Introduction: Austin

[Smokey Bear]

Hello my name is Austin, I am currently a Junior at Olympia High School at Stanford, IL. I have just enlisted into the Army as an 11X Infantry Recruit. My ship date is 20140610 Ft. Benning, GA. I enlisted as a 14 month Senior. I will find out whether or not I am an 11 Charlie, 11 Bravo, or an 11 Mike shortly before I ship. I just wanted to say thank you for this site. It has provided me with much information over the past couple of months. Sadly, I was not able to get able to get an Option 40 Ranger Contract nor was I able to get Airborne with Infantry. But I intend to do very well on my APFT, I have been training very much for almost a two years now. I am aiming to hopefully drop my packet shortly after I get deployed. My recruiter has told me that Airborne, Ranger, and even SF Recruiters often show up towards the end of Basic Training looking for future soldiers. If this is true, what are the odds of getting Ranger in Airborne or Ranger in your contract? Any information or replies would be greatly appreciated. I have great respect for every service member. Thank you for your service, loyalty, and dedication to our Country.

Respectfully, Austin

[GoldCoast]

Good on you stud. You are making serious commitments at a young age, and I admire your patriotism.

Your chances of seeing a recruiter somehwere in the training pipeline are pretty much 100%. It is up to you to raise your hand, raise your voice, or just plain raise hell to get their attention. As long as you do not take no for an answer you will eventually get a shot. Don't let anyone talk you out of it.

A wise man once informed me that, "luck equals opportunity meeting preparedness." Take those words to heart. If you tap into every bit of honor and integrity you have, and begin training now as if you are definitely going to become and Airborne Ranger, then when you have the chance to volunteer you won't mess it up.

For now, conduct a PT test and post the results here withing 72 hours of this post so we know where you are physically. Be honest so we can legitimately watch your progress.

[CharlieRanger1FFV]

Welcome to the site, Austin.


RLTW!!!

[rangertough]

The 11M and 11B MOS have merged. In your career you have the potential to work light or heavy infantry operations.

An idea that was half-assed but what are you going to do?

Tough

[Jim]

The 11M and 11B MOS have merged. In your career you have the potential to work light or heavy infantry operations.

An idea that was half-assed but what are you going to do?

Tough

Concure!

[Smokey Bear]

Thank you very much GoldCoast, CharlieRanger1FFV, and rangertough. I appreciate the acknowledgement. I will conduct a PT test tomorrow. My previous PT test was a couple months ago before I was "officially" in the DEP program. But I did it with my Recruiter. I believe my run time was 13:21 and 81 pushups and a disappointing 64 situps. I believe I got a 272. Not high enough to be recognized in my perspective and most definitely not in Ranger's eyes. I will conduct one tomorrow morning as I said and report back to you with the score. And will do sir. I've heard something similar to those words. But understood, I will give my extra $.02 every time. My Recruiter told me to pretty much try and get recognized and remembered every chance you get in Basic. He told me to take every Leadership position I can get whether it be a Squad Leader or a Platoon Leader, take it. I intend to do so. Back to PT.

Respectfully, Austin

[Smokey Bear]

Rangertough: I've heard that 11M and 11B have merged but I was unsure. Thank you for the correction.

Respectfully, Austin

[MichaelS]

PM inbound, Austin.

[Smokey Bear]

For now, conduct a PT test and post the results here withing 72 hours of this post so we know where you are physically. Be honest so we can legitimately watch your progress.

Ranger_GoldCoast_: I took the PT Test this morning and I achieved 100 pushups, 69 situps, 13 pullups, and a 13:17 2 mile run. I got a 282 according to my APFT application I have on my iPod. However, my Recruiter was not around me so the scores may not be dead accurate but I did my best to follow the rules as in go down 90 degrees and such. My weakness is situps and running as you can tell. Even though I have a little over a year to prepare there ain't no time to slack off. Back to PT.

Respectfully, Austin

[Jim]

OK, so now you have a baseline for your PT, and you know what to do. Please tell us why you want to be a Ranger. Check this link:

http://www.soc.mil/75th%20Ranger%20Regi ... iting.html

[Smokey Bear]

I would like to be a Ranger because I want to be apart of that brotherhood. I know any branch and any MOS will have a strong bond of brotherhood but the Ranger's struct out at me. I have always pushed myself more than I've had to, to achieve the best and I strongly believe that I can find that challenge to push myself in the Rangers and the whole SOF community. The Unconventional Forces attract me because they can be deployed worldwide within 24-48 hours. I've always had a passion for the Military ever since I was a kid. I started reading books on Special Operations Forces and Special Forces my Sophomore year. The first book I read was The American Sniper by Chris Kyle and it had me from the start. I started training five to six hours a day, seven days a week. I couldn't get away from it. So as you can tell, with Chris Kyle being a Navy SEAL in SEAL Team 3 I believe, my first interest was becoming a Navy SEAL. Knowing the path I had paved out ahead for myself I trained hard everyday. Then I started looking into the Green Berets and Delta Force but knowing that I couldn't join with an 18X Special Forces Contract until I was 19 and shouldn't anyways because of the lack of experience, so I set that aside. I picked up my interest in the Rangers when I had came into contact with a Ranger (Honorably Discharged now). His name is Ken Barkuff, some of you may know him, maybe not. But when he lived here in Illinois and my dad was his boss we used to workout together. From the start I could tell how hard headed, my way or no way kinda guy he was and he became somewhat of a role model. I started talking with him about his experiences and getting more first hand knowledge of what would lie ahead of me if I chose to go down that path. He once told me that if you want to creep up on a hill and get valuable intel. and be undetected, send in the Special Forces. But if you want to clear a hilltop and kill everybody in that area, send in the Rangers. Of course I don't want to become a Ranger for the title but I couldn't help but smile when he said that. So, I began to get very interested in them. I looked over my options as to how I could get into the Rangers or if it was possible during enlistment. Then I started researching MOS's as to what I would be interested in. Obviously my first choice was a die hard 11B Infantrymen. Then I started looking into the medical field at a 68W because that would be very beneficial when I would get out. But in the end my final choice is an 11B Infantrymen.

