Ranger School throws doors open to USAF

[johnjohnson1957]

Ranger School throws doors open to airmen

By Jill Laster - Staff writer Posted : Sunday Nov 14, 2010 14:51:45 EST

The Army wants you to go through its 61-day Ranger School, one of the military’s most demanding leadership courses.

There are plenty of open slots at the school these days because so many soldiers who would attend are busy fighting overseas, according to school leaders.

At least six airmen attend the school every year under an agreement between the Army and Air Force. In fiscal 2010, 14 airmen earned the coveted Ranger tab.

Enlisted airmen or officers, regardless of their career fields, can go to Ranger School. Enlisted airmen, though, must have the rank of at least E-3, according to Master Sgt. Jamie Newman, the Air Force Ranger instructor. All need to complete a pre-Ranger course, a rigorous two-week program.

Earning a Ranger tab won’t boost your promotion score, but it could give you the tools to do your job better, Newman said.

Rest of the story at http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/ ... s-111210w/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[panthersix]

I would imagine CCT guys could get a lot out of it, but jet engine mechanics?

There's a bunch of "green airmen"...combat weather, joint tactical air controllers, security forces.....those are the ones that I ran into the most when I was in the Air Guard...

[C-MAC]

I would imagine CCT guys could get a lot out of it, but jet engine mechanics?

Yeah, hi, 2A3X3 here. I would have given my left nut for this opportunity. :D

Oh, and maybe it's just me but I never met anybody who looked down on a Ranger or PJ/JTAC, etc. Nothing but respect....

[johnjohnson1957]

I did my last 15 years AD in the USAF. Other than security police (SPs) and a few PJs, no one I met in the USAF ever gave Ranger school any credit. It did nothing for promotion and did not appear on my DD 214 (does it show up on a Army DD-214?) At my last assignment the security police commander had a tab that he wore on his dress blue uniform. He even had his official command picture taken with the tab showing. I asked him if it was authorized thinking something had changed and he said no it wasn't but he'd not yet met the person who was going to make him take it off. I got off on that but we both knew it would only take one of the typical milk and cookie do-no-wrong USAF types to make a formal complaint and he'd be up in front of the Wing King and be told to get within regulations.

I wore the enameled Ranger tab on my formal dress uniform and got grief for that. I just ignored them as I didn't get dressed up all that often. I also had a tab sewed inside my dress blues but that was just for me. Other than SPs and PJ's the typical response upon learning I had done Ranger school was something along the lines of "why'd you want to do that?"

Ironically the biggest dump on I experienced for having BTDT badges was when I went before an Medical Service Corps Officer (MSC)accession board to return to AD Army. Some 0-6 starts in on me asking if I felt it necessary to have a master's degree before returning to AD. Next he starts in on asking if I thought it necessary to go to Ranger school to be a MSC? Then he wanted to know why I was in an reserve SF unit? He was a real pain in the ass and was working overtime to belittle my career and education. Ultimately I told him that if I saw an opportunity to improve myself I took it. I have often wondered what bug climbed up his ass? I never did figure it out.