Yes, it is a difficult program. I asked my nephew if he ever got close to ringing the bell. He told me that when he was in the mountain phase in the Appalachians, they had just crossed a stream and got soaking wet. They had to remove their clothing, temperature of 35 degrees, and wind of 30mph. One of his friends saw the listless look in his eyes and prevented him. His inspiration was the small 50 cent piece of cloth that said “Ranger.”
He told me that one of the purposes of pushing the limits of candidates was to demonstrate that the human will is much more powerful than what they knew. He told me the idea is that a Ranger would never be in a situation that was tougher or more grueling than the qualification period.
The last phase, the “Swamps,” was brutal. Being chin deep in water for 20 out of every 24 hours for 20 days. My memory is that they were limited to 800 calories per day.
I see him, and his fellow Rangers and I am encouraged about the direction of our country. His Ranger training served him well on his tours in Afghanistan.
Gwjack
In the summer of ‘72 I completed a three-week “Ranger-lite” class, in which we generally got to eat and sleep more-or-less regularly most of the time.
It darned-near killed me.