Medical issues knock two teams out early in Best Ranger Competition
Hours after the 33rd annual David E. Grange Best Ranger Competition kicked off at Fort Benning, two of the 50 teams were knocked out Friday from the grueling three-day completion due to health problems.
For the first time in the history of the competition, Capt. Kristen Griest was selected as an alternate but wasn’t needed on a Ranger team. Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver became the first two women to graduate from Ranger School on Aug. 21 at the post. Maj. Lisa Jaster was the third to finish the course on Oct. 16.
A public affairs spokesman identified the disabled teams as No. 24, 1st Lt. Matthew Correla and Spc. David Couch of the 101st Airborne Division, and team No. 50 with Sgt. 1st Class Robert Ehrreich and Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Knea of the National Guard.
Just before noon, officials said team No. 4 with Capt. Mark May and Capt. Edward Crosby of the 3rd Infantry Division were leading the completion to select the best Ranger two-man team in the Army. During 60 hours of competition with little time to eat or sleep, soldiers will be tested physically and mentally on a series of obstacles which include shooting, a road march, obstacle courses and other skills.
One of the toughest parts of the competition was an evening road march where possibly half of the Ranger teams will be reduced from 48 to 24 teams.
Before dawn, teams started the competiton at 6 a.m. with a buddy run at Camp Rogers in Harmony Church. It was followed with obstacles at Malvesti Field and shooting at Malone ranges.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Moody of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade watched teams as they took part in shooting while crawling, standing and kneeling at Malone Range 11. Soldiers then moved to the next range to shoot the M4 rifle and M9 pistol. “All have been good so far,” Moody said.
Family and friends of Rangers were at most events tracking the positions of the soldiers.
Angela Breda took off from work to watch her husband Staff Sgt. John Breda and Sgt. Sheldon Evans of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Breda said her husband trained hard and was ready for the competition.
“I saw him on all ranges,” she said. “I have been following him around and I’ve gotten a workout today.”
Breda said she was excited when she arrived at 4 a.m. “I was really excited,” she said. “Once that went down a little bit, I got coffee to lift me back up.”
Juan Mercado said he drove six hours from Kissimmee, Fla. To watch his brother in team No. 17 with Staff Sgt. Carlos Mercado and 1st Lt. Erik Seidel of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. “He is ready,” Juan said of his brother’s first competition.
It wasn’t difficult to leave Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for the ranges at Fort Benning. “We left Mickey Mouse behind,” he said.
Bob Purtiman, chief of public affairs for the Maneuver Center of Excellence, said Griest was an alternate for the competition and possibly could try again. She was selected to represent the Maneuver Center .
Purtiman noted that Griest wasn’t competing in the competition because she wasn’t needed on a team. She would have taken the slot if a Ranger was unable to compete during training. “She is here like anybody else,” he said.
Griest, a military police officer from Orange, Conn., is at Fort Benning where she is enrolled in the Maneuver Captains Career Course.
Capt. Wayne Salazar of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade said Griest was in the six-month course to learn how to work with other units. “It teaches you how to be a company commander in an infantry unit,” he said.
As an alternate, Salazar said Griest was definitely on standby for a slot. “It was very close,” he said. “I mean she was definitely considered. She made it into the pool. I’m not sure how many were on standby. “
Once the Ranger competition was underway, soldiers on standby were allowed to return to their units.
“Once the competition started, you are free to go,” he said. “She made it into the pool. Not just anyone makes it into the standby slots.”
Just because a soldier is given a try out doesn’t mean the Ranger will get a standby slot. Salazar said you also could get asked to leave.
“She was given one,” he said. “ It means she was definitely considered.”
Ben Wright: 706-571-8576, @bfwright87
This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Medical issues knock two teams out early in Best Ranger Competition."