Joining Army Rangers Special Forces

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My son is considering joining the Army Airborne Rangers.

Background: He (my son) is athletic and physically fit. He is an ex- football and rugby player (college), so he is accustomed to “work through the pain”. He is currently in College with 25+ credits, but is, for all practical purposes, floudering - unsure of his direction and, at the moment, not greatly motivated toward scholastic achievement. He is bright, but can be intellectually lazy.

Over the past month or two, he has been talking with an Army recruiter about joining the Airborne Rangers. Now I do not think Army recruiters are liers, but they are “used car salesman” and I am concerned about what he is being told and what is reality.

He has been told that there are 3 slots open in the Army Airborne Rangers Special Forces and that one of those slots is being reserved for him. He has passed his physical (1-pound overweight) and a couple of exams. He is taking another exam today. Although he has made it perfectly clear to the recruiter that he has not made up his mind and wil not make a final decision until June or July after he finishes this semester at College (University of XX), he was sworn in (told it was mearly a formality and not binding).

From my reading, I get the impression that one is SELECTED for the Army Rangers - it is not something that you can sign-up for at enlistment. I also get the impression that a very small group of individuals (1-20%) actually make it to the Rangers. He has asked certain questions to the recruiter that remain unanswered. Like, How many actually make it to the Rangers? How many that make it to the Rangers, re-enlist? What is the fatality rate among Rangers? Are there any active or retired Rangers that he can talk with? etc.

Where can he go to find non-biased straight-forward answers to the questions he has? It is a big step to turn over 5-years (minimum) of your life to the military.

I will support my son’s decisions, whatever it may be, as long as they are informed decisions.

LOoking for an active or retired Army Ranger that can share experiences, provide advise, and answer questions from experience. If you meet those criteria, would love to hear from you.

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BUMP

Very important subject, wish I had some answers.

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Check out this forum for answers to Ranger questions, they may be able to provide some answers:

http://www.armyranger.com/bb/

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Maybe this will help. I can add some clarity from my own experience. I went through the same process out of college way back when. First, recruiters are about numbers and getting their quota. Having said that, what he is saying to your son is true. Now, very important, this is a slot that gaurantees him into the selection process, NOT the unit.

Based on the demand, your son may still have to qualify (with the exams you’re saying) for the slot that is being held. Once that’s done, his name will be entered in the system and everything written into his emlistment contract. To be good to go, your son should have a contract for infantry basic and AIT, then Airborne school, and lastly RIP - which is the Ranger Indoctrination Program.

RIP is what the “slot” is holding a place in - a CHANCE to be an Airborne Ranger. It is then up to your son to pass all requirements (after basic and airborne schools) over the 3 weeks to then be assigned to one of the Ranger Battalions where the real fun and his career begins. If he does not meet these requirements or quits before or during, he will go on “world wide assignment”, meaning he will go to any infantry unit that needs a body - airborne qualified or not.

That’s the incentive for getting it done. The slot and Airborne should all be listed in his final enlistment contract and I’m not sure if he has enough credits to enter at a higher rank. PM me if you want more detail.

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Speaking as one who loves his country and was proud to serve in the army… Military recruiters ARE liars. Mine lied to me and they’ve lied to every one of my friends. Not only do they lie, but they use high pressure tactics and other methods to wear down potential recruits to join the military.

The only advice i can give is to get it in writing. Second, recruiters love hearing that recruits want to join the rangers or airborne, cause that means the soldiers will have to be an infantryman first which is what the army needs most.

The US Army Rangers are an elite force that leads the way for the military so yes there is a high drop out rate. And what happens to the drop outs? They become regular grunts, only now they have to serve 4-8 years because that was the provision in their contract when they signed on as an army ranger.

If he joins, be proud that he wants to serve his country. Hopefully he’ll learn some dicipline (he most likely will) and be a changed man for the better afterwards. Thats what it did for me

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He can join as an 18X Special Forces prospect, which will guarantee him THE CHANCE to become a Ranger/Green Beret.

Basic → AIT → Airborne → RIP (and further on if he chooses).

