Tough Going: At Georgia Base, Elite Service Members Compete For ‘Best Ranger’

There’s tough, there’s Army Ranger tough and then there’s the toughest of the tough, the handful named Best Ranger.

Earlier this month, 106 elite members of the U.S. military spent 60 grueling hours competing as two-member teams for the Best Ranger title. Sleep-deprived and sometimes soaking wet and loaded down with gear, they marched, ran, swam, rappelled and swung hand over hand on ropes across a wilderness area at Fort Benning in western Georgia while firing rifles and machine guns, performing simulated combat rescues, navigating at night and tackling other daunting, back-to-back challenges.

In the end, Capts. John Bergman and Michael Rose of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division crossed the finish line with rifles raised over their heads — Rose for his third time winning the endurance challenge and Bergman for his second.