Ranger Tim Kennedy and H.O.O.A.H

I write this with sorrow as I hear today that a helicopter containing Special Operations Forces was shot down in Afghanistan, killing 31 Americans and 7 Afghan Commandos.  Initial reports say that the majority of the killed are Navy SEALS.  God be with them, their families and their comrades.

Ranger Up invited Ranger Mike Schlitz and I to be their guests at the Strikeforce and M-1 Global Fedor vs. Henderson match, featuring Ranger Tim Kennedy fighting Robbie Lawler.  Full set of photos here.

Ranger Tim Kennedy wins over Robbie Lawler, at the 1:40 minute mark Tim brings up Ranger SFC (ret) Mike Schlitz!

Why Tim Kennedy Won't Stop Talking About the Military, Even If You Want Him To

Deadliest Warrior:  Ranger Tim Kennedy was the Ranger featured in this episode.  Parts are corny but Tim was AWESOME!

and in a trifecta, Tim was featured on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine, with a nice article in the pub.  Go buy it now!

Ranger Up is an amazing veteran owned business.  Check out their website and buy something!

Karl interviews Ranger veteran Bob Sebastian, founder of H.O.O.A.H on The New American Veteran.  Bob has created Help Out Our American Heroes (H.O.O.A.H) to assemble and ship care packages to Ranger units (and others) deployed overseas. The most requested item for the care packages?  Copenhagen!  Support their effort by sending a check or mailing non-perishable items (Cope, beef jerky) to this address:

H.O.O.A.H.

13645 Northdale Blvd

Rogers, MN 55374

Missing credentials harm jobless veterans (article).  This article does a very good job of talking about the frustration with a veteran who ran the postal service in a combat zone, but isn't "qualified" to do the same thing in the U.S.

POTUS announced a new initiative aimed at helping reduce veteran unemployment, and the Dept of Labor just released new numbers:  

9.0% unemployment rate for all U.S. population

8.6%  unemployment rate of ALL veterans

7.3, 8.5, 8.2 % unemployment rate for Gulf War, WWII/Korea, Vietnam and other eras

Veterans post-Gulf War (current GWOT)

12.1% male

14.1% female

12.4% all

Note that Desert Storm and earlier report a lower than national average unemployment rate, while post Desert Storm is significantly higher (33% more if you're male, 56% more if female).

Navy veteran Matt Flavin, Director of Wounded Warrior and Veteran Policy for the White House writes in the White House blog:  Putting Our Veterans Back to Work.

Vote for GallantFew in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Competition.  We are competing for a $50k grant to help us refine our volunteer/veteran mentor database - the top 10 are eligible for the grant, we are sitting around #80.  Vote every day at this link:  www.refresheverything.com/gallantfew and also text 108109 to 73774 (standard text rates apply).

Received this from 1/75:  SGM Jack Schmidt Memorial Bench:

SGM Jack Schmidt was and is an inspiration to many Rangers – of all eras.  His  Ranger Buddies are asking you to contribute to the purchase of a Memorial Bench with bronze plaque as seen in the inserted photo.  The approximate cost of the bench is $1700.00.  Any donation will be greatly appreciated!  If you are associated with a website, please post if your site permits.

All donations can be mailed to Shelia Dudley, 520 E. Harris Street, Savannah, Georgia.  Please annotate on your check and envelope“Schmidt Memorial”.  When enough funds are collected, we will place the order and notify you of the date of installation in the 1/75 Memorial.  If you have not had the opportunity to visit the 1/75 Memorial at Hunter Army Airfield, please do – you are always welcome!

RLTW!

Shelia Dudley

Project Manager

1^st Ranger Battalion Memorial

Here's a vintage clip about the Ranger's raid on Cabanatuan.  Used to be called "rare" but now it's on youtube!  RLTW!

Homeland Security Job Opportunities:

08/02/2011
Homeland Security Today - Online
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Ports of Entry (PoE) on the Southern border that are undergoing major expansion, like the PoE at Nogales, Arizona, and are in need of new officers, will start seeing an influx of additional officers this next year as fresh hires get their assignments. These new officers are being hired as part of a major new CBP recruiting drive.

CBP is currently looking to hire at least 1,300 CBP officers to work at PoEs, a CBP spokesperson told Homeland Security Today Monday following CBP's announcement of its new hiring initiative.

In addition, 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents will be hired “to work between the ports on the southwest border,” according to a CBP spokesperson.

CBP is building two new Ports of Entry at locations where the existing PoE's receive about 100 cars on its busiest days, according to a veteran CBP officer on the Southern border.

CBP had earlier hired 250 officers and 1,000 Border Patrol agents for fiscal year 2011 pursuant to a supplemental border bill in 2010. Another 1,200 Border Patrol agents were “hired to account for attrition,” the spokesperson explained.

The veteran CBP official told Homeland Security Today that “what the Ports of Entry need are [more] K9 officers. They need to be able to run dogs on every shift. In [one] section they have five PoEs. Money and drugs are a huge problem going both in and out. Yet, in my opinion, we do not have the protection in order to deter, detect nor discover these illicit cargo shipments. The CBP needs to get more dogs at their land PoEs. There should be enough dogs to ensure that they can cover the volume of traffic 24/7.” ...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is currently hiring entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA).  All eligible U.S. Citizens and Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) applicants are encouraged to apply.   

VRA eligible applicants include the following:  Disabled veterans; veterans who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during a war declared by Congress, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized; veterans who, while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces, participated in a military operation for which the Armed Forces Service Medal was awarded; or veterans separated from active duty within the past three years.  For more information on VRA eligibility, please visit http://www.opm.gov/staffingPortal/Vetguide.asp#VRA-Authority.

