2005 In the book , he mentions that he is an Army Ranger as well . Well , based on what he says in his book and on his website , he did go to Ranger school , but never served in a Ranger unit . In an official statement before the New York Legislature , he said this I am an Army Ranger , expert qualified on all major U . S . small arms and many NATO weapons , . Maybe I am being a bit nick picky , but he seems to be using his Tab a bit too much to justify himself being an Army Ranger . Technically , I guess he is , but this kinda rubs me the wrong way . He is Ranger qualified , but never served as an Army Ranger . Fourth , he is definitely milking the Ranger thing , but that is a matter of good marketing , considering he has never fired a round in combat . Seriously , what I am seeing is that the public doesn ' t have an understanding of what an Airborne Ranger is , and what it means to serve as an Airborne Ranger . Dave doesn ' t make any outlandish claims per se , except saying that he was an Airborne Ranger . I take exception with that claim since he never spent time in a Ranger unit . Yes , he is technically qualified . He is just bending the truth a little for his career . I could say that I am a SF qualified engineer because I graduated from the phase 2 course back in 1981 , but that would be ludicrous . Here are some examples from my Google of Dave Grossman Airborne Ranger Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman formerly of the U . S . Army Rangers is one of the world ' s foremost experts in the field of human aggression and the roots of violence and violent crime . In addition to having been an Airborne Ranger infantry officer , he was a West Point psychology professor Lt . Col . Dave A . Grossman is a military psychologist and was an officer in the Airborne Ranger Infantry for many years . Grossman , an Airborne Ranger Infantry officer and priorservice sergeant and paratrooper , is a nationally recognized speaker Lt . Colonel David Grossman , a retired US Army Ranger , and a prominent psychologist . I think that we are dealing with hyperbole on the part of Colonel Grossman , as far as his selfdescription as an Airborne Ranger is concerned . Either he or his public relations advisors emphasize his earning of a small piece of cloth to establish authority and credibility . Apparently it is not enough , for them , that the guy is a mere psychologist . 55732