FORT BENNING, Ga. - Four Soldiers currently deployed to Iraq will compete in the annual David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition during their mid-deployment leave.
Capt. Lloyd B. Wohlschegel, 1st Lt. Raymond A. Kuderka, Sgt. 1st Class Derek G. Wise and Sgt. David M. Paul are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
The competition will be conducted at Fort Benning May 8 through 10. A field of 49 two-man teams is expected to start the first event at 6 a.m. May 8.
Another team to watch include a team from U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Master Sgt. Walter J. Zajkowski and Master Sgt. Daniel E. Jenkins. Both Soldiers making up this team have won the competition in the past. Jenkins' brother, Cpl. Troy V. Jenkins is also a competitor this year.
Also competing is a team of brothers, Staff Sgt. Benjamin and Staff Sgt. Ian Hunter, representing the 75th Ranger Regiment.
The three-day competition will challenge the two-man Ranger teams in events that will test their physical conditioning, Ranger skills and team strategies. The events are conducted almost back-to-back and around the clock from the start of the competition to the finish line.
All events are timed and competitors score points for each completed event. Both team members must complete each task. It is estimated that each competitor will cover upward of 60 miles on foot over the course of the weekend.
The formal awards ceremony will be at 10 a.m. May 11 at the Ranger Memorial on Main Post.
The Best Ranger Competition was established in 1982 and has been compared to Ironman and Eco-Challenge competitions.
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