USARA Scholarship Program

Born in Maine, following college Michael B. Ranger was commissioned into the U.S. Army and deployed in support of the U.S. effort in the Republic of Vietnam.  From March 4-6, 1969, he engaged an amassed enemy force with direct fire, air strikes, and artillery, and aborted their attack while leading his recon platoon assigned to Company E, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division.  During the battle he was wounded by an enemy mortar round but refused medical attention and continued to control supporting fires. In the early hours of March 5, the enemy launched a human wave assault against his platoon, which by this time consisted of only fourteen men. LT Ranger and his men employed all means at their disposal to repel the attack, and LT Ranger ultimately called fire on his own position as the enemy entered the perimeter. The following day while the patrol base was receiving small arms and mortar fire, LT Ranger was wounded again while engaging snipers in the trees as his men were being extracted from the LZ.  He refused to leave the battlefield until all of his men were aboard the helicopters.  The Army awarded LT Ranger the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism.

Following a year assigned to the Patrolling Committee at the Ranger Department, CPT Ranger returned to Vietnam to command a company in the 4th Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry.  He was again wounded in heavy fighting later that year. Following recovery, he returned to his unit and again suffered a critical wound that resulted in the loss of his right leg above the knee, as well as serious wounds to the left leg. 

Following reconstructive surgery, he returned to the Ranger Department Patrolling Committee.  During this time CPT Ranger helped to draft the doctrine that forms, in part, the training still performed by Rangers today.  Additionally, it is believed that Captain Ranger became the first above-the-knee amputee to maintain his airborne status by continuing to perform training jumps while assigned to the Ranger Department.

After separating from the Army, Mike Ranger continued to provide substantial contributions to the Ranger community.  He was elected to serve as the Executive Vice President of the US Army Ranger Association in 2009, and served in the position for approximately eight years.  He was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 2006, and thereafter served on the Hall of Fame’s Voting Board from 2009 through 2015.  In that capacity, he substantially contributed to improving the Hall of Fame’s stature through his participation in its corporate restructuring in 2011.

1. The 2024 USARA scholarship application period is now open. All applications and supporting documents (see next page) must be submitted not later than midnight April 30^th. In order to be considered, you must be a Legacy dependent or descendant of a U.S. Army Ranger. See the USARA home page under ‘Programs/Scholarships’ for qualifying instructions. If you are uncertain, contact us directly.

2. This scholarship is for undergraduate studies only, including trade and technical schools. If you are pursuing a graduate degree, please do not apply.

3. Upon submission, all applications will immediately be reviewed for completeness. If any deficiencies are noted, you will be contacted directly by email or phone to correct the deficiency. Generally, you will have 72 hours to make the corrections. No corrections will be permitted after April 30^th; therefore it is incumbent to get the application correct before submitting.

4. All work must be your own, and you must be the actual person submitting the application. Parents, guardians, or any other individual may NOT be involved in the process, or disqualification will result.

5. This is a Merit-Based scholarship, as opposed to a Needs- based scholarship. The focus of the scholarship revolves around five distinct areas: (1) Academic Achievement; (2) Future Goals; (3) Leadership; (4), Community Involvement; (5) Personal Values (Essay). The application itself has been revised for 2024 to reflect this focus.

6. Your application will be graded by a cadre of graders, all of whom may assign up to 30 points maximum per application. There will be five graders, therefore each application may receive a maximum score of 150 points. Applications will then be ranked by score to determine the awarding of scholarship monies.

7. The cadre of graders is made up of retired U.S. Army Rangers of distinction, all of whom are combat veterans. All are former senior enlisted or senior commissioned officers, to include a Major General. One has a PhD. They will, therefore, not be impressed by a sheer volume of words, but by the clarity, quality, and depth of your thinking, and your ability to convey that thought process in a clear and concise manner. Brevity will always be highly valued. (Look up the term ‘Elevator Speech’ for guidance in that regard.)

