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Just when you think you've got a good knowledge of military history, along comes something to confuse you.

Over Christmas, I picked up a book about the 101st Airborne in the Iraq war.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, there was a passage in the book that described how some members of the 101st had their Ranger Tab.

This is where I'm confused.

Obviously, to be a Ranger, you have to pass Ranger school, and yet, these members of the 101st passed the tests, got the tab, but are still 101st

So, my questions to anybody who can shine some light on this, are:

Can you do Ranger school just for the achievement of doing it and not be a Ranger, or do you have to serve with the Rangers at some point as part of the contract?

and can the Rangers still use people who passed, but are not Rangers, for certain missions. For example, the Rangers could borrow these 101st 'Rangers' members for a mission because they have specialist skills, or something like that.

Wikipedia seems to be no help on this one.

Thanks for any replies.

As far as I'm aware, Ranger School is open to anyone to attend. You don't have be assigned to a Ranger Battalion to have the tab.

My unit, 18th Weather Squadron (USAF) is actually going to be sending someone to Ranger School sometime late this year, early next. He'll still be Air Force, and assigned to support the 101st, but he'll have that tab.

As for poaching members, I don't believe so.

 djones520 wrote:
As far as I'm aware, Ranger School is open to anyone to attend. You don't have be assigned to a Ranger Battalion to have the tab.

My unit, 18th Weather Squadron (USAF) is actually going to be sending someone to Ranger School sometime late this year, early next. He'll still be Air Force, and assigned to support the 101st, but he'll have that tab.

As for poaching members, I don't believe so.

Thanks for the input. The US situation some to be the complete opposite of the UK military. As with the Rangers, anybody in the British Army can do SAS selection, but if you pass, you're in

The battalion I support, the S2 has the tab. As far as I'm aware, he's spent his entire career with the 101st though.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
As far as I'm aware, Ranger School is open to anyone to attend. You don't have be assigned to a Ranger Battalion to have the tab.

My unit, 18th Weather Squadron (USAF) is actually going to be sending someone to Ranger School sometime late this year, early next. He'll still be Air Force, and assigned to support the 101st, but he'll have that tab.

As for poaching members, I don't believe so.

Thanks for the input. The US situation some to be the complete opposite of the UK military. As with the Rangers, anybody in the British Army can do SAS selection, but if you pass, you're in

Your SAS is more like our Special Forces, if I were to make a comparison.

My old unit the 509th AB suggested as many of us as could try and get into Ranger school..and like a dumbass I signed up for it..
RAP week kicked my old butt...after that is was not to bad..got the tab and went back to my unit, although the Rangers tried to get me to transfer..seems they never have enough 13F.

you get the tab..but only Rangers in the regiment get the tan beret...oh well I can settle for my maroon one.

the extra training and conditioning did pay off on my first deployment to Afghanistan..and the Tab made alot of the young officer types jealous..lol

The Army has a lot of specialty schools.

Ranger
Air Assault
Airborne

Those are a few of them. All of them focus on different training for different tasks.

I'll be attending Air Assault school while I'm here. Possibly Airborne dependent on how long I'm here for. When I go back to the Air Force, I will still have those badges, even though I won't be doing those anymore.

 Soo'Vah'Cha wrote:
My old unit the 509th AB suggested as many of us as could try and get into Ranger school..and like a dumbass I signed up for it..
RAP week kicked my old butt...after that is was not to bad..got the tab and went back to my unit, although the Rangers tried to get me to transfer..seems they never have enough 13F.

you get the tab..but only Rangers in the regiment get the tan beret...oh well I can settle for my maroon one.

the extra training and conditioning did pay off on my first deployment to Afghanistan..and the Tab made alot of the young officer types jealous..lol

Your sentence about the tab and the tan beret has answered my questions. Thanks.

djones, why didn't you say what he said? Would have saved me 30 seconds of reading

Anyway, I'm using my Mod powers to close this thread




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 djones520 wrote:
The Army has a lot of specialty schools.

Ranger
Air Assault
Airborne

Those are a few of them. All of them focus on different training for different tasks.

I'll be attending Air Assault school while I'm here. Possibly Airborne dependent on how long I'm here for. When I go back to the Air Force, I will still have those badges, even though I won't be doing those anymore.

It seems strange to me that you can be in the air force and do Ranger school, an army thing. Couldn't you do some kind of elite helicopter pilot thing instead?

mind your landing and practice PLF relgiously..dont mess up your knees..I have seen to many young soldiers (or airmen in your case) mess up their knees and therefore their career.
It seems a small thing but you will think of this the first time you hit wrong..and hard.

And dont fall in love with the ranger panties..lol

Not everyone in the Air Force can. Just those who work in Army Support roles. Weather Forecasters, Tactical Air Controllers, etc...

Aircraft mechanics, finance dudes, even pilots, won't get the chance.

I'm active duty Army. I also served in the 101st during OIF1

I'll explain:

A Ranger is a member of the 75 Ranger Regiment . Not everyone in 75 Rangers is tabbed. To be an NCO or above (sergeant) it is mandatory to go to Ranger school and have the Tab. Your cherry soldiers don't attend immediately. As a new soldier you do go thru a very selective process. First you have to go to basic training 11 series OSUT, then airborne school then RASP 1 which is a selection process to go to Ranger Regiment. Once you pass RASP you are in the 75th but you're also under a "probationary" period. You may or may not go to Ranger School for another year or two, depending on how squared away you are and mature. If you're a specialist in 75th (E4) and you haven't gone to or refuse to go to Ranger School, they will kick you out and send you to the regular army Infantry.

