Introduction - Pangolin

[Pangolin]

Hello Rangers.

I am currently 19 years old. I've completed a year of college, and will be enlisting with 52 credits toward a BSEE. Enlisting became my goal sometime toward the start of high school, but chose to attend college first, both out of my own curiosity and my parents' desires.

My target is the 75th Ranger Regiment, for the high frequency of deployment, as well as the quality it demands of its Soldiers. I feel a duty toward the defense of my country, as well as a personal desire to be involved in something that will push me to my furthest limits.

I have talked with my local recruiter, and am scheduled to take the ASVAB on Tuesday. The contract I am targeting is 11x.

I hope to learn and prepare as much as I can before I hit IET.

PT Test: (Today)

Push-ups: 31
Sit-ups: 65
2 Mile Run: 15:06
Pull-ups: 10

I understand that my performance is critically deficient. I am pushing immediately, with attention to form, and will continue to do so until I meet and exceed the Ranger standard.

[Jim]

Welcome, If you truly want to earn a place in the 75th Ranger Regiment, you're at the right site. We at ArmyRanger.com take a great deal of pride in the young men who pass through here on their life journey. Please tell us more about yourself. Most of the questions you might have can be addressed by using the search feature, located on the top left of this page in the quick links. Please read the FAQs, as well as select stickies and threads. I see you have completed a PT Test; but you need to use your time to work on improving your scores. Never, never quit

[CharlieRanger1FFV]

Welcome to the site, Pangolin.


RLTW!!!

[Pangolin]

Ranger Jim,

I have no close family in the military. I have no real experience with organized sports or outdoor activities. When you get down to it, my interest in military service comes from my personal interest, developed mostly through reading firsthand accounts of war and conflict. They have left me with an appreciation of the role of violence in the modern world, and the importance of the military in the preservation of our peaceful state.

Civilian life makes me rather uncomfortable. I have done nothing to earn it. I don't want to grow old, only living those experiences in books.

My reading includes: Al J. Venter's War Dog, Pete Blaber's The Mission, Men, and Me, and Black Hawk Down, to name a few key titles.

I have picked up a copy of Ranger Knowledge, and have already memorized the Ranger Creed.

With regards to entering the Army:

Today, I took the PiCAT. It's essentially a computerized ASVAB that can be taken at any recruiting station. The only further requirement is a short confirmation to lock in my line scores.

My AFQT score came out at 99, with a 140 GT composite. My recruiter used these scores to examine the currently available jobs, rather happy that I qualified for everything. Quite ironically, this is all they had available on their portal:

35P, 92F, 88M, 68K, and 31B.

Though they put in a call to the ROC, there was nothing else immediately available, and especially nothing offering an Option 40 contract. I refused to take any of these.

It might just be a bad time. Considering first that it's the last quarter of the fiscal year, many contracts have been eaten up by recent high school graduates, and for some reason or the other, a number of combat arms contracts have been reserved for female applicants.

My course of action is to wait until I can secure the contract I'm after. If necessary, I intend to wait until the start of the next fiscal year. I will be a polite pest, and stay on my recruiter's radar. They are not very invested in me.

From their perspective, this is a reasonable response. They have to make their monthly quotas, and with so many applicants ready to bite at the first thing available, spending lots of time on a person who will not be able to ship at once is a poor use of time.

I will stick it out and do more PT.

[Jim]

Excellent post. Be patient, remember you represent a quota to your recruiter. You need to get a physical and officially get score on your GT, etc. so that you are ready to enlist. Never, never quit!

[Pangolin]

First things first, an updated APFT:

Push-ups: 43
Sit-ups: 55
Two mile: 14:18
Pull-ups: 11

APFT Score: 206

My sit-ups have dropped. I believe I didn't pay enough attention to them in the last two weeks, and accordingly lost endurance. I am somewhat pleased that I now meet the AIT standard in all events. The first five meter goal is behind me.

