Sending a second young man away...

[Flyin6]

Last week the Pre-Ranger became a real Pre-Ranger. He is officially in the RASP for the actual 75th Ranger regiment.

This is not Ranger school. Ranger School is a leadership course. RASP stands for "Ranger Assessment and Selection Program." It is a months-long program that takes soldiers of various MOSs and trains them to an ultimate standard to be assigned to one of the three battalions of the 75th Rangers. That is the same 75th Ranger unit that climbed the cliffs at Point du Hoc in Normandy France on D-Day in WW2. These Rangers are amongst the fiercest soldiers anywhere in the world. Chris is hanging in there, but we have lost contact. He is "coms-out" for the next four weeks.

I do have contact with a couple of the soldiers there who give me "Sightings." Today's report was that Chris was hanging tough with a smile on his face but was about to undergo a brutal physical endurance event. Details are and will remain sketchy, but the program is not for the faint of heart and tests men to the absolute limits of human endurance. If he makes it through the next 8 weeks, he will wear the coveted scroll of a soldier of the 75th Ranger regiment. As long as he does not screw up afterward the rest of his Army career will be very rewarding. He is destined for high places...

[halsey]

Thank you to Chris.. his effort and success are inspiring and worthy of much appreciation from many of us he'll never know about.

[oklawall]

Congratulations to the young man. True 1%

[Bob Smith]

Be proud Don be proud. Even if he doesn’t make it, only a few get to try out.

[Flyin6]

Be proud Don be proud. Even if he doesn’t make it, only a few get to try out.

He is gonna make it. I tell you, when I prophesized over him at his birth and I proclaimed he would someday be a Ranger, I believe in my heart that he will.

[cj7ox]

Awesome, Don!

[Flyin6]

He made it through Cole Range, the super tough part of RASP. Now it's just four weeks of intensive weapons training and this young man gets assigned to one of our three Ranger Battalions!

I couldn't be more proud.

But there is a back story: I have been praying every day for God to give him another basement below the one he naturally has for when it gets really bad. I prayed for strength, for endurance, and all those sort of things. I did not know this until tonight but his mother has been praying for God to show up in Chris's life in a way that he would absolutely know it was God!

And he did!

Oddly enough Kat and I were sitting in the theater watching the latest Christian movie when Chris called. So we hustled out into the hallway and spoke to him for 30 min. He was telling us all about his experiences in a non-specific manner because he was not allowed to discuss details. He said, "Dad, you know, speaking of the spiritual nature of things, one night I was all junked up on the land nav course. I had to do waypoints 5km apart in a given time and the time was running out." He then said, "So I prayed and asked God to please get him through this land nav course." He continued that he looked at the map and looked around, but it was nighttime in Georgia (Flat). He said he thought he was near this hillside, so he took a heading and took off at a run. He said, "Dad just like that I ran up a hill and right to that waypoint! He said he ran to the next two and got both first time. He then ran to the finish and made it in time having found 100% of his waypoints!
He told me, "Dad, that had to be God." And right there is a pretty good witness about how a mother prayed a prayer, for God to show up, and he heard it. Chris cannot deny that he prayed because he was lost and out of ideas, and God intervened!

Chris graduated from Phase 1 and now is in Phase 2. He had about four hours of sleep from Sunday until Thursday night!!!

RLTW (Rangers lead the way) but God almighty reigns over everything!

[stlaser]

Great testimony 

& congratulations to the young ranger to be!

[oklawall]

God is always with us. We have to choose to listen.  That is an awesome testimony. 

Congratulations to Chris for trusting God and following Him to the end.

Mother's prayers are very strong.

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[Atkinsmatt]

Great testimony.  Still lifting him up.

[Flyin6]

God is always with us. We have to choose to listen.  That is an awesome testimony. 

Congratulations to Chris for trusting God and following Him to the end.

Mother's prayers are very strong.

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I just saw that...

I mean I know that Chris prayed for God to help, and God did, that is rather obvious. But until you mentioned it, I failed to notice that my son gave in and followed that inner voice. That shows trust/faith.

This is so much bigger than just becoming a Ranger...

[Flyin6]

Thanks, Matt, and thanks to everyone who lifted up this young man or any other warrior in our military.

[oklawall]

God is always with us. We have to choose to listen.  That is an awesome testimony. 

Congratulations to Chris for trusting God and following Him to the end.

Mother's prayers are very strong.

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I just saw that...

I mean I know that Chris prayed for God to help, and God did, that is rather obvious. But until you mentioned it, I failed to notice that my son gave in and followed that inner voice. That shows trust/faith.

This is so much bigger than just becoming a Ranger...

Amen

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