Does anyone here remember this fast roping incident?

[Trigger]

Rangers,

We had (he recently commissioned) a prior-service Cadet who did time in the Regiment, I do not remember which Battalion. He was in the Regiment sometime around 2000 plus or minus a few years. The incident that I am curious to see if anyone here remembers is:

They were experimenting with fast roping techniques in low light situations. They attached a chem light to the bottom of the rope, figuring that when the rope hit the ground, the chemlight would go horizontal, and would be visible. They dropped the rope and chem light was showing horizontal, so down the ropes they went. Problem was, the rope had hit a tree, and was still pretty far off the ground. Our guy was I believe somewhere around 2nd in line going down the rope. I know he wasn't first and he wasn't last.

He said when he felt the rope end between his feet, he tried to clamp down on the rope as tight as he could, but it was too late, and down he went. He broke his femur, I believe several other Rangers were pretty seriously hurt as well.

Anyone here recollect that incident? I'm trying to figure out if it is the same incident I am hearing about where a Ranger NCO was killed fast roping in the woods (that is all the detail I know).

[RangerJurena]

Trigger,

Just so I'm clear. Your trying to determine if there has been an incident where the rope "appeared" to be on the ground but was not?

It's very interesting that you should ask. Never in my time in Bn. did we ever do any fast roping in low light situations for this very reason. It is quite impossible to determine if the rope is on ground without proper lighting. Most fast ropes are done during daylight hours with a bird that had large 50 million candlewatt lights underneath.

Clamping your feet during a fast rope is totally unacceptable. It is mandatory that you just ride it down until you hit bottom. I'm very suspicious as to the Cadet in your class and his memory. To say that anyone broke a leg during a fast rope mission is total exaggeration.

Let me know if I can help, I smell something fishy here..

[Trigger]

Ranger Jurena,

I'm largely paraphrasing his story here, putting together the details that I have heard (some from him, some from others talking about him), so I can't give you the exact details of how his feet were on the rope, but I remember hearing about how he had that sinking feeling as he felt the rope end. I don't think he was clamping down as much as he was feeling the end of the rope pass by his feet/legs. The injury was a result of the fall, not of the interaction between his feet/legs and the rope, to clear that up.

His injury, however, I am 110% sure of; a broken femur (we talked about it because I had broken my femur and been treated in a very similar way [rod and screws] as him).

I don't remember what BN he was in, but he was part of the group of Rangers that assisted in the filming of Blackhawk Down (in Morocco, I think?).

I personally have no doubts as to this guy's legitimacy. He never bragged about it, in fact he kept pretty low key about his Ranger days.

- Trigger

[Bravo57]

Actually, we fastroped quite a bit in the dark. Yes, we attached chem lights to the bottom of the rope to aid in making sure it had hit something (hopefully the ground). I know of a couple of instances in 3/75 where some Rangers got fucked up during night/limited visibility Fast ropes.

If he helped with the movie, he's got to be from 3/75. As for it happening in the year 2000 plus or minus 2 years, yes, we did that shit in the dark.

After training up for the Mog, we started slowing down our decent by using our feet so that it was more of a controlled fall vs. the as soon as the K-pot clears the bird "GO". Still kept as close as possible, but we got smarter at it.

Why do you ask about this guy? What are your reasons? Do you think he's full of shit, or are you just wanting one of us to think you're cool because you met/know one of us. I'm not being a total ass, I just spent over 5 minutes typing this out for you, so I need to know why.

[abnhawk]

C co did some night ropes. I used to have an awesome photo of my platoon roping in to an objective at night. There were some fires on the ground, and all you could see was a shilloutte of the bird and one Ranger on the rope. Good stuff.

Never tried roping into trees though. Sounds about as much fun as going to a hockey game with 1st Batters

[RangerJurena]

And I was pulling the kids leg to let him know there could have been one of hundreds who broke their leg....

Perhaps its my lack of emoticons that fools everyone.

Notice B57's last paragraph above and you'll see what I was i getting at.

---edited to add-----

The fucking chem lite was rarely seen, we had to use our feet to stop when applicable, there were no lights under the bird, it was typically done at night in low visibility. More than one Hooah broke something or was stabbed in the eye by a spare barrel bag....

