Life before the Rangers

[Regularjoe]

I jus want to know about your guys life before the Rangers. Actually all I want to know is that before you guys did the Ranger course in high school were you guys physically very active? Or were you guys just kinda did nothing then joined the army and eventually did the Ranger course? Note: when I say nothing I mean physically.

[rgr-jc]

Actually, I did the SFAS and Q-Course in high-shcool before I did the high school Ranger thing. Are you serious?

[Regularjoe]

What do you mean serious? About you guys doing nothing? I mean I would think that all of you guys would have been very active but I'm just making sure.

[This message has been edited by Regularjoe (edited 12-06-2000).]

[rgr-jc]

Joe:
I guess I didn't quite understand how you worded your question. It looks like you are asking if I did the Ranger Indoc. & school while in high school. Ha. To answer what I think you were trying to ask: I played baseball in high school. I wasn't in some special training program to get ready for a life in Batt. I was at all the parties with the rest of the people I went to school with. Are you planning to try out for a Ranger Batt.?

[This message has been edited by rgr-jc (edited 12-06-2000).]

[Regularjoe]

I don't know what I want to do yet but if I join the army I don't know what to do. I mean there are so many options. How often did you play baseball? And maybe you know if there are any books that tell you exactly how much running and stuff like that that Rangers and other units do?

[This message has been edited by Regularjoe (edited 12-06-2000).]

[bmf]

I thought all Rangers had to be orphans (abducted by the CIA) before beginning their ultra extreme top secret commando assault demolition para-sabatuer course at their local high school? How did this guy find out about it???? Damn Discovery channel!

[This message has been edited by bmf (edited 12-06-2000).]

[Regularjoe]

Bmf I'm not sure if you understood what I posted. Or maybe you did and still you just want to joke.

[rgr-jc]

Joe:
I played ball every year in high-school. Nothing excessive other than playing during regular season (we never went to state play-offs). I went into the Rangers knowing pretty much nothing about it other than what I had read. Sorry we don't have a great movie like some of the others (Delta Force, and Navy Seals w/ Charlie Sheen...snicker)for you to get a feel for the training involved. If you are not sure... wait. I didn't go right out of high school. I probably wouldn't have made it out of high school for lack of maturity. If you can run 5 miles @ 6.5 - 7.0 minutes a mile, you shouldn't have any problems with the cardio-vascular portion of R.I.P. If you get assigned to a batt.-that's a different story...

[Ranger002]

I did lots of drugs,surfed,and got in alot of fights.( Most of which I lost LOL)
William Punk Ranger Hazen

[bmf]

me make joke

me crack up

Hazen, did you ever listen to the Dead Kennedy's?

[WS-G]

Efficiency and progress is ours once more
Now that we have the neutraon bomb,
It's nice and quick and cleeeean
And gets things done!

Away with excess enemy
With no less value to property,
No sense in war
But perfect sense at home!

The sun beams down on a brand new day,
No more welfare tax to pay,
Unsightly slums gone up in flashing light!
Jobless millions whisked away,
At last we have more room to play,
All systems go to kill the poor tonight!

We're gonna kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor to-nigh-igh-igh-igh-ighi-ight....
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor to-nigh-igh-ight!

Behold the sparkle of champagne,
The crime rate's down, feel free again,
Oh life's a dream with you Miss Lilly Whi-ite!
Jane Fonda on the screen today,
Convinced the liberals "It's o-kay!"
So let's get dress to dance away the night!

While they kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor to-nigh-igh-igh-igh-ighi-ight....
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill the poor to-nigh-igh-ight!
(Repeat. Fade.)

(Just thought I'd post the complete lyrics. Damn shame I don't have a .wav file to link to!)

The song California über Alles was downright prophetic; lampooned Jerry Brown's 1980 bid for the Oral Office, but readily describes the Klinton-Bore platform to a "t".

[This message has been edited by William M Salter (edited 12-09-2000).]

[FutureMustang]

I played football football FOOTBALL!! Oh shit, never mind, I'm not a Ranger yet.

[LRSC Grunt]

When I was in high school I was in the poetry club, color guard(I was the guy in tights http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/wink.gif ), amnesty international, typing club......

[FutureMustang]

I was one of those dorks on the chess team. I had some other interesting activities: all in all, 4 years of debate, the chess team, basketball, baseball, football, and the creative writing club. An odd mix, but it got me by.