8. Awards will be announced on or about mid-June. The amount to be awarded will be determined by the amount of scholarship funds available in the USARA treasury for that purpose. The maximum award (one-time or cumulatively if you have received a previous award) is $10,000. It is the intent of USARA to award as many scholarships as possible to those qualifying for an award, again depending on funds available for that purpose. In 2023, USARA awarded four $5000 scholarships. These are unrestricted funds, which the recipient may use in a manner deemed essential to further their education.

9. If you have further questions, please contact us by email. You will have a response within 24 hours or less. Email address is bob.deale@ranger.org.

PURPOSE

The USARA Michael B. Ranger Legacy Scholarship Program is a memorial to selfless service and contributions made to our country by those who have earned the title U.S. Army Ranger. These awards are given in their honor. This program provides financial assistance to qualified former Rangers and dependents of Rangers to help further their education.

POLICY

It is the Association’s intention to provide financial grants to students who have applied and are pending acceptance or are currently enrolled at an under-graduate, technical, or trade program at an accredited college, university, technical school or trade school as a full-time student. To that end, it will adhere to the following policies:

1. The USARA Michael B. Ranger Legacy Scholarship Program is not an entitlement, and no award shall be automatically granted or approved. The scholarship is awarded to qualified dependents, as defined below, of Ranger based on merit.
2. The Scholarship Committee shall ensure that appropriate documentary support is received for all applications, which may include transcripts, copies of letters of acceptance and/or proof of application, etc.
3. USARA grants Scholarship awards annually based on funds available; applicants must apply each year and no recipient may exceed four awards. The maximum cumulative amount any individual may receive shall not exceed  $10,000.
4. Siblings may apply and be awarded scholarships, but the Scholarship Committee reserves the right to prioritize awarding available scholarships to multiple families.
5. All efforts are made to avoid appointing members to the Scholarship Committee that are likely to have family members apply. If it is discovered that a Scholarship Committee member is related to an applicant, the committee member must excuse himself from rating or discussing the applicant.
6. If an applicant has been awarded a scholarship and for any reason decides not to study as planned, the scholarship shall be deobligated or, if already awarded to the applicant, shall be returned in full. If time allows, the next qualified applicant will then be awarded a scholarship.
7. The preceding requirement to return scholarship funds shall not apply if an awardee is faced with a medical condition and cannot continue at school, except to the extent that any portion of the awarded funds remain unused.  A student who cannot continue on the basis of a medical condition shall not be prohibited from applying for a scholarship at a future date provides a letter from a doctor verifying the medical basis is provided to the Scholarship Committee.
8. Scholarship awards funds are intended to assist with academic expenses associated with higher education, such as tuition, books, fees, supplies, and room and board.  Funds shall be disbursed directly to the individual awardees, who are presumed to know the best  use of the award.

The USARA Michael B. Ranger Legacy Scholarship Program is supported entirely by donations. The number of scholarships to be awarded annually varies on the basis of funding received during the prior year.

To be eligible to apply for the MBR Legacy Scholarship, the applicant must be a former Ranger or qualified dependent of a Ranger.  For questions or concerns regarding eligibility, please email scholarships@ranger.org.

Following the close of the application period, USARA’s Scholarship Committee will review and score each application for the purpose of recommending awardees to the president of USARA.  Selection of recommended awardees rests solely with the discretion of the USARA Scholarship Committee, and shall be final and binding.  No effort to contest or appeal the selection will be permitted.

Scholarships will be awarded without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or physical disability.

USARA Scholarship Program 2024

Required Documents:

1. Official Application Form
2. Acceptance Letter from College or University
   1. (High School Only)
3. Most Recent High School Transcript
   1. Showing Current GPA
   2. (High School Only)
4. Most Recent Semester Transcript
   1. Showing Current GPA
   2. (College Students)
5. Two Letters of Recommendation
   1. One Letter from an Academic Source, and
   2. One Letter from a Non-Academic Source.
      1. (Non-Academic Letter must NOT be from a family member)
6. Essay 
   1. All applicants will write a one-page Essay in pdf format on a separate sheet of paper to be submitted with the application. See page 3, Part 4 of the Application for specific instructions on the topic of the Essay

Complete the PDF application below in Adobe Acrobat.