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Ranger School

Discipline, Direction, Determination

Published by Knox Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
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About The Book

From Jimmy Blackmon, author of Pale Horse: Hunting Terrorists and Commanding Heroes with the 101st Airborne Division and Cowboys Over Iraq: Leadership from the Saddle, comes a blow by blow account of his journey through the most challenging leadership and small tactics course in the world—U.S. Army Ranger School.

Through colorful dialogue and vivid storytelling for which Jimmy Blackmon has been praised, the reader will take a journey through Ranger School.

From the nervous anticipation leading up to the course, to the extreme pain and suffering Ranger School demands, Jimmy shares the feelings and emotions that accompany extreme sleep and food deprivation. Furthermore, he shares what he learned about himself along the way. Before you can lead others, you must first learn to lead yourself.

Ranger School is designed to replicate the extreme nature of combat in a multitude of environments. The attrition rate is over 50 percent. Every ranger student experiences a low moment where they want to quit and walk away. Jimmy openly shares how he dealt with extreme hunger, exhaustion, below freezing temperatures, and ultimately, a desire to quit and end the suffering.

The reader will be fascinated, not only with what one must go through to attain the coveted Ranger tab, but at how ranger students deal with such harsh environments—many times in very humorous ways.

Despite all the aforementioned challenges, Ranger students must lead one another on complex missions in harsh terrain in order to succeed. How to motivate, inspire, and lead in such an extreme environment is powerful and will appeal to leaders of all types and in all industries.

About The Author

Jimmy Blackmon is a retired Army colonel, professional speaker, and managing partner at Exactus Advisors. He spent thirty years leading soldiers in the U.S. Army, including six operational deployments: two tours in the Balkans, two tours in Iraq, and two tours in Afghanistan.

He is the author of three books: Pale Horse: Hunting Terrorists and Commanding Heroes with the 101st Airborne Division, Cowboys Over Iraq: Leadership from the Saddle, and Southern Roots. Jimmy was awarded the General Douglas McArthur Leadership Award, and he was the 2017 Vistage Breakout Speaker of the Year. Jimmy is also a three-time Archery World Champion, and he was a member of the 1998 U.S. Armed Forces World Cross Country team.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Knox Press (August 10, 2021)
  • Length: 240 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781682619810

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Raves and Reviews

“Raw, funny, at times painfully descriptive, but always inspiring; Jimmy Blackmon's book Ranger School, will make every American proud of the warriors that wear the Ranger Tab.”

– Admiral William H. McRaven, Admiral, USN (Retired)

“One of the identifying qualities of a good leader is the ability to lead a “felt” life. In his new book Ranger School, Jimmy Blackmon takes us inside the Army’s most arduous and difficult small unit tactics and leadership school, a course which only a few dare to attempt, and lets us feel it. A well-written story of overcoming adversity. Many life lessons in these pages.”

– Retired General Martin E. Dempsey, 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

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