Is the ranger course really that hard?

[Hello Alaska]

2 Cav are a squadron, Not a Bn

Don't even get me started on that lot. You'd get more work out of a student than you would with that shower

[golden rivet]

knowing a lot of rangers as we done a lot of exercises with them on ships they are very capable of interacting with anyone they deal with as a lot of army units would have no dealings with them.. but there is one thing they found hard to beat..... seasickness.. and having to clean it up after them.. mind over matter we used to say to them as they gawked ....

[hptmurphy]

but there is one thing they found hard to beat

.


Well we were a little cruel on occassions.... like the day they were practising boardings on the gas rigs off kinsale....boat broke down..we were hanging back a couple of miles and went to lunch before going to their rescue

a very humbling experience.

I remember the firts time I came across 'Strangers' on board a ship..they all looked huge , big mountain boots, uniforms of questionable origin, tough and fit looking but always willing to talk and ask questions , always seemed very keen to have knowledeg about things they would not normally come across.

They impressed me then...and have to say twenty something years later still do.

I never met a bad one yet.. really helpful people got a tour of the compound once a few years ago and they couldn't do enough.

To be SF and to be able to act like this shows that something extra.

Yeah somemight be a little standoffish but of course they have reservations about their privacy.

There is no doubt they train to the highest standard and demand the best..but are human behind it all.

Would love to have had a crack at it but don't think I would have had the mentality to endure what some of those people do.

[REX]

I know the military career of all but one of the posters prior to your statement. Therefor, I assume it is them you speak about. Unless you are trying to make out you did it yourself?

I admit it, I am the PARK RANGER!!!!!
But it's a secret so keep it under your hat

[Oxlan]

"Test week seems very similar to that of the US army Rangers."

If im not mistaken back in the day the irish army sent people over to fort benning to go through the us army ranger school who then started the arw.

[seismicwave]

thanks all

i know for fact that i will try the course at some stage during my career (provided i make it in of course )

but like a few of you have said, be realistic, and if i am to be honest i would say my build is my biggest obstacle to overcome

this is an assumption, but i would think im shorter than the average ranger. at the same time though ive never struggled with anything and am fairly physical, lots or running, climbing, weights ect

i guess time will tell

thanks again for the help!

[marloy]

.


Well we were a little cruel on occassions.... like the day they were practising boardings on the gas rigs off kinsale....boat broke down..we were hanging back a couple of miles and went to lunch before going to their rescue

a very humbling experience.

I remember the firts time I came across 'Strangers' on board a ship..they all looked huge , big mountain boots, uniforms of questionable origin, tough and fit looking but always willing to talk and ask questions , always seemed very keen to have knowledeg about things they would not normally come across.

They impressed me then...and have to say twenty something years later still do.

I never met a bad one yet.. really helpful people got a tour of the compound once a few years ago and they couldn't do enough.

To be SF and to be able to act like this shows that something extra.

Yeah somemight be a little standoffish but of course they have reservations about their privacy.

There is no doubt they train to the highest standard and demand the best..but are human behind it all.

Would love to have had a crack at it but don't think I would have had the mentality to endure what some of those people do.

I remember it well murphs it was my first time as bowman after the earlier incident when i was dropped off in castletown . Lunch was good that day and we towed them back just to rub it in. All they needed was fuel but pops wouldnt have it

In fairness to them though they never left anything behind them. If i remember right i was mess man that week and never had to clean the mess at all they mucked in all over. Like you said a good bunch of lads

[marloy]

knowing a lot of rangers as we done a lot of exercises with them on ships they are very capable of interacting with anyone they deal with as a lot of army units would have no dealings with them.. but there is one thing they found hard to beat..... seasickness.. and having to clean it up after them.. mind over matter we used to say to them as they gawked ....

That was always a downfall for any visiting units. that and the fires in the port funnell off Donegal when we had gardai as well as army on board

I remember while on emergency stations we all mustered in the hanger. One of the gards asked where the fire was and when we told him it was right behind him lets just say he wasnt worried about seasickness after that

[hptmurphy]

That was so funny.

we were all sitting the ratings mess drinking tea and you had all these soldiers and Gardai.. jaysus this navy life is handy.. we rounded the point out side lock swilly... the mess cleared..we had steamed staright in to a force 7 gale.

we wondered where our guests had got to.. up on the flight deck there was a ring of blue and green around the guard rails disposing of their earleir breakfast. One guy even wanted to jump overboard and swim home.

he was a sergant from Rockhill house , not sure if he is still in the army but I felt so sorrry for him. His name was Tommy Small lovely guy, I offered him my bunk because of the intensity of the op it was 5 days before I saw it again.

he was the happiest man in Ireland when that op came to an end. I used to get christmas cards from him for years afterward.

