Introduction- Charlie

[IvoryCharlie]

I broke under 12 minutes on a 2 mile run (for the first two miles of a 5k race I clocked in at 11:48), and otherwise my PT has remained constant, with no gains over the past week or so.
For weightlifting, which I know that I do not need to focus on as much as aerobic exercises, my powerlifts have lost quite a bit of power, as I'm only able to deadlift 320 for 3 reps, bench 240 for 2 reps and squat 315 for 5 reps. I may train powerlifting for a month or so down the road, but now I don't see how it's relevant whilst training distance running.
My recruiter told me that he is still waiting on any word about my waiver... I have not been to MEPS, but my recruiter sent in some paperwork that, apparently, needs to be approved by the Surgeon General.
I hope that all goes well, but I'm anxiously awaiting the Army's decision on whether or not I will be allowed in with a Ranger or Airborne Option.

[Jim]

Any new developments? Never, never quit!

[IvoryCharlie]

Sorry that it has been so long - I haven't had much news. My recruiter was on vacation 2 weeks ago for a week, and didn't get back to my texts and calls, so I had assumed the worst. As it turns out, 2 days ago he submitted more paperwork, including a doctor's note that states that I am " medically cleared to participate in any branch of the military" and, in the doctor's words: "he has no limitations with range of motion." This note is from my surgeon who put my clavicle plate in, fixed my torn shoulder and took my plate out, so maybe the people at MEPS will take this into account when it comes time for me to visit. I should be going by the end of this month, to possibly sign on to the DEP. The recruiters whom I have talked to in my area all insist that I will be able to get an Option 40, but that I should try for 68w since there is a higher demand for that job, so therefore I would be more likely to get it than 11x since there are significantly fewer people to draw from (because of asvab scores). 11x is still my first choice, however, so I will try and wait it out.
In terms of PT, I have hit a wall, and I have not seen many improvements. I ran a 4:50 mile during one of my final cross country practices, over flat terrain. Then, today, to my dismay, I ran a 21:07 5k race up a mountain for my final meet. The average time lost was 2 minutes on my team, so this fits my best time (low 19 minutes). If I do make it into the 75th Ranger Regiment, however, I know that it will be necessary to be quite efficient and fast in traveling up hills, especially during the second phase of Ranger School, so I am going to divert more effort into mountain running during this upcoming winter sport season, in which I will be participating in track and field. 4 days ago I did an upper body PT test after my one mile sprint:
31 pullups
102 pushups
92 situps
No significant gains or losses, even though I now weigh 176 lb after 12 weeks and lost 2 inches off of my arms.

[Jim]

I will tell you that if they offer a 68W, it is a super MOS. Great training. Do your homework and study the advantages and disadvantages of 11X vs 68W Option 40. Never, never quit!

[Jim]

Anything new, Charlie?

[IvoryCharlie]

Ranger Jim,

Sorry I haven't posted an update in such a long time. There really have not been any developments in the recruiting process for me; I am currently waiting for MEPS to allow me in to conduct medicals tests. I spoke with my recruiter today, and was told that I just need to be patient and wait, as there is nothing that I can do to expedite this process. The MEPS in my region is, according to my recruiter, very backed up with applications, and my file is fairly large anyway.
In terms of PT, I really haven't seen improvements on the pft at all. Really, I haven't been training for the pft specifically, as I had been doing in the past. Since I can consistently get far past 300, I don't see the point in exclusively training for one, two, three or five mile runs. Aside from an under 12 minute 2 miler on a consistent basis, I can now crank out 110 (+/- 10) pushups in two minutes, multiple sets of 25 pullups, and around 90 situps. The weights that I can lift are not quite as heavy as they used to be, but this is understandable since I find it hard to consume enough calories to exercise 2-3 hours per day. Some time ago, I ran 27 miles straight in 3 and a half hours during a time that I was feeling angry about something that I do not quite remember. I suppose that marathon was good for my state of mind, but really I ran it to see how hard I could push myself. I know that it would not be practical for Rangers, or prospective Rangers like myself, to go out and run marathons (due to the week long recovery and absolute Central Nervous System hell that results from doing so), but I really do not see any reason why I should not prepare for the worst. From what I have observed on this website and elsewhere, in RASP 25-35 mile weeks are typical. Since life in a Ranger Battalion is significantly more difficult than the selection that puts motivated men there, I have reasoned that a weekly mileage that I should strive for would be around 40-50 miles. Is this an accurate assumption?
Also, I looked into the 68w MOS, what the SOMC demands, and the type of men that carry out such a job. I read Lest We Forget by Leo Jenkins, which seems to be a reputable source for such things, this website (specifically the Letters From School section), as well as numerous publications online. It is a job that I have the utmost respect for, but the MOS that I know I will excel in and enjoy doing the most is still 11B. Should I be told that 11x option 40 is impossible for me to obtain, I would certainly sign a 68w Option 40, but I do not envision this to be the case. Again, thank you for allowing me access to this wealth of knowledge that has served to educate me on the role that I intend to fill in the future. Without it, I probably would have listened to my recruiter and started pursuing a 92R MOS... which I would have certainly regretted.

