Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity alumnus Marcos Silverio put his physical and mental stamina to the test in the 2019 ‘Best Ranger Competition.’

A staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, Silverio is a Tactical Control Party Airman from the 10th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Riley, Kansas.

He and Master Sergeant Sean Deam were the only Air Force Airmen in this year’s competition on Friday, April 12.

While he didn’t take the top spot, Silverio says it was still an incredible experience.

A grueling three-day test of Ranger skills, the Best Ranger Competition, which was started in 1982, measures competitors from all military services.

“Competitors are tested on their ability to move 70 miles, fire at eight ranges, and complete various other Ranger tactical tasks,” a news release stated.

A 2009 initiate of Pi Kappa Phi’s Beta Omicron chapter at Northwestern State University, Silverio graduated from Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia in 2015. He enlisted in the Air Force in 2012.

More than 4,000 soldiers go through the prestigious U.S. Army Ranger School each year. The number of U.S. Air Force airmen who have completed the course since its inception in 1950 is only a little over 300.