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Each day we read the entry corresponding to our son's ranger training day. Written in 1980 and useful in 2009. Our son is in Ranger school as we speak. For me, that is the example of a book which has stood the test of time. Well done. He is a West Point Graduate and an infantry officer with 8 years to serve. While the book was dated it has been invaluable for us to follow essentially day by day the experiences our son is enduring.
I'm also amazed at the consistency of his experiences and mine. Reading this book opened all the floodgates of memory of my own Ranger School class in the winter of 1970. And more than the physical, there was the emotional and the mental toll. Rangers Lead The Way, Sir.
The next time I'm asked, I'll just hand them the book and answer, "Here. Read." Every Ranger or family of a Ranger should have this book. Lock has done just that. Now, however, J.D.
There were times when the book invoked such vivid memories of misery that I really wanted to just put it down and walk away for awhile. How do I describe the indescribable. I had forgotten so much of the physical punishment, of one C-ration a day while climbing the mountains and wading the swamps, of teeth-shattering snow and icy swamp water, of halucinating and sleeping on my feet, of dropping to 125 pounds on a 5-foot 10-inch frame. People have asked me through the years, "What was Ranger School like." I never could begin to find any words to do the experience justice.
I'm amazed that the author was able to pull off keeping the journal and his small Kodak cartridge camera through all the Ranger instructor equipment shake-down inspections. Heartbreakingly exhausting past exhaustion. What an outstanding book.
It goes day by day and shows the learning process-including the intentional stresses added to force the most out of them in the worst conditions. If you like to learn more about the military mentality and what all goes into it, its a fun read. I have several friends who are Rangers, since they are known to be 'the best of the best' I wanted to see what it took to earn that (trust me, THEY DO) and what is expected of them. Plus, he also gives good history/added info on the schooling and Rangers as a whole. Rangers Lead The Way. Plus these guys can't often talk a lot about what they do, so I figured learning about what they train for may give insight. This book did all of that.
You should talk to people who served in those units. This book was a pretty good account of the day in and day out trials of going through Ranger School. For those of you saying you want to become a Ranger, you need to know one thing, there is a huge difference between going to Ranger School and wearing the Tab after, and actually serving in a Ranger Battalion/Regiment.
I have a whole library of of this type book , since I was in the Airbourn-Rangers 1951-1954.
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