Hell and Back - Special Ops Ranger

LOOON said:
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......
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Between this messageboard, the various Ranger groups on Facebook, my own website, and e-mail correspondence with other Rangers, I have yet to hear from a single Ranger who liked the Discovery Channel documentary. In fact, it appears to be universally despised, most would like to see it yanked off the air because they feel it is an embarrassment.
 
JackMurphyRGR said:
In fact, it appears to be universally despised, most would like to see it yanked off the air because they feel it is an embarrassment.
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Yeah, I made remarks on your website regarding the show and also on the 75th facebook page (which appears to be gone now).
 
Whether or not standards have legitimately dropped (which could be argued all day) isn't really the issue most guys are having with this documentary... it's the fact that it did a serious injustice to Regiment's image. Regiment is known for extremely harsh, selective training, and accepting men who have integrity.

I'm good knowing RASP is producing quality Rangers. But I also care about Regiment's image in the public. Every Ranger cares about that just like he does his family. Overall I think people are pissed about how Regiment was portrayed in the documentary, which could arguably lead people to guess that standards have dropped.

The quality of Rangers graduating may be great. But as I've said before, protecting the image of Regiment is key especially when allowing outsiders to step into the gates and film. How are you going to show integrity violations and land navigation failures pass the course on television with no rebuttal as to why? If there was a good reason for the high pass rate, why wouldn't that be explained? If you have cadre plugged in to key areas throughout a soldiers initial training prior to attending RASP to assist them, why wouldn't you give a brief overview of that? I don't even remember (I could have missed it) them mentioning there was a Pre-RASP in the documentary. They didn't even mention, on average, what percentage of people usually graduate in the selection process.

So viewers watch the documentary, and with a complete lack of knowledge on various important topics, think that one documentary wholly displays the standards of the 75th Ranger Regiment. And it obviously did hell on Regiment's image if you couldn't tell by all the backlash...

All or most of us on this board can read between the lines and figure out some shit pertaining to Regiment's current standards and still know Regiment is a kick ass unit. You try explaining all the above shit to civilians and most POGs, and they're all thinking, "really, that's all it takes to get in Regiment?" Hell, a lot people still don't know the difference between tab and scroll, which brings me to my next point below...

You have to dumb shit down for people to get them to understand what it actually takes (physically and mentally) to be a Ranger. This documentary wasn't filmed to show to other Rangers because we already know what it's like; it was filmed to give the citizens of this country an idea of what it takes to become a member of one of the most prestigious units in the world. And it failed miserably and made us look like cupcakes.

Hopefully in the future they'll do a more extensive documentary on RASP, maybe 2-3 parts, and show Regiment's true colors. Oh well on the current one...
 
Perspective from a civilian...I was disappointed also. My Ranger was PISSED. Had a bunch of buddies over to watch it and was embarassed. I don't understand why they toned it down. I'm sure there is a reason and hope it's a good one.

LOOON, looks that way to me but, I'd never say so, hahaha.

Oh yeah, 1st Battalion! RLTW!

And, just wondering why 'Hooaah' is not acceptable with Rangers? so he tells me...
 
this morning at the gym, somebody came up to me and told me they watched the Hell and Back thing. He asked why so many passed..

so embarrassing to have to make excuses for that program
 
dknob said:
this morning at the gym, somebody came up to me and told me they watched the Hell and Back thing. He asked why so many passed..

so embarrassing to have to make excuses for that program
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One of my good buddies, who was also a little confused with the RASP documentary, advised me to watch the first 10 minutes of Surviving the Cut: Recon Marine. It'll definitely piss you off. They didn't hold anything back on the Recon documentary that's for sure. It's like apples and oranges when you try and compare the two documentaries--and it shouldn't be. That's exactly how RASP should have been pictured, because becoming a Ranger is no walk in the park (the RASP documentary would lead you to believe contrary). To be quite honest, I've seen videos of Air Force boot camp that looked more impressive. It's definitely embarrassing trying to explain it to someone...
 
Ok, but if this comes back to bite me in the ass....I'll come looking for you! And I'm told I'm relentless. Oh wait, maybe that was ridiculous.
There were quite a few that skated after failing repeatedly. I heard there were some that stayed that had no business being there from the start. 'shit bags, douche bags, weak, immature', etc. There were some that were good but, didn't make the cut. But of course tha is just one's observation, not a seasoned Ranger. They won't let females in. Lol
 
A quick Admin note for anyone reading this: if you aren't a current/ former member of the 75th or have a blood relative like TCnTally in the same status, then please continue lurking. I'm not calling anyone out, but I can tell that the subject matter has evolved into something which is near and dear to the hearts of Rangers everywhere; they can hash it out without any outside interference.

Carry on.
 
TCnTally said:
I hope that is not for me.....?
I'm hoping there is a damn good objective for the stats.
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No, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad about this situation with RASP. I recently heard from another current member of the 75th who agreed with what I wrote in that article and says that they are not happy with some of the changes happening right now.
 
I agree with the above comments that the show didn't do any justice to the course and if anything makes the Regiment appear soft. That said, the most important factor is quality, so I'm at least hoping the new guys are worth their weight. We'll see in the coming months how the trends develop and hopefully they wont be experiencing another RFS rash like we had in 06-07. Bright side, the lawns were mowed and the gardens were weed free thanks to all the extra duty.
 

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