Greg and Jeff Soule, two Army officers representing the ROTC program at James Madison University, recently took second in the Army's annual Best Ranger competition. Greg is an old buddy of Steve's from Air Assault school and ROTC Ranger Challenge competitions - they've kept up over the years as their military careers took them down separate paths. Below is the Army Times article describing their superb performance during this grueling challenge.
The Bisbee Project contributed to their training expenditures and is proud to support these great American warriors and the ROTC program that produces leaders of such high caliber.
FORT BENNING, Ga. — Within minutes of winning the Best
Ranger Competition, Staff Sgts. Michael Broussard and
Shayne Cherry, both 24, emerged from a medical tent
looking like they were ready for another obstacle
course.
After embracing family and friends, the members of
Team 5 representing the 75th Ranger Regiment spoke to
members of the media in relatively dry shirts with
hardly a bead of sweat across their brow.
“I feel good,” Cherry said.
Broussard and Cherry emerged victorious in the 25th
annual David E. Grange, Jr. Best Ranger Competition at
Fort Benning, Ga., following a grueling three days of
field exercises and obstacle courses. Only 16 of the
28 teams that entered the event finished, with many
exiting slowly from the medical tent with white
medical gauze on their arms from intravenous
injections — evidence of the physical tax of the
competition.
Coming in second place were brothers Capt. Jeff Soule,
25, and Maj. Greg Soule, 32, of Team 3 representing
the Reserved Officers’ Training Corps at James Madison
University in Virginia. The two were separated nearly
all of training, with Jeff in Georgia and Greg in
Virginia.
“I definitely didn’t expect to be finishing second,”
Greg said as he pushed his 3-month-old baby, Addison,
in a stroller toward the awards reception. “We didn’t
have any time to train together really, about a few
days a month. I was expecting to have a few more
blisters on my feet.
“But what we did this weekend, my whole body is beat
down,” he said. “I just want to go sit down. I’m
walking around like I got pins sticking into my feet.”
His brother, meanwhile, walked to the awards ceremony
and barbecue afterward with a limp and lingering
cough. When one of his family members asked if he
wanted food, he said, “Yeah, but not coleslaw, just
meat.” Greg said he was most looking forward to a
beer.
Finishing in third place were Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah
Beck and Sgt. Jeremy Billings, 23, of Team 9
representing the 75th Ranger Regiment.
The first-, second- and third-place teams ran across
the finish line together. Many teams finished with
their rifles held high in the air. The soldiers,
family and friends attended an awards ceremony
afterward with barbecue food, cold ice tea and beer.
Gifts were distributed to the 16 finishing teams.
Cherry and Broussard won the bronze boot award for the
road march, a nighttime trek that took place on Friday
night. This year’s march came after a day of grueling
activities beneath an aggressive Georgia sun. All 12
teams that didn’t finish the competition were
eliminated during the road march, which was shortened
from the scheduled 30 miles to just 16 miles due to
the high dropout rate, soldiers said.
The Soule brothers won the competition’s award for
orienteering after an impressive showing in Saturday
night’s land navigation course. Soldiers were required
to find points they plotted on a map across miles of
difficult terrain without flashlights or any kind of
illumination devices.
“They’re not allowed to turn on any lights,” said
Capt. Kent Keirsey, a Ranger instructor for the 5th
Ranger Training Battalion. “They’re only allowed to
use ambient light, so they have to be spot on. … They
had great illumination last night. That moon was up
all night.”
