DAVIDSONVILLE COMMUNICATIONS SITE, Md. –
Since 1955, approximately 250 Airmen have been able to call themselves Air Force Rangers. Seven Airmen from both Minot AFB, N.D., and Joint Base Andrews, Md., came to Davidsonville Communications Site, Md., to endure a grisly 13 day Ranger Assessment and Selection Course to have the same opportunity to qualify and attend the 62 day Army Ranger course held at Ft. Benning, Ga. However, even when an Airman graduates the RASC, they still must be selected to attend the Army Ranger Course. They are selected based upon their leadership skills, endurance, and overall capabilities.
According to Capt. Ryan Barton, 811th Security Forces Squadron operations officer, the number of Airmen who are selected to attend the Army Ranger Course varies from class to class. The numbers are random with as few as no Airmen being selected from a class, to ten. The RASC class sizes range from five to thirty Airmen at a time.
Usually held in Germany and Nevada, this was the first year RASC was held at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Barton, who has been an instructor for four years, established the program and coordinated the necessary funding for the RASC to be held in Maryland.
"Ranger Assessment and Selection Course is stress-oriented and helps develop the student's ability to lead and command under heavy mental, emotional, and physical stress," Barton said.
The course is also designed to increase stress by diminishing their sleep schedules and calorie intake.
"The students endure physical and mental stress with 0-4 hours of sleep per night while consuming approximately 2200 calories per day, but burning up to 5000-6000 calories," he said. "The lack of sleep degrades the minds ability to focus and the ability to conduct tasks. The lack of food affects the ability for the student's body to function properly through the efficient use of fuel. The body in turn resorts to burning proteins, muscle, within the body and enters a "starvation mode" in which the body functions slow down and continually strives to minimize any physical activity. Ultimately the food and sleep deprivation force the student to operate and lead other students while their mind and body is telling them to become the least active as possible and utilize the least amount of energy as possible."
While in a state of emotional confusion and exhaustion, the Airmen must conduct land navigation during hours or darkness and light, properly operate radio communications, disassemble and reassemble an M240 and M249 machine gun, and many other demanding tasks in order to graduate the course. The Airmen must also conduct combat patrols while being graded in leadership positions.
This particular class was unique, as this is one of the only times that helicopters have ever been used in during the course. The 1st Helicopter Squadron spent five days training with the Airmen, completing approximately two missions per day. While the training missions were different for the two groups of Airmen, each greatly benefitted. The Airmen from the 1st Helicopter Squadron furthered their training through a fulfillment of mission critical requirements, such as practicing tactically offloading heavy loads and passengers with multiple pounds of equipment. The Airmen in RASC benefitted through practical application of training needed during the Army Ranger Course.
The vigorous training incurred tests the Airmen every day, and as the hours of each day and night start blending together, a successfully completed day is one step closer to graduating the course.
In the end, the Airmen are filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment and the prospect of being selected for the Army Ranger Course.
"There is a very distinct change with each student and is semi-unique to each individual," said Barton. "At the beginning of the course, the students must be led by the cadre in almost every aspect. In the end, the overall the leadership, motivation, level of confidence and tactical knowledge exhibited by each student allows for a hands-off-approach from the cadre and ultimately results in the development of an operational military member, skilled in leading people in and through the most arduous conditions."