Posted on Jan 2, 2019
What's Harder - Ranger School or the Special Forces Qualification Course?
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Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 9
I earned both. The video is correct each have outstanding suck factors involved. To me ranger school was a 62 day ball buster and I made it straight through. So no sleep the duration. Our 1st time grad rate was extremely low, only 13 1st time go's from the starting class. When I left Benning and arrived at Delonegha and met up with the recycled starting mountain phase class, I was shocked. They looked like fat bodies compared to us. They were well fed, rested and had plenty of time getting retrained and cut grass waiting for the next class. Same thing when we jumped into Florida phase.. After the victory march back it seemed like the 1st break since the start. Patrolling every day, planning intensive and you had to work as a team in various leadership positions. Peer evals were taken seriously and the weak were sent back.
SF was a different Animal. Selection was very demanding and like ranger school a ball buster. A lot of pressure to pass and the gates. Daily road marches and events placing you in various leadership positions were given. Land nav is always a challenge at all hours of the day and night with a 65 lb Ruck minus water and chow. 2 quarters taped to your I'd if you get lost and find a phone. A signal flair given and I seen experianced soldiers loose mind and body over it. You never knew your standing, the instructors could care less where you came from and individual effort meant everything. There was no coaching, coddling you along and just a relief to finish the 21 days. I remember waking up and the only one left in my quansin hut. Everyone quit at night so no one would see it. Alot of injuries and grown men cry when sent home. Pass that and you have an additional 12 months of phases with gates, peer evals and schooling. A star exam, Small unit tactics, unconventional warfare, advanced airborne ops, for me advanced engineer school and Robin Sage.. After this 6 months of Korean Language. proud to have earned both tabs. Both are special.
SF was a different Animal. Selection was very demanding and like ranger school a ball buster. A lot of pressure to pass and the gates. Daily road marches and events placing you in various leadership positions were given. Land nav is always a challenge at all hours of the day and night with a 65 lb Ruck minus water and chow. 2 quarters taped to your I'd if you get lost and find a phone. A signal flair given and I seen experianced soldiers loose mind and body over it. You never knew your standing, the instructors could care less where you came from and individual effort meant everything. There was no coaching, coddling you along and just a relief to finish the 21 days. I remember waking up and the only one left in my quansin hut. Everyone quit at night so no one would see it. Alot of injuries and grown men cry when sent home. Pass that and you have an additional 12 months of phases with gates, peer evals and schooling. A star exam, Small unit tactics, unconventional warfare, advanced airborne ops, for me advanced engineer school and Robin Sage.. After this 6 months of Korean Language. proud to have earned both tabs. Both are special.
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LTC (Join to see)
Awesome description of your trails and tribulations to earn both. Congratulations!!
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For me Ranger was impossible. I went through SF much later when I was somewhat more inured to suffering, more experienced, older, smarter, & more determined. Attitude makes a big difference.
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LTC (Join to see)
I knew a TOC battle major in Iraq who told me it took him a month to recover from Ranger school.
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I only trained at Fort Bragg/Camp Mackall, LTC (Join to see), so I cannot offer any comparisons or describe differences in training!
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SGT Kevin Berman
Same here LTC - I do know that after SFAS I knew there was nothing I could not accomplish with the right mindset and a good team.
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