My ASVAB scores are locked in. MEPS was somewhat time consuming, but it was a good teaser of what the real Army is like. Hurry up and wait is reality.

My physical is scheduled for Monday. I will have to wake up and head to the station fairly early in the morning. This is where I anticipate problems. My eyesight falls within the spherical error standard of +/- 8 diopters. However, my cylinder error (Astigmatism.) is in excess of three diopters.

According to USMEPSCOM R. 40-1 (Feb, 2017):

7-8. Optometry/Ophthalmology Consults

a. In applicants with cylinder readings in excess of 3.00 diopters, keratoconus must be ruled out. If a consult reveals no keratoconus and no other pathology, then a waiver is likely and the profile is E=3P.

However, AR 40-501 makes no mention of a similar standard for astigmatism. I have been given conflicting information from varying sources on this. At this stage, my conclusion is that I will have to take my physical and see what happens.

11X contracts have become available. They are not Option 40 contracts. I won't be taking one.

[Pangolin]

Rangers,

Brief update. My PULHES rating is 111111. No waivers necessary. Apparently my eyes were better than I thought.

There are still no Ranger contracts available. I have been advised it is possible to earn a place in Airborne and RASP through performance in OSUT, but no guarantees. I have also been informed it is possible to seek entrance to the Ranger Regiment upon reenlistment. I don't want to spend three years serving an unrelated contract to get a shot at RASP if it can be achieved during my initial enlistment, by waiting three months.

The agenda for the coming two weeks is practicing land navigation, calisthenics, scoping out an Airborne Ranger in the Sky, and polishing up on Ranger history.

[Jim]

Good SITREP. Have you determined what MOS you will enlist for? Never, never quit!

[Grim666]

Remember that there are a number of other guys on the ground with the 11X. Take a look at some of the other MOSes if you are interested in looking around. Any thoughts on the ones you want?

[Pangolin]

Ranger Jim, Ranger Grim 666,

Currently, there appear to be no contracts in combat arms with Option 40 available. There are multiple support MOS contracts with Option 40, such as 88M, 15W, and 92F.

68W, 13F, and 12B are the other roles I am giving serious consideration. 13F and 12B are fairly uncomplicated in their role and training pipeline, but 68W proposes a change in focus. SOCM has been described as "drinking from a fire hose" and accordingly, requires a complete commitment to saving lives on the battlefield. I have read through the letters from school, as well as Ranger Bloody_Limey's SOCM After Action Review. The key challenge appears to be retaining every last piece of information gained during study, and keeping sharp with medical procedures.

I've noticed the existence of the "Five Mentees Report Here" thread, but don't appear to have access to it. I'm eager to see the task list.

Due to travel, I am unable to complete a PFT today. I will remedy this tomorrow.

[Pangolin]

Rangers,

Due to an injury in my ankle, I have no update on my run. I am taking time to allow the joint to heal.

Push Ups: 50
Sit ups: 71
Pull Ups: 13

Luck has changed. Someone in the system dropped a Ranger contract and my recruiter landed on it like a hawk. They've reserved the contract for me. On Wednesday, I go in to MEPS for the Airborne physical, security interview, and to sign my contract.

The prospective ship date is in early September. I don't have much time to prepare and my scores are far from where they should be. Nonetheless, I'm excited.

[Pangolin]

To clarify a detail, my contract is for 11B.

[Pangolin]

Rangers,

I have taken the oath of enlistment and sworn in to the DEP. My projected ship date is 20170905. My contract is as follows: 11X, Option 40 RGV4 - Ranger Training.

Things have accelerated, and I'm feeling as motivated as I've ever been. I don't have much time to finish my task list, but don't yet have access to the Five Mentees thread. The Letters from School subforum has been immensely helpful, and I have a good idea of what to anticipate in the coming months.

[Jim]

Congratulations on earning an Option 40. Check your e-mail. Never, never quit!