How Ranger Regiment Ruined My Life | The Rebuttal

How Ranger Regiment Enriched My Life

When I logged onto social media today, I was taken aback. There it was, “How Ranger Regiment Ruined My Life,” on a secluded ranger page. I would like to say I am not defensive of my words, and I could care less about negative comments, but I am only human. While generally I could care less about the hoards of social media trolls, this was a group of my fellow rangers. More importantly, I know how rangers tick. I braced myself for what I assumed would be a slathering of inappropriate jokes, critiques, and a few serious comments of engagement. 

I am a GWOT ranger. I write from that perspective. I have long stated that I write because I hope that my words might help just one person. That I hope my words unite and bridge divides. They started as a way to reconcile my own life. They were first shared to unite veterans, often believing they alone felt as I often felt. Then, they became a way to provide perspectives to civilians. These words are not always hard to write, but they are extraordinarily hard for me to share. 

So, as I read the words plastered on that page, I wondered how many would even read the article before decimating the comments section with a fury of jokes and insults. I feared even more would read it in its entirety before doing so. For those reading from the confines of that page, you are probably laughing, because you know what I am talking about. In these pages, and in our culture, there also exists a divide I so adamantly despise. It is that of the plank holders / Old Scrolls and the GWOT Generation. Yes, the regimental experience (Old Scrolls would take the moment to remind us young bucks there was a time without a “Regiment”) was different, and we are from different generations, but I see much more in common than different. 

As I prepared to read the comments, I braced myself for tropes and divides. What I found brought me to tears. Call me a pussy if you would like, but it is the truth. I write under the irony of a pseudonym so I can be honest. As a friend of mine pointed out, yes, I am on the page, under a different pseudonym. Oh, and I am not the “Jake Smith” you served with, well, because I am not a Jake Smith haha. I chose to remain as a silent observer. Less than ten people know me as the author of these words. It has remained my closest held secret, even among most of my ranger buddies. 

What was it that brought me to tears? I read comment after comment, Old Scrolls and GWOT Generation united. I read EVERY comment. I took every word to heart. It was hard for me not to reply, to acknowledge the advice and shared experience of it all. If I am being honest, the tears are not only those of the beauty of that unity, but to think my words mattered. That maybe my words help express what it is we all experienced, regardless of the generation. To read comments from Group and JSOC guys talking about those formative Regiment years. Guys who were cut short for medical issues. Guys who have had distinguished military and civilian careers. All of them sharing the same struggle. 

I think the words of those men helped express the greatest of those struggles, being asked to relinquish your personal standards. To be asked, demanded, or expected to sink to the lowest common denominator instead of rising to our personal standards. I could go on, but these words are to express something I feel obligated to express. 

Thank you. 

Thank every one of you who chose to share how “Regiment ruined your life.” Thank you for actually reading the article. More importantly, thank every one of you .who shared how “Regiment enriched your life.” These words are for you. They are tipping my hat to the brotherhood. Now, proceed with the normal shenanigans.

P.S. Thank you Sean for creating such a place. I know you do not hear that enough. 

P.P.S. Fuck you Sean! The GWOT Generation had it harder than the Old Scrolls.  < 3 > Best batt. 

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This first appeared in The Havok Journal on September 13, 2024.

Jake Smith is a law enforcement officer and former Army Ranger with four deployments to Afghanistan.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.