[IvoryCharlie]

I'm going to MEPS today. Perhaps everything will work out.

[Jim]

I'm going to MEPS today. Perhaps everything will work out.

Please let us know how things worked out. Never, never quit!

[IvoryCharlie]

Ranger Jim,

Upon arriving at the MEPS I asked the CMO if I could do the airborne physical, to which he responded that I could not. He said that I was permanently disqualified from airborne, and therefore I could never be a Ranger. Yet, I persisted in my prodding, and did not surrender to simply signing an 11x. After my medical screening, I had all ones in the PULHES but with a 3p (which I am told is the CMO recommending me for a waiver) in upper extremities. Somehow I even have 20/8 vision, which, I hope, could help me get this waiver. I banged out 157 pushups in quick succession in front of the CMO to prove my point that my shoulder was stable, and then proceed to do several handstand pushups to demonstrate that my shoulder will not dislocate while under great pressure. He seemed receptive to this, and then told me that if I could tell him how he could get me in, he would try his best to do so (as he was a civilian doctor with limited knowledge of the MEPS process, despite being the CMO). I asked around the MEPS, and found a liaison of sorts that told me I had a "slim to no" chance of getting the Option 40 due to me needing a Medical Waiver, and, as I have found out on this website, this is the truth. I told her that I would take this "slim" chance, and thus I am applying for an Exception to Policy with the MEPS CMO's approval (and endorsement). The recruiter who drove me home was not the one who I had known, and he drove at 10 miles per hour for an entire hour trying to convince me to just sign on as infantry and get Airborne and RASP later, but I know that this is unlikely as there are no guarantees-- I know what it is that I want to do, and unless this exception to policy is denied, I will never quit until I attain this goal of being a part of the 75th Ranger Regiment so that I may do what Rangers do best. Thank you, again, for access to this website; I would have likely caved to this recruiter had I not the knowledge that I have sought here.

[Jim]

Author: Jim » Wed Apr 01, 2015 8:28 pm




IvoryCharlie wrote:

Ranger Jim,

Upon arriving at the MEPS I asked the CMO if I could do the airborne physical, to which he responded that I could not. He said that I was permanently disqualified from airborne, and therefore I could never be a Ranger. Yet, I persisted in my prodding, and did not surrender to simply signing an 11x. After my medical screening, I had all ones in the PULHES but with a 3p (which I am told is the CMO recommending me for a waiver) in upper extremities. Somehow I even have 20/8 vision, which, I hope, could help me get this waiver. I banged out 157 pushups in quick succession in front of the CMO to prove my point that my shoulder was stable, and then proceed to do several handstand pushups to demonstrate that my shoulder will not dislocate while under great pressure. He seemed receptive to this, and then told me that if I could tell him how he could get me in, he would try his best to do so (as he was a civilian doctor with limited knowledge of the MEPS process, despite being the CMO). I asked around the MEPS, and found a liaison of sorts that told me I had a "slim to no" chance of getting the Option 40 due to me needing a Medical Waiver, and, as I have found out on this website, this is the truth. I told her that I would take this "slim" chance, and thus I am applying for an Exception to Policy with the MEPS CMO's approval (and endorsement). The recruiter who drove me home was not the one who I had known, and he drove at 10 miles per hour for an entire hour trying to convince me to just sign on as infantry and get Airborne and RASP later, but I know that this is unlikely as there are no guarantees-- I know what it is that I want to do, and unless this exception to policy is denied, I will never quit until I attain this goal of being a part of the 75th Ranger Regiment so that I may do what Rangers do best. Thank you, again, for access to this website; I would have likely caved to this recruiter had I not the knowledge that I have sought here.

