Story and photo by Melissa Buckley
GUIDON staff
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Concealed in the darkness of Missouri’s early morning hours, on a training area in the heart of Fort Leonard Wood, the Ranger Creed shatters the silence as it’s roared by Soldiers longing to one day wear the prestigious Ranger tab.
This is how the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School’s Basic Officer Leader Course Soldiers, who are competing to attend Ranger School, start their mornings.
“We run this program for a few reasons. One — to maintain a pool of Ranger-qualified CBRN officers to serve in 75th Ranger Regiment later in their careers; and two — to provide our best candidates additional training in small unit tactics and leadership to posture them for success as company grade officers in the operational force,” said Maj. Peter Zappola, U.S. Army CBRN School Ranger Program coordinator. “In addition, we occasionally have permanent party Soldiers on Fort Leonard Wood, who received school slots from their units, participate in our program to get prepared.”
Zappola said currently there is one CBRN officer at each of the four Ranger Battalions in the Army and one at the 75th Ranger Regiment Headquarters. All of them are Ranger qualified.
“They are recruited, assessed and selected by 75th Ranger Regiment once they are a first lieutenant or captain. By ensuring we have Ranger qualified CBRN officers available, the 75th Ranger Regiment will have a sufficient population from which to recruit potential Rangers,” Zappola said.
Zappola is Ranger qualified, meaning he graduated from the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga.
2nd Lt. Brian Huefner, CBOLC student, feels fortunate to be learning from Zappola in the CBRN Ranger Program.
GUIDON staff
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Concealed in the darkness of Missouri’s early morning hours, on a training area in the heart of Fort Leonard Wood, the Ranger Creed shatters the silence as it’s roared by Soldiers longing to one day wear the prestigious Ranger tab.
This is how the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School’s Basic Officer Leader Course Soldiers, who are competing to attend Ranger School, start their mornings.
2nd Lt. Sam Betar, CBRN BOLC student, balances a 40-pound weight on his head as part of the pre-Ranger school training.
“We run this program for a few reasons. One — to maintain a pool of Ranger-qualified CBRN officers to serve in 75th Ranger Regiment later in their careers; and two — to provide our best candidates additional training in small unit tactics and leadership to posture them for success as company grade officers in the operational force,” said Maj. Peter Zappola, U.S. Army CBRN School Ranger Program coordinator. “In addition, we occasionally have permanent party Soldiers on Fort Leonard Wood, who received school slots from their units, participate in our program to get prepared.”
Zappola said currently there is one CBRN officer at each of the four Ranger Battalions in the Army and one at the 75th Ranger Regiment Headquarters. All of them are Ranger qualified.
“They are recruited, assessed and selected by 75th Ranger Regiment once they are a first lieutenant or captain. By ensuring we have Ranger qualified CBRN officers available, the 75th Ranger Regiment will have a sufficient population from which to recruit potential Rangers,” Zappola said.
Zappola is Ranger qualified, meaning he graduated from the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga.
2nd Lt. Brian Huefner, CBOLC student, feels fortunate to be learning from Zappola in the CBRN Ranger Program.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to be a Ranger. My brother was a Ranger and I have always admired everything that goes along with it,” Huefner said. “Maj. Zappola is setting us up for success. The pass rate numbers from this program are unbelievable. Obviously, he knows what he is doing.”
Six to ten second lieutenants from each CBOLC class compete for slots to attend Ranger School over a 60-day period of time. One or two are typically selected to attend the course due to their excellent physical fitness, discipline and integrity.
“We have enjoyed an above average graduation rate than the majority of the Ranger students from across the Army. Typically only half of those who start the course will graduate. We’ve had a greater than 75 percent success rate on average for the past year in the CBRN School.”
According to the Ranger Training Brigade, 60 percent of all Ranger School failures occur in the first three days, during the Ranger Assessment Phase, commonly known as “RAP Week.” This consists of a Ranger Physical Fitness Test, land navigation, a foot march and the Combat Water Survival Assessment.
The program at Fort Leonard Wood’s CBRN School prepares Soldiers for RAP week through daily physical training that encompasses these components of fitness: strength, speed, power, endurance, flexibility and coordination.
“Hundreds of Soldiers go to Ranger School every year and don’t make it past the first 72 hours, RAP Week, because they can’t do 49 push-ups, 59 sit-ups, run five-miles in less than 40 minutes, swim or complete a 12-mile ruck march in less than three hours. Our goal is to prepare our Soldiers to make it through RAP week and still be able to excel physically for the next 60 to 90 days of the course until they graduate,” Zappola said. “Additionally, we want to have disciplined Soldiers who have the mental fortitude to push themselves when they are starving, tired and freezing cold. They must have the attention to detail to be successful when leading small units on combat patrols.”
Huefner said even though the program focuses on the physical aspects of becoming a Ranger, Zappola also keeps tabs on the Soldiers’ scholastic achievements, and moral character through peer and instructor reviews.
“Because he is in contact with our leader’s at CBOLC it makes me think that I need to study harder. I know I should to go to bed at night and get the rest I need, watch what I eat and hydrate during the day. I am here for CBOLC, that’s my main job, but at the same time I am completed dedicated and focused on this program. It’s challenging, but I think it’s made me a better Soldier,” Huefner said. “It’s not just about what Maj. Zappola sees here, it’s about our conduct and overall performance.”
Huefner believes the U.S. Army CBRN Ranger Program is helping his fantasies become his reality.
“Ranger has always been a dream of mine,” Huefner said.
Zappola said later that morning Huefner and another officer from CBOLC class 05-12 were told they had made the cut, met the standard and would be attending Ranger School this November.
“They now have to put all their hard work and training to the test and maybe, one day — early next year — they will be Rangers,” Zappola said.
Six to ten second lieutenants from each CBOLC class compete for slots to attend Ranger School over a 60-day period of time. One or two are typically selected to attend the course due to their excellent physical fitness, discipline and integrity.
“We have enjoyed an above average graduation rate than the majority of the Ranger students from across the Army. Typically only half of those who start the course will graduate. We’ve had a greater than 75 percent success rate on average for the past year in the CBRN School.”
According to the Ranger Training Brigade, 60 percent of all Ranger School failures occur in the first three days, during the Ranger Assessment Phase, commonly known as “RAP Week.” This consists of a Ranger Physical Fitness Test, land navigation, a foot march and the Combat Water Survival Assessment.
The program at Fort Leonard Wood’s CBRN School prepares Soldiers for RAP week through daily physical training that encompasses these components of fitness: strength, speed, power, endurance, flexibility and coordination.
“Hundreds of Soldiers go to Ranger School every year and don’t make it past the first 72 hours, RAP Week, because they can’t do 49 push-ups, 59 sit-ups, run five-miles in less than 40 minutes, swim or complete a 12-mile ruck march in less than three hours. Our goal is to prepare our Soldiers to make it through RAP week and still be able to excel physically for the next 60 to 90 days of the course until they graduate,” Zappola said. “Additionally, we want to have disciplined Soldiers who have the mental fortitude to push themselves when they are starving, tired and freezing cold. They must have the attention to detail to be successful when leading small units on combat patrols.”
Huefner said even though the program focuses on the physical aspects of becoming a Ranger, Zappola also keeps tabs on the Soldiers’ scholastic achievements, and moral character through peer and instructor reviews.
“Because he is in contact with our leader’s at CBOLC it makes me think that I need to study harder. I know I should to go to bed at night and get the rest I need, watch what I eat and hydrate during the day. I am here for CBOLC, that’s my main job, but at the same time I am completed dedicated and focused on this program. It’s challenging, but I think it’s made me a better Soldier,” Huefner said. “It’s not just about what Maj. Zappola sees here, it’s about our conduct and overall performance.”
Huefner believes the U.S. Army CBRN Ranger Program is helping his fantasies become his reality.
“Ranger has always been a dream of mine,” Huefner said.
Zappola said later that morning Huefner and another officer from CBOLC class 05-12 were told they had made the cut, met the standard and would be attending Ranger School this November.
“They now have to put all their hard work and training to the test and maybe, one day — early next year — they will be Rangers,” Zappola said.