The University of Idaho Argonaut

Juniors Jonathon DeAustin and Josten Cornett hurry to finish the practical land navigation exercise during the Ranger Challenge on Saturday in Warrenton, Ore. Dezarai Stringer/Courtesy Photo

Two squads made up of 22 cadets — that was the makeup of teams Alpha and Bravo when the University of Idaho Army ROTC competed in the Ranger Challenge on Saturday in Warrenton, Ore.
“It felt like we competed for about half of the driving time,” said Cadet Captain Dezarai Stringer. “Also, it was hard to get homework done.”

The team of 22 made it to Camp Ralea to participate in the competition against 10 other universities.
“There was never any down time,” Stringer said.
Team Alpha was led by Mitch Lokker, and Team Bravo was led by Jonathon Deaustin.
There were different stages to the competition, including a “Rope Bridge” event, where participants used a 150-foot rope to cross a creek, or more commonly, a river.
“Also we had ‘Hand Grenade,’ in which we had to take out a bunker, throw one into a trench, then sprint back and climb under barbed wire all in a small, 35-meter course,” Stringer said.

There was a 20-question “navigation quiz” and a quiz where participants ran around finding different designated points. There was also a 10-kilometer march.
Disassembling weapons was part of the competition as well, Stringer said. Cadets had to sprint 100 meters over to a M-16, disassemble it, put it back together and run back. Participants were evaluated on time and precision.

All of the events had to be endured through the constant rain that beat the Oregon Coast.
“If it ain’t raining, you ain’t training, they say,” Stringer said.  “But I disagree. It constantly rained the whole time, and that was my least favorite part.”
The scores brought on a more positive aspect when Alpha scored fourth overall.
“They scored one of the highest in the written navigation portion,” Stringer said.

Alpha placed first in two events, while Bravo placed ninth total. Stringer said practicing and learning was key.
“We watched other competitors to learn what to do and what not to do,” Stringer said. “The navigation portion was one of my favorites, because we could find a point, know we found it and know we got the job done right. We didn’t know immediate results after a lot of the other competitions.”
Stringer said the Ranger Challenge let the team know where they stood and what they needed to fix as a team.
“We learned skills we need to know,” Stringer said.

The cadets funded the  trip themselves and raised money by taking tickets at football games and a “SAT Shack” in the Army office.
“It sounds like it doesn’t work, but we can get them for a little cheaper, and the money goes back to our funds,” Stringer said.
Oct. 17 will mean more practice for the ROTC members.

“There will be field exercise to practice working as a squad against opposing forces,” Stringer said. “Juniors will be in charge, while underclassmen will participate as members to learn what it will be like when they become
squad leaders.”