You Shouldn't Be Calling Yourself a Ranger': Tom Cotton's Military Service is Under Scrutiny From a Fellow Army Vet (Marine, deployed)
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Wow, one of those female Rangers is an AH-64 pilot with the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade at Ft. Carson, I served three and half years in that same brigade working on those AH-64's. Was there when they were brand new, and spent 6 months deployed to Hood learning how to work on them. and watched them fly to Carson for the first time. I guess it's possible that some of them are still in service 28 years later.
I say these women, if they can graduate the Ranger course, are indeed Rangers, and bad ass women. More power to them.
Everyone with Ranger tab refers to himself as a Ranger. The winners from 2019 Best RANGER Competition were a pair of officers from 101st Airborne, the same unit that Cotton commanded and served.
Were they (the winners) not best Rangers? What do you suggest we should call Rangers winning Best Ranger Competition if they are not from 75th Ranger Regiment? Best tabbed-Ranger? Best Ranger-but-not-really-Ranger?
One thing is for sure: if those best Ranger winners deployed to Afghanistan with the 101st as their only deployment, and then tried to claim they were deployed as Rangers in Afghanistan, they would be fibbing a little. No, a lot.
The two female Ranger's completed the 8 week Ranger School.
Quote:
But the 123 days it took to earn the Tab was no easy journey, both women agreed.
Haver and Griest failed the first phase of the course twice, though their performance impressed Ranger leaders enough to be offered a chance to start over from day one.
Yep, they earned it. What is your problem with it? That they did something you can't do?
One thing is for sure: if those best Ranger winners deployed to Afghanistan with the 101st as their only deployment, and then tried to claim they were deployed as Rangers in Afghanistan, they would be fibbing a little. No, a lot.
Agree.
But Cotton never made a claim to serve in Iraq or Afghan with the 75th, according to the article in the link I posted .
But Cotton never made a claim to serve in Iraq or Afghan with the 75th, according to the article in the link I posted .
The quote in Salon was that in another quote for a newspaper, he said "My experience as a U.S. Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan and my experience in business will put me in very good condition."
Did he actually say that? I don't know. It was a quote of a quote, and may have gotten twisted. Even if he said it, probably technically true. But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. How about the below video:
"I made tough decisions as an Army Ranger in Iraq." I find that kind of bogus, similar to someone who has been to jump school but is not on jump status deploying, then saying "I made tough decisions as a paratrooper in XXX place." Well, technically, they were a paratrooper, but the reality is-not serving as one.
Senator Cotton wasn't serving as a Ranger, and I find it hard to believe he didn't know the difference.
When I served there where still a few Vietnam veterans around from the Provisional Ranger Companies of Korea and Vietnam and maybe some WWII vets but the Ranger Regiment was a new thing just known for backing up Delta Force at Desert One and Grenada. And if you were not at Forts Lewis or Benning you probably never came across someone in a black beret and jungle boots and fatigues. I wonder how they reacted when the rest of the Army was authorized jungle fatigues before the hot weather BDUs were approved?
Meanwhile many combat arms officers and NCO's wore the tab and were sometimes called Rangers. And Jody calls no matter which boot camp you attended and where you were going called about being and Airborne Ranger and some of the Drill Sergeants wore the tab.
I guess if more infantrymen were around that served in one of those two battalions or the training cadre, there might have been some stolen valor type pushback about the "real Rangers". But mostly that came in later with the adoration of the elites and the Rangers was one of the few places you could go on the first enlistment and attain that status
Last edited by Taiko; 01-27-2021 at 06:32 AM..
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