A Ranger...By the Power of Prayer

Dear Friends,

This Friday I will finally meet the biggest career goal of my life so far...graduating from Ranger School. Some of you may already know a lot about my experience either through my parents or talking to me over Christmas, but here's a brief summary. My starting weight was 180 lbs/ low weight was 155 lbs/ and peak weight was 195 lbs as I tried to fatten up during Florida recycle status. Right now I'm acutally pretty healthy and not nearly as beat up as I was over Christmas Break. I look forward to running/jogging starting this Saturday rather than walking around wtih 80 lbs on my back. As I mentioned I recycled Florida Phase the first time which had me waiting around in limbo for 3.5 weeks between classes. Recycling was tough to stomach, but looking back I realize that I learned more through recycling than all the rest of Ranger School combined. In retrospect, every phase was challenging for me. Ranger School was definately not a time to shine with my abilities. I feel that God chose to teach humility and reliance on Him instead. I had to battle through injuries in the Benning Phase, extreme physical fatigue in Mountain Phase, and mental stress/failure in Florida Phase. In the end, however, I feel that prayer is what brought me through. My family, friends, and fellow Ranger buddies carried me through daily. It seemed that I was always encouraged at the right times especially during this final Florida Phase when God provided me with a group of 4 guys who got together daily and prayed for each other. Not surprisingly all of us are now graduating.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing from everyone, and I have to thank you all for the letters and support you gave me. You'll probably never know in this life just how specifically you affected me. There were many days out in the field when a rain-soaked letter brightened my eyes. I'll be sure to update again soon on what my future plans are. As of right now, though, I'm just ready to pin on that tab. Bye!