Wisconsin Guard Soldier part of Best Ranger Competition

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

A member of Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry finished in the top 10 of 51 teams in the 2012 Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Ga.

1st Lt. Nicholas Plocar was one of seven Army National Guard Soldiers to take part in the grueling 60-hour competition, which ended Sunday (April 15). The contest featured road marches of 15.5-miles and 14.8 miles, the Army's toughesto bstacle course known as the Darby Queen, urban operations, night land navigation, water confidence course, mortar range, rifle range with moving targets, jumping out of a helicopter and swimming to shore, and skill proficiency demonstrations.

Plocar qualified for the Best Ranger Competition last November, and prepared for the event since Jan. 30 at the National Guard's Warrior Training Center at Fort Benning. He and Capt. Robert Killian of the Colorado Army National Guard made up Team 49, which finished in sixth place.

"A hardy congratulation goes out to Lt. Plocar," said Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. "His accomplishment is reflective of the dedication and commitment that we see in all of the Soldiers in the Wisconsin Army National Guard - but obviously reflective of the dedication that Lt. Plocar has to not only be the best possible ranger, but also a Soldier in the National Guard."

Team 49 spent the entire competition among the leaders, which included Soldiers from active duty Ranger and Special Operations units.

"Back's a little stiff," Plocar said during a meal break on Day 2, when Team 49 was in third place. "No mistakes today - hopefully that will put us right where we want to be."

Of the 51 teams that began the competition at 6 a.m. April 13, only 34 made it past the first day to finish the event.

Col. John King, commander of the Ranger Training Brigade, said the competitors did not know the order or distances of the events.

"We've stacked the Day 1 as the hardest day in the three-day competition," he said. "They will move approximately 40-45 miles in the first day."

Another National Guard team finished in third place in this year's competition.