To make a long story short, I want to be a Ranger because of the brotherhood, the pride, patriotism, honor, dignity, and courage, you name it, that every Ranger out there has and must have. And I can't help but say that I love to shoot guns as well haha.

Also, yea I have been to that site multiple times. That was actually where I found out about the 68W MOS. My apologies for such late of a post. There are no excuses to be announced.

Respectfully, Austin

[Smokey Bear]

Hello Rangers,

I haven't been on this site in awhile and I should have kept ya'll up to date on my situation. But here is an update of what has been going on for the past 7 months. After I sweared in in mid April and got into the FSP I began doing my daily PT that I had been doing up until that point. Nothing really changed except for my mentality. I realized what step I had just taken and I began to get even more serious about my work (training). From mid April to July I was doing regular PT but I stopped because football season had started. I didn't want to be constantly sore and not be able to play to my full potential on Friday nights so I stopped doing PT and did the workouts that we do in football. Mainly just conditioning. So from July till mid September I wasn't doing any hardcore PT. But then I got my gym membership back and started going again, despite football season still in action. I figured, hey I'll be sore in the military and still be expected to do my job despite the circumstances. So I started training again. I had a real burst of luck when I came into contact with retired Brigadier General Robert Pratt. He had agreed to mentor me. Even though we have only met a few times because of both of our schedules, he has taught me a lot in those brief meetings. I had a talk with him last week and we agreed to try and meet this Sunday. He said he had an APFT Improvement Plan that he was willing to give me. So I am hopefully going to get that from him Sunday and will be starting that next Sunday, the day after football season is done. That is the pretty much all that has been going on with me on the physical aspect of things.

On the mental aspect I have been training a lot. I have been taking notes on military books and manuals almost every night. Things such as formations, ranks, movements, reactions to contact, basic medical skills, assault rifle components and parts, calliber notes, bullet dynamics, ranges of different types of bullets, survival skills, ambushes etc. Anything that I think that can better prepare myself for what is to come.The books that I have taken notes on are books such as Contact, Chosen Soldier, American Warrior, the Ranger Handbook, and other military manuals that I have purchased. I can look at the version of the manuals when I get home and post them on here if ya'll would like. But I'll make sure that I make note that American Warrior by David Fisher is perhaps the best book that I have ever read. I reccomend that to anybody and everybody that has a heart beat. It tells the story of a true American Warrior and the life that Gary O'Neal lived while serving nearly forty years in the military and to our government. Some of you may know him and if you do I am very envious of you because he is an amazing man. I have been trying to take at least one page (front and back) of notes every night. Everything that I take note of might not be relevant or what I need but at least I'm trying. When I get done I think I am going to make my own little manual of everything that I have taken note of. So far I have a pretty good chunk of papers. That is what has been going on with me on the mental aspect of things.

Now onto the next topic, the ASVAB. I need to retake it. When I took it in March I was very sick and should have rescheduled but I was determined. My own motivation outweighed my common sense. I didn't score high enough and didn't think and signed for a reservation of an 11X Infantry Recruit. This is not what I want and I should have took more time to think but I didn't. So now I am in a bind. My recruiter and every other recruiter that I have emailed or talked on the phone with says I can't retake it. BUT everyone that I talk to says I can and aslo every website, even this one says that I can retake it. One of the Rangers on this forum said that if you haven't scored 50 points or above then you can retake it because you are not a grad-alpha. I printed of papers today, straight from the Department of Defense and MEPCOM policies saying that I can retake it. I will show them to my recruiter the next time i go there. We'll see how that goes. I've talked with SFC Cole who commands the recruiting center and he says I can't. I've tried to get Captain Welch's number so I can contact him but I haven't been successful. So as you see, I am in a bind. It's my own stupidity really. But this is my update to all of you.

I apologize for such a lengthy post but it was neccessary. I would like to again say that I appreciate this site very much and have gained priceless knowledge from all of you Rangers. I believe that I can not only speak for myself when I say that but for everyone that is in the Future Soldier Program and everyone else that looks on this site. Thanks again.


Respectfully, Austin

[Jim]

Austin, It has been several months since your last PT test. Self-administer one and add pull-ups to the task. Never, never quit!

[Smokey Bear]

Roger that RangerJim. I will conduct one Sunday evening when I get back from camping. Thanks for the reply.

[Jim]

Look forward to it! Never, never quit!