His basic and infantry training will no doubt be an easy time for him, but Airborne has a high dropout rate. RIP and Ranger School has a 90% dropout rate.

If he drops out for whatever reason, he’ll be reassigned as an 11B infantryman and will be sent wherever commands needs him (no choice).

I would recommend he contracts as a regular 11B and then goes for Airborne and Ranger School later, simply because then he could at least have a choice where to go.

Anyways, I hope this helps and hooah

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[quote]darthmason wrote:
Maybe this will help. I can add some clarity from my own experience. I went through the same process out of college way back when. First, recruiters are about numbers and getting their quota. Having said that, what he is saying to your son is true. Now, very important, this is a slot that gaurantees him into the selection process, NOT the unit.

Based on the demand, your son may still have to qualify (with the exams you’re saying) for the slot that is being held. Once that’s done, his name will be entered in the system and everything written into his emlistment contract. To be good to go, your son should have a contract for infantry basic and AIT, then Airborne school, and lastly RIP - which is the Ranger Indoctrination Program.

RIP is what the “slot” is holding a place in - a CHANCE to be an Airborne Ranger. It is then up to your son to pass all requirements (after basic and airborne schools) over the 3 weeks to then be assigned to one of the Ranger Battalions where the real fun and his career begins. If he does not meet these requirements or quits before or during, he will go on “world wide assignment”, meaning he will go to any infantry unit that needs a body - airborne qualified or not.

That’s the incentive for getting it done. The slot and Airborne should all be listed in his final enlistment contract and I’m not sure if he has enough credits to enter at a higher rank. PM me if you want more detail.[/quote]

I can confirm this as being true, even though when I was “in” things were slightly different (Cold War/Nam Era)…Listen to the man, he knows wereof’ he speaks…

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[quote]IronAbrams wrote:
He can join as an 18X Special Forces prospect, which will guarantee him THE CHANCE to become a Ranger/Green Beret.

Basic → AIT → Airborne → RIP (and further on if he chooses).

His basic and infantry training will no doubt be an easy time for him, but Airborne has a high dropout rate. RIP and Ranger School has a 90% dropout rate.

If he drops out for whatever reason, he’ll be reassigned as an 11B infantryman and will be sent wherever commands needs him (no choice).

I would recommend he contracts as a regular 11B and then goes for Airborne and Ranger School later, simply because then he could at least have a choice where to go.

Anyways, I hope this helps and hooah[/quote]

I don’t think this is quite right - 18x’s don’t go to RIP.

To the Mom - find out what the heck is going to be on his contract. Rangers and Special Forces are two different things.
Will his MOS be 11 with a Ranger contract or 18x? How many years will the contract be? I know you used to be able to get a 3 year RIP contract. Sure, there’s less bonus and loan money, but I think the flexibility is worth it. Plus, there are plenty of re-enlistment bonuses.

Remember, YOU CAN ALWAYS WALK AWAY UNTIL YOU SIGN THAT CONTRACT. Read it and make sure it says what you agreed upon. It’s just like buying a car. You have to be willing to walk away. A car salesman is trying to make the most money off of you without losing your sale; the recruiters and people at the MEPS are trying to fill the needs of the Army the best they can. If their command gives them a quota to find 50 camel-washers and 1 infantryman, you bet they’re going to sell the heck out of being a camel-washer, with the cool camel-washing uniform and high tech equipment that no one else gets to use.

Just remember that is what they do - they’re just more experienced at using authority to close the deal, and you will have just sat at MEPS for 6 hours staring at a wall, which makes you pretty agreable to anything to get you out of there. Always be respectful and polite, but be firm.

I think the 18x contract sucks - unless you are a star athlete, tremendous swimmer, natural leader and gifted at languages, you have almost no hope of making selection with no military experience. Better to make it to a Ranger Battalion and figure out if that’s the life you want to lead, plus gain the skills you’ll need.

Finally, he must realize that joining as a 11B/Ranger/SF will guarantee a trip to Iraq or Afghanistan, and the chance of killing/being killed is high for each choice.

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Agree with everybody here. My brother joined the Army and was going into Airborne and Ranger training.

