Posted on 04/29/2007 10:03:53 PM PDT by World_Events
Inspiring video clip of a 42 year old medic who graduated tops at Army Ranger School, one of the hardest if not hardest military training schools available. Hoo-ah!
“He had to apply three times and he had to put up with a ton of s--t, but when he threatened to resign, they gave it to him. The next youngest guy in his class was half his age. They must have thought he was some far-out old man humping it over that course. I did it when I was 19 and it damn near wasted me. A tough mother------.”— Apocalypse Now.
I recently read a book by a man who had been a “Green Beret” and later became a Navy Seal and even later graduated from the Army Ranger School. He wrote that the Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUDS or the Seal “Boot Camp”) was the hardest physically, Special Forces School was the hardest mentally and the Army Rangers School was the hardest endurance wise.
We need 100 Col. Kurtz right now in Iraq.
Perhaps one in the White House.
My son went through in early 04 at the age of 29. He looked like a concentration camp survivor when I went down for graduation. I asked him if he was the oldest, and he said there may have been one who was 30. He also said that the only good thing about making it through Ranger School is that you don’t have to go through it again. He’s damn proud of that Ranger Tab.
I cannot imagine going through at 42. Although I turn 38 on Wednesday and have 20 in June, it is harder and harder everyday especially PT. lol. God Bless this guy and any others who join at an older age.
I think this is fabulous! I hope he inspires many more!
Well, maybe he really liked to swim.
Ranger School like to killed me at 23 and I could run all day and do sit-ups all night back then. In fact, one morning one of the Cadre stopped me and asked me how old I was... I told him “23”... He said “You look 63”.
I’d have never made it through hell week at BUDs either before or after (recovering from) Ranger School though.
Q course was pretty easy physically, and I found it mentally easier too... Because I wasn’t as exhausted and stressed as in Ranger School. You have to be more competent at a wider variety of tasks, but at least you get more sleep, can catch your breath occasionally and stop to think.
His name is Jeff Kraus, the book/manual is “You Want Me to do What?”. LOL, I loved it too! It’s well worth anyone’s time to read it!!
Here’s a link to check it out:
http://www.navyseals.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=38
Thanks so much for your service to our Country!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I hope it’s a good one!
Thank you for your service to our Country!
WELL NOW, this is real inspiring.
Thank you World_Events for posting this video.
(No excuse for not doing my sit ups tonight.)
Thank you very much!!!
Watch the video. This is a bald TV reporter who tried to sign up at 36 and had to go in even later, when the rules were changed to accept him. He was motivated by 9-11. He wanted to become a medic for the Rangers. He says “It was tough, but not that tough.” Amazing man.
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I self-administer the Army PFT every year on my birthday (coming up in May). It's a personal gut-check at 57. I despise every minute of the training for it but I'm not ready to surrender to father time yet.
Thanks for posting the link. Folks here in Springfield are very proud of Jerry Jacobs - he covered sports then moved to news anchor at KY3 several years ago. Local residents have flooded the TV station with letters thanking Jerry for his service and congratulating him on his accomplishments. Interestingly, former Attorney General John Ashcroft dedicated his book “Never Again” to Jerry. The Ashcroft family farm is just north of Springfield and Ashcroft will be the guest speaker at our National Day of Prayer breakfast on Thursday.
Martin was talking about Jump School. Of course, Martin had been to neither.
I went through in ‘95 as a very old-feeling 28 year old competing with 18-21 year old Ranger Battalion Soldiers who were so prepared mentally and physically that going through was nothing more than a formality.....
First you try to get through the week...
Then you try to get through the hour.......
Then you try to get to the next tree.........
It was a long course.....
RLTW
Bought it!
great story..
IIRC, Martin had a big ol’ heart attack at age 38 during the filming of “Apolcalypse Now.” Too many Marlboros and late nights.
Congrats. I avoided strenuous things in the Army and flew helicopters.
I had a hundred questions for him while at Benning that weekend. He stayed for the Mortar Leaders Course after Ranger School. Two of his answers stick in my brain. I asked him if he had ever fallen asleep while on duty during the course and he said, “Dad, I fell asleep while we were moving on foot.” The other answer came when I was trying to find out how they put them in different leadership roles, and how they debriefed after an operation. Since they get graded on everything, he said you just tell them what went good and what didn’t. If someone screwed up, “you just tell them they were f’d up, and to un f themselves.”
The graduation was the best. Retired Rangers and families showed up from all over the place. Everything was okay, but the hand-to-hand demo was awesome.
I spent 21 years in the Army and didn’t know what RLTW meant until his graduation.
That is an amazing feat for a man of 30. It’s exceptionally tough for the young.
I’m definitely impressed.
Jump School was easy...compared to Ranger School, it’s a three week vacation from your regular unit.
SEALs lead the way, Rangers just follow ;-)
Thanks for posting.
There is a PA at the base hospital I see from time to time. One day he had on his cammis and lo and behold there on his shoulder was a RANGER tab!
When I asked about it he said he earned it in a diferent lifetime. I told him he should be proud of it, very few in the USAF have been there/done that.
Good for them. I watch the Best Ranger competition each year just to see what new devilment they come up with to test the men.
With all due respect to any other posters...
There's no such thing as "no excuse".......I can find one for anything
Let me know what you think after you read it! I laughed all the way through...
Our soldiers, sailors & airmen are AWESOME!!
It was made easier during the mid-eighties to accomodate the females, but it’s always been less rigorous (and lengthier) than Ranger School.
I ordered it too. Just the cover made me chuckle. Thanks for the suggestion.
I went through in 1986 so there you go.
Smiling at you Hot Tabasco...
No excuse now, get down and do a hundred of those sit ups for me.
If you said it fast enough and slurred it a bit you could sometimes get sneak it by when saluting an offcer.
OK, just did two but the phone rang so will finish the rest in August............ LOL!
GIggling...you’re in the remedial exercise program now.
August...why the rush? I would think you’d at least have until the end of the year.
No doubt about it. I was in the best shape of my life after graduating from Jump School, and a number of friends and classmates were urging me to go Ranger.
As the saying goes, "a man's got to know his limitations." I knew plenty of men that wore the tab, and they could all run 5-6 minute miles all day long. I also knew men who didn't make it through Ranger School, and they were good men, too.
I simply didn't have the burning desire necessary for Ranger School.
Yes. I think by that time they eliminated break-area procedures, ‘running to Alabama’, the initial windsprint two miles or until 30% of the class dropped out and the flat out run up cardiac hill. It’s a shame but it was the only way to assure significant numbers of females would pass the course.
IIRC, Former SMA Glen E. Morrell was in his late 30s or early 40s when he got tabbed.
I should check that out as well.
Oh, I did get the break area procedures routine, and the two miler, then the three miler. Don’t remember cardiac hill, though.
Now that I think about it I don’t remember any females on my stick. I think they were trained separately. Most of them were ROTC and Academies cadets/midshipmen (midshipwomen?!).
The book you speak of is called “You want me to do What?” and was witten by a very humble and modest man by the name of Jeff Krause. Mr. Krause is now working as a Navy SEAL mentor for the Michigan and Indiana area. I mysaelf am joining the SEAL’s and had a training session with hime yesterday that lasted six hours. Jeff Krause is a Warrior.
You’re right! The book was both very informative and funny.
Another great Seal book is “Lone Survivor” by Marcus Lutrell of Huntsville, Texas who wrote of his experiences and ordeals as a member of a four man Seal Team in a battle in the mountains of Afghanistan. They were outnumbered 100+ to one and he was, ultimately the “last man standing”. Great read and inspiring story.
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