Light Fighter School prepares Soldiers for the rigours of Ranger School.

Photo By Sgt. Charlotte Carulli | Staff Sgt. Jorge Martinez, a noncommissioned officer at the 10th Mountain Division Light Fighter School, grades pre-Ranger student, 2nd Lt. Thomas Bond, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Oct. 31, Fort Drum N.Y..  

FORT DRUM, NY, UNITED STATES

10.31.2019

Story by Spc. Charlotte Carulli 

27th Public Affairs Detachment

Throughout the year, 10th Mountain Division holds a pre-Ranger class for Soldiers who want to earn the coveted Ranger tab.

Intense planning and preparation is involved to earn the Ranger tab, but Staff Sgt. Caleb Frappier from 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, said he feels confident.

“I did a lot of running, a lot of weight lifting, a lot of healthy dieting, and being smart overall, both spiritually, physically, and mentally,” said Frappier.

The rigorous course is 19 days long. The first week, also known as the Ranger Assessment Phase, is known to many as the toughest week. It is designed to simulate the conditions and environments that Soldiers encounter at Fort Benning, Ga. Soldiers initially take a Ranger Physical Assessment, two days of land navigation, and a 12-mile foot march assessment.

In the second week, training conditions are less mentally difficult, and the class transitions into more of a teaching aspect. It consists of troop leading procedures and focuses heavily on patrols. The goal of this week is to hone technical and tactical proficiency.

The third and final week focuses on sustainment, and shows how much Soldiers have improved on their overall Soldier skills. Soldiers retake the RPA and do two more days of land navigation. Finally, a layout of equipment and a paperwork review is conducted to ensure readiness for when the Soldiers arrive at Ranger School.

The graduating Soldiers from this course will later travel to Fort Benning, where the 10th Mountain Division currently maintains an 81% graduation rate, and attempt to earn the coveted Ranger tab.

Staff Sgt. Jorge Martinez, a noncommissioned officer at the LFS, who graduated from 10th Mountain’s pre-Ranger school April 19, and from Ranger school July 16. Martinez tried to earn his Ranger tab when he was stationed in Hawaii, but says the one-on-one training paired with the land navigation training he took at 10th Mountain well exceeded any other training he has received previously.

“The training I received here at 10th Mountain definitely helped me at Fort Benning,” said Martinez. “We do multiple rounds of Ranger task training here at 10th Mountain. We also get more one-on-one training. At Ranger school, we practice it once and then we go straight into the graded event. We were able to do multiple rounds of land navigation training here, where as at my old unit, we only really practiced it once,”

Staff Sgt. Dino Rosas, the NCO in charge of the PRC, understands why 10th Mountain Division maintains such a high success rate at Ranger school.

“I attribute the 81% graduation rate, which is high, to the program of instruction,” said Rosas. “Whatever that class needs, whether it be more physical training, or land navigation training, or any type of Soldering skill, we will specify the class to that need. We also try our best to maintain a good relationship with the 4th Ranger Training Battalion.”

• Date Taken: 10.31.2019
• Date Posted: 10.31.2019 16:37
• Story ID: 350100
• Location: FORT DRUM, NY, US