The 47th Security Forces Squadron is scheduled to host the first-ever Pre-Ranger Assessment Course at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, on Feb. 2-4, 2018.
The three-day course provides an opportunity for U.S. Air Force members of any rank and career field to gage whether or not the 15-day Ranger Assessment Course (RAC) at Fort Bliss, Texas, is a path they intend to pursue.
Jan. 29 will be the last day to sign up. Any who are interested in participating are directed to coordinate with Staff Sgt. Eric Carey, 47th SFS standardization and evaluation officer. Carey will also be the ranger training instructor for this course.
“This three days is not a prerequisite to the 15 day ranger course, so it’s not mandatory by any means, however the 15-day RAC is unit funded,” Carey said. “A commander has to allocate funds for their Airman to go TDY (temporary duty) for 15 days, release them for all 15 days, pay for their packing list and pay for their travel to Fort Bliss.”
Carey went on to describe when he was at ranger course they began with 39 members and finished with only 19. Only six of whom earned slots for ranger school.
“These three days are huge in assessing whether you’ll be successful at the 15-day rather than wasting the unit’s money,” Carey said.
The course at Laughlin will cover the 12-mile ruck, the ranger physical fitness test and the land navigation course, which Carey related were the events most likely to cause dropouts.
“Ranger school is the military’s elite leadership course,” Carey said. “This course is a huge leadership opportunity. Accomplishing ranger school opens up Airmen for future success in the military because they get to evaluate how they act as a leader, no matter what their rank is, under a ton of physical and mental stress.”
Carey can be contacted at 830-298-4567.