The non-combat arms people have been trying for years to get in Ranger School. Now that they are finally shedding a little bit of blood they think they have earned the right to wear the TAB. I respect any blood spilled, but combat arms people have been in the killing and being killed business a long time. Being shot at is not a qualifier. For many years non-combat arms types have had it deep for Ranger types. I see it in there eyes as my Infantry Platoon passes them on the road, or should I say smokes by them! I see a look of confusion on their faces as my Platoon turns around passes by them, to pick up a slower soldier, gets him back in formation, and then smokes by them again. I could go on for hours about our standards and theres, Todays Jump School is a Joke! It was respectable at one time, but ever since they let the first female in the school, it was doomed, its used as a political pacifier, for the weak, the wannabees, and the fragile foreign visiting students! For Gods sake! You non combat arms listen up! one day his war will end, and when we all come home you will go back to your comfortable offices, your double standard PT, your office politics ( SIRS), sold out Sergeant Majors. You will never admit the truth, only while your laying quietly in bed next to your wife, maybe you will admit it to yourselves. YOU HAVE NOT EARNED THE RIGHT! LEAVE US ALONE! WE HAVE EARNED IT!

The non-combat arms people have been trying for years to get in Ranger School. Now that they are finally shedding a little bit of blood they think they have earned the right to wear the TAB.

 

Just to clarify, anyone who can tough out a couple months at Ranger School and get a go "earns the right to wear the TAB."  Yay them.  Doesn't make them the baddest of the bad, and (as has been noted) certainly doesn't make them a Ranger.  It's a tough school with a pretty respectable washout rate for non-SOF training. 

 

But before you start bringing a bunch of attitude about the issue, I'd recommend considering:

 

a) I know a number of officers who aren't branched combat arms and whose daily responsibilities largely relate to generating power point slides.  Once upon a time they were infantry or armor platoon leaders, before chasing after better promotion prospects in other branches.  They earned and wear their Short Tabs.  I think one of them didn't even end up branched combat arms at all -- he picked it up back when you could go to Ranger school as an ROTC cadet.  The Army says he earned the thing, too.

 

b) The guy who makes sure the eggs get scrambled right each morning in the Rangers' chow halls?  He's got a Ranger Tab.  The first line supervisor for guys who turn wrenches at battalion keeping humvees and generators running?  He's got a Ranger Tab, too.

 

c) Non-combat arms guys from other SOCOM units outside of the 75th have been able to get occasional slots to Ranger School despite the ban, as well, depending on their mission.  Actually there are some non-combat arms, non-Ranger Regiment guys who are expected to go to Ranger school within USASOC.

 

c) This isn't the first time Ranger School has been open to non-combat arms MOS's from Big Army. 

 

I respect any blood spilled, but combat arms people have been in the killing and being killed business a long time.  Being shot at is not a qualifier. For many years non-combat arms types have had it deep for Ranger types. I see it in there eyes as my Infantry Platoon passes them on the road, or should I say smokes by them!

 

Having a couple of combat arms MOS's (11B, 19D) and also a couple non-combat arms MOS's, my only recommendation would be to grow up.  If your skin is so thin and self-image so poor that you need a hug every time you think dirty, lowly support soldiers might possibly sully the pristine world of the combat arms soldier you're not in the right line of work.

 

I see a look of confusion on their faces as my Platoon turns around passes by them, to pick up a slower soldier, gets him back in formation, and then smokes by them again. I could go on for hours about our standards and theres,

 

I'm with you on this, to an extent, and I'm in a SOF support unit, which you'd think might set a higher standard.  The esprit de corps isn't there, and you have a lot of guys who live down to the stereotypes -- and sadly some of them are in leadership positions and don't raise the bar for their troops like they should, etc.  But you also have soldiers who do thankless jobs, and do them well.  While I occasionally find myself disgusted by the stupidity and laziness I encounter, I'd also note that there are guys I deal with who never held a combat arms MOS and are every bit as exemplary as the best guys I served with in a scout platoon. 

 

Todays Jump School is a Joke! It was respectable at one time, but ever since they let the first female in the school, it was doomed, its used as a political pacifier, for the weak, the wannabees, and the fragile foreign visiting students!

Skurda  - 

Airborne school is there to teach people how to static line parachute. You don't need to be an extraordinary person to do that, so the there really is no reason basic airborne school should be rigorous. However, service within the airborne units is very rigorous. My only complaint with airborne school is that too many people go to it. Officer cadets, CS and CSS enlisted and 2lts do not need to go to airborne school unless they either serve in an airborne unit or their job requires them to static line parachute. People use the school to put a cool badge on their uniform, and that is unacceptable. This takes people away from their jobs for 3 weeks for something they will probably never use, and it costs the army a lot of money. If the army wants to cut the fat, that would be a perfect place to start.

God save us from remfs with warning labels. First Shinseki, who was known to have a hard-on for elite forces, gives everyone a flippin' beret, and now this. I've been out for over ten years, what's the washout rate in Airborne School these days? Back in the Eighties, it was near 70% recycle/washout. We had a few females (riggers) in our class, but not so many other rear-echelon types.

 

Keep the Faith and Keep up the Fire!