I have it on good authority that of 100 men tested - only 3 win the green beret.

Better for him to be 11B first.. if he went straight 89D and failed out at Fort Lee, he would be supply or a laundry specialist in a heartbeat because drops there become needs of the Army.

Besides, Matadors isn’t worth visiting anyways if he makes it to Eglin.

Make sure he really understands what option 40 is. There is no Alaska, Bragg, or Italy with that.

He goes from airborne school to basically trying out for the Ranger regiment. If he passes everything he goes to a Ranger battalion.

If he fails he goes needs of the Army. Which means he goes where ever the Army needs someone with his MOS. Zero guarantee that it’s even an airborne unit. When I did all of this back in 2004 the Ranger washouts went all over the place. Some went to mechanized infantry units, some went to Korea, some Bragg, Italy very few.. it was just pure chance where you ended up.


Don’t take this the wrong way but your post makes it sound like he has no idea what he signed up for. He’s just all over the place. If he has an option 40 contract there is no Fort Campbell at all. If he volunteered to go option 40 during OSUT then Fort Campbell is no longer part of his contract.

Okay, here is what I know. His original contract had an option 40, he ended up going through meps 3 times due to some screwups by the Dr's (genesis) and Dr's being short staffed.
By the time of his third visit the original contract expired. They had zero option 40s available at the time and he got option 19. Bliss, Hood and Campbell were his choices.

Fast forward, he said that dudes are dropping like Flys from stress or medical reasons, some outlr plain just quitting the army out the gate before they even turn green and since his APFT was in the 90 percentile, his ASVAB was real good and has not been a trouble maker at all his command came and said they had slots he is eligible for. They came to him and offered him Airborne and an option 40 new contract, he mentioned he is also a canidate for RASP but he did not know when. Said if he passes Airborne his duty stations will be Italy, Alaska or Bragg.

So now he definitely sounds as if Airborne school is a go if he maintains health throughout OSUT. RASP is an option.

That's what I get out of it. I'll have him write a letter and explain better. I think I got all that right.

In the early to mid 1980s you went to OSUT (16 weeks), then to BAC (3 weeks), then you went to either HAAF or Ft. Lewis for RIP (4 weeks at HAAF until class 15-84 and afterwards it was 3 weeks).  Upon graduation, you could sew your scroll on your uniform and were issued a black beret.  You became a Tabless bitch in Bat and were treated like dog shit until you went to Ranger School and got your Tab or until you ETS'd or PCS'd to another unit.  

I don't know about the progression from OSUT, to BAC and RASP today but the tabless bitch time I'm pretty sure is still present.  Just got to embrace the suck or the suck will embrace you and make you insane.  


Good luck,

sounds like a great update.  my experience was (military and civilian) :  if you perform well -- doors open up for you.  sounds like that is happening to him also.

keep us updated as you can.  

He said the hardest part he has is not laughing. He says some of his peers are whiney bastards and having a hard time adjusting from the tit to the Army.
The fat fucks are pissed he gets double rations and razz him about that, he looks like a normal boy should. The doctors at meps said they haven't witnessed a physique like his ever.
He's built like brad Pitt from fight club, chiseled..
Genetics from his mom's side..lol

The DOD said they were scalping SPEC-OPS.. Is this the case..?

Ok that makes more sense.  I think he still has some confusion.

Occasionally there will be slots open for "Option 40" during OSUT or Airborne school.  It happened when I was in Airborne school, but not during OSUT.  Basically a Ranger from down the street showed up, gave a little talk about it and just said let me know if you want to sign up and give it a try.  People who sign up at that point are basically voiding parts of their existing contract.  If he is signed up to take a shot at being a Ranger, right after he graduates Airborne school, some people from the 75th will show up and march him and all the other Ranger hopefuls down the street, smoke their balls off, then put them in the next RASP class (as space allows).  They are basically going to be "detail bitches" while they wait around to get in a RASP class.  He isn't going to Bragg, Italy or Alaska.. he is going about a mile down the street to try to become a Ranger..haha

So at this point, if he graduates RASP, he goes to one of the Ranger Battalions.

