Brother wants to enlist Army after HS

Reminds me I need to finish Thunder Run, about a 3rd ID armor assault on Baghdad, it's a really good book.
There’s a book called “Sleeping with Custer and the Seventh Cavalry” about the role of,3rd Squadron, 7th Cav, 3rd ID.

The author was an embedded reporter with 3-7, who was 30-60 miles ahead of the assault force. Cav Squadrons try to bypass troop concentrations and leave them for the Armor/Infantry teams to destroy.

“Combat operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 20 March 2003 when the squadron crossed into Iraq as the lead element of the 3rd Infantry Division. The Squadron attacked to Baghdad fighting both the Republican Guard and the Sadam Fedayeen. It was the longest cavalry charge in the history of the world and it ended in the capture of Baghdad.

....By the time the Squadron had redeployed it had killed 2,200 Iraqi personnel, 64 tanks, 41 armored vehicles, numerous active air defense systems, as well as trucks and civilian vehicles used as suicide bombers.

One of the Plt Ldrs in A Troop (my old unit) was from MA and I sent him and the platoon care packages weekly for several months.
 
Dont think you are speaking from experience?

You generally can’t enlist directly for SF, and Ranger Battalion billets are hard to get. And to be a Paratrooper you have to have a “Picket Fence” physical. Doesn’t take much to disqualify you.

This is not accurate (at least in the last decade).

18X contract is a direct pipeline now into SF for enlistee’s who qualify as is 11X or xxx (choose available MOS) Option 40 contracts for RASP/BAC and upon successful assessment and completion you’re sent to one of the Ranger Battalions (75th).


ETA: By the way congratulations to your brother OP, may he serve well and return safely to you and your family.
 
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Was he with 3rd ACR? They lost a lot of good people there.
I don't know. For no reason other than geography I don't chat with that branch of the family much, but if they were losing people around him I probably would have heard. He's out now and doing well, so that's 1more blessing to add to the list.
 
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