My Introduction

[Dreadnought]

Hello,

My name is Jonathan and I am 17 years of age. I am currently enrolled in high school as a Senior.

I am a competing classical guitarist, having played for upwards of 5 years. At the moment, my brain is split into two warring factions -- half of me wants to enlist and become a Ranger right out of high school, the other half wants to go continue pursuing literature and musical performance to the furthest extent possible. However, literature and music have thus far been mere hobbies, my musical performance being an unwanted side-effect of the community music school from which I take lessons.

I spent my previous two high school years in my schools NJROTC unit, and was a member of both the athletic team and the drill team. Our unit competed at the national level last year and the year before. We enjoyed the benefit of all of our hard work when our unit placed first in the 2006-2007 NJROTC National Championship at NAS, Pensacola.

I learned more on the drill deck and as a member of the armed drill team, which placed first for the "Armed Platoon Basic" event, than I had learned from the entirety of my years spent in high school. Our NSI, Naval Science Instructor, is a retired Navy pilot who is the proud father of a Marine and a Sailor. I learned so much from him and his constant demand for nothing but the best from his cadets that I consider him a second father. One of my closest NJROTC buddies is completing his plebe year at the Naval Academy, and another of my closest buds just got back from USMC boot camp.

I've been chewed out by retired Navy Officers, retired Navy Pilots, active duty Marine Corps DI's, retired Rangers, and a DI who became extremely flustered when I lead my column of files into a dead-end, due to my then-incompetency with drill.

My current course curriculum consists of 7 college level courses, and one course as a Teachers Assistant to an English teacher who has helped me greatly. School is not my strong point, and my GPA shows this (unweighted of 3.2). I will most probably become a National Merit Scholar, I have taken the SAT once and scored a 2150 cumulative.

These are my average results for a standard PFT:

2-mile run: 14:30
Pushups (2 minutes): 120
Situps (2 minutes): 100

I've been working on my running lately but have to slow it down a bit due to the shin splints I've received upon running 3 miles every day after a whole summer of not running.

The pushup number may seem rather high, but I assure you it is no falsification -- being a pushup team captain has some benefits.

I am fairly proficient with most drill procedures and I have a working knowledge of all armed drill maneuvers.

I am the worst runner you will ever meet in your life.

I have a horrible command voice.

However, there is nothing I want more out of life than to feel like I am serving something greater than myself, and something even greater than the people around me. I want to push both my mind and my body to their limits, and I want to surround myself with like-minded people; men who, no matter how hard they may talk, want me to succeed just as much as they want themselves to succeed. I hope that by pursuing Option 40, I can find these people and more. I hope I can find people that understand the value of working together, of serving someone other than yourself, and by being the god-damned most perfect human being possible.

Thank you for reading my introduction, Rangers, and I hope that, so far, I have not fucked up. :)

[Hoover]

Interesting intro.......Welcome to the site!

[RTO]

Welcome to the site and thanks for your interest in serving in the military.

[Ranger Bill]

Welcome and thank you for your interest in Army Rangers. You are at the right place to gain the information you need to decide if becoming a Ranger is the right objective for you.

[Kilted Heathen]

I'm still throwing the bullshit card on the push-ups.

[42L5V]

Welcome. What part of the country are you in?

[GoldCoast]

my musical performance being an unwanted side-effect of the community music school from which I take lessons.

You wrote that in the beginning of your post and went on at length about your JROTC 'career' to date.

Then you wrote this:

However, there is nothing I want more out of life than to feel like I am serving something greater than myself, and something even greater than the people around me. I want to push both my mind and my body to their limits, and I want to surround myself with like-minded people; men who, no matter how hard they may talk, want me to succeed just as much as they want themselves to succeed. I hope that by pursuing Option 40, I can find these people and more. I hope I can find people that understand the value of working together, of serving someone other than yourself...

It sounds like you already know what you want to do. The Ranger Regiment is a good place to find what you're looking for.

[Steadfast]

Welcome

[Dreadnought]

Thank you for the welcome, Rangers, I honestly did not expect to see so many replies so soon!

Welcome. What part of the country are you in?

Thank you for the interest, Ranger 42L5V. I have lived for all of my life in South Florida, in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale region. I grew up with this hellish heat and humidity, so hopefully Benning will be nothing I'm not used to!

Ranger Heathen I'm sorry you still feel that way, but I'm also glad... I like to take pride that some people think I'm a bold-faced liar when I throw out some of my pushup numbers, heh. The truth of the matter is that our NJROTC has a notoriously good competition pushup team. My first year on the team, the pushup team got 2nd at nationals. My following year, when I was in charge of training and organizing the pushup team, we got 2nd at nationals again. For competition level pushups, we have to do a "perfect" pushup, breaking the 90 degree plane, and coming all the way up. We have to do it to a "cadence tape"; a man saying "up, down, up, down" for approximately 5 minutes. If cadence is broken or bad form is noticed, the cadet is disqualified. In an attempt to make you believe me, I did about 106 at the state competition and that got me the 2nd place individual pushup medal, I believe.

Either way, pushups are like breakfast to me. I don't consider myself great at them, I just enjoy doing bodyweight exercises :)

You're right Ranger GoldCoast... as conflicted as I am, I do think that I know what I want to do more. But, and you'll have to excuse the expression here, if I'm not 100% balls-to-the-wall on this, there's a much higher chance I'll fail and I can't have that.

Once again Rangers, thank you :D

[Chiron]

You're right Ranger GoldCoast... as conflicted as I am, I do think that I know what I want to do more. But, and you'll have to excuse the expression here, if I'm not 100% balls-to-the-wall on this, there's a much higher chance I'll fail and I can't have that.

If you believe that there is a chance you will fail then you will fail. You want something go for it with the thought that you will not fail. Do or die as they say.

Welcome.

[Ranger Ron]

Welcome here!

[Glass Cannon]

Welcome, PM inbound.

[Bravo57]

Either way, pushups are like breakfast to me.

Good. What's the difference between the desert and the mountains?


Welcome to the site.

[RRDTm3]

being a songwriter-musician I can say that music ruined my Ranger career.

I discovered my talents too late in life well after spending 7 yrs in Regiment. Once I found music and put a band together I always found the high of performing to be incredible. It even out ranks freefalling. If not for music and being in a band chasing the dream I think that my entire career would have taken many different paths. If you just want the experience of living life, do 4 yrs as a Ranger then go back to the music that has always been there before.

[FIST TEAM LTR]

Welcome and Good Luck.
You will have alot of material to write about after a little adventure.