Army linguist first to earn Ranger tab

Photo By Patricia Dubiel | Attending the graduation ceremony for Spc. Ali Rezai (center), are fellow Rangers 1st Sgt. Matthew Carter (left) and Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Campbell, of the 3rd Battalion, 353rd Armor Regiment, Joint Readiness Training Center Operations Group.  

FORT POLK, LA, UNITED STATES

09.13.2018

Story by Patricia Dubiel 

Fort Johnson Public Affairs Office

“Before I came to America in 2015, I was an interpreter and cultural advisor in Afghanistan for almost six years. When I moved here (to the United States), I kind of missed that Army life, and I have a passion for it,” Rezai said during a phone interview from Airborne School in Fort Benning, Ga., Sept. 12. “I also wanted to do something that I knew my Family and friends would be proud of.” Rezai said another reason he joined was to take advantage of the educational benefits available through Army schools, which appealed to his ambition to learn as much as possible.
Now he’s taken that ambition a step further by earning the elite Ranger tab.
“Ranger School was something that I always wanted to do because I knew it was challenging,” he said. “I always want to be the best example I can be for others to follow, I have always wanted to lead, and this was a way to accomplish those goals.”
Rezai’s military occupational specialty, 09L, is interpreter/translator — a comparatively small career field in the Army. Rezai speaks five languages: Dari, Pashto, Farsi, Tajik and Urdu. With Rezai’s Ranger qualification (and soon-to-be Airborne qualification) tacked on, this Soldier is unique among his peers and the first at Fort Polk and in the Army to have those exact credentials, according to Lt. Col. Javier Lopez and Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Campbell, commander and command sergeant major respectively, 3rd Bn, 353rd Armor Reg.
Lopez said Rezai is the kind of high-energy, loyal Soldier that every commander/command sergeant major/first sergeant wants in his formation.
“He is dedicated, physically fit, humble and believes in his mission. He wants to contribute to the Army,” Lopez said. “He is the first 09L in the Army to receive the Ranger tab, and that is significant.”
Being the first linguist to become a Ranger makes Rezai something of a history maker. “I always want to make history if it means making a difference,” he said.
Campbell said Rezai’s upward mobility in the Army is greatly improved now that he has the Ranger tab.
“This opens a lot of doors and opportunities for him,” said Campbell. “At some point in his career he wants to try out for Special Forces, so this was a test for him to see if he could do it. I think he absolutely can.”
Campbell flew to Fort Benning along with 1st Sgt. Matthew Carter, A Company first sergeant (both men are Rangers) to attend the graduation and tack on Rezai’s Ranger tab. In addition, four Soldiers from the unit made the drive to watch their brother-in-arms graduate.
This was a complete surprise to Rezai. “It means a lot that the command sergeant major came to my graduation, but he had told me as we were filling out the paperwork that if I passed he would attend my graduation, and he kept that promise,” he said. “But I felt very proud that my buddies came to see me graduate, and that must mean something for them to see me and (know I am) the first linguist to graduate from Ranger School. My older brother from Nashville, Tennessee, also came, and that was pretty awesome.”
Lopez said Rezai is well-liked in the unit. “When your buds take a pass and spend their own money to drive out there just to witness you getting your tab, that’s very telling,” said Lopez. “When I spoke to him about it I could tell he was monumentally ecstatic about getting that attention. But he never asked for it. He is very unassuming and humble, and he just wants to do his job very well.”
Lopez said Rezai handled himself in such a professional manner that the cadre at Ranger school assumed he was an officer (Ranger candidates do not wear their rank during school).
“That’s how well he carries himself and articulates when he communicates, and how well he leads others,” he said. “He is truly a special guy.”
Now that Rezai has his Ranger tab (and soon Airborne as well), Lopez thinks other Soldiers in the unit will become motivated to follow suit. “We have always encouraged Soldiers to be tactically proficient as well as technically proficient in their MOS,” he said. “Rezai is a hard-working, unassuming Soldier, and I think when others see him now, they may want to attend Ranger School as well.”
Earning the Ranger tab is an honor, said Rezai. “Earning the tab taught me what I am capable of and how to be an example for others,” he said. “It’s just the beginning of the journey for me. The tab opens doors for me to push myself forward and achieve more goals in my career.”
The hardest part of the course for Rezai was battling hunger. “It is a (demanding) course, but the toughest part for me was the food — I was hungry all the time!” said Rezai.
For all its challenges, there are also rewards to be gained at Ranger school. Rezai said he most enjoyed the friendships forged with his fellow Rangers and learning about other Soldiers’ skill sets. “Working with people that have different experiences, MOSs, backgrounds — I really enjoyed that,” he said.
Rezai hopes his next challenge will be selection for Special Forces as well as earning a college degree for International Relations.
His leadership thinks he will do well. “If he stays in the Army and on the glide path he’s on — if he stays enlisted — he will eventually become a sergeant major,” said Campbell. “If he wants to be a Special Forces Soldier, and I highly encourage him to do that, he’ll also do well. Any Special Operations unit would be lucky to have someone like Rezai.”
Lopez said Rezai has high potential for getting promoted. “He has a unique skill set,” said Lopez. “Not only is he courageous — he overcame many obstacles to join the Army, language being one of them (English was not his first language) — but he can also integrate into any unit. Once you add in the physical and leadership aspects of Ranger School, that just brings him to a slightly higher level, and by virtue of that Ranger qualification, he will be successful in the Army.”

• Date Taken: 09.13.2018
• Date Posted: 09.13.2018 16:01
• Story ID: 292695
• Location: FORT POLK, LA, US