An 18.6-mile foot march, made at night, was one of the events that decided the U.S. Army’s 2026 Best Squad. The title went to a five-soldier squad from the 75th Ranger Regiment, competing for U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), after a competition held at Fort Benning, Ga., Sept. 11-19, 2026. The Army announced the result Oct. 12, 2026.
Two of the squad’s members also took the Army’s individual titles for the year. Staff Sgt. Colin Doyle, the squad leader, was named NCO of the Year, and Cpl. Michael Shield was named Soldier of the Year. (The article’s text gives Shield’s rank as corporal; its photo captions identify him as a sergeant.) Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael R. Weimer presented all three honors during a ceremony at the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition…