Strike prepares its Soldiers for Ranger School

Photo By Sgt. Joe Padula | A Soldier with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, (Air Assault) swims toward the pool's ladder with his weapon above the water's surface during the combat water survival and confidence assessment portion of the Strike Ranger Assessment Program while at Gardner Indoor Pool, Dec. 3. The brigade's program is a weeklong process done every month to select which Soldiers will represent the Strike Brigade at the extremely difficult U.S. Army Ranger School.  

FORT CAMPBELL, UNITED STATES

01.13.2010

Story by Sgt. Joe Padula 

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — The United States Army Ranger tab is a military decoration signifying completion of one of the most intense and extreme courses the Army has to offer, the U.S. Army Ranger School. The school is a 61-plus day combat leadership course oriented to perfect a Soldier's ability in small-unit tactics. The Army's best are tested at this school, but not all succeed.

According to a ranger school briefing, the failure rate for the school has been alarmingly high. Since its opening in 1950, the percentage of graduates has been exceedingly low, bottoming out at around 40 percent. Recent trends have the graduation rate on the rise yet are still meager with approximately just half of each class completing the extensive course.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, (Air Assault), is doing its part to end this setback by creating the Strike Ranger Assessment Program which prepares its top Soldiers for upcoming ranger classes.

"The failure rate is so high because too many units are sending Soldiers to Ranger School with no experience and are allowing them to walk in there blind," said Sgt. Maj. Jaime Guarino, operations sergeant major, 2nd BCT. "This program gives Soldiers a great insight of what they're to expect when they do arrive at the school, so by then, they are ready for the challenge."

The Strike Ranger Assessment Program is a Soldier's prerequisite before being sent off to Fort Benning, Ga., where the Ranger School begins. The 2nd BCT's curriculum is designed to assess which Strike Soldiers will be sent and which will not.

Every first week of the month, the Strike Brigade finds the Soldiers that are set on wearing the covenant ranger tab and then evaluates their performance in different courses, such as the ones given at the Ranger School. The brigade's program meets all requirements needed for push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, a five-mile run under 40 minutes, a 12-mile ruck march with full gear and a combat water survival and confidence assessment.

"I am definitely relieved to be doing the water survival training for the first time here, rather than jumping into the water over there for the first time," said Pfc. Seth Ratajczyk, a Soldier from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd BCT, who is currently enrolled in the course. "I am more ready for Ranger School now because of this (course) and I no doubt feel more confident."

The Strike Ranger Assessment Program includes a written exam that tests the Soldier's familiarity of Ranger knowledge.

"The program also has a written portion which tests each participant's grasp of common Ranger knowledge based on the information taken from the Ranger handbook," said Guarino. "The ones that do get selected to go onto the Ranger School will know more than what it takes physically to be a Ranger; they'll know mentally as well. They will represent this brigade well."

Just like the actual Ranger School, Strike's assessment program also has those whom do not initially make the cut. A point system is set in place with each graded event, 110 points being the maximum. Those who achieve a score of 80 and above are the ones usually selected to represent the brigade.

"This is a competition and if I could send all of the (participants) I would, but some of the individuals need to work on some events and it's not impossible or unattainable, it just depends on how bad they want it," said Guarino. "Ranger School is a military school and any military school is designed to be obtainable and passable, it just all depends on your mindset."

The ones who don't make the brigade's cut the first time are able to read from their scores and see what improvements are needed and then can make a return the next month with an improved chance of receiving qualifying results.

"If they want to wear the Ranger Tab badly enough, they'll return next month at the next assessment with better scores," said Guarino. "I do believe in the ones we now send will eventually graduate from the Ranger School and with this new system, those who work hard for it will get their chance to prove themselves."

To achieve such an accolade like the Ranger Tab, discipline, confidence, strength and determination are all but a few of the words which can describe what it takes to achieve the difficult mission. The tab itself goes way beyond just being a uniform decoration.

"Having this Ranger Tab on my arm means everything to me," said Gaurino, who earned his tab as a private first class at the age of 20. "As soon as you put that tab on your shoulder, I believe you change not only as a Soldier, but as a person too."

• Date Taken: 01.13.2010
• Date Posted: 01.13.2010 14:56
• Story ID: 43781
• Location: FORT CAMPBELL, US