PHASE 1: FT Benning, GA

PHASE 1: Ft. Benning, GA

I started on March 6, 2006 and the first week is called Ranger Assessment Phase; RAP week for short.  It includes our 5 mile run, 16 mile road march with 70 pounds of gear, Land Navigation both Day and Night, Demolition Training, Bayonet Assault Course, Physical Fitness Test, Combat Water Survival Test, basic patrolling classes, Artillery training, obstacle courses, and a great deal of sleep loss.  I had been through two Pre-Ranger classes at this point one at Ft Sill and then another one at Ft Benning so I had no problem getting through the first week.

  On day one we started with 404 wannabe Rangers.  I have no idea how many we lost in that first week, but the class was smaller as we headed out into the training areas around FT Benning. 

The last part of Phase 1 is the Benning Patrol Phase.  During this two week exercise in the field we receive instruction on how to plan an operation and then how to execute that mission.  After a few days of instruction it is go time and each Ranger student is thrust into a leadership role and expected to plan a squad sized mission.  A squad is composed of 12 Ranger students and we divided the equipment and weapons amongst us.  All told each student carried between 50-80 pounds of gear on any given mission.  The missions were all basic Infantry tasks; knock out a bunker, ambush, react to contact, movement to contact, and recon mission.

  As we moved through the two weeks we spent about four hours a day planning, 16 hours executing the mission, 1 hour in recovery/refit, and 3 hours asleep.  We were allowed only 2000 calories a day and you could only eat right before you fell asleep and right as you woke up.  So the other 21 hours in a day you could just feel your stomach begging for food and you could actually feel your survival modes kicking in as most of us lost a great deal of our muscle mass in those two weeks. 

As each Ranger student was put in a leadership role they were graded by the Ranger Instructors (RI) and had to earn a "GO" in their evaluation in order to move on to the next phase of Ranger School.  If the student failed to earn their go they were recycled to the next class and had to start all over, or they could quit.  Those that quit we looked down upon, because if you quit when there are no bullets flying past you how quick will you be to give up when it is the real thing?  I had two leadership positions at Benning and I earned a "GO" on both of them, so I was set and ready to move on to Phase 2: Dahlonega, GA for Mountain Phase.

 

The only real part that I remember about those two weeks of my life was during a mission we rode Blackhawk helicopters into the drop off point.  I was "point man" meaning I was responsible for guiding the squad to the objective and as I was walking I stepped into what I thought was a small stream but in actuality was about 4 feet deep.  With my gear and everything on I just sank and got stuck and had to have my Ranger buddies pull me out.  The rest of the mission I was miserable because my boots were wet, and I smelled like stagnant water.