Project Atlas Rucks to Complete 1,000-Mile Ruck March To Benefit Special Operations Warrior Foundation
The six-man team will begin their hike through Texas and New Mexico on January 2nd, 2026.
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Dec. 11, 2025 — Six Texas A&M students, four of whom are members of the university’s Corps of Cadets, will participate in a 1,000-mile, 10-day ruck march across Texas and New Mexico next month.
The ruck march, a fundraiser for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, began as a service initiative known as Project Atlas Rucks in 2017 by members of the Corps’ Company H-1. This year’s Project Atlas Rucks team is comprised of cadets from Company P-2 and Company K-2, along with two other students.
The term “ruck march” is in reference to the rucksack carried by the cadets that holds their clothing, food and water.
This year’s trip will begin at Big Bend National Park. The team will then work their way to Carlsbad National Park and White Sands National Park, before completing the 10-day ruck march on Jan. 12 at Huntsville State Park.
From left to right: Chancy Knauth (Company P-2), Tyler Papp, Austin Ramos (Company P-2), Shane Bookbinder (Company K-2), Tyler Kukla & Zach Hampton (Company P-2)
“One of the big reasons this route was chosen is for the seclusion from hotels and outside help, in order to further simulate the hardships within the special operations community. The most difficult part of this trip will be the wide variety in terrain, as well as our sleeping conditions,” Austin Ramos, a junior cadet in Company P-2 and Project Atlas Co-Lead, explained.
This year, the team has a goal to raise $10,000 for the SOWF over the course of the journey.
“It means the world to us to have the opportunity to honor those who gave everything in service to our country, while also helping raise funds for one of our own in P-2 to attend school within the Corps of Cadets through SOWF,” said Ramos.
To date, Project Atlas has raised over $100,000 for the SOWF, which benefits children of military special operators who have died or been injured while serving our nation. The foundation ensures that those children have access to comprehensive educational support, from primary to post-secondary school.
A link to give to the Project Atlas campaign can be accessed here.
Regular updates about this year’s Project Atlas Ruck march will be posted on the @aggiecorps Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and @projectatlasrucks on Instagram and Facebook.
