How can someone earn a Ranger School slot as a non-combat Army National Guard soldier?

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 May 2022 17:26:47 -0400

I'm a foreigner who just got Green Card and enlisted this year. My goal is to become an infantry soldier, and I would like to earn that tab as soon as I can. However I'm in National Guard as a 88M Trucker. Is there any chance for people like me to get that Ranger School slot in the first few years? I will start my Basic Training in July, and come back in late November. I plan on doing 2 years of ROTC in January next year.
Does anyone know how to improve the chance of getting Ranger School slot for people like me? I want to wear that tab no later than 3 years from now.

Thank you very much.

Very respectfully yours,
PFC Ran Pan

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 27 at 2022 6:29 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 May 2022 18:29:58 -0400

Goddam, I like your goal oriented mindset! Gentlemen like yourself are exactly how foreigners like yourself made America into the American dream.

I will tell you that your chance of going to Ranger School, in the NG, as a non-combat arms person, is almost impossible. If you were combat arms in the NG, or non-combat arms in the Regular Army, that would be a realistic goal. There just are very few, maybe zero, paths to Ranger School as a NG 88M.

You may very well be able to get a chance to go to Ranger School at ROTC if you are at the top of your class. However, you will need to be a citizen first to go to ROTC, because ROTC is a commissioning program and you must be a citizen to be an officer in the US military.

Second, you eill

Response by SPC James Neidig made May 28 at 2022 2:04 AM

SPC James Neidig — Sat, 28 May 2022 02:04:30 -0400

Welcome to the USA, and Thank You For Doing it the Right Way, as a Former 88m Both NG and Active it can be a great Job, You Will have A Job That Every Combat MOS Depends on , You Will Be Hauling Everything From Food and Water To Ammo and if you get assigned to a HET unit Tanks and Other Wheeled Vehicles, You Could Also Be Driving Wounded and Dead Back To The Rear Area

Response by SFC Jaysin Smith made May 30 at 2022 7:46 AM

SFC Jaysin Smith — Mon, 30 May 2022 07:46:56 -0400

Take baby steps bro. And make sure you ask yourself if you wanna get tabbed or you want a scroll. Being tabbed just shows you went through the school. Getting a scroll means you are a Ranger serving in Bn. While you may have a tab, you're not a ranger you're Ranger qualified. Going into Bn. Will get you the the high speed training and weapons and deployments that some soldiers want. My advice would be to finish your basic and AIT, go active duty and see if you can get yourself a slot in RASP. I came in under an option 40 and was given a guarantee that I'd get to RIP after airborne. But I also came in as an 11B. Get through IDAT and then explore your options for active duty. Or go to college and get your commission. The most respected officers are ones who started as enlisted soldiers. Go active and with a commission and you'll definitely have a better chance at becoming a ranger. As for just getting tabbed, I'm not sure how that will work. The other posts mentioned getting your citizenship and they're right. You can't be commissioned without US citizenship. By the way, you may hate basic, but when you look back you're gonna miss it and love every second of it. You build life long bonds there. As you progress through your career you'll have men and women that are closer to you then your own siblings. Best of luck to you.

Response by SGT Jared Lopez made Jun 2 at 2022 9:10 AM

SGT Jared Lopez — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 09:10:25 -0400

I'm pretty sure that your chances are slim, being a mechanic...and not active duty. Those open slots for Ranger School are very few. When I was an 11B E-5 in active duty, it still wasn't a guarantee. Our unit used to only get a handful of openings for the whole Batallion.

Response by CSM Bob Stanek made Jun 30 at 2022 9:09 PM

CSM Bob Stanek — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 21:09:02 -0400

PFC Private RallyPoint Member Some options to consider...

Get into a COMBAT ENGINEER unit (12B) and look into getting certified as COMBAT SAPPER with the engineer background. It's close to a lot of the Ranger training without the Infantry background. Some say it is tougher to earn the SAPPER patch then the ranger since it is a shorter course, but just as tough.

Combat Arms schools help, including JUMP Training to help you get fit and might open some doors for you.

Active duty is the best option to help get Ranger qualified. But a whole different level of commitment.

Finally, getting Officer qualified also helps, but requires additional training and schooling (4 year college education).

Talk to an Active duty recruiter. Don't discuss with the NG or Army Reserve Recruiters as they don't have the ability to get or move you in the direction you need to go.

Just some random thoughts...

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 16 at 2022 5:25 PM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 17:25:15 -0400

Sometimes you will just have to put yourself out there. Drop a schools request 4187. BUT, you had better be ready to toe the line if you get picked for RASP. Make sure you meet all the prequels before you try. GT score 110, airborne physical, land nav and so on. It will be had but nothing is impossible.

Response by SPC Gareth Mannion made Jul 18 at 2022 4:22 AM

SPC Gareth Mannion — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 04:22:22 -0400

My question is, us why did you join as an 88m instead of an 11 series Many years ago as an alien with a green card with a GT score of 110 I was denied a warrant officer slot because of no citizenship(I later learned I was automatically a citizen at the age of 16 thorough my father's citizenship). Instead I became an 11C. If you had the scores to join the infantry, why didn't you?

Response by MSG Chuck Pewsey made Jul 25 at 2022 2:38 AM

MSG Chuck Pewsey — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 02:38:07 -0400

I offer you advise from a captain I worked with many years ago: go airborne first. Otherwise, you end up slogging through the swamp on your way to the drop zone while you colleagues sit in a nice comfy aircraft. Then you get to slog right back out again. He learned the hard way.

Response by CSM John Mead made Jul 25 at 2022 2:25 PM

CSM John Mead — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 14:25:03 -0400

Great aspirations, however as it has been already mentioned before, getting a Ranger school slot while in the NG is not impossible, but is as a non-combat arms type. Additionally, you make it seem like you're all about that tab and not what it means to be a Ranger. It's .ike going to jump school but not ever wanting to be assigned to an airborne slot. I suggest that you go active duty, infantry with an assignment to one of the Ranger Battalions. That will almost guarantee you a school slot. But mind you, it's about being a Ranger, not the freaking tab. They'll uncover your intentions early on and then show you the door.