US Army 6th Rangers Training Battalion Hosts Secretary of Defense at Camp Rudder

The US Army 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder hosted a brief visit by Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates recently. As always, the Rangers lived up to their reputation as great hosts. During the visit, they presented Secretary Gates with a Ranger walking stick and a hat. Camp Rudder’s “swamp” is the final stage of Ranger training. To non-military, the camp is little known. It is located in an isolated portion of the massive Eglin Air Force Base and is not seen by the casual motorist except for a small sign posted along Beal Street on the north end of Fort Walton Beach.

However, to our area residents, Camp Rudder has become recognized for its public open house events where visitors get to learn how our Rangers operate in extreme conditions. The open house events display dive equipment and weapons, as well as see demonstrations of hand-to-hand combat and parachute jumps. Recently the Rangers hosted their “Wives Swamp Walk” (July 31, 2010) complete with snake show, rope bridge and hoist demonstration, and a boat movement in Zodiacs.

If you can’t wait until one of their annual open houses, you might enjoy our area’s terrain in a more “tailored” venue. Northwest Florida has nearly 1.5 million acres of state- and federally-protected land. Though these preserves are not tame, they do offer advantages of boardwalks, kayaks and inner tubes, and picnic grounds.

(Photo: U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)