Two Airmen from Minot AFB, ND, Senior Airman William Angelou from the 91 Security Forces Squadron and Airman First Class Calvin Kirk from the 5th Force Support Squadron just returned from the Ranger Assessment Course, more commonly known as RAC.
According to one article published in the Military Times, author Technical Sergeant Hailey Haux says, “The Air Force RAC is a 19-day course designed to assess the physical and mental toughness of Airmen and Guardians who are interested in attending Army Ranger School.” After sitting down with SrA Angelou and A1C Kirk, this is what they had to say, “I learned a lot about setting a standard for your team to follow and becoming a better leader. Along with that, when giving orders, make it clear and understandable for others.” SrA Angelou had a similar comment saying, “This experience gave me valuable leadership and tactic knowledge that will hopefully prepare me for the Airforce’s next conflict.” Today we are going to get a quick look into what SrA Angelou and A1C Kirk have to say about the Physical and Mental challenges they endured while going through this 19-day course.
The physical challenges for this course are not for the faint of heart. When asked about what requirements were put in place for his acceptance and completion in the RAC course, here is A1C Kirk’s response, “Mainly the physical requirements such as 49 push-ups, 59 sit-ups, 5 mile run in forty minutes or less, 6 chin ups, and a 12-mile ruck at 55lbs in three hours or less.” These were not the only physical requirements of SrA Angelou and A1C Kirk as they were going through the RAC course. “We also had to preform RTT or Ranger Task Training which includes actions done with the M240, M249, Claymores and ASIP radio.” Finally, A1C Kirk brought up Land Navigation which had to be completed using a compass, map, and protractor to find points within a given area. Land Navigation specifically Night Navigation, was the most difficult part of the RAC course according to SrA Angelou.
The mental challenges are no better than the physical. When asked about his biggest challenges while going through the course A1C Kirk says, “I enjoy my sleep a lot, so I would say the first week of 2-3 hours of sleep a night was the hardest part for me.” He goes on to mention sleep deprivation when asked what was going through his head while completing the course, “While in a state of sleep deprivation you have to just enjoy the small things and keep your mind away from doubt.” SrA Angelou took a different approach to dealing with the mental challenges saying, “my biggest motivation to keep going was not wanting to disappoint the team.”
As he did graduate at the end of the 19 days, SrA Angelou allowed his cadre and teammates to push him to be the leader he needed to be. One of the key words that was brought up time and time again when asking A1C Kirk about his mental status while going through RAC was “Passion.” He said, “It’s more about how passionate you are, about what the bigger picture of what you’re working towards.” When asked about what motivated him to keep going when the exhaustion and sleep deprivation hit, he went on to say, “I’m very passionate towards making myself a part of something bigger and pushing myself past my limits.” Between the sleepless nights, land navigations, and long rucks brought up two outstanding Airmen who are now ready to complete Army Ranger School.
The final remarks from A1C Kirk are as follows, “I feel motivated to push myself even more as I approach my ranger school date so I can go there and be one hundred percent ready to endure what I will have to go through.” These two Airmen, SrA Angelou and A1C Kirk alike, have shown all the qualities of being a Ranger, including their leadership skills, professionalism, and physical aspects. As they are seen around base we all will know the future of these Airmen is in good hands.
