HENDERSON, Nev. – Nevada Army National Guard Pfc. Mace Veit completed Ranger School, Airborne School, Air Assault School and Pathfinder School before his 20th birthday, accomplishing in less than six months what can take many Soldiers years to achieve.
The 19-year-old Foothill High School graduate passed every phase of the Army's 62-day Ranger School on his first attempt, then earned three coveted skill badges and a Ranger Tab. Fewer than 20% of Soldiers who attend Ranger School complete every phase without recycling.
For Veit, it started with a decision made just days before graduating from cavalry scout training at Fort Benning, Georgia, when a National Guard liaison informed him he had been identified for the Ranger Team Leader Initiative, or RTLI, a program that selects high-performing Soldiers and prepares them for Ranger School. The opportunity meant staying at Fort Benning after cavalry scout training instead of returning home, with no guarantee he would ultimately earn a Ranger School slot.
"I was really scared," Veit said. "I didn't know if I was ready for it."
Still, he chose to stay.
"I had to take the opportunity when it was there because you never know if you'll ever get it again," he said.
Before joining the military, Veit envisioned a future as a firefighter. While attending Foothill High School in Henderson, he searched for a path that would allow him to serve while still pursuing civilian career opportunities.
"I was trying to think, would I have to sacrifice being a firefighter or another future career to join the military?" Veit said. "Then I thought, well, the National Guard, I could do both."
Veit’s mother, Jessica Veit, a Henderson Police Department sergeant with 11 years of service, said her son’s decision to join the Nevada Army National Guard surprised her, but his ability to thrive in a disciplined environment did not.
“I never expected any of this, but I did expect something great from my son,” Jessica said. “He’s been very disciplined his whole life. He’s very regimented. When he says he’s going to do something or puts his heart into it, he always does it.”
Veit enlisted in the Nevada Army National Guard at 17 during his junior year of high school and spent nearly a year attending Recruit Sustainment Program, training with his recruiter, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Duncan, an accomplished endurance athlete who recognized his potential early. The two spent time outside of drills logging miles together, building the endurance and mental toughness that would later help Veit through the Army's toughest schools.
After graduating from cavalry scout training with a leadership award, Veit entered RTLI and later the National Guard's pre-Ranger course. As Ranger School approached, doubt started to weigh on him.
"I remember before I went to Ranger School, I kept thinking, 'Imagine if I fail,'" Veit said. "I would call my parents and tell them it's a really hard course and not a lot of people pass."
Once training began, he learned to focus on the task immediately in front of him.
"Maybe, beforehand, you're a little nervous and a little scared," Veit said. "But once I got there, I had to shut it off and just go: ‘I'm here to do this.’”
That mindset carried him through a year of continuous training and four elite Army schools.
Veit said he learned he was often more capable than he believed.
"I always underestimate myself," Veit said. "Everything seems like a huge, impossible mountain to scale. But then I get there and start doing it and realize, 'Okay, I can do that.'"
The lesson became especially important during Pathfinder School, where students are required to master detailed planning procedures, calculations and technical information.
"There were a lot of little intricate details you had to remember," Veit said. "You focus your energy on memorizing one thing and then you end up forgetting something else."
Throughout his training, Veit credits drill sergeants, instructors and fellow students for helping him succeed. Those friendships became one of the most valuable parts of the experience.
No support system, however, was more important than his family. Veit said his parents supported his decision to enlist from the beginning, even though they had never discussed his future in military service before. As he progressed through training, they traveled repeatedly to Georgia to attend graduations and celebrate milestones.
"My mom literally showed up to every single graduation she could," Veit said. "Knowing I had people rooting for me back home was a huge morale boost."
Jessica said she flew to Columbus, Georgia, 10 times during her son’s training to attend the graduations and milestones she could. Her favorite moment came during Darby Pass, when Ranger School students who complete the first phase of training pass through a gate before continuing to the next phase.
“He didn’t know I was going to be there,” Jessica said. “Seeing him come through that gate was the most prideful, amazing moment that I will never forget with my son.”
Now back in Nevada after nearly a year away from home, Veit is spending time with family before reporting to the Nevada Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 221st Cavalry Regiment, which transitioned into a mobile infantry battalion as part of the Army's Transformation Initiative.
As he looks toward the future, firefighting is still a possibility. He is also exploring college, government service and other opportunities. For now, Veit is focused on the mindset that carried him through all challenges placed in front of him: take the opportunity, put in the work and care enough to give it everything you have.
"If you want to excel in something," Veit said, "You have to care about it."