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3dfxMM wrote:Being a Ranger and having the Ranger tab are independent of each other. Only those who are or have served in one of the Ranger battalions are Rangers. Earning the Ranger tab by graduating from Ranger School makes a Soldier Ranger qualified, but it does not make the Soldier a Ranger.

Yes, a Ranger can go on multiple deployments without having earned their tab. In fact, having multiple deployments can make it hard to fit Ranger School in.

Sorry for being so pedantic. It's one of my pet peeves. Not as big a one as the misuse of the term Special Forces, aka Green Berets. There is only one entity that is called that, the U.S. Army Special Forces. Rangers, SEALs, PJs, and several other units are special operations units, not Special Forces. No, I am not, nor have I ever been any one of these, but my son was an 18C in 1st SFG(A) and 19th SFG(A). He is no longer in the Army.

Circling back, any Solder who is in a Ranger battalion and/or who has made it successfully through Ranger School should definitely know better than to assume a weapon is unloaded. Actually, just saying any Soldier would suffice.

Thanks for the explanation. I was aware that Special Forces is a distinct unit, not a general classification like special operations.

Your answer leaves me with another question.......Other than rank, since the article I quoted above says that Sargeants and above are required to attend Ranger School, is someone who has earned a Ranger tab any more or less qualified in combat arms than someone who has passed RASP1 and served in a Ranger battalion, or is it primarily a leadership course?

3dfxMM wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:

TexDotCom wrote:http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017 ... _170215.nl

A Ranger was allegedly playing around with the weapon, pointed it at a fellow Soldier, and pulled the trigger. The fellow Soldier is now barely clinging to life.

The guy has his ranger tab, and he "didn't know it was loaded"? Either he's lying, or they were drunk, or something like that.

You are jumping to a conclusion. I didn't see anything in the article about him having his Ranger tab.

Maybe I'm jumping to the conclusion that if one is a Ranger, one has a Ranger tab? The article identifies the shooter as a Ranger. So either the article is lying about the shooter being a Ranger, or it is possible for one to be a Ranger without having a Ranger tab. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Just going by what I read. Is it possible to be infantry assigned to a Ranger battalion and (A) not BE a Ranger, and (B) not HAVE a Ranger tab? Not arguing.....just a sincere question. I am assuming that one does not get assigned to a Ranger battalion unless one has passed the RASP. But I confess to being a bit confused. Does passing RASP still not mean a tab?......

http://www.military.com/special-operati ... ngers.html

All Rangers volunteer to become members of the 75th Ranger Regiment and complete the rigorous Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, known as RASP, to join the ranks of this elite U.S. Army Special Operations Command unit.

Lower enlisted Soldiers and Sergeants attend RASP 1, an eight-week course that trains Soldiers in the basic skills and tactics required to operate in the 75th Ranger Regiment. Upon completion of this course, Rangers have the essential skills, training, and confidence to be members of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Officers, Warrant Officers and senior noncommissioned officers (Staff Sgt. through Command Sgt. Maj.) must attend RASP 2, a three-week course focused on selecting the best leadership from across the Army.

All sergeants and above in the 75th Ranger Regiment must be Ranger qualified, meaning that they have successfully completed the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga., the Army's premier leadership school. Newly assigned Rangers of the 75th Ranger Regiment typically attend Ranger School after multiple combat deployments and training cycles – before they become Sergeants.

Does that mean that you can be assigned to a Ranger battalion, have multiple deployments, and STILL not have the tab?

Even so, I would expect someone who passes RASP to have the basic firearms skills required to operate in the regiment......and that would include not pointing a gun at someone and pulling the trigger, killing him, and then later claiming that he didn't know the gun was loaded.

My apologies if I offended anyone who is/was a Ranger, and who possesses the tab. No insult was meant or implied.

TexDotCom wrote:http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017 ... _170215.nl

A Ranger was allegedly playing around with the weapon, pointed it at a fellow Soldier, and pulled the trigger. The fellow Soldier is now barely clinging to life.

The guy has his ranger tab, and he "didn't know it was loaded"? Either he's lying, or they were drunk, or something like that.