I realize this question is probably best suited to be asked to an Army recruiter, but that isn’t a practical option at this point for a few reasons.
I was hoping a former or current Ranger would be able to tell me the general process by which you become a ranger. Also, any information on the requirements, timetables, etc. would be helpful. Additionally, any physical handicaps that automatically disqualify you (like uncorrected vision, for instance) would be good to know.
Well, basicaly, to be a Ranger, you have to go to Ranger school. Really.
I was stationed at Ft. Bragg for 5 years, and one of the things I routinely got “vouluntered” for was to hump supplies to the ranger training course. Boy, when I think about some of the things they had those guys doing, it makes me shudder!
This might not seem very informative, but my memory fails me. Obviously, you have to be in the military, the Army specificaly. then, I do know you have to apply to the school, and take a battery of tests, both mental, physical, and moral. The physical requirements are EXTREMELY rigorous. Once you are accepted, you go through training, and have to pass that as well. I don’t believe uncorrected vision is a factor, unless you need coke bottles to see or something. Other than that, you need to be one BAD mofo.
Like I said, I only saw them train, and heard offhand info. Hopefully, someone with more direct experience can help you out.
Ask me about “the trench” sometime. It was ugly. shudder
Also, I forgot to add - what age would generally be considered too old to qualify? In a practical sense, not the technical maximum. Would 23 be too old to start?
I watched a program on the tele which followed potential Ranger candidates through the entire course of their training.
Even some of the toughest and well trained soldiers were not able to complete the training, which was one of the most brutal exercises in human mental and physical endurance that I have ever seen.
They are indeed, the best of the best.
When I was in the Air Force, Special Assignments such as para- rescue, explosive ordnance disposal band etc, were recruited from the basic training personnell.
We have a poster who goes by the name Ranger who may have personal knowledge.
Try looking around at www.army.mil
You’d probably want to enlist, complete boot camp, apply for Ranger training. Or maybe volunteer for Airborne first. I suspect it would be easier to get into Ranger school from an Airborne unit than from boot camp.
“I appreciate the offer, General, but off hand I just can’t think of a good reason to want to leap out of a perfectly good aircraft while it’s in the air.” Me to CG of Ft Campbell circa 1972
I am not a Ranger
From what I’ve learned, there’s two different aspects to “Army Ranger.” (/me hides from any rangers lurking) You can go to Ranger School at Ft. Benning, and earn a Ranger tab - it is a GRUELING 60ish-day course that anyone in the military is theoretically able to attend given available slots etc…
however - soldiers serving in the Ranger battalions of the 75th Ranger Regiment are also “Army Rangers,” and some would argue that they are true Rangers versus those who had just attended the school. Daily life in the Ranger Battalions is grueling in itself, purportedly far more so than the average Army infantry unit. The vast majority of soldiers serving in the 75th will have successfully completed Ranger School, and they will have attended it before arriving or six months to a year after arriving (before which they are victim to much harrassment because of their lack of completion of the school, which means they are “tabless”.)
The means of arriving at the 75th:
I would think that specifics like health requirements etc would be available at the goarmy.com site under “Special Forces.”
I hope this helped, and I hope that I didn’t screw up any facts and apologize in advance if I did.
http://www.socnetcentral.com/vb/ is a bulletin board that is inhabited by many former and current Rangers, and that would probably be your best resource - besides recruiters - for info. Just…ahem watch what you say.
A pair of Rangers came with the Army recruiter officer to my highschool a couple years ago (I think they come every year- dunno since I’ve graduated). Very impressive fellows.
As far as I understand, you need to be in the Army. You need to have an excellent physical status. You need to get into the Ranger school. You need to pass the Ranger school.
The taller one was extremely powerful-looking, and I have a feeling that if he didn’t run 15 miles a day his muscle mass would have been even greater.
You have to be a volunteer, complete advanced infantry training, and you have to be seconded by your current commanding officer, and it helps if you have other well respected folks who think you might have what it takes.
Then your name goes into the stack. Next time a training cycle is being assembled, your stack gets looked at. About half the stack generally gets denied, flat out, and not reconsidered. Of the remaining half, some get told to apply again, and some are simply put on to another stack, to be considered at a later time. When I was at Ft. Bragg, the percentage that was actually chosen was generally in single digits, but not always. (keep in mind, a lot of these folks are already Airborne, and some are combat veterans, and some are even training cadre for infantry training.)
Some of the reason is the need for, and numbers of existing rangers qualified troops. Most of the reason is that even with the stringent qualification reviews, as many as half of these elite trainees will fail to complete the training, for one reason or another. A lot of folks, who pass Airborne Infantry training, which is a cast iron bitch to get through, can’t deal with the physical and mental strain of ranger training. They also have the highest training casualty rate of any military training regimen. Folks have died trying to be a ranger.
Being a ranger is about getting there alive, and still able to do what you went there to do. Getting back is optional, but generally considered desirable. It’s about mission first, and it means not expecting anyone to slow down to help you keep up, no matter what. Rangers are generally on their way somewhere, and they don’t usually have a lot of spare time in their schedule. They also don’t usually have a lot of help, in terms of support units, or even other combat units. Rangers go in early, they go in deep, and they stay late. While they are there, the usually kill people, and break things. They have to be good at that, too.
The best explanation I ever heard about just how badassed the rangers are was a story told to me by a D-day assault veteran. He was trudging up over the final hills at the beach at Normandy, early on the third day of the invasion, and met three guys with rangers tabs, and private first class stripes, walking back the other way. They were coming back after their assignment, somewhere back behind what had been Hitler’s Fortress Europe, only two days ago. He said they looked tired, but other than that, they looked like young boys, on a walk in the country. His Captain asked them who their commanding officer was. One of the privates said, “I guess that’s me, sir.”
They were coming back out, while the rest of the army was going in. Been there, done that. Going back to get reassigned, to a new job.
And in basic training, they made me sing, “I want to be an airborne ranger, I want go to Viet Nam, I want to live a life of danger, I want to fight the Viet Cong.” I was fairly skeptical about the Viet Nam and Viet Cong parts, and not all that keen about the airborne part. But after meeting a few of them, I knew for damned sure I didn’t want to be any sort of ranger at all. But I do have a strong admiration for anyone qualified to wear the tab on his uniform. They certainly earned it.
And having it means that when the “balloon goes up” they will earn it all over again.
Twenty three is old, for a ranger trainee, unless you are already an airborn qualified vetran, with a combat mos, and at least some advanced training to explain what you have been doing all these years.
Tris
well, nowadays (and it’s been this way for a while as I understand it,) new recruits have a chance to directly go into the Ranger Batallions straight out of AIT/Airborne through an Option 40 on their enlistment contracts. You can even go directly to Special Forces Assessment from AIT/Airborne through the 18x program.
I strongly advise you to visit my link and ask the Rangers there, as they would be able to answer your questions better than anyone (just make sure to search first.)