The Tower at The University of Texas at Austin will shine orange Thursday, Oct. 27 in honor of the Texas Army ROTC Ranger Challenge Team, which placed first in this major intercollegiate competition for the second year in a row.
“Ranger Challenge is a physically and mentally grueling competition that tests adaptive leadership, critical thinking and the overall physical stamina of competitors,” says Army Master Sergeant Martin Silva Jr., senior military instructor in Texas Army ROTC.
The Texas Army ROTC competed against 11 other universities in a three-day series of events at Camp Bullis, just northwest of San Antonio. The competition combines physical fitness, military skills and critical thinking. It includes a physical fitness test, a 10-kilometer foot march in which cadets carry more than 40 pounds, a written exam, a first aid event, an obstacle course, construction of a rope bridge over an obstacle, day and night orienteering that spans more than 10 cross-country miles, a rifle assembly and disassembly competition, and a marksmanship event.
The teams finished first in the Championship and Co-ed divisions. They anticipate competing in the Sandhurst National Competition at West Point during the spring 2012.
To view photos of the three-day Ranger Challenge, like Texas Army ROTC on Facebook.
