The Challenge

The 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, held a Ranger / Sapper competition that gave 43 Sky Soldier candidates the opportunity to compete against their peers for priority placement at the U.S. Army’s Ranger School or Sapper Leader Course. The overnight assessment was hosted by paratroopers in the battalion who have already earned either their Ranger tab, Sapper tab or both. Some of the events included a nonstandard physical fitness test, 2.3 mile obstacle course, a road march for an unspecified distance and a Ranger Physical Assessment Test. This assessment is used to create an Order of Merit List to determine who gets priority to attends these schools and helps maximize their chances for successfully completing the courses and coming back with the respected Ranger tab or Sapper tab.(Video by Staff Sgt. Jacob Sawyer)