Fort Bliss Monitor

Range Riders
Best kept secret on McGregor Range

STORY AND PHOTOS BY VIRGINIA REZA, MONITOR STAFF

Michael Williams, range rider, prepares his horse Blu to take him out and patrol the range.

They are responsible for enforcing the law on the largest maneuver area in the Army. The range riders patrol one million acres of training space at McGregor Range. From cowboys to law enforcement officers and pilots, they do it all.

“They are a unique bunch of guys with distinctive skills. They are in great shape and have more qualifications than many other law enforcement officers,” said George Bankston, chief, Range Development and Enforcement.

Dean Wood, senior range rider, calls for backup during an exercise at McGregor Range.

The range riders are real-life cowboys and professional trackers. They expertly ride horseback and can easily herd and rope cattle off the range. They train for 14 weeks at the Federal Law Enforcement Academy in Glynco, Ga. Other intensive training they receive includes Ground Fighting Law Enforcement Jujitsu Course and Officer Survival Course with the Border Patrol, the Fire Instructor Course, Survival Awareness in Service Training and Street Survival Training with the FBI and the New Mexico Game Wardens Course in Raton, N.M. They are also required to pass a physical fitness test every six months as part of their duties.

“It took some convincing to get them out of their Levis and flowery shirts and get them to wear professional uniforms. People from the school called and said, ‘We don’t think they can make it out here,’” said Bankston. “We got on the phone and convinced them to keep them. They were just shocked at how well these three guys did academically, physically and practically.”

The job as a range rider can be dangerous. They travel alone and their closest backup is usually three hours away.

“There are a lot of things that can happen out here. We have drug trafficking coming across this range and illegal aliens wondering around. We have picked up whole families – mom, dad and all the kids coming through the desert,” said Bankston.

“Most of them have run out of food and water. There are unexploded shells out here. Snakes, coyotes and other dangerous animals live on this range,” added Bankston. “We also handle all the hunting on the range. On occasion, the hunters get drunk and pull out their weapons.”

Other law enforcement agencies have a large turnover rate of officers. This is not the case at the range, according to Bankston.

“If the good Lord made a better job than the one I have, he kept it for himself. I have one million acres to play with,” said Dean Wood, senior range rider. “This is my backyard, and to be honest with you, it is also one of the best paid cowboy jobs I ever had in my life.”

Dave Rains, range rider, said this was the best job on the face of the planet.

“People would kill us range riders for these positions. We are pretty much autonomous when we leave the office in the morning. We go out and patrol the range and if we are lucky, we won’t see another human being all day,” said Rains.

Dave Rains, range rider, gets ready to take off on the ultra light airplane to patrol the range.

Michael Williams, a range rider who previously served as a cavalry scout for the Army, said his current job is similar to his old one, but with a different uniform. Like the other rangers, Williams also enjoys the desert and being out in the open.

“Working inside an office just does not appeal to me. The desert is an unforgiving place but it’s still beautiful,” said Williams. “Everything out here stings, sticks, bites, cuts and stabs, but it is a living desert and I love being out here.”

Presently, there are only three range riders working at McGregor. This will change in the near future due to the massive amount of incoming Soldiers. Range Development and Enforcement is in the process of hiring new recruits.

“We are getting pretty busy out here,” said Bankston.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	May 5 , 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Range Riders Best kept secret on McGregor Range STORY AND PHOTOS BY VIRGINIA REZA, MONITOR STAFF Michael Williams, range rider, prepares his horse Blu to take him out and patrol the range. They are responsible for enforcing the law on the largest maneuver area in the Army. The range riders patrol one million acres of training space at McGregor Range. From cowboys to law enforcement officers and pilots, they do it all. “They are a unique bunch of guys with distinctive skills. They are in great shape and have more qualifications than many other law enforcement officers,” said George Bankston, chief, Range Development and Enforcement. Dean Wood, senior range rider, calls for backup during an exercise at McGregor Range. The range riders are real-life cowboys and professional trackers. They expertly ride horseback and can easily herd and rope cattle off the range. They train for 14 weeks at the Federal Law Enforcement Academy in Glynco, Ga. Other intensive training they receive includes Ground Fighting Law Enforcement Jujitsu Course and Officer Survival Course with the Border Patrol, the Fire Instructor Course, Survival Awareness in Service Training and Street Survival Training with the FBI and the New Mexico Game Wardens Course in Raton, N.M. They are also required to pass a physical fitness test every six months as part of their duties. “It took some convincing to get them out of their Levis and flowery shirts and get them to wear professional uniforms. People from the school called and said, ‘We don’t think they can make it out here,’” said Bankston. “We got on the phone and convinced them to keep them. They were just shocked at how well these three guys did academically, physically and practically.” The job as a range rider can be dangerous. They travel alone and their closest backup is usually three hours away. “There are a lot of things that can happen out here. We have drug trafficking coming across this range and illegal aliens wondering around. We have picked up whole families – mom, dad and all the kids coming through the desert,” said Bankston. “Most of them have run out of food and water. There are unexploded shells out here. Snakes, coyotes and other dangerous animals live on this range,” added Bankston. “We also handle all the hunting on the range. On occasion, the hunters get drunk and pull out their weapons.” Other law enforcement agencies have a large turnover rate of officers. This is not the case at the range, according to Bankston. “If the good Lord made a better job than the one I have, he kept it for himself. I have one million acres to play with,” said Dean Wood, senior range rider. “This is my backyard, and to be honest with you, it is also one of the best paid cowboy jobs I ever had in my life.” Dave Rains, range rider, said this was the best job on the face of the planet. “People would kill us range riders for these positions. We are pretty much autonomous when we leave the office in the morning. We go out and patrol the range and if we are lucky, we won’t see another human being all day,” said Rains. Dave Rains, range rider, gets ready to take off on the ultra light airplane to patrol the range. Michael Williams, a range rider who previously served as a cavalry scout for the Army, said his current job is similar to his old one, but with a different uniform. Like the other rangers, Williams also enjoys the desert and being out in the open. “Working inside an office just does not appeal to me. The desert is an unforgiving place but it’s still beautiful,” said Williams. “Everything out here stings, sticks, bites, cuts and stabs, but it is a living desert and I love being out here.” Presently, there are only three range riders working at McGregor. This will change in the near future due to the massive amount of incoming Soldiers. Range Development and Enforcement is in the process of hiring new recruits. “We are getting pretty busy out here,” said Bankston.