“I enlisted into the Army with a RIP contract because I believed being a 75th Ranger required extreme mental and physical toughness. The threat of not making it because I couldn’t cut it drove me to join, and it pushed me to stay strong when things got tough. Not only did being a part of the Ranger Regiment require physical aptitude, it also required attention to detail beyond your average Soldier, Marine, Airman, or Sailor.



Being a Ranger meant I could accept and withstand immense pain and discomfort — and if you couldn’t, then you were shown the door. Standards were enforced and maintained! I’d look to my side and see my peers who were withstanding the same physical and mental anguish on a daily basis. Our superiors weren’t afraid to RFS (Release for Standard, to be expelled from the Regiment) a Ranger who couldn’t cut it. That drove us to withstand more pain and suffering than we ever knew we could.



Mental toughness is truly what I admire most about Batt Boys — each one that I served with was mentally tough, and it pushed me to be stronger and better.



Being a Ranger also means being proficient in all manner of weapons and tactics, and I think most in the SOCOM community know and respect that. That’s why I’m always proud to tell anyone who has served in conventional or Special Operations units that I was a Batt Boy. I know I can pick up any small arms or be introduced to a small unit tactic and eventually become exceptionally proficient at it.



I can honestly say that the things I learned as a Ranger got me through not only the serious adversity I faced while in Battalion, but also afterward when my team and I were left behind in Benghazi, as well as the other years I worked and deployed as a contractor. Back at home, it pushed me through trials and tribulations in my personal life.



Being a Ranger means being funny, tough, hard, relentless, disciplined, free-thinking, intelligent, loving, angry, and even unstable at times — and most of all it means being the best. RLTW!” -- Kris "Tanto" Paronto