POPE ARMY AIRFIELD, FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AFNS) -- The Army Ranger School students were looking forward to the few hours of precious sleep they were about to get after a long day of training on Mount Yonah in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in Georgia.
Their instructors instead marched them to a rocky outcropping and threw a 150-foot rope over the edge. The students began to rappel into the darkness one by one, aided by night-vision goggles.
Senior Airman Brian Musum, 14th Air Support Operations Squadron tactical air control party member, gazed into the night for a moment before he went down the rope. The darkness turned into a purple glow in his goggles, and he could see the faint movement of car lights far below him while the stars stood out more intense than he ever had seen.
He clipped onto the rope and jumped into the darkness.
This is one of many unique moments that a soldier may experience in the Army Ranger School, but not something the average Air Force Airman gets to experience. More than 4,000 individuals attend the course each year, but just more than 300 Airmen have ever graduated and earned the Ranger tab.
Musum and another Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Airman from his unit, Senior Airman Austin Hairfield, joined that extremely select group of Airmen in 2014.
"It was one of the best and worst things I've ever done," Musum said. "It sucks 95% of the time, but it's something to be proud of. Graduation day sneaks up on you, and suddenly you're looking to your left and right at Victory Pond thinking, 'I can't believe we're done.'"
The 61-day course is a constant test of the physical and mental strength of each student. The fail rate is usually around 40% to 50%. The soldiers are pushed to the absolute limit of what they can endure.
"The most challenging aspect of the course was the lack of control," Hairfield said. "The students have no ability to feel 'comfortable.' One must simply endure months of rucking, mission planning, eating very little and lack of sleep to graduate. Over the months, it starts to weigh more and more heavily on us."
The course is broken into several different sections in areas spread throughout the country, including long periods in Georgia and New Mexico.
The students must work together to overcome the challenges they face, and everyone is put in the spotlight at some point.
"At ranger school, you're either a good leader, or you learn to be a good leader real fast," Musum said. "Using sleep and food deprivation combined with physical and environmental challenges, and heavy doses of [Ranger instructor] inflicted stress, the school breaks you down to the lowest functioning level most of us have ever been. This is when you're asked to lead, perform and complete the mission."
Although seeing an Airman in ranger school is rare, the uniform each student wore back home made no difference during the training.
"A student is so tired and hungry that to succeed, you quickly learn that the only way you are all going to graduate is if you work together," Hairfield said. "The humbling aspect of ranger school, coupled with the fact that once the soldiers learn that the Air Force guys volunteered to be there, really helped to create a healthy environment of mutual cooperation and teamwork."
The two Airmen have returned to their squadrons, and they are ready to share the wealth of new knowledge and tactics with their TACP counterparts.
"I've been tested mentally and physically beyond what I've encountered before, and proven myself," Musum said. "It's a great feeling. I'll share the skills, techniques and knowledge I learned at ranger school with my teammates at the 14th ASOS. Nobody is 100% efficient at small-unit tactics; it takes continuous practice and refinement."
The most memorable moments of the course just happened to be the worst for some people. Marching through the swamps of Georgia while water moccasins slid by, or getting caught on a mountain during a hailstorm are two things that Hairfield will never forget.
Being one of the few Airmen to earn a ranger tab is the ultimate reward for these two Airmen, and they understand the responsibility that comes with it.
"It's an extremely humbling feeling," Musum said. "A couple of the memorial push-ups we do for the fallen comrades in the TACP career field are dedicated to specific 'Airborne Rangers in the sky.' Some of the greatest Airmen who've ever served have worn the Ranger tab, and my walk amongst these elite men has only just begun. There is pressure to exemplify the Ranger Creed every day, and I'm immensely proud to uphold that standard."
Interested in Joining the Military?
We can put you in touch with recruiters from the different military branches. Learn about the benefits of serving your country, paying for school, military career paths, and more: sign up now and hear from a recruiter near you.