This is why we exist. Talked to one of the admins in MEPS today. Army is behind in recruiting and they are madly trying to fill April recruiting quotas. Everything else is lower priority.

[IvoryCharlie]

I'm going in on Friday to MEPS for an Airborne Physical. I'm not entirely sure if I got an exception to policy, but from what I understand from my last MEPS visit was that I was ineligible for the Airborne Physical without an ETP. It is possible, then, that I got this exception already. My shoulder is fully healed and I am currently in VERY good shape physically, and I am not backing down to any recruiter's attempts to smooth talk me into signing something that isn't an 11x Option 40. To this point, this has worked in my favor, and hopefully on Friday my dreams don't get crushed. I suppose I need the stars to align; but I'm not going to quit.

[IvoryCharlie]

Also, since I forgot to mention this: my waiver was approved.

[IvoryCharlie]

No good news. I walked into the Doctor's room at the MEPS on Friday and was promptly told that he would not allow me to do my airborne physical. So, it seems my ETP was denied.
The highest ranking recruiter in my area (SGT 1st Class) said that he would try to pull a chance for me to do this airborne physical, since I have proven to him and the CMO (not the doctor that marked NO on my inspection to airborne physical) that I have a very strong upper body. I know that this is likely not going to happen. I also know that the recruiting quotas this month have been bumped up considerably, so if there is time for a miracle to happen, it is this month. If nothing happens by the end of the month, I'll deal with it then.

[Jim]

No good news. I walked into the Doctor's room at the MEPS on Friday and was promptly told that he would not allow me to do my airborne physical. So, it seems my ETP was denied.
The highest ranking recruiter in my area (SGT 1st Class) said that he would try to pull a chance for me to do this airborne physical, since I have proven to him and the CMO (not the doctor that marked NO on my inspection to airborne physical) that I have a very strong upper body. I know that this is likely not going to happen. I also know that the recruiting quotas this month have been bumped up considerably, so if there is time for a miracle to happen, it is this month. If nothing happens by the end of the month, I'll deal with it then.

Charlie, what you say about the recruiting quota is correct. However, there has not been an increase in Option 40. A friend of mine who works at MEPS tells me that at this time of the year there are normally 30 -35K in the DEP pool, right now there is only 15 -18K. So the push is to fill every April IET seat. Never, never quit!

[IvoryCharlie]

Roger, Ranger Jim.
I just got told today by the SFC at the recruiting center where I applied from that he is done trying to get me in with a Ranger or Airborne option because he has no idea how to. So, I did some research on my predicament, and I know that I will have to wait some more, or cave in to get what I want. I was informed that supposedly I still have a 3 in my PULHES, but this will change once I am in the Army... this does not sound accurate, so I am doing more research regarding the process of getting this reduced to a 1. Yesterday I bench pressed 315 pounds for 10 repetitions in one set, for 4 sets. I am fairly sure that this means that if I was to try for it, I could bench press around the upper levels of 300 pounds, but I don't want to risk any sort of injury in the attempt. I also did 10 sets of 30 handstand pushups in the same workout. Shoulder instability is not an issue for me, but on paper there is no chance that I get an option 40, it seems, because of my fully healed shoulder injury that, at one time, needed surgical repair.
The principal at my school, a former LRRP, served in the same unit with a man who is now the Brigadier General of the 82nd Airborne Division. My principal gave me his word that he is going to ask this Brigadier General for a favor; this favor would be to pull some strings for me, because I am certainly physically and mentally capable of pushing on to the Ranger Objective in my Principal's opinion. This appears to my last chance, and I have no way to know if this is going to work out. Likely, it won't. However, bonds forged in combat come with a certain degree of trust, and perhaps this Brigadier General would be willing to help me get to the position that I know I am capable of thriving in since he has experienced such atrocities of human nature with my school's principal.
If this last effort does not work out, I will probably end up enlisting under 11x. I oppose the ideology of ISIS, and I want to serve and protect the American way of life that has been threatened lately, and will continue to be threatened until the days of eternal peace, which I know no one will live to see. While there is nothing that I would rather do than serve in a Ranger Battalion to best utilize my resolve, my circumstances limit me and this is infuriating to me. But, this isn't a reason for me to waste away going to college in the hopes of becoming a successful writer, because that would be an empty existence for me, knowing that I could do something better for those in need of protection from the radicals of the world.
Thank you all for the help. I will never quit.