Gen. David Petraeus, commander, U.S. Central Command, was the guest speaker at this morning's Best Ranger Competition closing ceremony.

"What you have accomplished here at Fort Benning these last few days is simply mind boggling to the average person, even to the average very fit person," Petraeus said, speaking to the pool of competitors who made it through to the finish. "Just qualifying to compete in the Best Ranger Competition is a great achievement, but finishing it is a truly remarkable accomplishment."

Forty teams began the competition Friday. Twenty-five crossed the finish line Sunday. Winning the competition were Master Sgts. Eric Ross and Eric Turk.

"There was never a point when we thought we were going to quit," said Turk. "We were in it to win it from Day 1. That was the intent we came here with and so we carried that through the entire way."

For winning the grueling, three-day contest, Turk and Ross each received a Gold Cup Series Colt .45 pistol and were awarded the Order of Saint Maurice. Additionally, their names were etched onto a trophy that will be displayed at Ranger Training Brigade Headquarters.

Click the link to the left to see the final results from the 2010 Best Ranger Competition.

For more on this story, please read tomorrow's Ledger-Enquirer.