Ryan Cleckner

Biography

Ryan Cleckner, a Phoenix native, served in the United States Army as an Airborne Ranger in 1st Ranger Battalion in Savannah, Georgia. He served on a Ranger fire team for a couple of years until he made his transition to the 1st Ranger Battalion Sniper section. He has attended the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (SOTIC), Airborne School, Ranger School, EMT-I School, and he was part of the first group of Americans to ever graduate the French Alpine Instructor’s course (CIECM). Ryan completed multiple combat deployments as a Ranger Sniper and as a Sniper Team Leader and has been recognized by his peers and superiors for his leadership ability.

After he left the military, Ryan stayed active finishing up his undergraduate degree and teaching outdoor related classes (rock climbing, backpacking, land navigation, etc.) through a local community college. Creating and teaching these classes allowed Ryan to create the outdoor activity community at GoTakeAHike.com and host his very own local talk radio show segment about outdoor education.

Ryan carried his firearms specialty from the military with him as he participated as a competitive shooter in local shooting competitions, as an equipment designer and weapon system demonstrator for a large tactical gear manufacturer, and as a military and law enforcement sniper instructor for a government contracted sniper school.  In the firearms community Ryan is referenced as a subject matter expert in tactical articles and through his articles on sniper technique.

After obtaining his Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University, Ryan is now a full time law student and living in North Haven, Connecticut where he serves on the town’s Board of Ethics with his beautiful wife and their two dogs.