In the regular army Infantry, every platoon is MTOE'd, meaning built into the organization, slots for Ranger qualified personnel. Anyone can go to Ranger School, soon even women can go. On Avg, about 85% of all officers in the Infantry are Ranger qualified, it's almost mandatory to succeed in the officer world to have a Ranger tab.

In the 101st and 82 ABN, on Avg about 3 guys per platoon will be Ranger qualified and have a tab.

Ranger school is the Army's preimere leadership school. Yes you will learn advanced Infantry tactics and procedures but it's viewed as a leadership school due to the fact that you will have served in multiple leadership roles during the 64 days of school. You'll be put at times in positions where you'll be in charge of a squad or platoon and pitch a mission or lead an operation with men who are equally or higher in rank. What makes it unique is that you have to prove your leadership value and be able to motivate and influence dudes who may just see you as the same at the same time you're starving and extremely sleep deprived and exhausted.

Generally only E4 Specialist and above can go to Ranger School. Any military specialty can attend. PFC cans go on waiver, if you make it thru, you've proven you have an ability to successfully lead men who are tired, hungry and very sleepy thru some vigorous exercises. Doesn't sound like much but it can easily be described as hearding cats. Every echelon of leadership would love to have Ranger qualified individuals. It's the Army's preimere leadership school.

Other branches do go to Ranger School too. Mostly members of their respective Special operations teams. SEALs and PJ'S, and sometimes regular Marines too but very rarely due to funding.

A lot of foreign nationals attend Ranger school too. Those few who make it go on to become Generals or high level leaders in their countries military.

Being a Ranger means you served in the 75th Ranger Regiment,
Regular army guys like to think they're also Rangers because they have a tab but they're really just Ranger Qualified.

Hope that makes sense

 djones520 wrote:
Not everyone in the Air Force can. Just those who work in Army Support roles. Weather Forecasters, Tactical Air Controllers, etc...

Aircraft mechanics, finance dudes, even pilots, won't get the chance.

Don't US pilots go to Ranger school to be instructed in escape and evasion?

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
Not everyone in the Air Force can. Just those who work in Army Support roles. Weather Forecasters, Tactical Air Controllers, etc...

Aircraft mechanics, finance dudes, even pilots, won't get the chance.

Don't US pilots go to Ranger school to be instructed in escape and evasion?

No, they go to SERE school.

Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape. It's conducted at Fairchild AFB in Washington (state, not DC).

Johnnytorrance wrote:
I'm active duty Army. I also served in the 101st during OIF1

I'll explain:

A Ranger is a member of the 75 Ranger Regiment . Not everyone in 75 Rangers is tabbed. To be an NCO or above (sergeant) it is mandatory to go to Ranger school and have the Tab. Your cherry soldiers don't attend immediately. As a new soldier you do go thru a very selective process. First you have to go to basic training 11 series OSUT, then airborne school then RASP 1 which is a selection process to go to Ranger Regiment. Once you pass RASP you are in the 75th but you're also under a "probationary" period. You may or may not go to Ranger School for another year or two, depending on how squared away you are and mature. If you're a specialist in 75th (E4) and you haven't gone to or refuse to go to Ranger School, they will kick you out and send you to the regular army Infantry.

In the regular army Infantry, every platoon is MTOE'd, meaning built into the organization, slots for Ranger qualified personnel. Anyone can go to Ranger School, soon even women can go. On Avg, about 85% of all officers in the Infantry are Ranger qualified, it's almost mandatory to succeed in the officer world to have a Ranger tab.

In the 101st and 82 ABN, on Avg about 3 guys per platoon will be Ranger qualified and have a tab.

Ranger school is the Army's preimere leadership school. Yes you will learn advanced Infantry tactics and procedures but it's viewed as a leadership school due to the fact that you will have served in multiple leadership roles during the 64 days of school. You'll be put at times in positions where you'll be in charge of a squad or platoon and pitch a mission or lead an operation with men who are equally or higher in rank. What makes it unique is that you have to prove your leadership value and be able to motivate and influence dudes who may just see you as the same at the same time you're starving and extremely sleep deprived and exhausted.

Generally only E4 Specialist and above can go to Ranger School. Any military specialty can attend. PFC cans go on waiver, if you make it thru, you've proven you have an ability to successfully lead men who are tired, hungry and very sleepy thru some vigorous exercises. Doesn't sound like much but it can easily be described as hearding cats. Every echelon of leadership would love to have Ranger qualified individuals. It's the Army's preimere leadership school.

Other branches do go to Ranger School too. Mostly members of their respective Special operations teams. SEALs and PJ'S, and sometimes regular Marines too but very rarely due to funding.

A lot of foreign nationals attend Ranger school too. Those few who make it go on to become Generals or high level leaders in their countries military.

Being a Ranger means you served in the 75th Ranger Regiment,
Regular army guys like to think they're also Rangers because they have a tab but they're really just Ranger Qualified.

Hope that makes sense

Thanks for that - it clears a lot of things up. To sum up: a Ranger tab helps if you what to gain high rank in the army, but you can still reach the rank of general without one?

As an Infantry Officer, you won't go far without a Tab. Any MOS can make general but if you look at the big time guys. FORSCOM, TRADOC, JOINT CHIEFS. Division commanders and above have Tabs. You're just not seen as a good leader if you haven't made it thru the Army's preimere leadership school.