Son headed to RASP tomorrow

[AIRBORNEVET]

My son heads over to Regiment tomorrow. Probably start pre-RASP since the next class date is not until mid August. He and Willis on this site are great friends. If anyone knows someone make sure they lay out the red carpet for him. I can PM you his name--its the same as mine. They can tell him it's a gift from the "ol man." Hoping this course makes him understand why I was so hard on him all those years. It's time to see what he's made of. We shall see if he was listening to all those talks about "intestinal fortitude" over the years. Sometimes those hog lookin at a wrist watch expressions had me wondering. If he quits he's gonna have more to worry about than just being put up for world wide assignment.

[scar]

If he makes it he will forever talk shit to his old man.

[AIRBORNEVET]

If he makes it he will forever talk shit to his old man.

Oh trust me Ranger scar I already wake up in cold sweats thinking about it. Never forget when the little shit beat my best Army two mile time. I was pretty proud of it too with an 11:10 and let him know it for years. :D His best time in high school was like a 10:15 and from what he said he had a 10:33 in basic. He needed no words when he came off the high school track that day as his smile when he looked at me said it all. Still had the high ground in wrestling until I bucked up and sent him to Cael Sandersons Intensive Wrestling Camp in Iowa before his Senior year. We decided to throw down in one of his high school practices. Needless to say that was the day I knew what age meant. He beat me, but only by points, which was good enough. Guess I only have myself to blame as his punishment since he was about 4 was to run. Started with laps around the house and gradually built up the distances as he got older. Of course pushups and sit ups were thrown in as well. Never forget the time I dropped both my boys (want to say they were about 4 and 6) outside the mall on Christmas eve in front of God and Country for acting the fool. Talk about the " hate looks" I got from civillians. Remember telling my youngest son during elementary school after numerous evening PT sessions, "You're gonna either listen or look like Arnold Schwarzenegger by the time you graduate, it's your choice." He will graduate this year as the Valedictorian of his high school and attend Princeton next year. He always did take the path of least resistance.

On a personal note not attending Ranger school or having the privilege of serving in a Ranger Battalion will be one of the things I will regret and never forgive myself for. Batt boys were always the best Long Tabbers in my opinion. Yeah, the oldest is obviously smarter than the old man too. :(

[AIRBORNEVET]

"But Dad, what about Special Forces"?!

Ranger Lunch I guess the only answer I can respond to him with is by using AR 670-1, "Order of precedence my boy." A cop out and a shitty way to try and trump it I know but shit its all I got... :( (For a little while anyway... )

[KW Driver]

"But Dad, what about Special Forces"?!

Ranger Lunch I guess the only answer I can respond to him with is by using AR 670-1, "Order of precedence my boy." A cop out and a shitty way to try and trump it I know but shit its all I got... :( (For a little while anyway... )

Fuck SF! :D

[AIRBORNEVET]

Ranger KW Driver have you watched those Ranger School Promos someone did on You Tube?

"What about Special Forces?" "Fuck Special Forces!"

It's funny I worked with 2nd Batallion guys when I was at Lewis and had interaction with them on occasion. Some of the most professional and motivated soldiers I ever had the pleasure to meet and be around. Went through SERE school with a Ranger Battalion kid (Funny, I call him a kid but was only maybe 6 years younger than me at the time) and he was on my Escape and Evasion team during that portion of the school. I think his last name was Mac something and I believe his Dad was high up in the enlisted Ranger or SF food chain in 96. I know he was not in 2nd Battalion. Maybe he's on here :) We became great friends and he definitely had his shit wrapped tight. He ended up coming over to the SF side later on. Well even though I had only limited interaction with Rangers, it always had a lifelong and positive effect as well as gave me a great admiration and respect for all you guys do. A major reason why I advised the boy to pursue this route. Anyway, I always talked about Ranger Battalion soldiers in a favorable and admiring manner quite frequently at Group. Remember one particular instance was arguing with a SF E-8 about the "Big boy rules in effect" logic that was thrown around quite a bit for an upcoming deployment we were going on. After consistently talking about certain benefits of how the Ranger Batallions did things and the discipline and attention to detail it promoted as well as the advantages in certain areas to have things dress right dress I pissed him off pretty bad. Keep in mind he was never in a Ranger Bat nor had he been to Ranger school. He finally told me if I loved the Ranger's that fuckin much, "Take your shit, call a cab, and head down the road to 2nd Batallion." I still get a tear in my eye to think at one small moment in my limited military career I was compared to as possibly having the same mentality as a Ranger. That unfortunately was the closest I would get other than getting screwed out of my Ranger school slot because our team got deployed to Haiti.
Still wonder sometimes if I should have made that call to the yellow buggy...... :?

[KW Driver]

That video kind of codifies the long standing official Batt boy (not Bn/Regt) position on SF. The video is a cliché, done over the top. I said fuck SF back in the 90s.

But it's a good natured, professional rivalry.

I was in the boatshop to get my wife off my ass about being gone so long/often, while I worked my flight packet. Bn went to Bragg, jumped Sicily, then assaulted the MOUT sight. I was on DZSO then walked my old CO to he trucks after ENDEX. while we were waiting, some dude pulled up to Chicken and whatever, looking for his brother's TM walking through. We said we hadn't seen them and he went straight into recruiter mode. Ever considered SF? so I asked some leading questions to bait him then said fuck that, I wasn't interested in playing Drill to an endless cycle of LBGs, I liked DA just fine, have a nice day. Took the air out of him.

SF is a great place to progress into from the Regt, if a long walk isn't to taste or in the cards.