFC Vernon Kenworthy / SFC Justin Brekken
3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)
Team 40
CPT Christopher Ahlemeyer / SSG Robert Tobin
Rhode Island Army National Guard
Team 41
1SG Kevin Dylus / CPT Robert May
North Carolina Army National Guard
Team 42
SFC Robert Hoffnagle / MAJ Jamison Kirby
Army National Guard Warrior Training Center
Team 44
1LT Matthew Schachman / CPT John Campbell
25th Infantry Division
Team 45
MAJ Ryan Hanson / SFC Keith Bishop
95th Civil Affairs Brigade
