If you happen to see a quintet of Soldiers from the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, hiking the back roads of Fort Polk with a rucksack or making repeated rounds through the obstacle course on Georgia Avenue, don't think the men are gluttons for punishment. They are simply getting their bodies ready for one of the most grueling tests the Army offers: the Best Ranger competition.
Capt. Dan Talmadge, 1st Lt. Travis Stupes, Sgt. Andres Lazo, Sgt. Preston Moudy and Sgt. Alan Leggitt have set their sights high - they hope to bring the title of "Best Ranger" to Fort Polk.
"Anyone with a (Ranger) tab and airborne status can compete," said the Soldier's coach, Master Sgt. Chuck LaMonte. "The Joint Readiness Training Center is usually authorized one two-Soldier team, but with all the deployments, we received an exception this year - we can enter two teams from the 509th and the 4th Brigade Combat Team can enter one team."
Leggitt completed Ranger school in May 2006. He said the chance to enter the competition is a "once in a lifetime" opportunity.
"We will do nothing but better ourselves as we prepare for the competition," Leggitt said.
LaMonte said the Soldiers began training Jan. 27. He said the two teams and one alternate would train until April 14 at Fort Polk, then head to Fort Benning, Ga., to acclimate themselves prior to the test, which runs May 8-11.
"Historically, more than half the teams fall out during the competition," LaMonte said. "The contest cadre will not pull you out of the contest - you have to quit."
When asked, the five Soldiers said "quit" is not in their vocabulary. LaMonte said 10 Soldiers in the unit tried out for the two teams and the five that are left are the cream of the crop.
"I've done it (mid-1990s), and would do it again," LaMonte said. "But I'm not in good enough shape."
Lazo said there is pressure to do well in the contest.
"Sure, we want to represent our unit well, but it's more than that," he said. "I think our mentality is we aren't going to quit. It's not someone else pushing you, it's pushing yourself."
But LaMonte said the unit is always in the back of the Soldier's mind.
"Deep down, these guys aren't doing it for themselves," LaMonte said. "They're doing for their unit and for the Joint Readiness Training Center."
To prepare Soldiers for what they will face at Fort Benning, LaMonte has made extended physical training a daily ritual. He's also taken the teams through the backwoods of Fort Polk to give them a feel for what type of climate and terrain they'll face. The goal, LaMonte said, is to finish the competition.
"This is like an iron man competition," Lazo said. "Non-military folks know about the Best Ranger competition. It's something I've always wanted to do."
Stupes said that during the daily workouts, team members compete among themselves, and at the same time forge a bond that will serve them well once competition begins.
"Rangers are naturally competitive," he said. "We have a lot of pride - it's not just personal, but unit also. It's a lot of guys with the same mentality - be the best."
Talmadge said the desire to compete in the Best Ranger event is something that's built into the character of Rangers.
"Some people might call us crazy, but we like putting our bodies through torture, especially when someone pats you on the back afterward," he said.
Leggitt agreed. "This is something I'll be proud of for the rest of my life," he said.
Stupes said the other Soldiers in the 509th have been supportive.
"They see how smoked we are, limping around," he said. "There's not a lot of animosity."
LaMonte said the training - Mondays through Fridays, from 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m. - basically consists of physical training all day.
To a man, each of the Soldiers said they've enjoyed preparing for the contest.
Leggitt: "I feel like I've really challenged myself."
Stupes: "I can see a big improvement. I want to see how much better I can get."
Lazo: "I take it day by day; if we work hard, we'll do better in the competition."
Even the Soldiers' wives have been supportive.
"My wife understands it's something I want, I have to do," Talmadge said.
"She hates that we'll be gone, but she said she wouldn't have married me if she thought I would have skipped something like this," Leggitt said.
While having the support of Family and unit, and the time to physically train is important, what it really boils down to is personal pride, said Lazo.
"We showed up," Lazo said. "You have to have the mentality that if you get knocked down, you have to get back up.
"We have that mentality and we're ready for the challenge."
Social Sharing