U.S. Army Rangers

The 75th Ranger Regiment —also known as the United States Army Rangers— is a Special Operations Force of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC); with headquarters in Fort Benning, Georgia. The Regiment is a flexible, highly trained and rapidly deployable light infantry force with specialized skills that enables it to be employed against a variety of conventional and special operations targets.

The force specializes in Airborne, light-infantry and direct action operations, conducting raids, infiltration and exfiltration by air, land or sea, airfield seizure, recovery of personnel and special equipment, and support of general purpose forces (GPF) among others. Each Ranger Battalion can deploy anywhere in the world with 18 hours notice.

Contents

1 Background 2 Becoming a Ranger 3 Motto: Rangers Lead the Way! 4 Ranger Creed 5 Operations 6 Famous Rangers 7 Related Topics 8 Further reading 9 External links 9.1 Official sites 9.2 Reenacted Rangers 9.3 Former Rangers websites 9.4 Ranger Clans 10 References

Background

The term ‘Ranger’ first appeared in 1670 in Church's Rangers, though the World War II reference was taken from Roger's Rangers of 1756, whose Standing Orders are still quoted today. In May 1942 during World War II, the 1st Ranger Battalion was sanctioned and recruited from forces in Northern Ireland and trained in Scotland by the British Commandos. Together with the ensuing 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions they served in North Africa and Italy under William O. Darby until the Battle of Cisterna (January 29, 1944) when all but a handful of the 1st and 3rd were wiped out or captured.

Prior to the 5th Ranger Battalion landing on Dog White Sector, Omaha Beach in WWII, three Companies of the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the 150 foot cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, a few miles to the west, to destroy a battery of five 155mm guns. Under constant fire during the climb, they found only a small company of Germans on the cliffs and the artillery withdrawn some 500 metres. The guns were later found and destroyed, and the Rangers cut and held the main road for two days before being relieved.

After World War II, the Rangers were disbanded. However, the training regime was kept and only senior NCOs and officers were able to attend training. With the outbreak of war in Korea, the Rangers were reformed into Ranger Companies. The Chief of Staff gave the Ranger Training Program to Colonel John Gibson Van Houten. Within the 82nd Airborne Division alone, 5,000 volunteers answered the call. In October, another company reported for training. Members of the 505th Airborne Regiment and the 80th AA Battalion reported in, and they would become the 2nd Ranger Company, the only All Black Ranger Company to serve in Korea. During the course of the war the Rangers proved themselves time after time, they patrolled, probed, scouted, destroyed, attacked, ambushed and scared the enemy. The 1st Company destroyed the 12th North Korean Division in a daring night raid. The 2nd and 4th made an Airborne Assault near Munsan-Ni where Life Magazine reported that Allied troops were now patrolling above the 38th. The 2nd plugged a crucial gap made by the retreating allied forces, the 5th Ranger's performed brillantly under combat by helping to stop the Chinese 5th Phase Offensive, the 8th were caught completely by surprise by two Chinese Recon companies, and they killed over 70 enemy troops, losing only two dead and three wounded which they brought back home.

After the war the Rangers were disbanded again but were reformed in Vietnam as the 75th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) or known as LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol). This new breed of Rangers can be traced to Merrill's Marauders. In Vietnam, these Rangers were assigned to A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P companies. Each company was assigned to every major American combat unit. Their mission was to scout enemy positions and to report back to their unit. SSG. Pruden and Spc. Law were the first two Rangers to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Unlike their forefathers and forerunners, these Rangers would be picked, trained and fight in the same country. After Vietnam, Division and Brigade Commanders saw that the Army needed an elite Reconnaissance unit,so, in 1974 Gen. Abrams created the 1st Ranger Battalion. 8 months later the 2nd Ranger Battalion was formed,and 10 years later the 3rd Ranger Battalion was formed.

Becoming a Ranger

To become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, prospective Rangers must begin with the nine weeks of Basic Combat Training (BCT). Upon completion of Basic Training the soldier will then attend Advanced Individual Training (AIT) to obtain a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). This training varies in length, depending on the selected MOS. Next, the soldier must complete Airborne training. Upon graduation, the soldier will be sent to Ft. Benning to attend the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) and Ranger Orientation Program (ROP).