[WS-G]

Secondary School: Drama Club (9th Grade only). Extra in the bar-room scene in Frankie and Johnnie. Played Lyle Britten in James Baldwin's Blues for Mister Charlie and Wilson in Harvey. Aeronautics Academy (a specialized "gifted" program I attended from 10th Grdae onward. Different school from the 9th, BTW). Between this program and the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program, I acquired all the necessary theoretical instruction needed for the FAA's Private/Commercial Pilot (Airplane/Glider), Instrument Rating (Airplane) and Flight Navigator exams. In the high-school program, any actual hands-on flying was a "privilege", not earned but rather doled out to the biggest brown-nosers IAW personal whim by the program director (a non-flying former girl's volleyball coach and 1st-class head-game-playing control freak) The director and I butted heads on a daily basis, and for three years solid, not a day went by that she wasn't threatening me with expulsion from the program. Fortunately, my principal, my NJROTC instructors, and my instruments, navigation, meteorology and history teachers all went to bat for me repeatedly. CAP Cadet Program. Was active in this from 8th to 11th Grades. My initial first-hand, hands-on experience with military discipline. The usual spit-and-polish "toy soldier" crap happened here, but also some good stuff that served me well later on. Here was where I was taught how to low-crawl, high-crawl, back-crawl, rush and all that other cool stuff by a former Marine during a 3-day "survival school" put on by 13th Group, Texas Wing during the summer of 1980. Also trained as a radio operator and aerial observer, had some familiarization fliyng on gliders and scored several hours of F-101B and RF-4C simulator time courtesy of the 147th Fighter-Interceptor Group (President-Elect Bush's old unit!) and 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, respectively. Rose to become Cadet Commander of my squadron, and was chosen Outstanding Cadet Officer by Texas Wing for 1980. On the down side, the CAP was also where I found out that folks with glasses didn't get to become military pilots (not in this country anyway — I still maintain it's a stupid rule, and will do so until Hell freezes over). My interest in SpecOps began at this point, once it hit me like a ton of bricks that my ambitions towards becoming an astronaut were effectively down the toilet. Naval JROTC. 10th to 12th Grades. Received Distinguished Cadet and Honor Cadet Awards twice each. Assistant Squad Leader 1st year, Platoon CPO 2d year, Company SCPO final year (led an unauthorized midnight canoe trip during a campout mid-year and got busted to Cadet Seaman for it — and rightly so!). Smallbore Rifle Team all three years. Took Standing Position High Score award for the entire Houston Independent School District during the Week Four competition in my Senior year (School Year '81-'82); the entire team placed first in the entire 8th Naval District that same year. Sworn in as a member of the Texas Army National Guard on 12 FEB 1981 — Co. G (–)(Abn/Rgr), 143d Inf. (LRRP) — on Split Training Option during the 11th Grade (hoo-f***in'-ah!). Of course, this is where I became a soldier. Stayed on four years, and after a lot of water under the bridge, I'm now back with that very same unit again as an NCO. A bit different these days, now that we're a LRSU, but still a great unit to be in. Worked as a full-time laborer/janitor/salesman in a sporting goods shop during the summer of 1978. Spent nights and Sundays selling shoes from the latter part of 1980 until joining the Guard. Physical fitness? Pre-G-143, I knew about the famed 5-mile Ranger Run, so I spent a lot of time pounding the pavement in my old CAP-procured combat boots and OD sateen trousers to get myself ready for that event. Didn't have any advice at all on anything else I needed to be doing, so running was all I did back then. My running, rucking and swimming were pretty damned good, but it wasn't until AIT that I managed to exceed the bare minimums on the pushups, situps or pullups. I still squeaked by on pure determination, however <G>.

[DFC5343]

Hi school????????????

[Jeff Rambo]

I think I just found a new meaning for High Speed Low Drag ...

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Sincerely,
Jeff A. Rambo
NBTNDT
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Disrespect cannot be commanded, it must be earned.

[TFRANGERMEMBER]

Wait wait wait....so Rangers DO NOT have to be adopted orphans!? Oh crap I just sent my son to the farm at Perry to begin his training...well he should be a hard core killer when he reaches 7.

RLTW

[RangerTom]

I'm with hazen except I was skiing. Damn Mr. Salter, you were being groomed to be one of those black ops ROTC cadre members.

RLTW

Tom

[Sharky]

High School.....drunk.......graduation......drunk...... ...Sand Hill.......what the hell?.......why am I here.......could someone please tell that guy to stop yelling, my head hurts........The rest is history.

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F.I.D.O.

