Accepting the challenge

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Part of being a Ranger in the United States Army is accepting the challenge to be the best. When the opportunity of being the best of the best came in the form of an Army competition, the challenge was too good to pass up for the son of a Rathdrum woman.

Sgt. 1st Class Larry H. Forrest, son of Deborah A. Kotzian of Rathdrum, recently participated in the 27th annual David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition for the chance to be one of the best.

"The Best Ranger Competition is an ideal opportunity to come together with some of the best men the Army has to offer and to test their personal abilities against the rest," said Forrest, a 2000 graduate of Coeur d'Alene High School.

The Best Ranger Competition covers more than 60 miles in 60 hours with various events in a marathon style "Ranger Olympics" that includes running, marching, swimming, obstacle courses, marksmanship, orienteering,

and basic Ranger skills events like parachute jumps, rappelling and first aid.

For Forrest, the preparation for Best Ranger was almost as rough as the competition itself.

"Training consists of a lot of long days full of long distance runs and road marches followed by time in the gym," said Forrest, who was representing a 4th Ranger Training Battalion team. "Our physical training was mostly endurance based."

Hour after hour, mile after mile, and event after event, Forrest gave everything he had to be one of the final teams standing at the very end of the competition. Regardless of the results, he can take pride in knowing he competed in one of the most difficult competitions the Army has to offer.

"I really hope to prove to myself and others that I am capable of pushing myself past typical limits," said Forrest. "Ideally I would like a top-five finish, but finishing alone is quite an accomplishment."

With the 2010 Best Ranger Competition now behind him, Forrest plans on returning for another go at being the Best Ranger. "As far as coming back, we'll have to see," he said.