Hell and Back - Special Ops Ranger

I've heard the same up until the last four classes or so. I don't dispute that RASP is over all a great program.
 
Agree, I think they have been putting out an excellent product up until these last few classes. The RASP POI is definately the way to go, and the way they were implementing it up until these last few classes was great. The next RASP class starts in August, I have two of my guys in that class, I am going to wait and see if anything changes in their class. Hopefully all this hooplah turns out to just be a minor blip.
 
Just got a call from a buddy from back in the day and we talked. He's still up at 1/75 in an E-6P slot. He said the newest guys he's been getting are smarter and more capable than what he's historically accustomed, which is a credit to RASP, undoubtedly a better program than RIP, but also hasn't noticed any downturn in quality in the past few months, which covers the recent classes. Not to say this is a universal, all refuting truth, but again, all of these doubts raised are not substantiated by any concrete evidence that demonstrates any verity, and the closest people to the issue at hand, that issue being the products the school house is sending to the respective battalions, and the people being their leaders, have not sent any negative reviews my way.

I would have liked to see a high attrition rate on the Discovery show if for nothing else than to demonstrate to the public that Ranger Batt is not a cake walk to get into; any one of us that passed RIP/RASP holds this to be self evident. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, that didn't happen. Oh well. Act of Valor: 1, Ranger Batt: 0. The media impression and public opinion of our organization is subordinate to quality of soldier, and from what I'm hearing the quality is sound.
 
I bet less guys quit because there was a camera there. You don't want to be the guy that quits on national TV.
 
goon175 said:
Well...everyone knows they send the best guys to 1st batt., so that explains your buddy liking the guys he's been getting! ahhahaha
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Haha! Well even though that's an UNDENIABLE FACT OF LIFE, I have three buddies in 2nd batt, all squad leaders, one of which is in line for his 7 and is former RASP cadre, who all said their new guys were on it. They're off vacationing so I'll have to get back to you on their follow up thoughts.
 
Everybody is confusing the new guys for quality guys just because they know how to use the cool guy equipment, do convoy ops under NODs, and breach doors. Yeah I'm sure they are showing up to Batt more capable and smarter. But until they are proven they can put out when the going gets really tough then I am a skeptic.

Every time I think about this topic I remember an objective we did in Afghanistan in 2005. 3km (if that) offset infil in the middle of the mountains. Our objective was a small village at the top of a mountain. Between us and the village was nothing but terraced fields of farmlands with a minimum of 10 feet between each step.
Those who don't know what that is:
terraces1.jpg


2 platoons, we were 3km away... it took us roughly 5 hours to get to where we were supposed to be. Easily the most grueling experience of my life and something embedded in my memory forever. It was one of the moments where you tell yourself; "if I should quit Battalion, today is that day". But nobody did. I had squad leaders afterwards saying it was the hardest thing they've ever had to do. It was that day that I realized why we are different from other units, and why we have some of the physical standards that we do. I would have loved to see a platoon from the 101st or 82nd try that same endeavor.

So yeah we are pumping out guys who can breach, bang, and clear a room faster then any other Battalion newbie we have ever had. But do these kids have the intestinal fortitude to complete even the hardest objectives? Could these kids have made the climb to Takur Ghar as the 1/75 chalk did back in 2002? I highly fucking doubt it.

We are pumping out well trained boys when we used to pump out trainable men.
 
I still feel like we are talking about magic unicorns here. Graduation rates shot up by several orders of magnitude and we have no serious explanation why this is. Pre-RASP is clearly not the cause for better students making it into RASP because at least for the last several cycles it is almost identical to RIP hold. I would be interested to know what other "mitigating" factors are at play but I also have to admit that I'm becoming prejudiced just upon hearing this type of terminology. Hence, my sarcastic comments about selection above. We've heard these buzz words before but I will try to keep an open mind.
 
dknob said:
Every time I think about this topic I remember an objective we did in Afghanistan in 2005. 3km (if that) offset infil in the middle of the mountains. Our objective was a small village at the top of a mountain. Between us and the village was nothing but terraced fields of farmlands with a minimum of 10 feet between each step.
Click to expand...

Uh, prob should have re-checked your grid square...from the looks of it, you guys were in Nepal! Damn.
 
I got it. Intestinal fortitude. Fight on to the rgr obj and complete the mission though i be the lone survivor. I don't think that aspect of rangering is at risk. Just because the show didn't film the pt or endurance exercises doesn't mean it isn't happening. Hard grueling pt is a fact of batt life. It is the core of the warrior spirit. It's not going to change any time soon.
 
One thing I am curious about is where all these guys are going? holy shit they are graduating damn near a companies worth of rangers every class! I think I am more curious about that than anything, never mind if they are all quality dudes or not!
 
USAREC! :p
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hahaha ya got me... although I guarantee there are not too many recruiters running around with a scroll on. I only know of 3 myself. One is a captain now, and he was in 3/75 back in the 90's as an enlisted guy. One is some MSG I ran into while in recruiter school. I believe he was a ranger back in the 90's as well. And then there was one of our dog guys from 1/75 who actually volunteered for recruiting around the same time I did, and for similar reasons (family issues). I wouldn't be suprised if he and I were the only two detailed recruiters in USAREC right now.
 
I have to say that I was very disappointed in the product that hit my TV screen. Sure, I didn't get the "whole" story blah, fucking, blah, blah whatthefuckever.......

The honor grad would have NEVER graduated in my day. Leave a weapon behind ON FUCKING PURPOSE, immediate boot from RIP. Integrity an issue? Immediately kicked from the course!

If Im mistaken in what I got from the show, Im a big enough man to say "hey, I didn't get to see everything" and "hopefully the unit will boot the shitbags that just squeezed through".

But knowing what I know, Im left wanting......
 
La Roux said:
Anyone else notice that the Regiments facebook page is gone?
Click to expand...
I thought I couldn't view it because they banned me, didn't realize they took it down altogether!

I have to say, I think that the Regiment and the PAO had to be very naive thinking that they were going to post graduation numbers like that without an explanation and think that the Ranger community wouldn't have anything to say about it... Our guys are very vocal and after having standards hammered into them for the duration of their stay in the 75th, of course there is going to be some push back when you see an 80% graduation rate.
 

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