2nd Lt. Nathanael LaCorte, Platoon Leader from the 639th Quartermaster Company, ranked 13th at the 2023 Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia, April 14 through 16.
LaCorte proudly represented the state of Montana and the Montana Army National Guard by placing 13th overall. He was the first ever Montana Army National Guard Ranger to complete the competition. LaCorte and his teammate, 1st Lt. Copeland Zaunbrecher, competed against 55 teams. Three teams represented the National Guard and the remaining teams represented active duty Army.
LaCorte and Zaunbrecher’s stamina, resilience, and grit placed them in the top 25% of all the Best Ranger teams. The competition’s rigorous events put their technical skills, endurance, and communication tactics to the test. The teams exemplified mental fortitude and military intellect which pushed them through the grueling marathon of events.
“It’s been a whirlwind, we expected it to be pretty tough and it absolutely is and it’s one of those things you have to keep going, one foot in front of the other, and don’t get disheartened when events go wrong,” LaCorte said. “We’ve had plenty that have gone wrong, so we just keep our head in the game.”
His biggest driver during the competition was that he was not doing the Best Ranger Competition for himself, he did it for the National Guard and the state of Montana.
This competition is not for the faint of heart. The in-processing is rigorous and teams are cut each day of the three day competition. Two man buddy teams overcome 62 continuous hours of physical, emotional, and intellectually taxing events. It is a massive accomplishment to finish this arduous competition. Competing teams include Special Operations, Army Rangers, and airborne-qualified units.
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2023 15:29 |
| Story ID: | 443185 |
| Location: | HELENA, MT, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Montana Guardsman places 13th in the Best Ranger Competition, by SSG Molly O'Neill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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