We took Josh to the airport this morning for Ranger School. :-( Ranger School is one of the most difficult schools that the military offers. It is 61+ days of intense training. The school has a 45% attrition rate, and that is in the first week of training alone (which means 45% of the class will fail out during the first week). The total attrition rate is 68%, so more than half the class will have failed before graduation day. Yikes! During this school, Josh and I will only be able to correspond by letters with an occasional phone call here and there. So, weird as it sounds, I am hoping NOT to hear from him...no news usually means good news during this training. Here is a description of what Josh will be doing for the next two months according to Wikipedia:
The purpose of the course is learning to soldier as a combat leader while enduring the great mental and psychological stresses and physical fatigue of combat; the Ranger Instructors (RI) create and cultivate such a physical and mental environment. Field craft instruction comprises most of the coursework; students plan and execute daily patrolling, perform reconnaissance, ambushes, and raids against dispersed targets, followed by stealthy movement to a new patrol base to plan the next mission. Ranger students conduct about 20 hours of training per day, while consuming two or fewer meals daily totaling about 2,200 Calories (9,200 kJ), with an average of 3.5 hours of sleep a day. Students sleep more before a parachute jump for safety considerations. Ranger students typically wear and carry some 65–90 pounds (29–41 kg) of weapons, equipment, and training ammunition while patrolling more than 200 miles (320 km) throughout the course.[2]
Please say lots of prayers for Josh. He is going to need the good Lord by his side every step of the way during this school. I will post updates as I hear from him. If you'd like to send him a message of encouragement, his address is:**
1st LT Joshua Kinsel
4th Ranger Training Battalion
ATTN: Class 07-10, Company B
10850 Schneider Road
Fort Benning, GA 31905
**This will only be his address for the first phase of Ranger School. His address will change as he progresses to each new phase, and I will update you each time that happens.
If you do send him anything, please keep in mind that he cannot have anything other than letters and pictures. And you may not hear back from him as he will be kept very busy, and sleep deprived. But if you get a chance to write to him, your letters will mean a lot to him, and will help keep him motivated! If all goes as planned, he should graduate in mid-July. Thanks in advance for your love, support, and prayers! God bless!GO JOSH!!!