Most of us had suffered sea sickess at some stage especially for the firsts couple of days after joining a ship so we were very sympathetic to our guest and apprecaited how out of their element they were, regardless of rank we gave them all we could to ease their discomfort but they never quite adapated to it and saw us ina very differnt light afterward was a very good excercise in showing one group what the others had to contend with on a daily basis.

We always welcomed thes people on board and treated them as guests and I have to say it often came back in spades.

One night along side in South sity keys there was amisfortunate Motorcycle cop driving around in torrential rain. We had a meal laid on for 4am ( steak supplied by Ted The RED), he was invited on board fed given some towles to dry off and was a very greatful man. He even left some of the bike orientatd guys take spins up the quays on his bike.

Have to say we were lucky at the time we met some fine people both from the ARMy and the gardai but the ARW were always special. fond memories.

For all our mad cap antics we did look after our fellow service men and I think they appreciated the small comforts we provived especially during Operation Marllard in 1987.

[marloy]

Do you remember meself and Heffo swinging in the boarding boat that week now there was a scary moment somebody had forgotten to grease the pins in the robinsons and eithne being what she was rolled like mad at anchor

[hptmurphy]

yeah we were using the boarding boat and both seariders to ferry a platoon of troops and fifty guards to the ship and she was rolling like abitch while trying to get them up the accomadation ladder.

I remeber a LT Col. being miffed and not being saluted and LT Martin Mc Grath pointing out to the reason he had not been salutes as the seaman in question was to busy trying catch him from falling over the side.

20 hour days for five weeks withsteaming watches and boats crews on the go the whole time.

In the end the army had to give up as it was far two dangerous. In these days you lowered the boat and the paasengers came down the jumping ladder overloaded with kit so we had half a dozen guards who performed ver perfunctuanry searches....long bloody five weeks...started out as a week and the more I slands people discovered on the map , the more we had to board.

[Jereth]

I happen to know two ex-strangers(possibly from the first batch of ARW, totally different syllabus back then) and insane doesn't quite sum them up. I wouldn't like to have crossed them is all I can say...

[marloy]

yeah we were using the boarding boat and both seariders to ferry a platoon of troops and fifty guards to the ship and she was rolling like abitch while trying to get them up the accomadation ladder.

I remeber a LT Col. being miffed and not being saluted and LT Martin Mc Grath pointing out to the reason he had not been salutes as the seaman in question was to busy trying catch him from falling over the side.

20 hour days for five weeks withsteaming watches and boats crews on the go the whole time.

In the end the army had to give up as it was far two dangerous. In these days you lowered the boat and the paasengers came down the jumping ladder overloaded with kit so we had half a dozen guards who performed ver perfunctuanry searches....long bloody five weeks...started out as a week and the more I slands people discovered on the map , the more we had to board.

remember gettin into rathmullen for a night halfway through that patrol and the local garda who beforehand would always be keeping a watchful eye on us made a statement i will never forget. Lads he said now i know why you are all so mad when you come ashore ,ive never seen men work so hard at so many different tasks at the same time and with that a local squad car and transit was produced for a night in letterkenny. And by god did we go mad

[Steyr Fan]

[QUOTE=because i am a ranger, that power ranger to you[/QUOTE]

Are you not the flower arRanger?

[REX]

but like a few of you have said, be realistic, and if i am to be honest i would say my build is my biggest obstacle to overcome

this is an assumption, but i would think im shorter than the average ranger. at the same time though ive never struggled with anything and am fairly physical, lots or running, climbing, weights ect!

I remember one of the Cpl's that was training us for the summer, in The Apprentice School, in Naas. He had just finished 3 years with the wing, and at 5FT 6 I was a good 2 inches taller than him. One of the best soldiers I ever met, and one of the nicest too.

His hieght didn't hold him back so if you get in there is no reason why you shouldn't go for it!