FORT STEWART, Ga. - Soldiers of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team “Spartans,” 3rd Infantry Division, gathered in the early morning hours in order to test their ability in land navigation here, Sept. 26.
The 17 soldiers were assembled from all the subordinate battalions of the 2nd ABCT, and comprised a wide range of different military occupational specialties.
The land navigation course was the culmination of three weeks of training and testing in four events, the purpose of which is to select only the best of the best to go to the U.S. Army Ranger School as a representative of the Spartans, in their attempt to earn the right to wear the Ranger tab, according to Staff Sgt. Pedro Ortiz, the senior enlisted leader of the Ranger pre-assessment course, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd ABCT.
The soldiers have to be able to successfully complete the Ranger Physical Fitness Test, a swim test, a 12-mile forced ruck march and a land navigation course.
Numbers for the Rangers have been dwindling over the course of the last few years throughout the Division and the Army Ranger leaders within the 2nd ABCT hope to combat this by only sending the best and brightest, identified through the new Spartan Ranger pre-assessment course.