Intel

Specialist Dies in Swamp Phase of Ranger School

March 29, 2021James R. Webb
Spc. James Requenez, Army Ranger Death in Ranger School training incident

Army Spc. James A. Requenez died Thursday during Ranger School training at Eglin Air Force Base. US Army Photo, public domain.

On Thursday, Spc. James A. Requenez died in an incident during training at Ranger School. While the Army has yet to release a full report, the incident occurred during the third and final phase of Ranger School, known as the “swamp phase.” That portion of the 60-day course is located at Camp Rudder, on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Requenez, 28, was transported to the base hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The incident is currently under investigation.


In a release officials said, “The Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning, and the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade offers our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Spc. James A. Requenez.”


ranger death army
Candidates at US Army Ranger School paddle assault boats along a waterway in Florida Dec. 7, 2019, during the “swamp” phase. The Ranger candidates were members of Ranger class 01-20, which graduated Dec. 13 at Fort Benning. US Army Photo by Patrick Albright, courtesy of DVIDS.

According to a release from the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, Requenez was assigned to A Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Requenez enlisted in the Army in April 2018, graduating from Infantry one-station unit training in August 2018. A graduate of Airborne School and Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) 1, he served as an assistant machine gunner for A Company 3/75.


RASP is a selection course that screens soldiers who want to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment, a special operations unit often used for direct action raids.


Ranger School is a leadership course open to the entire Army. It lasts roughly 60 days and is divided into three phases: Benning, Mountain, and Florida, or swamp phase.


Requenez’s awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Parachutist Badge.


Read Next: What It Means To Be an Army Ranger, According to 7 Rangers



James R. Webb
James R. Webb

James Webb served as a US Marine infantryman from 2005 to 2010, completing a combat tour in Iraq. He’s worked as a freelance writer and photojournalist covering US troops in Afghanistan, and Webb spent more than two years in the US Senate as a military legislative assistant and as the personal representative of a member on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
afghan soldier asylum
Afghan Soldier Who Helped US Weathers Injuries, Uncertainty in Asylum Bid

Afghan soldier who assisted the U.S. now faces uncertainty in bid for asylum.

The Dirty Dozen
‘The Dirty Dozen’: Meet D-Day’s Real Rogue Commandos

The Dirty Dozen was based on a real team of rule-breaking elite paratroopers who jumped into France ahead of D-Day.

d-day 79th anniversary
Normandy Marks D-Day's 79th Anniversary, Honors World War II Veterans

This year's D-Day tribute to the young soldiers who died in Normandy is not only a chance to honor t...

f-22 raptor
The F-22: The Superiority Fighter That Never Shot Down an Enemy Plane

The F-22 Raptor was designed to fight next-gen Russian fighters. So far its only air-to-air kills are a Chinese balloon and a UFO.

Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway: Where America's March to Victory Began

The US Navy outwitted and outfought the Imperial Japanese Navy to secure victory in the do-or-die Battle of Midway.

ukraine russia stalemate
Ukraine Tries To End Stalemate; Russia Says It Repelled Attacks

Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to end months of a battlefield stalemate and punch throu...

dad
Mustaches, Short-Shorts, and MP5s: Rad Dad Operators

With Father’s Day rapidly approaching, take a look back at some of the raddest dads to ever walk the planet.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved