The public can experience a glimpse into the world of the U.S. Army Rangers at the annual Ranger Open House on April 29 at Camp Frank D. Merrill in Dahlonega.
The main portion of the free event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will feature a variety of sessions. These include a mountaineering demo, reptile show, hand-to-hand demo, military equipment and vehicle displays and a Rangers in action demonstration.
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Green, Battalion Commander for the 5th Ranger Training Battalion, said the Rangers in action demonstration acts as a capstone event at 1 p.m.
"You see Rangers come in on helicopters, fast rope down in, get into an actual operation using drones, using crew-served weapons to conduct an operation right there, all in front of the public," Green said.
Before 11 a.m., the public can participate in various trail runs and a mountain bike race beginning at 7 a.m. Those interested in registering for a trail run or the bike race can find more information here.
No registration is required for the open house, and food vendors will be available on-site during the event.
Green said the event acts as a way to educate the public on what the U.S. Army does.
"The Army's kind of got a bit of a recruiting crisis, so I think people just don't understand what's out there, what we do," Green said. "A lot of people have some misconceptions and think that the Army is just infantry, just tanks. There's a lot of specialties out there, a lot of skills that you can acquire that will be marketable on the civilian market after service."
The event also intends to create a community in the North Georgia area.
"As the only active entity in North Georgia ... we rely on that community for a lot of things that a normal installation, a larger base, would provide," Green said. "It's our way of welcoming that community into what is normally a closed space, and to kind of show them what we do and get them excited about having us as part of their community."
The Ranger Open House has been an annual event at Camp Merrill for several decades, according to Green.
Just over 2000 people attended the event in 2022.
"People really rally around it," Green said.
Parking information and a schedule of events can be found by clicking through the above photo gallery.
