Posted on 03/04/2018 7:57:12 AM PST by SandRat
FORT HUACHUCA — Ping. Ping. Ping.
A blustery wind blows snow from the Huachuca Mountains into the faces of captains Bill Goldsworth and Rob Shalvoy on Range 6 at Fort Huachuca as they aim their pistols at metal targets.
“If we’re shooting well in this (snow and windy) weather, we’ll do even better in the nice weather,” Goldsworth said.
Shalvoy and Goldsworth, both part of the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion, are hoping to represent Fort Huachuca at the Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia.
In its 35th year, the annual U.S. Army event, organized by the Ranger Training Brigade, is a three-day competition starting April 13 that will focus on skills rangers should have.
“It’s mentally tough as well as physically challenging,” said Shalvoy, who competed in the 2013 Best Ranger Competition.
After competing in the Best Ranger Competition in previous years Shalvoy and Goldsworth said they wouldn’t compete in the 60-hour event again. But their minds changed rather quickly.
“Within a couple of days after last year’s competition I decided I wanted to do it again,” Goldsworth said. “After the competition was over I said I was never going to compete again. But on the second day after I was like maybe I want to do this again.”
In 2017 Goldsworth participated in the competition with a ranger no longer stationed at Fort Huachuca.
Shalvoy was approached by Goldsworth’s former partner, who said Goldsworth would be looking for someone to compete with and asked if he would be interested.
Shalvoy echoed his teammate, saying after competing in 2013 it took him a couple days to realize he wanted to participate again.
Since Jan. 7 the pair have been training full time, with the hope of being one of the 50 teams to compete for the Best Ranger 2018 title.
As part of their training the team practices assembling one M24 SAW (semi automatic weapon) each and a pistol. During their training on Wednesday morning Shalvoy and Goldsworth assembled all three guns in 2:36.
The standard time is seven minutes, but other guns can be in the box. It’s up to the rangers to figure out what type of gun it is and assemble it.
“Sometimes there are curveballs … and mystery events,” Shalvoy said.
After assembling and breaking down the guns, Shalvoy and Goldsworth practiced tying the required knots. Both of them will have to tie six specific knots in seven minutes. The last skill Shalvoy and Goldsworth practiced was throwing grenades at and through targets.
“Expect the best of the best from divisions to be there,” Shalvoy said of the competition.
Fifty teams will descend on Fort Benning to find out who the best two-man team in the Army.
“It’s inspiring to be around the best men,” Goldsworth said.
While some of the teams are coming from forts that are automatically given a spot, the pair from Fort Huachuca had to get letters from the commanding general and garrison commander to be considered for a spot. The full list of teams competing will be released later this month.
“We want to bring to light what your body can do if you put your mind to (it),” Goldsworth said. “Also we want to bring visibility of Fort Huachuca to the Army. I’m looking forward to going out there and wowing people.”
The goal for Shalvoy and Goldsworth isn’t to beat their opponents, but to be a good team and complete the competition.
“We’re going to give it everything we have,” Goldsworth said.
It is about as close to nowhere as one can get.
Do they have the right quota of womyn and trannies?
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