Sua Sponte

University of North Dakota wins the 3rd ROTC Brigade Gaspers-Cahill Ranger Challenge

CAMP DODGE, Iowa - “It’s a game of inches,” said Lt. Col. Josh C. Sauls, professor of military science, for the University of North Dakota, during the final event. “A rolled ankle could be the difference between coming in last or first.”

The UND team had won their Task Force challenge five years in a row, but last October lost to the University of Minnesota. However, in December they were chosen as one of two “wild card” teams, second place winners from the region giving them a chance to redeem themselves.

Plus the winning 9-person team will represent the 3rd Brigade in this year’s Sandhurst Competition, April 20-21, at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

“We had a chip on our shoulders,” admitted Daniel Barbian. “We knew we had to win it to keep tradition.”

The team had been chosen out of the Task Force winners to compete at Sandhurst the last two years and Barbian wanted one last chance before he graduated and headed to Fort Rucker, Ala., in May, he said. However, the team would have to earn it this year.

Col. Dean P. Shultis, commander of the 3^rd Reserve Officer Training Corps command at Great Lakes, Ill., decided the brigade would no longer pick a team to represent them, but created the first 3rd ROTC Brigade Gaspers-Cahill Ranger Challenge to memorialize past cadets and to challenge present and future cadets.

The challenge was named for two of the brigade’s 11 alumni who died in combat. Both University of Nebraska graduates, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers and Capt. Joel E. Cahill, were killed in Iraq. Each individual competition also was named for the one of the other nine.

“Winning is a habit,” said Shultis, during the opening ceremony March 16. “It takes preparation, commitment, and self-sacrifice. Something all of you have already shown by making here.

And over the three-day challenge that tested them emotionally, mentally, and physically it was something the UND cadets would show in spades.

Andrew Petefish, 22, the team’s captain, said they geared their training towards tasks like the one-rope bridge, firing range, and obstacle course to correct some of the mistakes they made in the Fall.

They also kept moving.

“We tried a huge variety of activities to keep our bodies guessing,” Petefish said.

The team practiced tying knots and flipping tires along with more traditional actives like ruck marches and night patrols as rumors flew around about the two mystery events. One ended up including a tire flip, along with a Humvee pull and an archery competition.

Sauls wasn’t surprised by the upset. The Army Cadet Command assessed 5,642 cadets last year and both the third (Petefish) and twelve (Barbian) cadets are on the UND team.

Almost all of the cadets on the nine-person team are aviators, except Williams who is a nursing student, said Sauls.

Sauls said the Army’s Helicopter Flight Training Program is very popular at UND because it offers students not only the chance to get commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army but earn a commercial FAA helicopter license simultaneously with their bachelor’s degree.

It’s something that as helped their team build a sense of camaraderie and cooperation.

In fact, Barbian left the United States Naval Academy for UND to fulfill his dream of becoming an Apache pilot.

It was a decision his parents Paula and Allan Barbian supported.

“I’m just in awe of them,” said Paula after the force march. “As a family we’ve never taken for granted the security and freedom Soldiers offer us, we’ve never taken it lightly.

“To be given even a small window into the sacrifices they make is incredible.”

The UND cadets weren’t the only winners.

Side-by-side, with arms linked, the five young women from Missouri State University ran across the finish line together to win the Maj. Sid Brookshire Forced March Challenge. It was the end of a three-day challenge that tested them emotionally, mentally, and physically.

“They came to fight and they didn’t let up,” said Lt. Col. Troy S. Wisdom, professor of military science at MSU. “I’m so proud of them.”

There was good reason to be proud; the team won five of the 11 challenges to sweep the first all-female 3^rd ROTC Brigade Ranger Challenge.

But it wasn’t just about winning, Wisdom said. It was about teamwork, perseverance, and dedication. The five young women not only gave up their spring break but a lot of other social activities over the last couple months to prepare for the competition, Wisdom added.

“Team work is key,” said Ariel Clabaugh, 20, “You can’t do anything unless you work together.”

It was a lesson the team learned early, before the competition even started, losing a teammate three weeks before the competition.

Clabaugh’s twin, Abby Clabaugh, 20, captain of MSU’s all-female team, said if it weren’t for Wisdom’s encouragement and experience they wouldn’t have started much less finished the challenge.

“No one pushes us as hard as he does,” Clabaugh said. “Now it’s part of history.”

Make sure to follow the UND cadets while they compete at Sandhurst Competition, April 20-21, at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. They will compete against other U.S. Army Cadet Command teams, select teams from West Point, the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School team, and international teams.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/3rd-Brigade-Headquarters-Army-ROTC-Black-Hawk-Brigade/292964370741361

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BlackHawkBde

Blog: http://blackhawkbde.blogspot.com/

Sua Sponte - means of his, her, its or their own accord in Latin.