FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. –
One of the youngest and most junior Soldiers in the recent history of the Pennsylvania National Guard to complete the United States Army’s Ranger School graduated March 28, 2025, in Fort Benning, Georgia.
“I like to always look for the next challenging thing to train up that will test my body and mind, and ranger school is absolutely that,” said U.S. Army Spc. Ian Zimmerman, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division.
Ranger School is a 62-day small unit tactics and leadership course that develops functional skills for units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battles.
“Ranger school is the U.S. Army's premier leadership school, and earning the Tab is an outstanding accomplishment,” said Lt. Col. Joe Hardigree, Warrior Training Battalion Commander at Ft. Benning. “Spc. Zimmerman will return to his unit as an expert on small unit tactics and troop leading procedures. He will be better trained and motivated to support Pennsylvania’s domestic and federal missions.”
Zimmerman, a Pittsburgh native, is currently a finance major at Slippery Rock University, and took the current semester off so he could attend the school.
“Ranger School is all about pushing the body, but even more so testing your mind and it was a really great experience to be tested in the way Ranger School does,” said Zimmerman.
“Originally, I joined the Guard because I wanted to become an officer,” he said. “I now want to continue my career on the enlisted side at least a little longer.”
Another reason he gave for wanting to go to Ranger School is to achieve his next goal of transferring to active-duty service with the 75th Ranger Regiment, becoming an officer, then possibly returning to the Guard.
“I don’t want to grow old and have regrets of missing out on opportunity and experiences in life,” he said. “I knew that if I never tried to go do Ranger School it would be something that I would regret.”