The Right Coast vs. the Left Coast

calicartel
Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:31:08 +0000

Yikes. Sorry to have put you through those harrowing flashbacks of how difficult Ranger School was. I’m well aware of how rigorous the training is; I actually wish they opened up more seats to non-Army service members so that we could’ve all gotten pushed through. Sure, it’s great training. But the dirty little secret about Ranger School is that it also basically serves as a pipeline school for any infantry officer who wants to go career in the Army – which would explain the 50%+ graduation rate. Now that doesn’t take anything away from how challenging it is but that key fact certainly does add some color to the “I am a Ranger School grad” mystique. Of course, were I afforded the opportunity to attend Ranger School and able to pass, I’d still consider it a great accomplishment.
Compared to what SEALs have already been through with BUDs, sure, I could understand why they would throw in the towel. They’ve already been through a much more rigorous selection process – why deal with additional crap when they really don’t have anything further to prove? (Not that every SEAL or SF guy or Recon Marine, etc. that goes through Ranger School should quit because of “I’ve already been through this crap and don’t feel like taking it anymore” mentality – but that’s a post for another day.)
And I can actually appreciate your sentiment that you’d rather be back in Ranger School than standing post at the Tomb of the Unknowns. I feel the same way about my deployments to Iraq – I too would rather spend a month in Iraq than stand duty at the Tomb of the Unknowns – but more because I’d personally feel I’m actually making a difference in the world. Not that I’m trying to take away any of the honor or prestige from what you do – it’s an extremely difficult, heavy job, and yet pretty damn cool – but those attributes alone don’t make on participating in it “elite”… just different.
Either way, I’d like to try to keep this above a ****ing match. I was simply calling you out or your definition of what constitutes “elite” – and you vehemently disagreed. No worries. We can agree to disagree.
Good luck with your studies.