Introduction- Billy

[Akh1llez]

Hello Rangers. I first want to start off by saying how much I appreciate and thank all of you Rangers for what you have done or are still doing and like all servicemen and women you have my utmost respect. Again, thank you.

My name is Billy. I'm a sophomore in High School located in a small but decent town in South Dakota. For as long as I can remember I've always wanted to be in the service. My whole family is a military family and I always wanted to do my part for this country. Though as fascinating as my life sounds I'm sure you Rangers don't want to hear me talk about my life the whole time so I'm going to cut straight to the point. In all honesty, like many other future soldiers and civilians, I joined this forum to know what it takes to become an Army Ranger and how to succeed in the arduous task. Before I joined this forum I searched the web like crazy to find information but when I stumbled across this forum I thought that there was no better way to get information then from Army Rangers themselves because at least then I'll know what's fact and what's not. As you can tell I don't always trust websites. As stated above I'm only a sophomore, a naive teenager, who has dreams, or goals whatever you prefer calling them. Of course, one of my goals involves me being an Army Ranger and an officer. I know from searching this forum that becoming an Army Ranger officer is very complex. To be honest here I'm not the smartest guy and although my grades are good, good enough to make Honor Rolls, they're not West Point material. Though my grades aren't West Point material that isn't going to stop me from applying to the Academy or any ROTC program. If I can get a good scholarship to an ROTC program or get accepted to West Point I'll take it even though it is harder to become an Army Ranger officer compared to enlisted it's free education and I'm not going to throw that away. My primary route though is to enlist after High School with an 11x Option 40 contract, serve 4 years, and then do Green to Gold. Of course after my commission I'll work my way up to becoming an officer in the 75th Ranger Regiment after my time with a Conventional Unit. I am also wondering if being in the small town that I live in decreases my chances of getting an Option 40 contract. If it does then what would be the best time to go and talk to a recruiter to see about getting one? During all of this, I am well aware that RASP and ROP are very rigorous and that if at anytime I fail my chances of completing my goals are harshly decreased, not completely over but decreased. If any of my plans or routes aren't good choices or are just not going to work then I would like to hear from you Rangers. That way you Rangers can help me figure something out in how to fulfill my goals.

Thank you Rangers.

[Steadfast]

You live in a nice state, I went through there in 2004. I remember going through Sturgis on my way to Mt Rushmore on my way to Wisconsin.


One question, how old are you?

I know when I was a sophomore I was only 14/15.

[Akh1llez]

Thank you for replying Ranger Steadfast. I am 16 years old and will be 17 this coming June.

[Elguapo]

I'll give you some advice young Billy.

Chase pretty girls, make good grades, join the football and/or track team, play guitar, go hunting and fishing, and chase pretty girls. Then enlist or go to college.

DON'T start hanging out with douche bags. DON'T start smoking weed like the rest of your classmates will. DON'T knock a chick up. DON'T sit at home playing computer games all day.

I know you're probably thinking that you already know that, but you're at a critical age where you can easily make a bad decision that WILL affect your goals.

Would you rather be jumping out of planes, shooting guns, tossing grenades, and seeing the world in 4 years, or working at McDonalds because your DWI and pregnant girlfriend demand all of your time and money?

[Akh1llez]

Thank you for replying Ranger Elguapo. Your information is priceless. I do play football and I also wrestle. I was told that the Military likes High Students who wrestle but I'm not sure if that's true or not. I also lift weights quite a bit and run a few miles when the snow isn't covering the roads to keep myself in shape when I'm not out for any sport. Here in South Dakota hunting and fishing is like a way of life so I do those activities quite a bit. As always, I'm always on the prowl for pretty girls. And just like every other teenager I do play video games, I'm not going to lie about that. If any teenager or civilian here tells you they don't play Xbox or any other gaming console they are completely full of it. I will be honest there are some games that keep me playing for hours but the majority of the time I'm always out doing something whether it's working out or helping around the house. I understand not to do those things you told me not to do and I do stay away from that stuff. If there is any other information you can give I would always appreciate it. Again, thank you for the information Ranger Elguapo.

