Posted on Mar 29, 2024
1LT Chaplain Candidate
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I am writing a research paper. In it, I will refer to one of my friends. I'm not in the SOF world so I just want to get this right. Keep in mind, the paper is for civilians, so the exact language doesn't need to be precise, just respectful.

I want to say "with one of my colleagues, an Army Ranger in an infantry battalion down the road, admitting to me..."
Edited 7 mo ago
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MAJ Infantry Officer
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The U.S. Army Ranger Association is the oldest organization currently in existence that supports members of the Ranger community regardless of the conflict in which they served or the unit to which they were assigned. The Association has been asked to weigh in on the question of who qualifies to use the title U.S. Army Ranger. Those who study Ranger history will know that this until-now good natured barracks debate has flared in one form or another for at least seventy years. The short answer to this question is that anyone who graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School or who served in a Ranger-designated unit qualifies. These qualifications have been enshrined, albeit in a bit more detail, within our bylaws for decades and are consistent with the stance taken by the Department of the Army.

https://members.ranger.org/Who-Is-A-Ranger

“There is no official U.S. Army policy regarding the use of the term ‘Ranger,’” said Lt. Col. Ramirez, the spokesman with the Army’s Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, adding that “The designation ‘Ranger’ has been associated with Soldiers who either graduated from Ranger School or are assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment.”

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-ranger-school-policy-unknown/

Bottom line, anyone who served in a Ranger unit or graduated from Ranger School can be called a Ranger.
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1LT Chaplain Candidate
1LT (Join to see)
6 mo
MAJ (Join to see) The paper is actually on biblical counseling for soldiers who experience depression. No citation will be needed for the brief reference to my friend, but it's still incredibly helpful to have this official stance from this NPO. As well, to know that there is nothing doctrinal about it, it's just a cultural thing.
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1SG Dean Mcbride (MPER) (CPHR)
1SG Dean Mcbride (MPER) (CPHR)
3 mo
I am not certain about the statement "or who served in a Ranger-designated unit qualifies".... I need to check with someone who served in the Regiment... For example, are the Cooks Rangers? Not meaning to demean Cooks but do they have to go to Ranger School before being assigned to the Regiment. If not Ranger qualified, I don't think they would be calling themselves "Rangers" on any subsequent assignment.
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MAJ Infantry Officer
MAJ (Join to see)
3 mo
1SG Dean Mcbride (MPER) (CPHR) All enlisted soldiers who volunteer to serve in the Ranger Regiment must first pass the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) now called RASP (Ranger Assessment and Selection Program). Afterwards they are assigned to a Ranger Battalion. The junior enlisted do not attend and complete Ranger School before being assigned and serving in the Ranger Regiment. There are many soldiers who have served in the Ranger Regiment and have never gone to Ranger School. There are many soldiers who have a Ranger unit combat patch and have never gone to Ranger School and earned the Ranger Tab. This is why the "Who is a real Ranger" argument is absurd and childish. If you went to Ranger School and earned the Ranger tab, if you served in a Ranger unit but never went to Ranger School, if you have a Ranger combat patch without a Ranger tab, I you have have the Ranger tab and served in a Ranger unit, it doesn't matter. All soldiers who have earned the Ranger tab or have served in a Ranger unit regardless of whether they earned the Ranger Tab or not are and can call themselves an Army Ranger.
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CPT Endre Barath
CPT Endre Barath
3 mo
I am proud to be an Airborne Ranger Infantry CPT. I graduated from Airborne School, and graduated from Ranger School and went to Infantry Basic School and left the US Army as an Airborne Ranger Infantry CPT did not serve in a Ranger Unit, and I am fine with talking about my time in the US Army
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
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Rangers appreciate that you seek to say this right. I suggest the following: "with one of my colleagues, a Ranger-qualified Officer in an Infantry battalion down the road, admitting to me..."
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CPT Henry Parker
CPT Henry Parker
3 mo
LTC Charles Kosmerl - Yes, First Tour, I had RF/PF perimeter and road security for my 105-howitzer battery, B Battery 5/27 Artillery. Most were VC and unreliable when mine sweeping the road as we lost troops/equipment on many occasions to mines. They always seemed to disappear during mortar/rocket attacks. Located in Phan Thiet, home to Ho Chi Minh so the locals were not friendlies. Supported task Force South 3/506 101 Inf and 23 RVN Division.
Second tour,The ARVN's I had as MACV, Advisor MAT-I-68, Binh Son, Quang Ngai Prov. was better trained in Infantry tactic's and the Artillery was accurate when needed.
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LTC Charles Kosmerl
LTC Charles Kosmerl
3 mo
Where do you live? Anywhere near Orlando, FL? I don't get the chance to chat with too many who served as advisors. I've been to The Wall the past two years for Veterans Day and haven't seen a single MACV patch (other than mine). Lots of 101st, 82nd, 25th, 4th, SF, separate brigades but nobody identifying as an advisor.
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LTC Charles Kosmerl
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LTC Charles Kosmerl
LTC Charles Kosmerl
3 mo
The intrepid Advisor with his cut-down M1 carbine.
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SGM G3 Sergeant Major
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If you were ever in the Regiment, or worked near them, you would have often heard "the tab is a school, the scroll is a way of life," implying that in contrast to those who did it for 70 days, they do it every day as a job.

In the context of any Infantry officer in any Infantry Bn, they would all be Ranger School graduates, and it would be redundant to mention that they completed Ranger school.
If they are any other basic or special branch in an Infantry Bn, I suppose it would be worth pointing it out if that experience was also germane to the topic.
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
6 mo
You would expect or hope they would all be tabbed, but there aren't enough slots to go around, and many Infantry Officers are not tabbed.
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SGM G3 Sergeant Major
SGM (Join to see)
6 mo
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA - Many Infantry officers failed to complete Ranger School, but if they are COMPO 1, they all went to Ranger School from IBOLC, just like they always went from IOBC. in about 3 waves of 70 to 90 LTs per class. The 2nd and 3rd waves get the other short schools up front: ABN, scout leader, MLOC, etc.
The most recent complete IBOLC had 71 already in or reserved for classes in Ranger school, and 37 attending things like Maintenance Leader and Stryker leader, pending a Ranger school reservation, or have been swapping out of reservations pending clearing a temp profile.
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