Questions

[formerBrat]

Ok, so....I have a couple questions and perhaps the QP's or Rangers can chime in if they care to.

From what I have read on forums, it seem that a large number of SF Soldiers prefer to be called that....Special Forces Soldiers....not operators, Green Berets, etc.

Now in some reading I have done in the past, about some people that were/are PNG'd from the community... (i.e. Eric Haney, "Dalton Fury", and such) I have read their books, (well almost finished with "Killing Bin Laden") and then done reading about them and opinions of them, and the controversey and such.

Now, I know there are several historical names of a particular unit that the aforementioned were with, which we are all familiar with.

When writing about Special Forces Soldiers in Killing Bin Laden, Fury refers to them a lot as Green Berets. I have also seen where Special Forces Soldiers refer to both Haney and Fury as Ranger Haney and Ranger *****.

My question is this, is that used out of respect for their accomplishment or as a denegration, such as, "I'm calling you a Ranger because you are not a Special Forces Soldier." And on the flip side, is the use of Green Beret nomenclature a dig on the Special Forces Soldiers.

I ask because in Killing Bin Laden, Fury speaks faily highly of the ODA's that were a part of the story, but I also wonder if it was used because of criticism he has received for not abiding by the NDAs. I also don't get it, because aren't there a large amount of Rangers who go on to SF and also some who went SF that end up going through Ranger school as well?

 

[Boondocksaint375]

I don't think Fury was being critical of them. "Dalton Fury" was never a "Green Beret." He was a Ranger before he went to SFOD. So that is probably why he called them what he did. Kind of like how SEALs refer to themselves as "Team Guys." It isn't disrespectful, IMO, just a bit of ignorance as to what the majority prefer being called.

On a side note, there are some SF types out there who have never been in Batt that refer to them as Ranger XYZ, just as term (which they obviously mean as derogatory) to show he was never "one of them." With that said, that is not the majority. I can guess which website you read that from though.

Also, Ranger School has nothing to do with this thread. See the post here to clarify your confusion: http://www.shadowspear.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14351

 

[formerBrat]

Awesome, thanks for the reply, that does clarify and help alleviate a bit of my ignorance. Thank you BDS for the link, that definitely helps with the confusion!

I was aware that you could go to Ranger School and not serve with the Regiment, but didn't know about RIP to enter the Regiment, then Ranger School when one has been deemed G2G.

Thank you again!