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Best Ranger!

by · March 30, 2012 · Posted In: SOF News, USASOC
NashBoley
The Best Ranger competition is being held this year from April 13th to the 14th at its usual location, Ft. Benning, Georgia, home to the Ranger Training Brigade and the 75th Ranger Regiment.  The above picture shows previous winners from a few years ago, in this case Sergeant Nash who was one of my intructors when I went through the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) in 2003.  I have some fond memories of SSG Nash reading the Ranger Standards to us and explaining that the reason why Rangers don’t wear a high and tight haircut with a mustache is because Freddy Mercury had a high and tight and a mustache.  Seemed like a good reason to me!

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From Bestrangercompetition.com:

The Best Ranger Competition 2012 is the 29th anniversary of this grueling competition, starring the best soldiers of the world, our United States Army, RANGERS! The Best Ranger Competition was started in 1982 after Dick Leandri found a way to honor his personal friend, Lieutenant General David E. Grange, Jr.

Leandri wanted to recognize his friend, past director of the Ranger Department and former Commanding General of Fort Benning, Georgia, with a perpetual event. He and several other professional businessmen formed Chairborne Rangers, Inc., to help support the initiation of such an event.

The competition has evolved over the past twenty seven years from one that was originally created to salute the best two-man “buddy” team in the Ranger Department at Fort Benning. Every year the competition is reviewed and tweaked, to what is currently in place for this year, to determine the best two-man team from the entire United States Armed Forces.

Be sure to check out the Official Army webpage for this event as well.

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ColonelProp
ColonelProp like.author.displayName 1 Like

Hmmm - Freddy Mercury and Ranger in the same article...that just does not flow correctly in my brain bucket. The Ranger competition must be a fearsome thing to witness though.

LCpl X
LCpl X like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 4 Like

 @JackMurphyRGR 

 

I just caught this review by a Ranger for "the Quiet Professional" by Alan Hoe (about Maj. Richard Meadows):

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204795304577221490450092650.html

 

Maj. Meadows: http://www.specialforces.org/sfalx/docs/meadows.pdf

 

You guys here at SOFREP are solid guys, the guys at CNAS though are another story. They're the ones who pushed for PC-COIN and the surge a couple of years back, believing it was a doable mission and that we had to do it (ala Samantha Powers, KONY 2012). These former officers turned think tank homos were once hailed as the Obama administrations' great White Hope.

 

Long story short, they failed miserably with their strategy in Afghanistan, as soon as they realized this they automatically prepared for the peace time military attempting to secure their reason for existence, calling for cuts. Which is fine, cuts are needed but the same guys who fucked up shouldn't get another chance at strategy.

 

Ironically, Ranger Exum's review of Mr. Hoe's book about his friend, chastises the author for not talking about SOF troops as they related to strategy. He and his boys at CNAS fucked up with their strategy, espoused by the President and bought hook, line, sinker by many DC policy makers, and he's talking about strategy. C'mon.

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Quiet-Professional-American-Warriors/dp/0813133998

 

I was hoping you could write a fairer review of this book, Jack. And answer some of Ranger Exum's points. Did you know him at 75th Regiment, I think he got out 2005? 

 

Thanks.

 

JackMurphyRGR
JackMurphyRGR moderator like.author.displayName 1 Like

 @LCpl X Meadows is a legit American hero.  I haven't read the book in question.

Old PH2
Old PH2

 @LCpl X  @JackMurphyRGR As much as I've followed Exum's info on Hezbollah, I never bought into COIN.  The Boys over at Small Wars Journal at least show a balance, giving air to both arguments.   I too am curious on Jacks take on Ranger Exum.

Tango9
Tango9 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

 @LCpl X Nice leads LCpl.  Every time I think you're insane you prove me wrong.  You're still insane.

ArcticWarrior
ArcticWarrior like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 4 Like

"explaining that the reason why Rangers don’t wear a high and tight haircut with  a mustache is because Freddy Mercury had a high and tight and a mustache" ... Lol glad that classic is still around.

 

JackMurphyRGR
JackMurphyRGR moderator like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

 @ArcticWarrior SSG Nash was pretty Satanic as a RIP cadre but that was his job back then and I'd say he was pretty good at it.  RIP was a good course and from what I understand RASP is much, much better.

Connor31
Connor31 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

 @JackMurphyRGR Ever think about competing in the BRC while in the 75th or 5th Group?

JackMurphyRGR
JackMurphyRGR moderator like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

 @ArcticWarrior  @Connor. In the 75th I knew some guys who were able to sham out of all kinds of training and were allowed several months to train up for Best Ranger.  Otherwise, you have to train for it on your own time.