Goal Setting: US Army Ranger School

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I am interested in successfully completing U.S. Army Ranger School, to become an official U.S. Army Ranger. The 75th Ranger Regiment "is a lethal, agile and flexible force, capable of conducting many complex, joint special operations missions" (Army.mil, 2013). The U.S. Army Rangers are a special operation command unit, the Army's equivalent to Navy Seals, a direct-action raid force. This is an exclusive organization, with an intense selection and training process. It is the dream of many but the destiny of very few. An Army Ranger is able to conduct airborne missions, "destroy strategic facilities and capture or kill enemies of (our) nation" (Army.mil, 2013). In order to achieve this goal, I must complete the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) in order to become a part of this elite program.

Army Rangers date their service to colonial times, with involvement in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the American Civil War. On D-Day, in World War II, Army Rangers were cited for the "deepest penetration of any combat unit" (Wikipedia, 2013). It was during World War II that the Ranger motto, "Rangers lead the way" was coined. It was not until 1950 that Ranger Training began and an official Ranger Department was established. After the Vietnam War it was determined that the U.S. Army needed an "elite, rapidly deployable light infantry" (Wikipedia, 2013). To this end, the 75th Ranger Regiment was formed and selection and training became more formalized making the U.S. Rangers an elite force.

The Ranger Creed is an important aspect of the vocation. Rangers are individuals that volunteer, acknowledging the dangers of the profession, and willingly agreeing to "move further, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier" (U.S. Army, 2013). Comradery is key, with the U.S. Army Ranger agreeing in the Creed to be "mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some" (U.S. Army, 2013). An overwhelming thrust of the Ranger's service to their country is a willingness to be a leader at all times, rising above others to lead and succeed, no matter the situation.

U.S. Rangers are leaders and a number of our contemporary heroes are Rangers, including General Wesley Clark, General David Petraeus, and General Colin Powell. U.S. Army Ranger training is effective not only in battle, but also as U.S. Rangers continue on in other venues. In order to become a U.S. Army Ranger, one must meet education and physical fitness standards. The minimum requirements are:
• An active-duty Army male
• A U.S. citizen
• Able to score 107 or higher in General Technical score on ASVAB test

• Able to score 240 or above (80 in each event) in Army Physical Fitness Test score

• Airborne-qualified or agree to attend Airborne training prior to assignment

• Eligible to obtain a secret clearance,
According to the official homepage of the United States Army (Little, 2010).
 It takes "endurance, stamina, intelligence and mental toughness to become a Ranger" (Military.com, 2013). A recruit must first complete Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT), and then move on to three weeks of Airborne School. Following successful completion of this training, volunteers move to the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program facility (RASP).

Ranger Assessment and Selection Program is broken down by Junior Non-Commissioned Officers and Enlisted Soldiers, and RASP 2 for Senior Non-Commissioned Officers, Officers and Warrant Officers. Both groups have candidates engage in intense training involving "physical fitness, marksmanship, small unit tactics, medical proficiency and mobility" (U.S. Army, 2013). This program involves three phases, the crawl phase, the walk phase, and the run phase. Each phase is progressively more difficult, focusing on higher-level skills. The first phase focuses on critical events and level one skills, while the other phases focus on greater skill development of marksmanship, breaching, mobility and physical fitness (U.S. Army, 2013).

During the Crawl phase (also known as the Fort Benning Phase), volunteers are assessed on their ability to display the necessary physical and mental skills to complete the duties of a U.S. Ranger. This phase is part of the selection process, weeding out those volunteers not able ...