If he doesn't graduate, he goes needs of the Army and can be assigned literally anywhere they need some grunts(this group of people are called 'worldwide' because they are up for an assignment anywhere in the world).  He will have basically zero say in where he goes at this point.  He could get lucky and get something good, or end up with an assignment he wants nothing to do with.  When I was there is came in waves... one month all the worldwides might go to Bragg, next month they all get orders to stay at Benning but just get assigned down the road at the 3rd ID, next month some might find they got orders to 10th Mountain, next month maybe Fort Campbell, etc.. its a total wildcard.  He could end up any where that has 11B's stationed at that base.  I went in with an Option 40 contract, didn't make it thru and ended up going to Bragg.  Whether that was good or bad luck is certainly debatable lol

Sounds like his original contract had him going to Fort Campbell.. that is gone as soon as he signed up to go the Ranger route.  Only way he ends up there is if he washes out of RASP and just ends up going there as a worldwide.  Same goes for Bragg, Italy, or Alaska.

If you are in Batt, they won't send you to Ranger School for a bit after you get to the unit. Plan on a 1-2 years before going to Ranger School.4

It was a reference to "The Ballad of the Green Beret" by SSG Barry Sadler.

If he's lucky, he can pin silver wings on his son's chest, making him one of America's best.

My chief was a Navy HT who washed out of BUDs. Did like 12 years in the Navy, made first, got out and joined the USCG. Made DC3 and worked his way up again. His ribbon rack was like 3x of everyone else on the ship. Nobody gave him shit, and he told people about it pretty freely.

Hey OP, as 11boomboom said, If you can swing it, I suggest making it to Benning for his Airborne graduation.   I was able to pin my son’s wings on him last fall, well worth the 12 hour drive.

As for night jumps as part of the five, yup they do them:
Attached File

Proud moment there..!!
I'll let his momma do it, they are tight. I was always deployed and not around much

As I said earlier, if he’s going to RASP straight from OSUT, try to talk to him about over confidence and blending in.

You don’t want to make a name for yourself there. Pass everything, move on to a bat and impress people there.

If RASP is still like RIP was in the 90s, there are instructors there that will smoke you many times daily if you think you’re something special.

A bunch of us vets here at home told him exactly this before he left. Blend in. Make it so the Ds's don't know your name at graduation. He said he is keeping to himself mostly, except the big Oklahoma farm boy of his battle buddy, I guess they get along really well.

He has already said this was the best decision he has made this far in his life. (Hasn't had many opportunities and he will only get out of it what he puts in it)
Thank God he loves old trucks and won't be the guy running off to finance a 2008 charger at 29% interest or marrying a barracks bunny. The boy is pretty squared away 17yr old..

@daemon734

So he has an airborne slot now right after turning blue then RASP..
That is how I deciphered his phone call, again I may have things mixed up as I only talked with him about 15 minutes and I wanted to hear how his week went and the cool shit he did.

I think there is some confusion with the boy, he argued with me that if the government were to shut down that he was told he would still be paid on time, I am pretty sure he would get back pay.

He also slightly corrected me in his own way that as an e-nothing he can live in base housing as a single PVT and not have to live in barracks.

So I think either him or I have a lot to learn about the real world..lol

One of his recruiters was an 11b in the 101st, absolutely loved it he said, my kid got along with him well.
The other recruiter asked my boy if he wanted Supply, maintenance, 88m or radar before my boy took his asvab, my kid told him he wasn't going to be a pog, recruiter mumbled how he was a radar tech...lol

@ride_the_lightning

Can you breakdown what you experienced at RASP..? I'm sure it's basically the same now.

My kid did say a SIT passed away from a head injury in July and now every little boo boo is looked after.

He asked me to send him some shoes.. My wife wrote the name down, fuckers are $200. Starts with a H

Lots of theft, his eye pro got stolen off his rack, laid them down and went to latrine and came back and gone. He got smoked Har for that he said, other guy there had his gold cross stolen.

One of his peers has recycled a few times and scuttlebutt is he is trying to tide the basic train as long as possible.

