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On The Road to
Being An Army Ranger It is highly advisable that
your soldier get an Army Ranger contract when he joins to ensure his
chance to go to a Ranger Battalion. This is also referred to as an
Option 40. There is a chance he can volunteer once he is in Basic to go
to RIP (Ranger Indoctrination Program), but if he really want to do it,
he needs to get it in his contract. Rangers volunteer three times – once for the Army, once for Airborne and once for Rangers. He must graduate from Airborne to go to RIP. RIP usually only graduates
about half who start the program. It is pretty intense. First he will go
to RIP hold, where he will take the PT test. The PT test consists of
sit-ups, push-ups, a two-mile run and six chin-ups. Lots of guys stay in
hold because they can’t pass the test. Once he passes, he will go to
RIP pending and wait for a slot to open up. Classes are generally held
once a month. For the latest class schedule, you can visit
RIP is three weeks of pure
hell. The entire point of the class is to weed out the “weak.”
During RIP, he will do a CWST (combat water survival test). Along with
this, he will learn Ranger history and the Ranger Creed. Tell your
soldier to do himself a favor and learn the Creed before RIP. He will also go out into the
field for several days. The majority of the guys quit during this phase
or they are dropped. He will also learn land navigation, first aid and
more advanced medical techniques such as starting IVs. They will start
IVs on each other. He will also jump again. He will have to pass a 5-mile
run in under 40 minutes, a 12-mile road march with a 60 lb. ruck in
under three hours and a written test. This is in addition to the daily
PT sessions. Also, the RIP cadre can decide to drop him at any time for
any reason. If he passes, he will
graduate from RIP and be assigned to one of the three battalions. 1st
BN is at Hunter AAF in Savannah, Georgia; 2nd BN is at Fort
Lewis in Tacoma, Washington; and 3rd BN is at Fort Benning in
Columbus, Georgia. When he graduates, he will be awarded the scroll of
the BN he is going to. A family member who is present at graduation will
be able to pin on the scroll if he wishes. The RIP cadre will also give
the order to “don your beret” at the end of the graduation ceremony.
After RIP, he will have one more week of weapons training before he goes
to BN. He will generally be given
time to move, usually ten days, but it depends on what the BN he is
going to is doing at the time. At the very least, he should have the
weekend after RIP off. Also, you should know that
Rangers train 48 weeks out of the year. A lot of Rangers say it is hard
to make it to BN, but it’s even harder to stay in BN. Generally, after he has been in BN for three months to a year (sometimes longer), he will be given the chance to go to Ranger School to earn his tab. Ranger School is a leadership school and is open to others outside of BN. The school is 62 days and consists of three phases – Benning, Dahlonega (mountains) and Florida (swamp). He must pass all three phases to graduate. Ranger School usually only graduates about 30%. If he graduates, he will be awarded the Ranger tab (black and gold). If he is not in a Ranger BN but has earned the tab, he is considered Ranger qualified but not a Ranger. He must serve in BN and wear the scroll to be a Ranger. The saying is “The tab is a school, the scroll is a way of life.” Note: All of this information has been obtained from published books. RELATED LINKS: Learn what is required for your soldier to earn his Ranger Tab.
Ready for your soldier to jump out of airplanes? Find out what he will be doing during his training to become jump qualified.
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