FORT BENNING, Ga., (April 20, 2016) -- Each team competing for the title of Best Ranger consists of two people. Two people that compete for three days, cover an estimated 100 miles on foot and complete 26 military tasks.
Watching those teams compete from the sidelines are their Families, the undeclared team members. They follow the teams throughout the competition, running from site to site in an effort to support them on their quest to be named the Army's Best Ranger team.
Those undeclared team members were there in the stands on Victory Pond April 17 to watch as the competitors completed the Helocast and Combat Water Survival Assessment.
Staff Sgt. Carlos Mercado's Family traveled from Florida to support him.
Mercado partnered with 1st Lt. Eric Seidel on Team 17. Both are from the 82nd Airborne Division.
"My brother's in the top 10 right now. It's very exciting. He's been training for the last six months for this. Carlos is a strong guy. He's been working very hard," said Juan Mercado.
"We've been supporting him all the way. This is his first time competing. He was very confident going in," said Carla Bastos, his sister.
Souneth Phommachit was there to watch his brother-in-law Sgt. 1st Class Eugene Mirador compete.
Mirador and his partner Cpl. Scott Slater were Team 38. They represented the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Phommachit explained that Mirador told his Family last year that he wanted to compete.
"I heard that he's been training five months for this. He's one of the strongest guys that I know," Phommachit said.
Team 34, Capt. Riley Morris and Staff Sgt. Michael Roggero of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, had the support of Morris' mother.
Roxanne Morris revealed that her son and his partner were in good spirits when she saw them.
"I thought he'd look exhausted and say he was exhausted. But that wasn't case," she said.
"My son was born and raised here. He's stationed right here as well. He and his partner have been training for months," Morris added.
Kelly Matthews, the wife of Capt. Dave Matthews, and Charlotte Matthews, Capt. Matthews' mother, came to cheer him and his partner 1st Lt. Colton Barber on Team 9. Both Matthews and Barber are from the 25th Infantry Division.
"He's stationed in Hawaii. They sent him out here a month and a half ago. He trained in Hawaii for about three months before coming out here," said Matthews' mom.
"They train all day every day. Six days a week. This is his second time competing. He did it last year too," added Matthews' wife.
Lindsey Knea traveled from California to watch her husband Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Knea and his partner Staff Sgt. Luke Katz, Team 49, representing the National Guard in the competition.
"We're from California and his partner is from Nebraska. They've been here three months prepping for the competition," Knea's wife said.
Knea's wife explained that she along with his Family had been following the competition since day one.
"We've even been watching the night live feed," she said.
"He was so excited going in. This is he and his partner's first time competing. So they didn't really know what to expect, but they've been practicing so hard. They wanted to make it through the first night. That was the main goal," she added.
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