For Ken White's comments...brings more perspective than I can. I'm often too idealistic to see the real-world constraints. I believe in what I wrote, but I understand there are constraints that will always be there.

For ganulv...my 'once over the world' on Ranger School is that it has a lot to offer, graduates should be proud of finishing the course, but it is in no way an assurance, on any level, of providing excellent leaders to the Force. The left shoulder check needs to disappear. The entire 82nd is one giant "left shoulder check" organization. The fascination with schools, tabs, and qualifications probably started out with good intentions. It has become a check the box venture where people focus on getting the requisite uniform bling, and many just rest on their laurels after that. I've seen tabbed guys with some of the poorest leadership skills, tactical incompetence, and little to no work ethic. I've also seen some that are straight warriors. From my position it's a scatterplot. I'm not a "schools guy". But, I've seen a more positive correlation between Sapper School and overall performance than with Ranger School. In theater I've worked with 1ID, 2ID, 3ID, 10th MTN, 82nd ABN, 101st, and various support and SOF elements. Good leadership was never predicted or predicated on a tab. If all the tabs had been taken off uniforms I would have never predicted who went where and graduated from what. I don't see this as a failing of any school. It's a failing in the institution.