If the soldier passes each of the 3 phases of Ranger School, he will be sent back to the unit he was from with the coveted Ranger Tab or be assigned to one of the three Ranger Battalions, within the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Further career development requires all members of the Ranger Regiment to attend and pass Ranger School and earn their Ranger Tab before assuming any leadership position within the regiment. The unofficial motto of Ranger students from the regiment is "With the tab, or on a slab" — that they will return to the regiment either with their Ranger Tab or dead. This may be a variation of the Spartan mothers' directive to their soldier sons, to return "With your shield, or upon it."

Motto: Rangers Lead the Way!

On D-Day, Dog White sector of Omaha Beach, General Norman Cota (assistant CO of the 29th ID) while under heavy machine gun fire, calmly walked towards Maj. Max Schneider, CO of the 5th Ranger Battalion and asked “What outfit is this?”, someone yelled "5th Rangers!". To this, Cota replied “Well, goddamn it then, Rangers, lead the way!”. It was at this time and place the Ranger motto ("Rangers lead the way!") was born.

Ranger Creed

Main article: Ranger Creed.

Operations

• Operation Eagle Claw - Iran, 1980
• Operation Urgent Fury - Grenada, 1983
• Operation Just Cause - Panama, 1989
• Operation Desert Shield - Iraq, 1990
• Operation Desert Storm - Iraq, 1991
• Operation Restore Hope - Somalia, 1993
  • Operation Gothic Serpent - the operation that led to the Battle of Mogadishu
• Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan, 2001
• Operation Iraqi Freedom - Iraq, 2003

Famous Rangers

William Orlando Darby, Charles Parker, Mike Steele, Pat Tillman, Kevin Tillman.

Related Topics

• Battle of Mogadishu (during Operation Restore Hope)
• Black Hawk Down (movie & book)
• U.S. special forces

Further reading

• Bowden, Mark. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. Berkeley, California: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999.
• Bahmanyar, Mir. US Army Ranger 1983-2002. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002.
• Bahmanyar, Mir. Darby's Rangers 1942-45. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002.

External links

Official sites

• GoArmy.com Ranger Website (http://www.goarmy.com/ranger)
• Ranger Training Brigade (http://www.infantry.army.mil/rtb/)
• US Army Rangers History (http://www.benning.army.mil/rtb/HISTORY/histopen.htm)
• Ranger Tab Information (https://www-perscom.army.mil/tagd/tioh/Badges/ranger%20tab.htm)
• Ranger Handbook (http://www.benning.army.mil/rtb/ranger/HDBOOK/TABLEOFCONTENTS.htm)

Reenacted Rangers

• 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion (rs) (http://5thrangers.deadlydozen.net)

Former Rangers websites

• SpecialOperations.com US Army Rangers Information Page (http://www.specialoperations.com/Army/Rangers/)
• Former US Army Ranger's Web Page and Forum (http://airborneranger.com)
• SuaSponte.com Most complete Ranger History (http://www.suasponte.com)

Ranger Clans

• 75th Rangers Regiment (http://75thrangers.us)

References

1. US Army. GoArmy.com Ranger Recruitment: Entrance Information for Rangers (http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/doc/entrance.htm). United States Army. United States of America.
2. USASOC (2003). 75th Ranger Regiment: Fact Sheet (http://www.soc.mil/75thrr/75th_home.htm). US Special Operations Command. United States of America.
3. US Army Rangers. Rangers on night recon (photo). Fort Benning, Georgia (USA): 75th Ranger Regiment.
4. 75th Ranger Regiment, A Documentary about the training and formation of the Ranger's (Military Channel)
5. US Army Ranger Association. [1] (http://www.ranger.org/history.html). US Army Ranger Association. United States
6. Inside Delta Force written by CSM. Eric Haney (one of the first Delta Operator's, and participated in Operation Eagle Claw
7. Master's of Chaos written by Linda Robinson
8. de:US Army Rangers

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