[Ranger002]

BMF,

Jello Biafra for President!!! Holiday in Cambodia YEAAAH!!!

Guys come on...it was the 70's

I saw Apocalypse Now at the Sand Hill Movie Theater on my first pass in BASIC.WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!!!

"I need a mission..."
Martin Sheen APOCALYPSE NOW
William Hazen
A big HOOAH award to the man who can repeat the dialog in the scene mentioned above Hint: It involved Scotch and MADNESS LOL.

[WS-G]

RangerHazen:

Jello Biafra still KATN's. All the classic DK's albums were re-released on CD under the Alternative Tentacles label (gotta love the logo!) about 6 years ago. One of my police academy classmates lost my prized "Fresh Fruits For Rotting Vegetables" CD (dammit!) last year.

And to think that those of the younger generation don't have any idea WRT the source of the name "Biafra"! (OK, youngsters, here's the hint for where to crack open those history books: Nigeria, 1968)

[realpolypro]

"...And for my sins, they gave me one. Brought it up to me like room service." I hate that leftist puss, but he was great in that movie. Pre-Ranger: New England woods, hunting, shooting, fishing, diving, etc..In 85'Gung-Ho Magazine did a 4 series special on SF, Ranger, SEAL, and Force Recon...I just happened to choose the best. Haze-man, you were probably in the pictures. They had some 2nd Batt Rippies carrying this steel grate up a mountain http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/smile.gif

Poly

[Razor]

Ok Poly, now you're creeping me out. All this time I thought I was the only loser sneaking around the woods of NE and reading those Gung-Ho issues. I even started doing the SEAL "Burn" PT listed in the SEAL issue. Looking back, I just have to laugh at myself, and now you too! http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Razor (edited 12-08-2000).]

[Ranger002]

The first article I saw on the modern day Ranger Batts was in Popular Mechanics in 1977 or 1978 LOL
William Hazen

[WS-G]

The October 1978 issue of Playboy ran an article on terrorism and CT units, including 22.SAS, GSG-9, and of course the Batts, with mention of their interim role as this country's CT asset until a dedicated CT unit could be formed.

Actually well-researched for Playboy. Passing mention was given to a US Army asset identified only as "Blue Light", with the remark that anything and everything about it was still classified. Nothing at all was said about the Navy side of the house, and of course SFOD-D wasn't featured <G>.

Brief descriptions of the 1976 Entebbe and 1977 Mogadishu assaults were included, with a description on what the Batts' role might be in similar scenarii. The author speculated that the Rangers would likely have received additional support from the 82d in an Entebbe-type scenario.

The author also included a few short comments about RIP, though with very little detail. This is where I found out about 5-mile Ranger Runs, BTW. All from a mag that a classmate was passing around in one of my 9th Grade classes, so maybe porno in high school can have beneficial effects (j/k!).

The unit I finally chose to join is one that I found out about only because of an article Soldier of Fortune ran in its April 1980 issue about the TXARNG's now-defunct 36th Airborne Brigade. My reaction was basically "WTF?! You mean I don't have to wait until this high-school crap's over with to do this?". I was a long wait until 09 February 1981, when my 17th birthday finally arrived. First thing I did that day was to cut school and twist my mom's arm into driving me down to the Guard recruiting office and signing a consent form. Conversations with a couple of ex-36th recruiting NCO's not long before then had revealed that the Brigade had been deactivated about the time that article ran, but as one said "We do have a Ranger company doing LRRP missions...." (<drool> "I want in!"). That's where I realized the "weekend warrior" myth was only a myth.

I also remember the 1985 Gung Ho specials. I missed the Ranger and SF issues, but I did manage to pick up the SEAL and FR ones. My copy of the SEAL special "grew legs" a few years back, but I still have the FR issue.

[abaustin]

Wait.... Playboy has articles?

Holy shit!

Andy

[Jeff Rambo]

Actually it was "I wanted a mission..."

------------------
Sincerely,
Jeff A. Rambo
NBTNDT
------------------
Disrespect cannot be commanded, it must be earned.

[LRSC Grunt]

Ive seen that SOF issue too.

[WS-G]

Originally posted by LRSC Grunt:
Ive seen that SOF issue too.
I still have that one.

[Linus]

Mr Salter;

Who is a Nobel prize winner scientific material, olympic class athlete and fighter pilot draped in the fame and glory of world status rock/movie-star of epic proportions, free to write anything he please in the annals of History?

An astronaut.

Yeah, I wanted to be one too. WTF, I still do!

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Honestas supra omnis