FORT SILL, Okla., (Feb. 11, 2016) -- After a week of voluntary sleep deprivation and complete physical exhaustion, 11 Soldiers completed pre-Ranger training here, Feb. 5.
The course was organized by 1st Battalion, 30th Field Artillery, as a way to help Soldiers attending Fort Sill's Field Artillery Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC), who also wanted to earn their Ranger tab be as prepared as possible prior to Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
"Ranger assessment phase is four days at Fort Benning, and in essence is 96 hours of continual movement with physical tests and classes," said Capt. Jed Fisher, a small group instructor at BOLC, the brigade pre-Ranger officer in charge and Ranger qualified himself. "It is extremely stressful and one of the things we realized was our training didn't accurately represent the stress you're going through at Ranger school."
Toward the end of fiscal 2015, 1-30th Field Artillery leaders began to analyze their statistics and realized many of the qualified Soldiers they were sending to Ranger School were not graduating at a level they were comfortable with, said Fisher. He worked with Capt. Evan Cummings and Capt. Kyle Carlson, who are both transitioning out of the Army and Ranger qualified, to create the course.
They determined one of the key elements was replicating the cumulative effect of fatigue. Their current training has a five-mile ruck march on Monday, a swim test on Tuesday, a 12-mile foot march on Wednesday. However, it wasn't accurately representing the stress the Soldiers would experience going through Ranger School.
"We designed a five-day model that will get them to the point of physical and mental exhaustion that they will experience at Ranger School," said Fisher.
The Soldiers attending the training are all graduates of BOLC. To receive admittance to Ranger School Soldiers must first, qualify physically, then, pass their academics to the standards required by BOLC, said Lt. Col. Jeremy Jelly, 1-30th Field Artillery commander.
During their time at BOLC, Soldiers who plan to attend Ranger School can participate in pre-Ranger training which begins with Phase 1, which takes place during BOLC and includes physical fitness. Typically upon graduation, students who have earned a slot to Ranger School remain at Fort Sill for six weeks before attending. During those six weeks, Fisher said they are able to "put on the finishing touches" with Phase 2.
For the 11 Soldiers participating in the pre-Ranger training, the finishing touches included working with Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Houston, a Ranger instructor at Fort Benning, who came to help prepare them. Throughout the week he, along with other instructors, worked with the Soldiers to create an environment that will be comparable to what they will experience during their first four days at Ranger School, called Ranger Assessment Phase, or RAP week.
"This course replicates RAP week," said Houston. "We are trying to simulate through the course, the mental stress they will experience."
A sample day for the Soldiers included waking up a 5 a.m. for a 20-minute, two-mile run in boots, with a rifle and a fighting load (to include vest and helmet). Immediately following the run the Soldiers conducted a day-time land navigation where they traversed between 5 and 10 kilometers. Immediately following the day-time land navigation, the Soldiers went into a night-time land navigation on a similar course, followed by a 7-mile foot march. They averaged about four hours of sleep at night.
"They're extremely fatigued," said Fisher. "For many of them this is the most exhausted they've ever been in their entire life. In terms of goals for them, Ranger School is bigger than college graduation, it's bigger than commissioning. For these young men and one woman, this is the 'Super Bowl' of their life. They've been going continually."
Fisher and Jelly, said the course is important, because as leaders, it is their responsibility to help their subordinates reach their goals. In addition, having Ranger training increases the value of the Soldier, said Jelly.
"The more field artillery officers that have this additional skill and ability will make our officers become a force multiplier," said Jelly. "That makes us much more capable."
Fisher said he believes the 11 Soldiers who completed the training will represent Fort Sill well. All will attend Ranger School together, and Fisher believes, the combination of attending BOLC and then engaging in the physical demands of Ranger training will give these Soldiers an edge.
"We have confidence that they have been given everything we can give them to be able to succeed," said Fisher. "They're young and very tough and very motivated. I think when you have a combination of heart and physical stamina then you can overcome almost any obstacle. It's reassuring that this is the product of our BOLC course. We have young men and women who are this capable and this motivated to do something that is easily the hardest course in the United States Army."
Fisher is realistic though and said Ranger School has a 42-percent passing rate, and that includes infantry Soldiers and Soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment.
"For many of them, Ranger School will be a life-long pursuit," said Fisher. "Many of them will chase Ranger School and chase the Ranger tab for years and years. They may not get it on the first try, but our job is to give them a foundation that betters them. Even if they don't succeed in Ranger School when they go down the line, they're better prepared for it."
"Some will struggle more than others," said Houston. "Overall they should be very successful in RAP week."
As these 11 Soldiers enter Ranger School, Fisher said the leadership at BOLC will be watching to see how they progress to determine how to change their course for the better.
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