Best Ranger Competition
The Best Ranger Competition is an annual competition held in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is a two-man team competition where competitors must be active military who are Airborne Ranger School Qualified[1] While competitors must meet the aforementioned qualifications, the event itself is open to the public.
History
In 1981, a civilian organization was formed under the name of Chairborne Rangers, Inc. The organization was formed under Dick Leandri,who was a personal friend of the former Commanding General of Fort Benning, Lieutenant General David E. Grange, Jr. Leandri wanted to honor Grange, so he and several other businessmen formed Chairborne with the purpose of supporting an event.[2] The popularity of the event has grown so much since its inception, that many bases hold Pre Best Ranger competitions to select the best teams available.
Cancellations
The events has been cancelled two times since 1982. The first was in 1991, due to Operation Desert Storm, and the second was in 2003 during the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
List of Winners
| Year | Soldier | Soldier | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | SFC Philip Sebay | SFC Charles R. Light | 3rd Ranger Company, Benning Ranger Division |
| 1983 | SSG Michael Tilson | SSG Kevin Connell | 2nd Ranger Company, Mountain Ranger Division |
| 1984 | SGT David Bazemore III | SGT Gregory Georgevitch | 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1985 | SSG Harvey Moore, Jr. | SGT Paul Scurka | HHC, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1986 | SGT Paul Scurka | SGT Bart Sexton | HHC, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1987 | SSG William Ulibarri | SGT Ross Wilson | 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1988 | SGT John Schlichte | SPC Karl Schlichte | 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1989 | SGT Guy Fichtelman | SGT Mike Sonnenschein | 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1990 | SSG Mark Sheehan | SSG Bobby Beiswanger | 4th Ranger Training Brigade |
| 1991 | |||
| 1992 | SFC Tom Wilburn | AFC Alven Brashier | 5th Ranger Training Brigade |
| 1993 | CPT Blain Reeves | SSG Erik Wilson | 4th Ranger Training Brigade |
| 1994 | CPT Edward Garcia | 1LT Michael Richardson | 82nd Airborne Division |
| 1995 | SSG Eric White | CPT Michael Trisler | 25th Infantry Division |
| 1996 | SSG Jeff Struecker | SPC Isaac Gmazel | 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 1997 | LT Hansen | LT Robershaw | 101st Airborne Division |
| 1998 | SFC Eric Riley | SSG Thomas Smith | 4th Ranger Training Brigade |
| 1999 | SSG Teran | SSG Moran | Ranger Training Brigade |
| 2000 | 2LT Messerschmitt | 2LT Ahern | IOBC Detachment |
| 2001 | GYSGT Keith Oakes | SFC William Patterson | 5th Ranger Training Battalion |
| 2002 | PT Duane Patin | SSG Daniel Jenkins | 5th Ranger Training Battalion |
| 2003 | |||
| 2004 | SSG Colin Boley | SSG Adam Nash | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 2005 | CPT McCallum | SFC Nelson | 4th Ranger Training Battalion |
| 2006 | SFC John Sheaffer | SPC Mikhail Venikov | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 2007 | MAJ Liam Collins | MSG Walter Zajkowski | United States Special Operations Command |
| 2008 | SSG Cherry | SSG Broussard | 75th Ranger Regiment |
| 2009 | SFC Simms | SFC Stackpole | Ranger Training Brigade |
| 2010 | MSG Turk | MSG Ross | United States Special Operations Command |
| 2011 | MSG Turk | MSG Walter Zajkowski | United States Special Operations Command |
| 2012 | MSG Kevin Foutz | SFC Thomas Payne | United States Special Operations Command |
| 2013 | SFC Raymond Santiago | SFC Timothy Briggs | Ranger Training Brigade |
| 2014 | 2LT Michael Rose | 2LT John Bergman | 25th Infantry Division |