Fkking 3/75 guys always taking everything so literal.

[Trigger]

Actually, we fastroped quite a bit in the dark. Yes, we attached chem lights to the bottom of the rope to aid in making sure it had hit something (hopefully the ground). I know of a couple of instances in 3/75 where some Rangers got fucked up during night/limited visibility Fast ropes.

If he helped with the movie, he's got to be from 3/75. As for it happening in the year 2000 plus or minus 2 years, yes, we did that shit in the dark.

After training up for the Mog, we started slowing down our decent by using our feet so that it was more of a controlled fall vs. the as soon as the K-pot clears the bird "GO". Still kept as close as possible, but we got smarter at it.

Why do you ask about this guy? What are your reasons? Do you think he's full of shit, or are you just wanting one of us to think you're cool because you met/know one of us. I'm not being a total ass, I just spent over 5 minutes typing this out for you, so I need to know why.

Thanks for all the info Ranger Bravo57. As previously stated, I never doubted him for a second.

I'm trying to figure out if the accident that he was hurt in was the same as the one where that Ranger NCO was killed fast roping. I didn't know there were that many night training accidents, so that makes it more difficult.

Just kind of been curious about it, and I don't want to ask him. He didn't talk about his time in the Regiment too much, and I wasn't very close to him at all, so I wouldn't want to be rude by asking him out of the blue.

[Sleepy Doc]

Gotta name? If he was involved in filming BHD, then he was in B Co and I should know him. It sounds like he got injured after I left though.

[RRDTm3]

dude killed was Harness around 94-95 @ JRTC. Got his miles harness caught in tree and broke his neck. As far as it being dark as fuck and roping fuck yes. Dudes getting shit broke the list is long!


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... _n10184043" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Trigger]

Gotta name? If he was involved in filming BHD, then he was in B Co and I should know him. It sounds like he got injured after I left though.

Yes, I have a name. PM sent.

[Trigger]

dude killed was Harness around 94-95 @ JRTC. Got his miles harness caught in tree and broke his neck. As far as it being dark as fuck and roping fuck yes. Dudes getting shit broke the list is long!


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... _n10184043" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Ranger RRDTm3,

Do they still rope in the dark? Do they use night vision at all?

- Trigger

[cams]

dude killed was Harness around 94-95 @ JRTC. Got his miles harness caught in tree and broke his neck. As far as it being dark as fuck and roping fuck yes. Dudes getting shit broke the list is long!


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... _n10184043" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Ranger RRDTm3,

Do they still rope in the dark? Do they use night vision at all?

- Trigger

Awful lot of personal and/or OPSEC type questions here in the open Trigger. Who the fuck are you and what's your purpose?

[Trigger]

dude killed was Harness around 94-95 @ JRTC. Got his miles harness caught in tree and broke his neck. As far as it being dark as fuck and roping fuck yes. Dudes getting shit broke the list is long!


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... _n10184043" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Ranger RRDTm3,

Do they still rope in the dark? Do they use night vision at all?

- Trigger

Awful lot of personal and/or OPSEC type questions here in the open Trigger. Who the fuck are you and what's your purpose?

Ranger Cams,

Just a cadet looking to soak up as much information as possible. I've always thought fast roping was one of the coolest things done in the military, and meeting that (now a 2LT) who was hurt doing it had peaked my curiousity on the subject. I figured here was the right place to learn more.

I apologize if the NV thing is something that shouldn't be asked, I felt it was "discovery channel" level stuff.
- Trigger

[EvilCouch]

Gotta name? If he was involved in filming BHD, then he was in B Co and I should know him. It sounds like he got injured after I left though.

I'd like to know the name, too. I would have had to have been in Bco at the same time as this cat and if he says he was involved in the BHD filming, then I know what platoon he was in, too.

[JohnDowland]

Gotta name? If he was involved in filming BHD, then he was in B Co and I should know him. It sounds like he got injured after I left though.

I'd like to know the name, too. I would have had to have been in Bco at the same time as this cat and if he says he was involved in the BHD filming, then I know what platoon he was in, too.

If he was in B co then he couldn't have been involved in the accident that killed our comms NCO, unless he transferred companies at a later date. That accident was a C co incident.