Before soldiers can count themselves among those elite ranks, they must pass the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, or RASP. Historically, RASP has a 50% attrition rate — sometimes higher.

Meegan, then a private with just a few months in the Army, was among a handful of other young soldiers training in a shoothouse during Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, or RASP, in 2010.

All Rangers volunteer to become members of the 75th Ranger Regiment and complete the rigorous Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, known as RASP, to join the ranks of this elite U.S. Army ...

-While graduates of the U.S. Army Ranger School earn the Ranger Tab and can call themselves “Rangers,” only those who pass the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) and serve in the ...

Brendan Smith -- graduated Aug. 27. "What makes these guys unique is they're the first to graduate from RASP 1 and go on to Ranger School," said Sgt. 1st Class Tyson Crosby, NCOIC of RASP 1.

Somewhere between 30% and 50% of those who start the eight yearly RASP 1 courses will earn the Ranger’s coveted tan beret and a spot in the regiment that has for decades produced some of the ...