Master Sgt. Thomas Eden, a brigade operations noncommissioned officer assigned to 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, rucks alongside a dirt road during the Fort Carson Best Ranger Competition and Best Sapper Competition Dec. 11, 2019, Fort Carson, Colorado. The grueling two-day competition involved 13 Soldiers competing for the title of Best Ranger and Best Sapper. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Matthew Marsilia)
By Maj. Neil Alcaria
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
FORT CARSON, Colo. — A Best Ranger candidate fires his M4 rifle during a stress shoot lane as part of the Best Ranger and Best Sapper Competition Dec. 11, 2019. The top teams will compete in the Armywide Best Ranger and Best Sapper competition next year. (Photo by Sgt. Inez Hammon)
FORT CARSON, Colo. — As the sun rose over Fort Carson on the cold morning of Dec. 11, 2019, Rangers and Sappers from across the 4th Infantry Division took a deep breath before beginning the Army Physical Fitness Test, the first event in an arduous two-day selection process to see who will represent the division at the Best Ranger and Best Sapper competition.
This year is the first year 4th Inf. Div. leadership decided to combine the two competitions to prepare the Rangers and Sappers for the big event next year.
“This event is not an easy event for anybody; all participants are being challenged both physically and mentally,” said Sgt. Maj. Victor M. Benavides, 4th Inf. Div. operations sergeant major and NCO in charge (NCOIC) for the Best Ranger competition at Fort Carson. “These types of competitions are not for the weak or fainthearted. The competitors are moving over 30 miles within a 24-hour period with minimal rest.”
The competition was open to all Soldiers on post who were Ranger or Sapper qualified. Ranger school is the U.S. Army’s premier leadership school. It is a 62-day small-unit tactics and leadership course, which develops functional skills directly related to units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battles. The Sapper Leader Course is a 28-day course designed to train joint-service leaders in small unit tactics, leadership skills and tactics required to perform as part of a combined arms team.
Twenty-two Soldiers volunteered for the event, but not everyone finished.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — 2nd Lt. William Whitaker, an engineer with 4th Engineer Battalion, climbs up an obstacle Dec. 11, 2019, during the second day of the Fort Carson Best Ranger and Best Sapper Competition. (Photo by Pfc. Ashton Empty)
Throughout the two-day event, each candidate had to complete the combat water survival test, medical trauma test, hand grenade accuracy throw, various climbing and rappelling rope knots test, a stress shoot, an undisclosed distance road march at night, land navigation at night before finishing the task with an undisclosed distance run.
The competitors must learn how to conserve their energy as they must also complete an event called the “X-mile” in order to push themselves to their limit.
Sgt. Maj. Curtis A. Cox, 4th Inf. Div. engineer sergeant major and NCOIC for Best Sapper competition at Fort Carson, said the competitors must possess the physical and mental strength to go to the next level.
“This year, we have combined programs, to build teamwork and camaraderie,” Cox said. “We haven’t selected teams yet, just individuals. As the train-up progresses, we will determine which team fits best together. From there, we build them up, then get more specific training into engineer or ranger tasks. We will cater our program to fit the needs of Soldiers to make them better to compete. All of the Soldiers who finished showed us that they have the baseline we are looking for, (as well as) the physical and mental abilities we are looking for.”
At the end of the grueling event, only nine Soldiers crossed the finish line.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — The “Ivy” Division kick-starts its Best Ranger and Best Sapper competition Dec. 11, 2019, at Iron Horse Park, Fort Carson, Colorado. This year’s competition included 13 candidates from units across Fort Carson. (Photo by Sgt. Inez Hammon)
The first two Rangers to complete the course were Master Sgt. Thomas B. Eden, brigade operations sergeant major; and 1st. Lt. Clayton Stanley, platoon leader, both with 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div.
“I feel pretty accomplished,” Eden said. “I came to compete, but in the back of my head I wanted to win.”
Many Soldiers volunteered to compete in order to prove their leadership skills and overall soldiering skills, which was the case for 1st Lt. Joseph Anchondo, route clearance platoon leader with the 576th Engineer Company, 4th Engineer Battalion.
“It’s a feeling of joy that (the competition is) over,” Anchondo said. “I’m happy to have my whole platoon here with me to congratulate me. I was able to finish and not everyone did. I proved myself as a Sapper, leader and overall Soldier.”
The first two Sappers to complete the course were Anchondo and Staff Sgt. Jessie Henderson, squad leader and combat engineer, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div.
“This event was made to challenge the best of the best in the 4th Inf. Div.,” Benavides said. “This is not even the final competition. It has been an honor to watch the level of intensity as these guys competed. They were physically tired and mentally exhausted. No matter what, they never ever quit. It didn’t matter the length of the road march, these guys just kept going. I hope to see many more Soldiers just like these guys.”
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Staff Sgt. Jessie Henderson, combat engineer with 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, lifts 340 pounds during a nonstandard physical fitness test Dec. 11, 2019, at Iron Horse Park, as part of a Best Ranger and Best Sapper competition. (Photo by Sgt. Inez Hammon)
The final nine Soldiers will represent the 4th Inf. Div. at the Armywide competition in April 2020. The winners of the local competition will move to compete at the U.S. Army Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia, and the U.S. Army Best Sapper Competition at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Master Sgt. Thomas Eden, a brigade operations NCO with 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, assists his designated partner with tying an impromptu raft during the Fort Carson Best Sapper and Best Ranger Competition Dec. 11, 2019, Fort Carson, Colorado. The grueling two-day competition involved 13 Soldiers competing for the title of Best Ranger and Best Sapper. (Photo by Pfc. Ashton Empty)
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Master Sgt. Thomas Eden, a brigade operations NCO with 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, tests his communication skills on a radio during the Fort Carson Best Sapper and Best Ranger Competition Dec. 11, 2019, Fort Carson, Colorado. The competition challenged the Rangers and Sappers in events which tested their physical conditioning, Soldier skills and team strategies. (Photo by Sgt. Inez Hammon)
FORT CARSON, Colo. — 1st Lt. Joseph Anchondo, route clearance platoon leader with the 576th Engineer Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, uses a compass to locate a point during the night land navigation Dec. 11, 2019, as part of the Best Ranger and Best Sapper Competition. (Photo by Pfc. Matthew Marsilia)