We are currently recruiting for the Southwestern border region (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and southern California).  To go to the announcement click this link:  BPA 11-2 or type in the following address in your browser:  http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=101233200

GallantFew still needs your help!  We are proud to list four new Founding Donors ($1,000 or more) and our march towards our 11/11/11 goal of raising $111,111 continues.  You can make a tax deductible donation by sending a check to GallantFew, Inc, 6505 E. Central #205, Wichita KS 67206 or online at https://www.gallantfew.org/donate.html.

thanks for your support - Rangers Lead the Way!

Karl

TNAV: Jon Collins Band and Ranger Rendezvous 2011

This week I had the privilege of attending Ranger Rendezvous 2011 and the events surrounding the Change of Command from COL Kurilla to COL Odom.  Boone Cutler, author of Voodoo in Sadr City again guest-hosted The New American Veteran where he interviewed Jon Collins, of the Jon Collins Band.

Collins is releasing a new album, with the title track Hero.  Hero is dedicated to the US service men and women who have been injured during the last ten years.  A portion of the proceeds from this song will directly benefit organizations that work with and for wounded veterans.  Go to this website to learn more about the efforts to raise funds to produce the music video, and make a donation to help them out!  Listen to the interview here, and if you haven't listened to the Gary Sinise interview, go here for the archive.

Now to Ranger Rendezvous.

Day One featured Rangers from the Regiment parachuting onto Fryar Drop Zone and conducting a small raid demonstration and extraction by Osprey.  Later that day Plankholders (original 1/75 members) and other Rangers socialized at the Fort Benning Officer's Club and the US Army Ranger Association held a social at the Doubletree Hotel.

Day Two featured a Regimental three-mile run, the State of the Regiment Brief and selected individuals inducted as Distinguished and Honorary Members of the Regiment.  Some very interesting details from the State of the Regiment Brief:

• The Regiment has increased in size, with an authorized strength now exceeding 3,500 Rangers.
• The Regiment has 55 Military Occupational Skills (MOS)
• Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) has drastically altered attrition.  Pre-RASP, Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) screened Rangers and sent them straight to a battalion.  Approximately 70% of RIP students graduated, and the Regiment's Release for Standards (RFS) rate approached 40%.  Now RASP graduates about 39% and sends them on to battalion and the RFS rate is less than 12%.
• The Regiment has suffered 55 Killed in Action and 551 Wounded in Action.  Eight Rangers remain in long-term hospitalization.
• Thirteen service dogs have given their lives, saving Rangers in the process.
• The ideal RASP candidate GT score is 107 and the average score of Rangers in Regiment is 109.
• Regiment has a new and strong partnership with the basic training units at Benning, with Drill Instructors on the lookout for potential Rangers.  This is an opportunity for enlistees not under Ranger contract to have the opportunity to go to RASP, if they meet basic screening and eligibility requirements.
• There is a new MOS skill identifier for an NCO who is Ranger qualified (i.e. graduate of Ranger School) and has served two years in Regiment - "U"
• A Ranger Battalion is averaging 100 combat missions per deployment, and has experienced as high as 200.
• The Regiment has been in continuous combat for 3,569 days as of the Change of Command.  It is on the 15th four month combat rotation deployment.

Some of my favorite quotes from the Distinguished Members of the Regiment:

• "To be honored to serve among the Regiment is honor enough for any man"
• "There is no greater accolade than to be able to say, 'I am a Ranger'"
• "This Regiment bears the burden of our Nation's war on terror"
• "I never deserved the honor (of serving in the Regiment) but it defined me"

Finally, the RCO stated that the Regiment is the main effort in Afghanistan.

That evening the 75th Ranger Regiment Association held a packed social at the Holiday Inn.

Day Three featured Regimental sporting, combative and other events, selected Rangers (including Mike Schlitz) being inducted into the Order of Roger's Rangers at Regimental HQ, the Ranger Hall of Fame Induction, and Ranger Social hosted by the Regiment with Keni Thomas entertaining the crowd.

Day Four concluded the week's events with the Regimental Change of Command.

Here's the link to the full set of photos.

Ranger Rendezvous video playlist (youtube)

I'm sure I've left out some important details, but this gives you a highlight of the week and a sense of the pride that comes with association with this band of brothers.  There is nothing like being a Ranger among Rangers.

As always, GallantFew is dedicated to helping our Rangers achieve a smooth, peaceful transition from active duty to the civilian world.  We do so by finding Ranger veterans, now successful in their post-military careers and match them in one-on-one mentoring relationships with Rangers just now leaving active duty.  We also help Rangers who've been out for awhile and other Special Operations Forces veterans, with a special focus on the wounded.  We have a commitment written in blood to care for each other.

If you are a Ranger/SOF veteran and can be a mentor, sign up at www.gallantfew.org or email ranger@gallantfew.org for more details.

If you can donate, give a tax deductible donation.  Consider being a Founding Donor (the first 100 to give $1000 or more).  If you prefer to mail a check, send it to GallantFew, Inc. 6505 E. Central, Wichita, KS 67206.  Make a donation and I'll send you one of our caps (I only have a dozen left).  Email me so I know you saw this.

Thanks to Ranger Up for helping with our ball caps for Ranger Rendezvous, and Rangers everywhere be in Tim Kennedy's corner as he fights Robbie Lawler this Saturday night.

RLTW  Karl