Any US Army Rangers - what was training like & did you get thru 1st time?

I went through Ranger training 39 years ago after I graduated from Airborne training. It was indeed rough and yes, I made it through the first time. I remember that I would always hold sleep very precious after that! You are taught map reading, land navigation (both day and night), combative techniques like pugil stick training, hand-to-hand combat and bayonet training, airborne and airmobile techniques of operation, small unit patrolling techniques, rope and knot tying, rock climbing (big damn rocks on Mt Yonah!), rappelling, ambush techniques and more patrolling techniques, then we boarded a UH-1 Bus and went to Flordia for more patrolling techniques,small boat ops, stream and swamp navigation, etc. All of this training took place beginning at Ft. Benning, GA, at Camp Rogers and Camp Darby, to Camp Merrill, near Dahlonega, GA, to Camp Rudder, Auxillery Field #7, and then back to Darby. To me it was the most intensive 9 weeks I ever spent in the Army. I don't know if it is all still the same or not. Camp Rudder was referred to as Camp Mother-Rudder and Hurley Hill as Hurl(i.e. throw-up)Hill. You do one hell of a lot of P.T., running and lots of road marches. There is lack of sleep, hunger, exhaustion, stress, and any misery that the Ranger staff and Mother Nature can throw at you. But it's all worth it when you get that Black and Gold Tab (i.e. we called it the "Bumble-Bee") that says "Ranger". To the rest of the military that little arched tab says it all. Be proud of your son for making it through the TOUGHEST course that the Army has to offer and tell him that I said, "Sua Sponte".

Very difficult.

Don't talk about specifics like you've "been there".

Ask things like, "What will you remember the most?", "What surprised you the most?" etc.