Warrior Training Center Turns Guard Soldiers into High-Performance Ranger Candidates
Rangers have a long history of being among the best of the best warriors in the Army. Ranger School accepts only the most highly disciplined Soldiers, both mentally and physically. On average, only 50 percent of Ranger School students graduate and become Ranger-certified.
With these statistics in mind, if you want to become Ranger-certified, you might want an opportunity for some advanced training to increase your odds of successfully completing the course. Where do you go? One place in particular is renowned for its record of improving a Soldier’s odds of earning the coveted Ranger tab. For nearly two decades, the Warrior Training Center (WTC) has been prepping Guard Soldiers for success at Ranger School.
According to National Guard Bureau data, during the mid-1990s, only one in 10 Guard Soldiers who entered Ranger School graduated. To remedy these low numbers, and to boost Guard participation in Ranger School, the Army National Guard began developing an informal course designed to prepare Guard Soldiers for what to expect at Ranger School, potentially increasing their odds of graduating to become Rangers.
his course gave Guard Soldiers two weeks of full-time training to perfect their skills before entering Ranger School. With 1LT Jamison Kirby and SFC Thomas Siter leading the way at the then-new prep course, Guard pass rates at Ranger School quickly improved.
To properly design the prep course, 1LT Kirby and SFC Siter kept in close contact with the active duty personnel at Ranger School to learn about the events and tasks required to graduate. They needed to know how to best prepare their candidates. 1LT Kirby and SFC Siter also stayed in contact with Guard Soldiers who were in the final stages of Ranger School. They would sometimes give rides to Soldiers out on leave and use the time in the car to get feedback and delve into any insight the Soldiers might share on how the prep course could be improved to more accurately represent Ranger School.
