How can I get to Ranger School as fast as possible?

2018-03-17T00:07:04-04:00

So I am going to be shipping out soon this year. I was fortunate enough to get airborne on my contract(68W). My ultimate goal is Special forces. But I would like to earn the range tab before I can try out SF. How can I go to ranger school as fast as possible. My recruiter's answers were too vague. He said I can ask for ranger school in airborne school is that true? Or do I have to wait until I get to my unit. I googled and constantly tried to get this info but couldn't find it anywhere. Only answers are how to get prepared for ranger school, not how to get to ranger school. I have 24 credit hours so currently E-2 but after this semester and summer I will have 48 credit hours for E-3.
Thanks

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 17 at 2018 12:10 AM

2018-03-17T00:10:07-04:00

Sometimes Regiment will come to the 68W schoolhouse and recruit they will do the same thing at Airborne school if all of that fails just reach out to a regimental recruiter once you get to your duty station or just standout at your unit to earn a school date

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Mar 17 at 2018 12:25 AM

2018-03-17T00:25:57-04:00

The quickest way to Ranger school is to have it in your enlistment contract. As a 68W if your assigned to an Infantry unit you will more than likely be visited by Special Forces Recruiters at some point. Your Recruiter is correct in that Ranger School does ask for volunteers sometimes from some of the Airborne classes to fill slots but they do not do this all the time and it is not a guarantee you will get asked. It is very difficult to get into Ranger School outside of a Enlistment contract. If I were you, I would be happy with just the opportunity to try out for Special Forces at some point. Your going to get tired of Army schools with what you have lined up already. BTW, Special Forces has a minimum age limit which is not usually waivered, I think it was 20 or 21 not sure which.

Also one thing for you to understand is your not going to see Ranger school for sometime because the way it works on the enlisted side is your assigned to RASP which is the Ranger Selection and Indoctrination program. Then your assigned to a Ranger Battalion for sometime and then you go to Ranger School. At the very least that whole lineup is a 3 year enlistment minimum. Plus they are not going to send you to the three month Ranger school only to see you jet off to Special Forces, doesn't work that way. They are going to expect you to enlist again into a Ranger Bn or extend your enlistment to make it worthwhile to spend the money on making you a Ranger. So now potentially your looking at two back to back enlistments just for the Ranger tab, then a third to try out for Special Forces.

Last but not least, if I had a nickle for every Private that posted on the Internet they were going to be Airborne, Ranger, and Special Forces (the combo is very rare in the Active Army), I would be retired by now. Pass your 68W school first that is your first priority. Second get past Airborne School second. You know they can and will fail you from the first week of Airborne School just based on if a instructor looks at you and doesn't like you. It's hardly a fair school where everyone that shows up.......passes. Which you will see via your own observation. So like I said get through the schools you signed up for already and then make plans for the others.

Response by SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA made Mar 17 at 2018 11:07 AM

2018-03-17T11:07:04-04:00

SPC Private RallyPoint Member You cannot get Ranger School in your enlistment contract.

You can get RASP in your enlistment contract. It's called an Option 40. Option 4 is Airborne School in your contract, as you should know.

If you volunteer for RASP -- which you should be able to do at MEPS or in Basic or AIT -- you will go directly to RASP from Airborne School. It is an 8 week selection and training course that will turn you into a Ranger if you don't quit or break. As a 68W you will go from graduating RASP to SOCM (Special Operations Combat Medic) at Fort Bragg. I believe this is about a year. It's very difficult. If you make it through SOCM you will be assigned to a Ranger Battalion. If you fail you will be assigned elsewhere. After a period of time in which you prove yourself -- mainly by excelling at PT -- you will be required to attend Ranger School. This will happen on your first enlistment. You will have to have at least a year left on your contract for them to send you. If you somehow end up with less than that amount of time and no Tab, you will either be RFSed (released for standards) or you will reenlist to continue in Batt. After you have your Tab, or before if you want, you can put in to go to SFAS (Special Forces Assessment and Selection). It is against institutional policy, per the Ranger Blue Book, to make problems for Rangers who aspire to SF. It happens anyway. Wait until you have your Tab and have been an E5 for a while before trying to go SF, but they will still dislike you for it.

Airborne School does not drop you for nothing. Just pass the PT tests and keep up on the runs and you'll be fine. If you can't do that, you belong in the big army as a dirty, nasty, leg POG. It's not that hard. I suffered a femoral neck stress fracture week two and still graduated just fine.

You do have to be 21 to go SF, unless you have certain immediate family who is SF qualified.

If you miss or fail RASP, you can still go to RASP or Ranger School or SFAS from any unit you end up at.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 17 at 2018 11:23 AM

2018-03-17T11:23:20-04:00

On your first day (or second) of Airborne school the 1SG/Commander will ask the entire company if anyone wants to quit. There will be a bunch of young privates who run up there realizing they don’t want to be Airborne. Then they will ask if anyone wants to go to RASP. Then there will be a few high speed youngsters that run up there. Volunteer for that. Its the fastest way to not only Ranger Battalion but Ranger school as well. If for some reason that all dails you will have to wait to get to your unit and either submit a ranger school packet or submit a 75th ranger application to bat.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 17 at 2018 12:03 PM

2018-03-17T12:03:14-04:00

You can get/ask in your contract to go to Ranger Unit witch means you can get RASP. If you pass/selected you will go to a Ranger designated unit. You can then, after some time, be selected to go to the Ranger course. On my contract I went to 82nd. I went to ranger school 27 months after I started basic training. Ranger Battlion assignment is the fastest.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 17 at 2018 3:28 PM

2018-03-17T15:28:45-04:00

Jump out of a airplane, count to 4, land with a three point landing, and welcome to Ranger country. One foot in the door.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 18 at 2018 7:13 PM

2018-03-18T19:13:45-04:00

Airplane.