Dark clouds hovered, cold rain drops fell intermittently, and daylight had just begun to illuminate Range 11.  Nine Soldiers, weighted down with gear, faces indistinguishable under a layer of grease paint, nervously awaited inspection. 

    

Out of one Kevlar helmet stuck wisps of pale blonde hair.  Each team had to include at least one female cadet.  For the United States Military Academy Prep School (USMAPS) team, that was Cadet Candidate (CC) Heidi Miller.  

 

Forty-six teams competed in the annual Sandhurst Military Competition April 30 at the United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.  The United States Service Academies, select Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) programs, and international military academies from Great Britain and Canada tested their field military excellence by performing tasks at nine sites over a 6.3 mile course.

USMAPS began training last fall for Sandhurst. Members were selected by a team vote based on rifle scores, running, strength, teamwork and overall ability.    

Miller, recruited by USMAPS as a cross country runner, was one of four female CCs to tryout for the team.  She was the only female to make it through the entire process without having to quit due to injury or other obligations.

Keeping up with her male counterparts was not a concern to Miller. “That’s my thing.  I’m a runner; I can do that,” she said proudly. 

The Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) site was the first event after the inspection and the most challenging for Miller.  Teams were scored on their ability to don gas masks in under 9 seconds with a complete seal around their faces.  They were also required to run to the next site with their masks in place.

“Every step you take is a different kind of footing.  It’s bad.  You can’t see where you’re going, you have huge rocks in the way, and mud that’s knee deep. That was the hardest part,” Miller said.  “I felt like I slowed the guys down a little, but I couldn’t see where I was going.   I tripped once and I didn’t want that to happen again because it was a competition and if you hurt yourself, the team’s in trouble.”

Miller said she saw others tripping, however, and knew everyone else was going through the same thing. 

“Let me stress the difficulty of running with a pro mask,” said CC Sean Tolliver.  “Only a limited amount of air comes in, and it never seems like enough.  Carrying extra equipment, such as a ruck sack or radio, compounds the problem of breathing.” 

At the next site, the team scrambled an RB-15 zodiac boat into the water and maneuvered through the 200 meter slalom course. Inspectors for the boat movement deducted only one point from the team out of 75 possible points.  Tolliver said the team’s frequent practice entering and exiting the water perfected their boat movement method.   

At the grenade and medical site, the team split up.  Two CCs threw grenades at targets, covering one another, and being careful not to be exposed for more than five seconds.    

The rest of the team moved three simulated casualties to an aid station and performed first aid.  CC Thomas Marks served as a combat medic prior to attending USMAPS and helped to make the site one of the team’s top scoring events, added Tolliver

At the sixth site the CCs created a one-rope bridge across the river by tying the rope off to posts on either side.   One by one, they hooked their rappel seats to the rope line. Hanging only by a D-ring each made their way, hand over hand, across the river.   

Miller was familiar with rope bridging, having competed in Junior ROTC Raider Competitions in high school.  She attributed her quick crossing to her experience and to not changing her technique from practice to competition. 

The wall and the communications site were located on the ski slopes of West Point.  To reach the wall, teams had to crawl on hands and knees through a culvert of running water.  CCs said they found it difficult to get a good grip on the wet wall and were weighted down by wet gear. 

The most challenging part of the training for Miller was the wall. “We’d get all bruised up and twist ankles jumping off the wall and climbing up due to practicing it over and over again,” she said.

Team Captain CC Lon McBride, an integral component in the wall event and the team’s cohesion, withdrew from the competition in order to attend his father’s funeral.   

“We all felt the loss because he was such a valuable team member and losing him hurt.  We knew he wanted to be with us and compete and that gave us an added edge to do well for him,” said Tolliver. 

Following the wall, the team had to carry a litter weighted down with four water cans, weighing approximately 180 pounds up the ski slope.  The four man teams were able to switch the litter twice, however, that made little difference in the burden since the ski slope was near vertical at the top. 

At the communications site, the team assembled a radio and established communications.  The USMAPS team had communications expert CC Matt Rosebaugh, who previously served as a Forward Observer with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq.

The final event was the Commandant’s Challenge and kept secret two days before the competition. In a test of strength, balance and speed, teams carried pieces of weaponry weighing a total of 270 pounds and three simulated casualties, each weighing approximately 180 pounds, through an obstacle course.    

The entire USMAPS team crossed the finish line in two hours, 18 minutes, and 40 seconds. A final inspection ensured the team had all the equipment they started with.   Miller felt relieved when it was over, but wanted to do it again to fix their mistakes. 

“I think Saturday brought us closer together because everyone worked so hard and did awesome.  If we didn’t have the teamwork there, it wouldn’t have happened.  That’s what Sandhurst is about.  You have to rely on and encourage one another.  It’s just practice and determination,” Miller said.