Basic fine then they were rushed immediately into AIT and Jump school. This is where while in jump school he got a stress fracture in his right legs from a jump. and boom immediately kicked back as a “grunt” finished his term as a munitions truck supplier.

He told me a story as he was enlisting, a girl was waiting with him and in coversation she stated she was going it to learn nursing. My brother said he did not volunteer what he was going in for, how could he tell a nurse trainee that he was going in to learn how to kill people.

He did have some amazing stories or training and what they have to do in those super intense days in AIT and Jump school.

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Someone on here is an instructor at RIP. He can answer your questions better than me. I believe I have seen him post the same address for others that someone else pointed out earlier. Your boy is going to love it. Lots of fun. Lots of good guys to hang out.

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[quote]IronAbrams wrote:
His basic and infantry training will no doubt be an easy time for him, but Airborne has a high dropout rate. RIP and Ranger School has a 90% dropout rate.
[/quote]

Not sure where your getting a ‘high dropout rate’ from, but my Airborne class only had maybe 30-40 drops, out of about 300 candidates. And half of the people who made it through were college kids(ROTC). I’m sure it varies class to class though, 2 classes ahead of mine dropped about 30 BUD/S graduates for attitude problems.

I agree with going toward Ranger first, as opposed to 18x. SF selection is a kick in the nuts for anyone, let alone a guy straight out of boot. I’m sure guys make it, but it would probably better serve him in the long run to go with the RIP contract, since he will be coming fresh from boot, Infantry and Airborne.

DEFINITELY get everything in writing, READ EVERYTHING before you sign it, and get a copy of EVERYTHING you sign. Two stories: guy shipped from MEPS with me on a Nuclear Power Field contract(Navy, guaranteed in his contract). WHile we were waiting to fly to Great Lakes, they told him there was a problem with his paperwork, they fixed it, everything was the same, just sign here. So he did…without reading it. They rewrote his contract, deleting the Nuclear guarantee(big money, even back in 94). Doesn’t realize it until about 3 weeks into boot camp when he finds out he is going as an unassigned deck seaman. Dude almost had a breakdown right there.

Other story: My wife kept copies of here contracts with her, and took them to boot camp with her. At some point her recruiter had to fix some paperwork(honest mistake, no drama), and instead of having her come back in to sign again, just forged her signature. A couple weeks into boot camp, the Navy was all over her about falsifying documents, and whatnot. She whipped out her own copies with her signature, and avoided losing her clearance and job. Recruiter transferred to Korea.

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OK, a little more clarity. Special Forces and Rangers are very different. When I was in, it was not possible to join into the 18 series MOS without prior service and had to be a minimum rank of E-5. I’ve heard they dropped it to E-4 since but not sure. So, this whole part seems a non issue with the OP’s question.
Next, with a ranger contract, your son will go in as an 11X, or “open” infantryman.

When he gets to Basic, THEY will decide, based on numbers and cycle of his class, whether he will be trained as an ‘11B’ - straight infantry (best choice and most likely) or an ‘11C’ - mortars. He won’t be mech or anything else because battalion only takes bravos and charlies. He will go from basic/AIT straight to Airborne school…NOT a choice, but required before he heads to RIP.

My original contract was for 4 years 17 weeks (the 17 weeks covered Basic thru Airborne). I believe they do a 3 year now too, but again not sure. IF he completes RIP (doesn’t quit, passes everything, etc), he will be assigned to one of the standing Ranger battalions. There he will have his ass handed to him as he learns more than he could every hope for for the next 1-2 years.

THEN, he will start to be looked at based on performance, senority, etc, to attend Ranger school and become Ranger qualified (i.e. - tabbed). When he gets his tab is when it REALLY gets fun and begins his career in leadership (teamleader, squadleader, etc). This is how it works - period. Special Forces is a different process much later down the road. I’ve completed both and it was the best thing I ever did.

Make sure your son knows what he’s asking for or it won’t matter what his contract says. If he quits, he belongs to the Army at that point. If he truely wants it, it will be life changing (and VERY hazordous). RLTW

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Make sure you son’s contract is an option 40 contract. That is the only way he is assured a slot in ranger school.