I went in 2019, but - alot of standing around in a gravel pit in the heat, studying your RASP study materials (including Airborne Ranger in the Sky).  Alot of running and BS in pre-RASP.  Barracks are a giant squad bay.  We used to do a timed 6-mile ruck every friday.

The best advice I can give is to tell him to CLASS UP and graduate and get out of there and move on to Airborne/RR.  The more time he spends in pre-RASP his life is going to suck.

All three things are wrong, but he'll learn soon.

That he will..

Good, he likes to tell me that I'm dated in my understanding of how things work..lol

You're not the only one, I hear it too.  TBH, they are probably right in today's "New" Army.  

If that’s what he told he’s in for a ride as a boot. Its not because he has this ‘amazing physique’ it’s because he’s not even in yet and he’s already too big for his boots.

bury him in the leaning rest.

As of today (6 October 2023) this is still the case.  My son just relinquished command of a Sand Hill Infantry OSUT company and is starting the Regiment officer pipeline.

The Regiment Recruiting Officer was one of my ROTC Cadets and is now in the Maneuver Captain's Course.  His job was to actively recruit officers, NCOs, and Soldiers (including those in OSUT) into the 75th.  A smaller Army (and recruiters not making mission) makes for a smaller potential recruiting pool.

Kid called Sunday, said a shit ton of RASP canidates just got popped for "stimulants" sent from outside sources in chip bags, said he doesn't know how many but it screwed alot of those guys careers up. Does that happen often..?
@sinister
@daemon734

Depends. Was it aderall?  Cocaine?  Caffeine?  Nicotine?

It's why the Army has random, unannounced piss tests.

I lost an ROTC Scholarship Cadet and an SF medic who pissed hot for cocaine.

An ROTC classmate of mine passed SFQC, took leave to Holland, and got busted by a Customs Beagle who hit on the six doobies in his wallet.  He was out of the Army in what I thought was record time.

I'm on a facebook page, they confirmed it.. steroids and meth

Lots of money in training down the drain..

Sounds like these dudes may be charged. The page I'm on has a ton of pics of what they found. HOLY SHIT

How they fuck did they think that was going to work out?

We had a kid get busted putting nutrigrain bars in a camelback and for busted even for that… drugs? No way

I was busted in AIT for sneaking saltine crackers back to the barracks.

The army is a parallel microcosm of society, and people get popped for drugs there the same way as on the outside.

Stuff like steroids typically has to be specifically requested for testing due to the costs involved, but everything in the mail is always inspected in a basic training company.

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100064707487390

Attached File

What the fuck is it..?

let me know if you have any questions about life at Regiment or RASP or Ranger School.

Talked to him Sunday...pipeline for RASP THEN airborne.

With today's politics, I really wish the kid would have signed up as a cook.

I miss him, been writing him BS letters daily, he asked me to transfer him $60 (debating yeah or suffer?)cause he hasn't gotten a payday yet in 10 weeks. I don't know the issue..

I don't remember having to buy much at all when I was in bootcamp in the 90s, maybe Army is different or maybe the times or its just him, said he needed new eyepro, (stolen, bed and foot locker tossed over it) soap and razors.

The yellow pills with the "V" are Vivarin.  It's a 200mg caffeine pill.
I can't read the imprint on the other pills.

Interested in adopting?

LOL.. they are being booted for caffeine pills..?

For the right price..son

Mine was a 100 years ago, but I don't recall anyone ever getting recycled for mental issues. Those were shown the door.

I can't imagine how big a pussy one has to be to cry in today's basic training that's not Marines.  

It's still physical, not sure if it's 1949 physical but still is physical

yes he should have gotten paid -- something is amiss.  he'll get it all 'eventually'.  definitely shoot him the cash if you can.

i got busted getting a second ice cream sandwich at lunch in Airborne School.  you were allowed to get one.

smart ass me -- 'no one in here will POSSIBLY know i've already gotten one...'   WRONG.

smoke city outside for like 15 mins...

35 years later i can't eat an ice cream sandwich without remembering that