[goon175]

What town in SD? Born and raised in Huron myself.

[Akh1llez]

I live in the very small town of Goodwin and go to school in Clear Lake. Both towns are little outside of Watertown. It's great to see a Ranger from South Dakota. One question Ranger Goon175, were or are you a sniper in Rangers? I only ask because a former co-worker of mine told me a she knew a guy from Huron that was or is a an Army Ranger sniper.

[goon175]

No, not a sniper.

[Jim]

A man has only one opportunity to make a favorable initial impression. Billy, your introduction is the best i"ve seen in some time. Obviously, you have given this some thought. I guess growing up in a small town in SD affords time to reflect (I share the experience, except I grew up in PA.) and self-examine. Here at armyranger.com, we taks pride in the number of fine young men who have earned a place in the 75th Ranger Regiment. For your initial task, please self-administer a PT test and post your results on this thread not later than midnight, Sunday, 6 March 2011. Never, never quit!

[Akh1llez]

PT test as requested Ranger Jim. 100 push-ups, 62 sit-ups, and a 12:44 2-mile run. Though I will be honest, aside from the 2-mile run, I might have done the push-ups and sit-ups incorrectly. For the push-ups I did everything the Army says how to do it but the main thing was that you are suppose to look straight up and I did but there were some times that I looked down so I'm not sure if those would have counted. If not, then it would probably be around an estimate of 75-80 push-ups. For the sit-ups, I didn't have anyone to hold my ankles down so I did them all on my own. The 2-mile run was from a couple weeks ago. I didn't have any time to do an actual outdoor run. Although I don't like to make excuses, especially to an Army Ranger, I had come back from a two week vacation with the family, so I'm behind on a lot of school work, and now I have been busy getting ready to go on another trip, which I will be leaving for tomorrow and won't be back for a week. I do apologize for all of this but I will try and get a more accurate PT test on this thread as soon as I can. I promise to do a PT test at my destination but unfortunately my destination has no way of accessing the internet. Though I was informed that the VFW near the place I'm heading might have Wi-Fi. If it does I will be sure to post my PT test when I get there. I posted this PT test to give you, Ranger Jim and/or Rangers, an idea of where I'm sitting at. Again, I do apologize for the inconvenience and, as stated above, I will post a more accurate PT test as soon as I can. I will also limit my excuses. I know what excuses are like and I do know that everybody's got one.

[Elguapo]

You sure are a wordy fellow Billy. That means 1 of 2 things, but I'm going to say that it's probably because you're an intelligent cat.

When you get back from your extended vacations, go down to the local Army or Marine recruiters office and see if one will judge your pushup form. Simple enough, right? Either way, not bad PT scores. I like to judge pushups as a completely straight body, chest all the way to the ground, and then extend to the point that your elbows lock out. It's not the standard for the Army, but it is the standard for where you want to go.

If I were you, I'd read up every thread you can on this website, and continue to work hard and have fun while you're in High School. If you pay attention and apply the principles you find here, you'll probably find yourself where you want to be in a few years.

[Akh1llez]

I know it's been such a long time since I've posted but I didn't want to give you my PT scores until I was satisfied enough with them. Though not completely satisfied, my test scores were 105 push-ups, 70 sit-ups, 12:28 2-mile run, and a 43:00 5-mile run. I know I did say I was going to post as soon as possible but I wanted to improve my scores before I posted again to show you Rangers that I'm completely serious about this and to show you that I'm not a waste of time. In all honesty, I am a bit happy with the improvement of my scores but as you may have noticed I've added a 5-mile run in the mix and frankly I am not impressed with 43:00 minutes at all. Just from seeing the time, I'm guessing I start to slow down after about 3 miles. Is there any secret to running the 5 miles consistently to make my time under 43:00 minutes? My goal is to be able to pass the requirements and what little I know of RASP before I graduate High School. I apologize for not having my scores in sooner but I just didn't want to give you Rangers PT scores that I'm disappointed with.