Riker caught privates filling their CamelBaks with the stuff in lieu of water and sipping it through a straw. Some soldiers roll out of bed and pop open a can. "If someone served over there and says they didn't at least try a Rip It, they're not being honest with you," Riker said. Riker conservatively estimates over three-quarters of military personnel are drinking this stuff on the regular, and almost everyone in uniform - particularly those serving in the Middle East - has at least tried it. Riker's mission took place in 2010, but Rip It's prevalence in military life had been growing in Afghanistan and Iraq during America's campaigns throughout the 2000s, and it's still popular today. Frankly, it's not very distinguishable among a sea of nearly identical competitors with more pervasive marketing and bigger parent companies.īut Rip It has carved a unique niche in the energy drink world: It's ingrained in 21st-century military culture. There's a chance you've seen the discount energy drink Rip It buried in convenience-store shelves alongside Monster, Red Bull, and Rockstar. It might have been the only thing that got us through those last few hours," Riker said. He had six Rip Its stashed in his backpack in lieu of some other essential supplies. "To put it bluntly, shit was sucking."Īt their darkest moment, hours before they even stood a chance at making contact with another squad, one of the privates piped up and hesitantly told his team (including Riker, his direct superior) that he had bent the rules a little bit. Someone messed up along the way and our supplies were gone. What was supposed to be a brief air assault mission in a remote region had become a grueling day-and-a-half excursion into enemy territory. More than 30 hours had passed since they were air-dropped via chopper. Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Riker and his squadron were stranded in the middle of the Afghani desert.
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