After a month of training for the Third ROTC Brigade Gaspers-Cahill Ranger Challenge, the Iowa State Army ROTC took third place among 103 schools in the 9-Man Division. 

Based on the challenge devised by the Blackhawk Brigade, the ISU Army ROTC Cadre gave a presentation to the cadets on what to train for and what would be different in this challenge than the Ranger Challenge. 

From there, cadets performed research on the internet, in books and in army manuals based on the information.

The Iowa State Army ROTC Ranger Challenge Commander and captain of the 9-Man team, junior Brandon Amerine, developed a training plan for his team. 

“We work as a team from there,” Amerine said. “They give me feedback on the plan and we decide what we need more work on.” 

The Ranger Challenge was different from the Brigade Challenge in that there was an emphasis on the combination of both intellectual and physical skills rather than physical skills alone, Amerine said. 

“The biggest change was the obstacle course,” Amerine said, “They gave us Airsoft weapons, which were very close to the real thing, and we were given a mock mission.” 

The idea was a simulation of the team being in Afganistan or Iraq, and they were given a scenario where they would have to clear the city and take over the enemy, Amerine said.  

“[I am] really proud of my guys,” Amerine said. “They put in a lot of hard work and dedication to the team.”