LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
An Airman from the 342nd Training Squadron teamed up with a Soldier to finish the three-day, Army-hosted Best Ranger competition at Fort Benning, Ga., in ninth place, April 15-17.
Master Sgt. Jamie Newman and Army Sergeant 1st Class Jonathon Blitz, 4th Ranger Training Brigade, endured 60 hours of mental, tactical and physical tests - featuring two road marches and two night orienteering events - during the 28th rendition of the competition designed to engage the best-trained servicemembers in the Armed Forces.
"They want it to be reflective of the Ranger's way of life: tough, with a never quit attitude, even when things are at their worst," said Sergeant Newman, 342nd TRS Operating Location-Bravo Superintendent. "It is one of the toughest things I have ever done - next to raising five daughters with my wife Rhonda."
Ninth place finish is noteworthy, not because it shows Airmen can hang with the best, but because nearly half of the 50 teams never made it to the finish during the multidisciplinary challenge.
"It's a great feeling to know all our hard work paid off," Sergeant Newman said. "I wish all the teams could have made it, but the competition is no joke."
Army Sgt. Maj. Walter Zajkowski and Army Master Sgt. Eric Turk took first place. Sergeant Zajkowski, a 2007 Best Ranger Competition champion, and Sergeant Turk, who won last year, are the first repeat winners in more than two decades.