Neighbors son joined the Army and from what he said, Army Infantry all start at 11x and then based on your performance and the Army’s need you will go 11b, 11c, 11h etc. after basic. He went 11b and now in RASP (pre ranger school, it was formerly RIP) to see if he can make the cut. He only gets Airborne if he passes. Worse case he is assigned to Ft. Drum if things don’t work out.
Just clarifying here as I know you heard this from someone else and are repeating it here, but it’s not accurate.
11X Option 40 is the Ranger contract for new enlistee’s.
Prior to about 2012 or so, anybody with an 11X Opt40 went to OSUT at Benning (One Station Unit Training) in this order: Basic/Infantry/BAC (Airborne) and then on to RIP (Ranger Indoctrination Program) which is now RASP (Ranger Assessment and Selection Program) and upon graduating RIP/RASP they are awarded the Ranger Beret and assigned to one of 3 Ranger Infantry Batt’s, Regimental HQ’s or the RSTB (Ranger Special Troops Battalion).
They are now actively serving Rangers.
RASP is not Pre-Ranger and Ranger School is not affiliated with the 75th Ranger Regiment in any way.
Ranger School (The Suck) is a TRADOC course for leadership and advanced infantry/airborne tactics and does not teach special operations TTP’s.
Pre-Ranger is a preparatory course for students outside of The Regiment entering into Ranger School to help prepare them for the rigors ahead.
SURT (Small Unit Ranger Tactics) now takes the place of PRC (Pre Ranger Course) for Rangers from the 75th before they begin Ranger School and is run and staffed by the 75th.
Many new recruits in the past were taking the Opt40’s upon enlistment (which included Airborne prior to RASP, and quitting as soon as they graduated from the Basic Airborne Course (BAC) and wasting the few and far between Opt40’s, whether it was out of fear of failing and they scammed the system to get an airborne slot at their recruiters instead of asking for an Option4 which is solely for BAC and not Ranger.
Seeing this happen many times finally someone in 75th Regimental HQ’s recruiting section said this needs to change. So now only after graduating from RASP do they send them to BAC for jump training, unless that has changed again in the last couple years or possibly if the student had no Opt4 or Opt40 contract and just volunteered for RASP while at basic when recruiters came around looking for studs.
Now, as far as the young neighbor boy being sent to Ft Drum if he fails (LOM-Lack Of Motivation), quits (DOR-Drop On Request) or gets peered out (other soldiers don’t like or trust him) of RASP, it was generally considered you would be sent WW (WorldWide=Needs of the Army) which is just a nice way of saying f*** you for wasting our time and not passing, we’re now sending you to Korea to freeze your ass off for 2 yrs. That was how it usually went, but having never been there, maybe Drum is just as bad as Korea?
Hopefully that’s as clear as mud now. lol I wish him and the OP’s son the best whichever route they take. God bless them for stepping up.