News flash: Ranger School sucks. Especially in January. It isn’t that you don’t receive important tactical training, its just a painful experience. More so if you are a Strong Ranger rather than a Smart Ranger. At twenty years old, I was definitely a Strong Ranger. My class number was 04-04, after recycling Darby Phase of course…
The much dreaded Charlie Company. I’m in there somewhere, probably sleeping on my feet, an essential Ranger skill.
After the graduation ceremony those of us who came from the Ranger Regiment got a congratulations/warning speech from the Regimental Commander and Sergeant Major. The gist was this: go out and get a DUI tonight and we’ll crush your balls, then kick you out of the Regiment.
Later that day, at the Ranger Memorial on Main Post at Ft. Benning. In a blatant act of defiance, those of us from Ranger battalions wore our Ranger scrolls pinned on our uniforms next to our newly acquired Ranger Tabs. Ranger School is required in order to hold a leadership position in the Regiment, but is still looked down upon as being beneath us “real Rangers.”
Also at the Ranger memorial. Note the WWII commando dagger in the background. On each pillar is written the Ranger Creed and Robert Rodgers standing orders.
Reflexive Fire 
I don’t go out with girls anymore
I lead a life of danger.
I play in swamps and sleep with snakes
Weeeeeeee! I’m a Ranger.
I crossed paths with a real hater who had made RANGER into a acronym. Wish I could remember it now. Righteous Asshole something something something…
no kidding… my graduation class was 3-04
Hell, I was in your class until I recycled Darby Phase…Doh!
So we did not met at all, I finished with 3-04 (Darby insert and Mountain phase recycle – dumb ass foreign student:-))
It happens to the best of us! I take it you are Czech? I went through HALO school with a Czech officer, a really squared away guy. While he was in the US he was going to Airborne, jumpmaster, pathfinder, HALO, HALO jumpmaster, and I think Ranger School as well, all back to back!
My Ranger buddy during Ranger School was a Romanian officer named Daniel, another really great guy.
I know Dan from Romania, I met him in ISTD in Ft. Benning (International Student Training Detachment), good guy! World is small:-)
No kidding! I remember Dan beating me with a stick in Mountain Phase to keep me awake because I kept falling asleep on the assault line! Tactically, he was a spot on out there. Another funny story is when the two of a us and a SFC from 1st SFG fell asleep on our gun position in the patrol base only to be woken up by an instructor!
I have to say I really learned to stay awake no matter what when on perimeter… one of things this school puts like a standard into one´s mind
I didn’t live up to the Ranger standard that day!
well, I did not perform up to standard in many things many times:-) (2x recycle)
Shit happens man! I recycled Darby and was in Vaghn’s platoon long enough that I thought they were going to rename it Murphy’s platoon.
so, when you´re going to visit Czech, let me know!!! Beer is on me:-)
I will, I haven’t been there in years!