# Ranger graduates from Kaibil School



## goon175 (Dec 18, 2012)

This is bad ass.



> Ranger Graduates from Kaibil School
> "…for I am better trained and will fight with all my might." Ranger Creed.
> By Tracy A. Bailey, 75th Ranger Regiment Public Affairs
> 
> ...


----------



## AWP (Dec 18, 2012)

That IS awesome.

I worked with a few of them back in '94. Tough dudes, really good guys to work with. I think they run it like the Abrams Charter where grads of the school go to a Kaibil unit (there was no RIP-type program back then, you needed the school to report to a unit). After so many years there you rotated out to a line infantry unit.

They have a CIB-type award, but their's is one award for each 6 months in combat, no-shit people trying to kill you combat; (not a hazardous duty location like our Kuwait or Al Udeid). Base award and then a star for each subsequent award. They had guys, 19 and 20 years old, with 2 or 3 stars.

Back then,  their conventional line companies would slap their Joes in front of us, so I can imagine how the course was in the late 80's, early 90's.

Good dudes.


----------



## Worldweaver (Dec 18, 2012)

Good shit.  Congrats SSG Rodriguez


----------



## Tropicana98 (Dec 18, 2012)

That is bad ass.


----------



## Karoshi (Dec 18, 2012)

Freefalling, when you worked with members of this unit was there any language barrier issues? While reading the article I couldn't help but wonder if there would be any issues with non-Spanish speaking personnel from other countries who attended this course. The course itself sounds brutal enough, couldn't imagine how much tougher it would be on a person who had to attend and had no clue what was being yelled at them. Amazing accomplishment regardless. Something that SSG Rodriguez should definitely be recognized for and is sure to serve as great motivation and inspiration for aspiring members of the Ranger Regiment.


----------



## AWP (Dec 19, 2012)

Karoshi said:


> Freefalling, when you worked with members of this unit was there any language barrier issues? While reading the article I couldn't help but wonder if there would be any issues with non-Spanish speaking personnel from other countries who attended this course. The course itself sounds brutal enough, couldn't imagine how much tougher it would be on a person who had to attend and had no clue what was being yelled at them. Amazing accomplishment regardless. Something that SSG Rodriguez should definitely be recognized for and is sure to serve as great motivation and inspiration for aspiring members of the Ranger Regiment.


 
Their English was better than my Spanish, but that isn't saying much. :) We could understand each other only on the most basic of terms. The officers were fluent, but the only Kaibil I worked around were NCO's. We had a small, squad sized element of Guatemalan military with us for security and deconfliction with the locals and the squads rotated every month or so (we were down there for 6 months). I never saw a squad without at least one Kaibil-qualified NCO, SGT or CPL. Was that the norm for Guatemala? Unlikely, but I don't think they plucked a Kaibil-qualified NCO and dropped him in a squad for our sake They were attached to us from whatever Military District we were in at the time.

I think there's a story on this board about another SOF guy (SF maybe?) who graduated from a course in South America and he had to be fluent in Spanish so I would expct this to be the case with the Kaibil course.

I can't recall if they were all jump qualified or not, I just know we had an exchange jump cancelled by the ambassador because it was "military training." Guatemalan wings are similar to 3/4 sized replicas of our Naval Parachutist wings. I was a PFC at the time and that could have been my cherry blast...I'm still a little bitter.


----------



## Teufel (Dec 19, 2012)

I'm all about tough training but I don't know about patrolling in your underwear through thorn bushes.  I usually have to be pretty drunk before I start patrolling in just my skivies and boots.


----------



## 275ANGER! (Dec 21, 2012)

Awesome, Rodriguez was in my company.



Freefalling said:


> I think there's a story on this board about another SOF guy (SF maybe?) who graduated from a course in South America and he had to be fluent in Spanish so I would expct this to be the case with the Kaibil course.


 
I believe Lancero School is the course; a SL in my platoon was an honor graduate of the course.


----------

