UNM’s Army ROTC cadets overcame 18 other teams to take second place in the U.S. Army Cadet Command 12th Brigade’s annual Ranger Challenge held recently. The Ranger Challenge included Cadet participants were from New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. This is the first Ranger Challenge competition the UNM program has participated since opening its doors in 2003.
Photo: Members of the UNM Army ROTC program compete in the Ranger Challenge held recently at Camp Bullis, Texas. The team placed second out of 18 teams.
The UNM cadets are: team captain Christopher Ostberg, Brian Long, John Brasher, Aaron Pennington, Justin Garcia, Trevor Weeks, and Daryl Murton.
Sgt. 1st Class Robert Axtell, a military science instructor with UNM Army ROTC, called the intercollegiate Ranger Challenge event “very, very physically demanding and fast-paced.”
The seven New Mexico students competed in numerous events, including a fitness test and a comprehensive written exam with elements of tactical leadership, first aid, and day and night land navigation and weapons skill at Camp Bullis, Texas.
The challenge also included running obstacle courses, a 10-kilometer road march and other military skills perfected in the Army ROTC program.
Contact: Jennifer West, (505) 277-2263