ARegularguy123 wrote:He was a very humble, hard working, and courageous man...
Words to live by for anyone. From what I understand, till the day he died he always said his decorations and awards belonged to his entire unit, Not just himself.. that he was just "doing his job". To be sure, common tread in all MOH recipients.
Let's not put the cart before the horse. To be quite honest, I hope you are never afforded the opportunity to win an MOH. I was told by a WW2 vet who was a dual Silver Star recipient that he hoped I never had to earn that decoration. Being a student of history, I can only imagine the horror and chaos he endured surviving the Battle of the Bulge, and numerous other campaigns.
I can tell you this; even if you are determined enough to make it all the way through RASP to get assigned to the Regiment, spend a few years in Batt, and never get deployed before you ETS, it will be a life changing experience. You will learn lessons, gain experience, and make friendships that will carry you for the rest of your life. You can't imagine how the most seemingly mundane task will pay dividends far down the road.
I was originally going to put the word "lucky" in the first sentence of the last paragraph, but then changed it to "determined". Looking back, luck only plays a small role, as in "if you are lucky enough to stay healthy". Beyond that, it is YOUR level of determination, or the lack therof, that will tell if you make it to assignment in a Ranger Battalion. I have a feeling that everyone here to a man will attest to the same. You will have to be in the condition of a professional athlete, and just as in sports, career ending injuries happen all the time. Hovever, that risk is mitigated as low as possible. The rest is up to you.
So, to paraphrase Dirty Harry, "Do ya' feel lucky?.."
