Photo By Master Sgt. Matthew Keeler | (Left) Staff Sgt. Paul Almquist, an Ranger and Sapper Assessment Program instructor...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Thirty Soldiers and Airmen attended the Ranger and Sapper Assessment Program (RSAP) from April 21 to 24.
The purpose of RSAP is to assess service members who want to attend the Army’s Ranger or Sapper schools and prepare them for what they will face when they get there.
“The RSAP program is to get these individuals ready and get them in the right mental and physical state of mind of what they are going to encounter during week one of Ranger School,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Almquist, an RSAP instructor assigned to Joint Force Headquarters.
The service members were a mixture of Army and Air Pennsylvania National Guard along with one active duty Airman.
For the PA National Guard troops working to go to Ranger School, this is the first step. After getting selected by the cadre, the Soldier/Airmen is sent to Ranger Training Assessment Course (RTAC) held at the Army National Guard Warrior Training Center in Fort Benning, Ga. This two-week course checks to make sure that the Soldiers and Airmen are prepared mentally and physically with what to expect from Ranger School. After getting selected in RTAC, the individual will be eligible for a slot at Ranger School.
“Everyone can perform great with eight to nine hours of sleep, but when you cut that down to three or four it gets a little more difficult,” said Almquist, a Lebanon, Pa., native. “Through RSAP, we try to build that grit and endurance now so they can train and perform to go to Ranger School and succeed.”
During week one of Ranger School, otherwise known as Ranger Assessment Phase (RAP) week, individuals are tested on everything from rucking to Ranger Task Training, said Almquist. Most of the people who drop out of Ranger School drop out during RAP week, so RSAP gets individuals ready and prepared for what to expect the first week.
“Since funding and getting slots for RTAC can be difficult, and if a National Guard service member is unable to pass on their first attempt that might be their only attempt,” said Sgt. 1st Class Erich Friedlein, noncommissioned officer in charge of RSAP. “So, if we are assessing and preparing service members here, then they are getting an idea of what to expect, and they are already prepared.”
The cadre have managed the class to the very minute to get the most out of their time. On day zero, where most military schools use that time as a travel day, the challenge began for the service members. Bear crawls, tire flips, pushups, flutter kicks, sprints, low crawls, and more, were dished out as the service members were conditioned to think on their feet while under duress.
During these physical fitness sessions, the service members were briefed on what would be expected of them during the assessment and how to accomplish those tasks.
The challenges the service members faced in RSAP included the Combat Water Survival Test (CWST), land navigation, a 12-mile ruck march, Ranger task training, Ranger fitness Test and an obstacle course.
During the CWST, the service members jumped from a pier into water while blindfolded and wearing a Fighting Load Carrier and holding a rubber rifle. The service members would then navigate to shore to shore, while a diver and rescue boat were on hand to provide support if the service member was unable to accomplish the task.
The CWST can be very challenging, said Friedlein, who has been involved with the program since 2018 and was part of the first National Guard team to win the Best Ranger Competition in 2016.
“The service members are about nine to ten feet off the water,” Friedlein said. “They have to jump off the pier into the water and swim to shore, which is maybe a 20 to 25 meter swim. They have to make sure that they do not lose their rifle, and to not show any fear or panic. There are a lot of people that the cold gets to them and they panic, and then they need to be saved by the rescue team. Some people drop their rifles, or get too scared, so this is what we are looking for.”
Overcoming fear is part of what makes the Soldiers and Airmen better, Friedlein said.
“I do not care if you are scared of the water, but are you going to let the fear control you?” he said. “It’s the same with the obstacle course. It’s alright to be afraid of heights, but are you going to let that fear immobilize you or are you going to control the fear and use it.”
The service members are constantly put under duress through physical fitness challenges to help the service members learn to think on their feet even while tired.
To Almquist, going through the RSAP program developed him as a Soldier and leader.
“When I came to RSAP in 2017 this was the first time experiencing this level of grit,” said Almquist. “It was very eye-opening, and there is a lot to being a Ranger, and I’m an MP; so to come here and perform a lot Infantry tasks was a whole other level. It was a great experience.”
For Friendlein, he encourages everyone to get over the initial doubts and consider attending RSAP.
“I think a lot people hold themselves back and do not come and do it, because they think they are not in good enough shape yet. And I urge everyone to get over that mentality and come out and try it, and if you are not ready then you have an idea of how to train up. I think it is the fear of the challenge; but if you try and fail, you have nothing to feel guilty about,” he said.
RSAP’s first class was held in September 2016 to begin preparing Soldiers and Airmen from the PA National Guard for the challenge of Ranger and Sapper School. The developers of the course, those who had been through Ranger and Sapper School, saw the need to improve the mental, physical, and technical skills of the force in preparation for the adversity that they would face in RTAC and Ranger School.
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2022 00:40 |
| Story ID: | 419475 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 396 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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