Ranger School - Ranger Training Deaths

Ranger Training Deaths

Ranger School is designed to physically stress students to a point short of death. Deaths have occurred during Ranger Training. In the winter of 1977, two students died of hypothermia when they lost contact with their main element in the Florida swamp. In 1985, in the Florida phase, a soldier drowned crossing a stream against a strong current. In March 1992, a student with sickle cell trait died after exposure to high altitude and stress in the mountain phase. The Ranger Training Brigade did not know about his medical issue until after his death. In August 1992, a Ranger student died from a fall on the Slide for Life.

The "worst incident in the 44-year history of the school" occurred on 15 February 1995 during the Florida Phase of class 3-95. Captain Milton Palmer, 2LT Spencer Dodge, 2LT Curt Sansoucie, and SGT Norman Tillman died from hypothermia. Investigations of the incident were conducted by the U.S. Air Force, the Ranger Training Brigade, and the U.S. Army's Safety Board. The results were determined to be a result of a combination of human errors exacerbated by "unexpected weather conditions". Nine Ranger Instructors were disciplined and the 6th Ranger Training Battalion commander was relieved. As there was no basis for criminal charges, none were court-martialed. The four deceased Ranger School students were posthumously awarded the Ranger Tab.

As a result of the 1995 deaths, 38 new safety measures were implemented in the Florida Phase. According to John Lock,

New equipment is now on hand to assist troubled students; equipment which includes one-man inflatable rafts designed to get Rangers out of the water and to arrest hypothermia, water measuring devices, and global positioning systems. Monitoring stations have also been installed in swamp locations to provide better information on weather and water conditions. Command and control procedures now include the Ranger Battalion Commander who will make the final call as to whether waterborne operations are a Go, No Go, or modified—on-site RIs also have the authority to call off an operation should the situation warrant it. Additionally, training lanes will be walked by RIs prior to the exercise and there will be no deviation in the landing sites for the patrols.