Army Ranger with Bigfork roots to retire after 21 years of service

Fresh out of Bigfork High School, Will Israel, didn’t have a lot of direction. He worked in construction and the restaurant industry for a time, but these roles left him wanting.

He craved adventure; a life of service — quite simply: being part of something greater than himself.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Israel sought that fulfillment from the U.S. Army. He enlisted as an “Eleven Bravo” — military-speak for infantryman — in December 2000. After completing a 10-week basic training course, he was off to airborne school where Israel learned the fine art of jumping out of airplanes. Before starting basic training, he contemplated becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL, but worried about his ability to pass the rigorous swimming tests. Instead, he chose the route of the Army Ranger. Rangers are elite special forces warriors — there are fewer than 4,000 among their ranks — and it is a privilege to be selected. To even be considered, candidates must first undergo an eight-week Ranger Assessment and Selection Program held at Fort Benning, Georgia where their physical and mental capabilities are rigorously tested. Think: a 12-mile ruck march, day and nighttime land navigation tests and intense medical and combat training — all on very little sleep.

“I wanted to work with the best and be the best,” Israel said.

And the Army agreed with him, selecting Israel to join the elite ranks of the 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2/75th Ranger Regiment out of Joint Base Lewis McCord in Washington.

“Rangers are all direct action — airfield seizures, special operations raids and kinetic strikes,” Israel explained. “We jump out of airplanes, blow things up and shoot people.”

Army Rangers, known as the “quiet professionals” for the clandestine nature of their operations, have a far-reaching history that predates the Revolutionary War. Rangers have fought in every major conflict in recent history, and were among the first soldiers deployed in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Israel’s Army career took him on five combat tours to Afghanistan and another three to Iraq where he accumulated a total of 500 direct-action raids.

“I can’t go into super specific detail about where we were at or what we did,” Israel noted, but the basics of many of his missions involved locating entities on a target list and conducting raids on those homes or compounds. Raids were high-intensity events that were meticulously planned and choreographed. Over time, they became “almost addictive.”

“I wasn’t fearful, but there were many tours where I wasn’t quite sure if we were coming back,” he said. “I ended up losing all fear of anything, especially including death after probably the second or third deployment. We’re all going to leave this earth. Nobody leaves this world alive. What matters more was taking care of the people to your right and left and being able to accomplish your mission.”

There was one mission in particular where Israel and his fellow Rangers were responsible for tracking down intel that led to the arrest of an individual who was planning a terrorist attack at a mall in the U.S.

“When you’re shutting down terrorist networks …. that feels really good,” Israel said.

But bad guys weren’t the only opponents Israel had to worry about — weather and terrain posed notable threats, too.

“There were times for several weeks to a month-plus where we’re just living off the land in the winter time and trying to find shelter in goat pens,” he said.

Back home, Israel’s family had their own challenges to tackle.

“When we’re home, we’re integrated, we’re helping out and when we’re gone, they’re single moms,” he said of his wife.

And then there were red messages — notifications sent to family members announcing that a member of the team had been killed or wounded. When a red message went out, communications halted between servicemembers and their families until the victim’s next of kin could be notified. Sometimes that would take days, leaving Israel’s loved ones to wonder if he’d be coming home or not.

Life as a Ranger was the most austere in Afghanistan, a country whose rugged remoteness was paired with massive temperature swings ranging from frigid cold to summer days of 130 degrees. During his time in Afghanistan, Israel once lost 25 pounds over the span of a month, battled fleas and dysentery and worked in the same clothes for weeks at a time. There was nothing to do in those moments but embrace the suck.

“You meet me and I’m like 5’8”, 200 pounds …I’m not this giant beast, but I’ve got this motor, this drive and this tenacity and high IQ that has allowed me to just excel. And those aren’t my gifts — they came from my creator,” Israel said. “You put all your trust, hope and faith in God and it’s either your time or it’s not.”

Israel made it home safely from all eight tours, advancing through the ranks over the years and acquiring a laundry-list of accolades in the process.

Among them was a Bronze Star, the fourth-highest combat award, which is presented to soldiers who perform meritorious acts of service or valor during combat operations. Israel earned his for taking on a leadership role that went well beyond his assigned duty.

“My platoon sergeant got shot overseas and I took the platoon for the remainder of that deployment. The sheer amount of stress involved with that … it was so far outside of my comfort zone,” Israel said. But he rose to the occasion for the sake of his fellow soldiers and added that “we continued to crush targets — we never even slowed down.”

Later in his career, Israel was recognized as the 75th Ranger Regiment Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year in 2008 and named a distinguished military graduate of his Officer Candidate School — training that allowed him to transition from an enlisted role to that of an officer.

He has also gone on to serve as an assistant professor of military science at St. John’s University, but will be moving back home to Montana later this year when he officially retires from the service.

“Going through hard things and testing who we are mentally, physically and spiritually … only serves to make you stronger,” Israel said. “For whatever reason, I had this fire inside that had to be tested. And being a Ranger tested that in spades.”