Furman holds own in Ranger Challenge

by Erikah Haavie, Contributing Writer

A squad of Furman Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets finished in fourth place October 26-27 in the 2012 Ranger Challenge held at Fort Pickett in Virginia.

The Ranger Challenge is a two-day competition designed to test cadets’ ability to perform military tasks under demanding conditions. The 2012 competition involved 20 nine-member teams, each with two alternate members.

Teams competed in such contests as rifle marksmanship, land navigation, a hand grenade assault course, an obstacle course, first aid, radio communications, a rope bridge, and long range movement. Events were located throughout Fort Pickett, and cadets were not told the route.

Upon completion of each station they received the coordinates for their next location, and their movements were timed. Teams were penalized for failing to complete each station properly. The Furman team earned the top score at the hand grenade assault course, which tested their knowledge of different grenades and their ability to employ them effectively in a combat situation.

“I am extremely proud of the Paladins’ performance at this year’s Ranger Challenge competition. They have been training hard all semester under the leadership of Cadet Daniel Myles, and they truly demonstrated a ‘never-quit’ attitude during this demanding event,” said Lt. Col. Tom Gilleran, professor of military science. “They represented our battalion and Furman with distinction.”

The Paladin Battalion is a traditional power at the Ranger Challenge. In the past seven years, Furman has finished no lower than fifth in the competition.

Team members were Daniel Myles ’13 (leader), Wilson Duty ’13, Matt Clemens ’14, Eric Dolan ’14, Nick Robertson ’14, Kaitlin Cugno ’15, David Mau (North Greenville University), Jordan Beck ’16, Olivier Van Pelt ’16, and alternates Will Ballard ’15 and D.J. Leverette (North Greenville University).