LEXINGTON, Va. Oct. 28, 2024 — Eight Virginia Military Institute Army ROTC cadets — members of Ranger Challenge, the “varsity sport” of the Army ROTC program — made history when they traveled to the Welsh mountains of the United Kingdom (U.K.) to participate in Exercise Cambrian Patrol (ECP), the British Army’s premier patrolling event Oct. 4-13. They are the first ROTC unit from the United States to participate, and they won the bronze medal.

ECP is a continuous, 48-hour long-range international military patrol exercise across rough terrain. It originated in 1959 when a group of Welsh Territorial Army (now Army Reserve) soldiers designed a weekend training event which included long distance marching and a shooting competition. ECP is both mentally and physically demanding, and considered to be one of the most difficult and esteemed of military competitions. Participants carry 80-pound rucks, get limited sleep, and have minimal food. It is open to regular military, reserve military, and ROTC units. Units outside the U.K. must first qualify by winning a similar competition in their home country. This year, over 125 teams from more than 30 countries competed at ECP.

According to Capt. Pauline Johnson, assistant professor of military science and officer in charge of Ranger Challenge, the VMI team qualified for the competition after placing fifth in the annual Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point in April 2023.

“It was Col. Jason Wayne, ROTC 1^st Brigade commander, who observed the VMI team and suggested they train to go to Wales. It is the next progressive event after Sandhurst, so the team was enthusiastic to commit to it and train hard for weeks in addition to their regular VMI schedule of physical training, attending classes, and studying. We are all very proud of them,” she said.  

Kevin Garroway ’25, a civil engineering major from Ellicott City, Maryland, who served as patrol commander at ECP, said the team pushed themselves to exhaustion.

“We all love to get out and challenge ourselves, and this was an immense endeavor. This was a great test for any military unit.”

Ethan Fogle ’25, a physics major from Knoxville, Tennessee, agreed. 

“The Cambrian Patrol was full of obstacles and challenges that pushed us to our mental, physical, and spiritual limits, however the eight guys who made it through the exercise became family. We kept morale high and carried each other through, no matter what we faced. When other teams were falling apart and feeling sorry for themselves, we were cracking jokes and enjoying our time suffering together.” 

Cody McGuire ’25, an international studies major from Franklin County, Virginia, said his team knew little of what to expect at ECP but it was through their team chemistry and refusal to quit that they were able to achieve what many countries failed to do. 

“The Cambrian Patrol Exercise was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Our team of unexperienced, yet eager cadets were able to travel internationally and compete in NATO’s hardest patrolling exercise.”

Johnson reported that one-third of the teams, many of which were regular military, did not even finish the competition, making VMI’s accomplishment all the more meaningful.

Tryouts for next year’s Ranger Challenge team will be held in the spring.

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE