United States Army Rangers - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

United States Army Rangers are elite

Military elite

A military elite is a unit of soldiers or recruits picked for their competence and put in a special elite unit. Elite units enjoy some benefits as compared to other units, at least in the form of higher status, but often also higher pay and better equipment. Napoleon's Imperial Guard would be a...

members of the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School

Ranger School

The United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented towards small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". The course is conducted...

. The term "Ranger" was first used in North America in the early 17th century; however, the first ranger company was not officially commissioned until King Philip's War

King Philip's War

King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...

(1676) and then they were used in the four French and Indian Wars

French and Indian Wars

The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars...

. Rangers also fought in the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

, the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, and the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

It was not until World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

that the modern Ranger concept was conceived, authorized by General George C. Marshall in 1942. The six battalions of the modern Rangers have been deployed in wars in Korea

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, Vietnam

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

, Afghanistan

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...

, and Iraq, and saw action in several conflicts, such as those in Panama

United States invasion of Panama

The United States Invasion of Panama, code-named Operation Just Cause, was the invasion of Panama by the United States in December 1989. It occurred during the administration of U.S. President George H. W...

and Grenada

Invasion of Grenada

The Invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, was a 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation with a population of about 100,000 located north of Venezuela. Triggered by a military coup which had ousted a four-year revolutionary government, the invasion...

. Of the current active Ranger battalions, two—the 1st and the 2nd—have been in service since reactivation in 1974. The 3rd Ranger Battalion and the headquarters of the 75th Ranger Regiment were reactivated in 1984.

The 75th Ranger Regiment is now a Light Infantry

Light infantry

Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...

combat formation within the U.S. Army Special Operation Command

United States Army Special Operations Command

The United States Army Special Operations Command is the command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Forces...

(USASOC). The Ranger Regiment traces its lineage to three of six battalions raised in WWII, and to the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)—known as “Merrill's Marauders

Merrill's Marauders

Merrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...

,” and then reflagged as the 475th Infantry, then later as the 75th Infantry.

The Ranger Training Brigade (RTB)—headquartered at Fort Benning, GA

Fort Benning

Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...

—is an organization under the U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and is separate from the 75th Ranger Regiment. It has been in service under various names and Army departments since World War II. The Ranger Training Brigade administrates Ranger School

Ranger School

. Successful completion of this 61-day course is required to become Ranger qualified and to wear the Ranger Tab

Ranger Tab

The Ranger Tab is a service school military decoration of the United States Army signifying completion of the 61-day long Ranger School course in small-unit infantry combat tactics in woodland, mountain, and swamp operations. In December 2009 a British NCO earned the Ranger tab...

Colonial Period

Rangers in North America served in the 17th and 18th-century wars between colonists and Native American tribes. The British regulars were not accustomed to frontier warfare and so Ranger companies were developed. Rangers were full-time soldiers employed by colonial governments to patrol between fixed frontier fortifications in reconnaissance providing early warning of raids. In offensive operations, they were scouts and guides, locating villages and other targets for task forces drawn from the militia or other colonial troops.

In North America, "The earliest mention of Ranger operations comes from Capt. John Smith," who wrote in 1622, "When I had ten men able to go abroad, our common wealth was very strong: with such a number I ranged that unknown country 14 weeks." Robert Black also stated that,

In 1622, after the Berkeley Plantation Massacre
Indian massacre of 1622
The Indian Massacre of 1622 occurred in the Colony of Virginia, in what now belongs to the United States of America, on Friday, March 22, 1622...

...grim-faced men went forth to search out the Indian enemy. They were militia—citizen soldiers—but they were learning to blend the methods of Indian and European warfare...As they went in search of the enemy, the words range, ranging and Ranger were frequently used...The American Ranger had been born.

The father of American ranging is Colonel Benjamin Church (c. 1639–1718). He was the captain of the first Ranger force in America (1676). Church was commissioned by the Governor of the Plymouth Colony

Plymouth Colony

Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...

Josiah Winslow

Josiah Winslow was an American Pilgrim leader. He served as governor of Plymouth Colony from 1673 to 1680.Born in Plymouth Colony , he was son of Edward Winslow and Susanna White. In 1651 in London, with his father, he married Penelope Pelham, daughter of Herbert Pelham, the first treasurer of...

to form the first ranger company for King Philip's War

King Philip's War

. He later employed the company to raid Acadia

Acadia

Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...

during King William's War

King William's War

The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...

and Queen Anne's War

Queen Anne's War

Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...

.

Benjamin Church designed his force primarily to emulate Native American patterns of war. Toward this end, Church endeavored to learn to fight like Native Americans from Native Americans. Americans became rangers exclusively under the tutelage of the Indian allies. (Until the end of the colonial period, rangers depended on Indians as both allies and teachers.)

Church developed a special full-time unit mixing white colonists selected for frontier skills with friendly Native Americans to carry out offensive strikes against hostile Native Americans in terrain where normal militia units were ineffective. His memoirs "Entertaining Passages relating to Philip's War" is considered the first American military manual (published 1716).

Under Church served the father and grandfather of two famous rangers of the eighteenth century: John Lovewell and John Gorham

John Gorham (military officer)

John Gorham was a New England Ranger and was the first significant British military presence on the frontier of Nova Scotia and Acadia to remain in the region for a substantial period of time after the Conquest of Acadia . He established the famous "Gorham's Rangers". Gorham was commissioned a...

respectively. John Lovewell served during Dummer's War

Dummer's War

Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...

(also known as Lovewell's War). He lived in present-day Nashua

Nashua, New Hampshire

-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...

, New Hampshire. He fought in Dummer's War

Dummer's War

as a militia

Militia

The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...

captain, leading three expeditions against the Abenaki Indians.

During King George's War

King George's War

King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...

, John Gorham

John Gorham (military officer)

established "Gorham's Rangers". Gorham's company fought on the frontier at Acadia

Acadia

and Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

. Gorham was commissioned a captain in the regular British Army in recognition of his outstanding service. He was the first of three prominent American rangers – himself, his younger brother Joseph Gorham and Robert Rogers

Robert Rogers

Robert Rogers may refer to:*Robert Rogers , 18th century American colonial officer, explorer and playwright*Robert Rogers , Canadian politician...

– to earn such commissions in the British Army. (Many others, such as George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

, were unsuccessful in their attempts to achieve a British rank.)

Rogers' Rangers

Rogers' Rangers

Rogers' Rangers was an independent company of colonial militia, attached to the British Army during the Seven Years War . The unit was informally trained by Major Robert Rogers as a rapidly deployable light infantry force tasked with reconnaissance and conducting special operations against distant...

was established in 1751 by Major Robert Rogers

Robert Rogers (soldier)

Robert Rogers was an American colonial frontiersman. Rogers served in the British army during both the French and Indian War and the American Revolution...

, who organized nine Ranger companies in the American colonies. These early American light infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

units, organized during the French and Indian War

French and Indian War

The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...

, were actively called "Rangers" and are often considered to be the spiritual birthplace of the modern Army Rangers. Major Rogers is credited with, among other things, drafting the first set of standard orders for rangers. These rules, Robert Rogers' 28 "Rules of Ranging", are still provided to all new Army Rangers upon graduation from training, and served as one of the first modern manuals for asymmetric warfare

Asymmetric warfare

Asymmetric warfare is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly....

American Revolution

When the American Revolution

American Revolution

began, Major Robert Rogers allegedly offered his services to General George Washington

George Washington

. Fearing that Rogers was a spy, Washington refused. An incensed Rogers instead joined forces with the Loyalists and fought for the crown. Not all of Rogers' Rangers went with him, however, including such notable figures as Israel Putnam

Israel Putnam

Israel Putnam was an American army general and Freemason who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War...

.).
Later on during the war, General Washington ordered Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Knowlton

Thomas Knowlton

Thomas Knowlton was an American patriot who served in the French and Indian War and was a Colonel during the American Revolution. Knowlton is considered America's first Intelligence professional, and his unit, Knowlton's Rangers, made a significant contribution to intelligence gathering during...

to select an elite group of men for reconnaissance missions. This unit was known as Knowlton's Rangers

Knowlton's Rangers

Knowlton's Rangers were the United States of America's first organized espionage organization, as well as the first American Ranger unit formed after America declared its independence from the United Kingdom. Named after their commander, Thomas Knowlton, they were formed in 1776.-Formation:On...

, and is credited as the first official Ranger unit (by name) for the United States. This unit, however, carried out intelligence functions rather than combat functions in most cases, and as such are not generally considered the historical parent of the modern day Army Rangers. Instead, Knowlton's Rangers gave rise to the modern Military Intelligence branch (although it was not a distinct branch until the 20th century).

War of 1812

In January 1812 the United States authorised six companies of United States Rangers who were mounted infantry

Mounted infantry

Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot . The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry...

with the function of protecting the Western frontier. Five of these companies were raised in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. By December 1813 the Army Register listed officers of 12 companies of Rangers

Black Hawk War

During the Black Hawk War

Black Hawk War

The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....

the United States Mounted Ranger Battalion was created out of frontiersmen who enlisted for one year and provided their own rifles and horses. The battalion was organised into six companies of 100 men each that was led by Henry Dodge

Henry Dodge

Henry Dodge was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son was Augustus C. Dodge with whom he served in the U.S. Senate, the first, and so far only, father-son pair to serve concurrently....

. After their enlistment's expired there was no creation of a second battalion.

American Civil War

The most famous Rangers of the American Civil War

American Civil War

fought for the Confederate States Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

. In January 1863, John S. Mosby

John S. Mosby

John Singleton Mosby , nicknamed the "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War...

was given command of the 43rd Battalion, Partisan Ranger. Mosby's Rangers became infamous among Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

soldiers due to their frequent raids on supply trains and couriers. Their reputation was heightened considerably when they performed a raid deep into Union territory and captured three high-ranking officers, including Brigadier General Edwin H. Stoughton

Edwin H. Stoughton

Edwin Henry Stoughton , was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a lawyer.-Early life:Stoughton was born in Chester, Vermont, the son of Henry Evander and Laura Stoughton....

. Weeks after the surrender of the Confederate Army Mosby disbanded his unit rather than formally surrender.

Also a famous Confederate commander, Turner Ashby

Turner Ashby

Turner Ashby, Jr. was a Confederate cavalry commander in the American Civil War. He had achieved prominence as Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's cavalry commander, in the grade of colonel, in the Shenandoah Valley before he was killed in battle in 1862...

led a cavalry company known as the Mountain Rangers, who became known for their ability to harass Union soldiers.

The most successful attacks against Mosby's Rangers were carried out by the Union Army's Mean's Rangers

Loudoun Rangers

The Loudoun Rangers, also known as Mean's Rangers for their commander, Samuel C. Means, was a partisan cavalry unit raised in Loudoun County, Virginia, that fought for the Union during the American Civil War...

. Mean's Rangers became famous when they successfully captured General James Longstreet

James Longstreet

James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...

's ammunition train. They later fought and captured a portion of Mosby's force.

European theater

In January 1941, during World War II

World War II

, Colonel Dudley Clarke

Dudley Clarke

Dudley Wrangel Clarke, CBE, CB was a Brigadier in the British Army who was behind several deception operations during the Second World War and who founded the British Army's Commando force. He was born at Ladysmith, Natal, and educated at Charterhouse School...

met American Colonel William J. Donovan during a strategic tour of the Mediterranean.
During the Second World War, Major General Lucian K. Truscott, the US Army Liaison, saw the capabilities of the British Army’s Commandos

British Commandos

The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...

. He immediately sent a proposal stating "We undertake immediately an American unit along the lines of the British Commandos" on 26 May 1942 to General George Marshall. The US Army then began a program to make a commando unit for the US Military. The telegram Truscott sent out was received by Major General Russell P. Hartle, the commander of all US Army forces in Northern Ireland. Now that the first battalion of commandos was authorized, a name for the new commando unit would be chosen. Truscott picked Rangers because “The name Commandos rightfully belonged to the British.” Rangers were a part of the earliest stages in colonizing America so it seemed to be an exceptional choice.

Now the General was tasked to find a commander worthy enough to lead the Ranger battalion. General Hartle decided that his own aid-de-camp, Captain William Orlando Darby

William Orlando Darby

William Orlando Darby was an officer in the United States Army during World War II. Darby led the famous Darby's Rangers which evolved into the US Army Rangers and was also made famous as a major motion picture starring the American actor James Garner in the role of Darby.-Early life:Darby was...

, a graduate of West Point with amphibious training, was the ideal choice. This decision was highly approved by General Truscott who rated Darby as "outstanding in appearance, possessed of a most attractive personality....and filled with enthusiasm”.

Thousands of applications poured in from the Army in Northern Ireland. Most came from units such as the 1st Armored Division and the 34th Infantry Division. The Officers would be hand picked by Darby to ensure maximum unit efficiency. He then brought in the applicants he chose. After a stressful and grueling weeding out of his new applicants at Carrick Fergus, NI, the first battalion officially activated on 19 June 1942.

In May 1942, the 1st Ranger Battalion was sanctioned, recruited, and began training under the British Commandos

British Commandos

in Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...

, Northern Ireland. Their courage is evident from the observation that "of 500 volunteers who first formed the Rangers at Carrickfergus, only 87 were alive by the end of the war." 80 percent of the original Rangers came from the 34th Infantry Division. Together with the ensuing 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions

4th Ranger Battalion (United States)

Activated on 29 May 1943 in Tunisia, 4th Ranger Battalion was a Ranger unit in the United States Army during World War II.-Formation:After the success of 1st Ranger Battalion in the North Africa campaign, the Army saw the merit in small special operations units...

they fought in North Africa and Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

commanded by Colonel Darby until the Battle of Cisterna

Battle of Cisterna

The Battle of Cisterna took place during World War II, on 30 January-2 February 1944, near Cisterna, Italy, as part of the battle of Anzio that followed Operation Shingle. The battle was a clear German victory which also had repercussions on the employment of U.S...

(29 January 1944) when most of the Rangers of the 1st and 3rd Battalions were captured. The remaining Rangers were absorbed into the Canadian-American First Special Service Force under Brigadier General Robert T. Frederick

Robert T. Frederick

Robert Tryon Frederick was a highly decorated American combat commander during World War II, who commanded the 1st Special Service Force, the 1st Airborne Task Force and the 45th Infantry Division.-Career:...

. They were then instrumental in operations in and around the Anzio beachhead.
Before the 5th Ranger Battalion

5th Ranger Battalion

The Fifth Ranger Infantry Battalion was a World War II Ranger battalion activated on 1 September 1943 at Camp Forrest, Tennessee. By this time, while in maneuvers on the United States, they were commanded by the Major Owen Carter...

landing on Dog White sector on Omaha Beach, during the Invasion of Normandy, the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the 150 feet (45.7 m) cliffs of Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc is a clifftop location on the coast of Normandy in northern France. It lies 4 miles west of Omaha Beach, and stands on 100 ft tall cliffs overlooking the sea...

, a few miles to the west, to destroy a six-gun battery of captured French Canon de 155 mm GPF

Canon de 155mm GPF

The Canon de 155 Grande Puissance Filloux mle.1917 was a 155 mm cannon used by the French Army during the first half of the 20th century.-History:The gun was designed during World War I by Colonel L.J.F...

guns. Under constant fire during the climb, they encountered only a small company of Germans

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

on the cliffs and the artillery withdrawn some 500 meters. The guns were later found and destroyed, and the Rangers cut and held the main road for two days before being relieved.

Pacific theater

Meanwhile two separate Ranger units fought the war in the Pacific Theater. The 98th Field Artillery Battalion was formed on 16 December 1940 and activated at Fort Lewis

Fort Lewis

Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....

on January 1941. On 26 September 1944, they were converted from field artillery to light infantry and became 6th Ranger Battalion. 6th Ranger Battalion led the invasion of the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

and performed the daring Raid at Cabanatuan

Raid at Cabanatuan

The Raid at Cabanatuan was a rescue of Allied prisoners of war and civilians from a Japanese camp near Cabanatuan City, in the Philippines...

. They played an important role until they were deactivated on 30 December 1945, in Japan.

After the first Quebec Conference

Quebec Conference, 1943

The First Quebec Conference was a highly secret military conference held during World War II between the British, Canadian and United States governments. The conference was held in Quebec City, August 17, 1943 – August 24, 1943. It took place at the Citadelle and at the Château Frontenac. The...

, the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional) was formed with Frank Merrill

Frank Merrill

Frank Dow Merrill is best remembered for his command of Merrill's Marauders, officially the 5307th Composite Unit , in the Burma Campaign of World War II. Merrill's Marauders came under General Joseph Stilwell's Northern Combat Area Command...

as the commander, leading them to be nicknamed Merrill's Marauders

Merrill's Marauders

. They began training in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

on 31 October 1943. Composed of the famous six color-coded combat teams that would become part of modern Ranger heraldry, they fought against the Japanese during the Burma Campaign

Burma Campaign

The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...

. In February 1944, the Marauders began a 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) march over the Himalayan mountain range

Himalayas

The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...

and through the Burmese jungle

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....

to strike behind the Japanese lines. By March, they had managed to cut off Japanese forces in Maingkwan

Maingkwan

Maingkwang is a town in northeast Kachin State in Myanmar....

and cut their supply lines in the Hukawng Valley

Hukawng Valley

The Hukawng Valley is an isolated valley in Burma, roughly in area. It is located in Tanaing Township in the Myitkyina District of Kachin State in the northernmost part of the country.-Rivers:...

. On 17 May, the Marauders and Chinese forces captured the Myitkyina

Myitkyina

Myitkyina is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar , located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese it means "near the big river", and in fact "Myitkyina" lies on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, just below from Myit-son of its two headstreams...

airfield, the only all-weather airfield in Burma. The Marauders proved themselves a truly exceptional unit and have the very rare distinction of having every member of the unit receive the Bronze Star

Bronze Star Medal

The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...

Birth of the Ranger Motto

On 6 June 1944, during the assault landing on Dog White sector of Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...

as part of the invasion of Normandy, General Norman Cota

Norman Cota

Norman Daniel "Dutch" Cota, Sr. was a United States Army general during World War II. Cota was heavily involved in the planning and execution of the invasion of France, codenamed Operation Neptune, and the subsequent Battle of Normandy.-Early life:Cota was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the son...

(assistant CO of the 29th ID) approached Maj. Max Schneider, CO of the 5th Ranger Battalion and asked “What outfit is this?”, Schneider answered "5th Rangers, sir!" To this, Cota replied “Well, goddammit, if you're Rangers, lead the way!” From this, the Ranger motto—"Rangers lead the way!"—was born.

Korean War

At the outbreak of the Korean War

Korean War

, a unique Ranger unit was formed. Headed by Second Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...

Ralph Puckett

Ralph Puckett Jr. led the 8th Army Ranger Company during the Korean War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on November 25, 1950, when his company of 51 Rangers was attacked by several hundred Chinese forces at the battle for Hill 205. He retired from the United...

, the Eighth Army Ranger Company was created in August 1950. It would serve as the role model for the rest of the Ranger units to be formed. Instead of being organized into self-contained battalions, the Ranger units of the Korean and Vietnam eras would be organized into companies and then attached to larger units, to serve as organic special operations units.

In total, sixteen additional Ranger companies were formed in the next seven months: Eighth Army Raider Company and First through Fifteenth Ranger Companies. The Army Chief of Staff assigned the Ranger training program at Fort Benning

Fort Benning

Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...

to Colonel John Gibson Van Houten. The program would eventually be split to include a training program located in Korea. 3rd and 7th Ranger companies were tasked to train new Rangers.

28 October 1950 would see the next four Ranger companies formed. Soldiers from the 505th Airborne Regiment and the 82nd Airborne's 80th Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion volunteered and, after initially being designated the 4th Ranger Company, became the 2nd Ranger Company—the only all-black Ranger unit in United States history. After the four companies had begun their training, they were joined by the 5th–8th Ranger companies on 20 November 1950.

During the course of the war, the Rangers patrolled and probed, scouted and destroyed, attacked and ambushed the Communist Chinese and North Korean enemy. The 1st Rangers destroyed the 12th North Korean Division headquarters in a daring night raid. The 2nd and 4th Rangers made a combat airborne assault near Munsan

Munsan

Munsan is an eup in Paju City, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It lies along the edge of the Demilitarized Zone, near Panmunjom and the Joint Security Area. Munsan lies along the south bank of the Imjin River. At the time of the Korean War it was known as Munsan-ni.Munsan has a heavy military presence...

where Life Magazine reported that Allied troops were now patrolling north of the 38th Parallel. Crucially, the 2nd Rangers plugged the gap made by the retreating Allied forces, the 5th Rangers helped stop the Chinese 5th Phase Offensive. As in World War II, after the Korean War, the Rangers were disbanded.

Ranger School

Ranger Training began in September 1950 at Fort Benning Georgia "with the formation and training of 17 Airborne Companies by the Ranger Training Command". The first class graduated from Ranger training in November 1950." The United States Army's Infantry School officially established the Ranger Department in December 1951. Under the Ranger Department, the first Ranger School Class was conducted in January–March 1952, with a graduation date of 1 March 1952. Its duration was 59 days. At the time, Ranger training was voluntary.

In 1966, a panel headed by General Ralph E. Haines, Jr.

Ralph E. Haines, Jr.

General Ralph Edward Haines, Jr. was a United States Army four-star general who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1968, Commander, U.S. Army, Pacific from August 1968 to October 1970, and Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command , from 1970 to 1973...

recommended making Ranger training mandatory for all Regular Army officers upon commissioning. "On 16 August 1966, the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Harold K. Johnson, directed it so." This policy was implemented in July 1967. It was rescinded on 21 June 1972 by General William Westmoreland. Once again, Ranger training was voluntary. In August 1987, the Ranger Department was split from the Infantry School and the Ranger Training Brigade was established.

The Ranger Companies that made up the Ranger Department became the current training units—the 4th, 5th and 6th Ranger Training Battalions. These units conduct the United States Army's Ranger School at various locations at Fort Benning

Fort Benning

Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...

, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, Camp Frank Merrill, near Dahlonega, Georgia, and Camp James Rudder

Camp Rudder

Camp James E. Rudder is host to the third and final phase of a nine week training course, dubbed the "swamp phase", of the U.S. Army Ranger School...

at Eglin Air Force Base's

Eglin Air Force Base

Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....

Auxiliary Field #6, in Florida. As of 2011, the school is 61 days in duration.

Vietnam War

Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol

Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols, or LRRPs , were special small four to six-man teams in the Vietnam War on highly dangerous special reconnaissance missions deep into enemy territory....

(LRRP) and Long Range Patrol companies (also known as Lurps) were formed in the mid-1960s as a "reactive necessity to the US Army's lack of units capable of reconnaissance

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

behind enemy lines". On 1 January 1969, under the new U.S. Army Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), these units were "redesignated as Rangers" in South Vietnam within the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger). Fifteen companies of Rangers were raised from "Lurp" units—which had been performing missions in Europe since the late 1950s and in Vietnam since 1966. The genealogy of this new Regiment was linked to Merrill's Marauders

Merrill's Marauders

.

In Vietnam, the Rangers were organized as independent companies: C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O and P (With one notable WWII exception, since 1816, U.S. Army regiments have not included a Juliet or "J" company

In addition to scouting and reconnoitering roles for their parent formations, ranger units provided terrain-assessment and tactical or special security missions; undertook recovery operations to locate and retrieve friendly prisoners of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

; captured enemy soldiers for interrogation and intelligence-gathering purposes; tapped North Vietnam Army

Vietnam People's Army

The Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of Vietnam. The VPA includes: the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces , the Vietnam People's Navy , the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam Marine Police.During the French Indochina War , the VPA was often referred to as the Việt...

and Viet Cong

National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam

The Vietcong , or National Liberation Front , was a political organization and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War . It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized...

wire communications lines in their established base areas along the Ho Chi Minh trail

Ho Chi Minh trail

The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...

, and mined enemy trails as well as motor-vehicle transport routes.

The Modern Ranger Regiment

After the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

, division and brigade commanders determined that the U.S. Army needed elite, rapidly deployable light infantry, so in 1974 General Creighton Abrams

Creighton Abrams

Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. was a general in the United States Army who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968–72 which saw U.S. troop strength in Vietnam fall from a peak of 543,000 to 49,000. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1972 until shortly...

constituted the 1st Ranger Battalion; eight months later, the 2nd Ranger Battalion was constituted, and in 1984 the 3rd Ranger Battalion and their regimental headquarters were created. In 1986, the 75th Ranger Regiment was formed and their military lineage formally authorized. The 75th Ranger Regiment, comprising three battalions, is the premier light-infantry of the U.S. Army. It is the deadly combination of special operations and elite airborne light infantry. The Regiment is a flexible, highly trained and rapid light infantry unit specialized to be employed against any special operations targets. All Rangers—whether they are in the 75th Ranger Regiment, or Ranger School, or both—are taught to live by the Ranger Creed

Ranger Creed

The Ranger Creed is the official creed of the United States Army Rangers. It is also adopted by Rangers in other armed forces around the world. It was initiated by then-LTC Leuer and his Command Sergeant Major Neal R. Gentry...

.

The 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Battalions were re-activated as the Ranger Training Brigade, the cadre of instructors of the contemporary Ranger School

Ranger School

; moreover, because they are parts of a TRADOC

United States Army Training and Doctrine Command

Established 1 July 1973, the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command is an army command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces, the development of operational doctrine, and the development and procurement of...

school, the 4th, 5th, and 6th battalions are not formally included to the active strength of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

The Rangers have participated in numerous operations throughout modern history. In 1980, the Rangers were involved with Operation Eagle Claw

Operation Eagle Claw

Operation Eagle Claw was an American military operation ordered by President Jimmy Carter to attempt to put an end to the Iran hostage crisis by rescuing 52 Americans held captive at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran on 24 April 1980...

, the 1980 rescue attempt of American hostages in Tehran, Iran. In 1983, the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions conducted Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada. All three Ranger battalions, with a headquarters element, participated in the U.S. invasion of Panama (Operation Just Cause) in 1989. Bravo Company, the first platoon and Anti-Tank section from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion was deployed in the First Persian Gulf War (Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield) in 1991. Bravo Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion was the base unit of Task Force Ranger in Operation Gothic Serpent

Operation Gothic Serpent

Operation Gothic Serpent was a military operation conducted by special operations forces of the United States with the primary mission of capturing warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid...

, in Somalia in 1993, concurrent with Operation Restore Hope. In 1994, soldiers from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Ranger Battalions deployed to Haiti (before the operation's cancellation. The force was recalled 5 miles (8 km) from the Haitian coast.). The 3rd Ranger Battalion led the attack in Afghanistan, in 2001. The Ranger Regiment has been involved in multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since 2003.

War on Terror

After 11 September, the United States began what it called its War on Terror

War on Terror

The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...

with the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. Special Operations Units such as the Rangers, along with some CIA

Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...

officers were the first US Forces on Afghan soil during Operation Enduring Freedom. This was the first large Ranger operation since the Battle of Mogadishu. The Rangers met with success during the invasion and, along with the other US Special Operations forces, played an integral part in overthrowing the Taliban government. They also participated in the biggest firefight of Operation Anaconda

Operation Anaconda

Operation Anaconda took place in early March 2002 in which the United States military and CIA Paramilitary Officers, working with allied Afghan military forces, and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization and non NATO forces attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shahi-Kot...

in 2002 at Takur Ghar.

In 2003, when the United States invaded Iraq, the Rangers were among those sent in. During the beginning of the war, they faced some of Iraq's elite Republican Guard units. One of their notable achievements in Iraq was the rescue of American prisoner of war POW Private First Class

Private First Class

Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...

Jessica Lynch

Jessica Dawn Lynch is a former Private First Class in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. Lynch served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion by U.S. and allied forces. On March 23, 2003 she was injured and captured by Iraqi forces but was recovered on April 1 by U.S...

. The 75th Ranger Regiment has been one of the few units to have members continuously deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Term "Ranger"

There is some dispute over the use of the word "Ranger." According to John Lock,

The problems of the Ranger Tab and indeed Ranger history is in large part caused by the lack of a clear-cut definition of who is a Ranger. The Ranger Department, the Infantry School, and Department of the Army have in the past carelessly accepted the definition of a Ranger unit to include the use of terms 'Ranger-type' and 'Units like Rangers,' and 'Special Mission Units.' In his book Raiders or Elite Infantry, David Hogan of the Center for Military History writes that 'By the time of the formation of LRRP units..., Ranger had become a term of legendary connotations but no precise meaning.' For the want of a definition of who and what is a Ranger, integrity was lost. As a result of Grenada, circumstances have changed. Since 1983, men have had the opportunity to earn and wear an authorized Ranger unit scroll or an authorized Ranger Tab or both. But there is a need for a firm definition of who and what constitutes a RANGER. Without that definition, we face the likelihood of future controversy.

Organizations define the term "Ranger" in different ways. For example, the annual "Best Ranger Competition", hosted by the Ranger Training Brigade, can be won by pairs of participants from the 75th Ranger Regiment, or by Ranger qualified entrants from other units in the US military. For an individual to be inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Association's "Ranger Hall of Fame" he "must have served in a Ranger unit in combat or be a successful graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School." The Ranger Association further clarifies the type of unit: "A Ranger unit is defined as those Army units recognized in Ranger lineage or history." Acceptance into the US Army Ranger Association is limited to "Rangers that have earned the U.S. Army Ranger tab, WWII Rangers, Korean War Rangers, Vietnam War Rangers, all Rangers that participated in Operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, Desert Storm, Restore Hope, Enduring Freedom, and all Rangers who have served honorably for at least one year in a recognized Ranger unit."

Ranger Creed

Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment.

Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier.

Never shall I fail my comrades I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.

Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress, and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.

Colonial Period

Benjamin Church
John Lovewell
John Gorham
John Gorham (military officer)
John Gorham was a New England Ranger and was the first significant British military presence on the frontier of Nova Scotia and Acadia to remain in the region for a substantial period of time after the Conquest of Acadia . He established the famous "Gorham's Rangers". Gorham was commissioned a...
Joseph Gorham
Robert Rogers
Robert Rogers (soldier)
Robert Rogers was an American colonial frontiersman. Rogers served in the British army during both the French and Indian War and the American Revolution...

American Revolution

Francis Marion
Francis Marion
Francis Marion was a military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. Acting with Continental Army and South Carolina militia commissions, he was a persistent adversary of the British in their occupation of South Carolina in 1780 and 1781, even after the Continental Army was driven...

, the "Swamp Fox" during the American Revolution, credited in the lineage of the United States Army Rangers.
Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan was an American pioneer, soldier, and United States Representative from Virginia. One of the most gifted battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War, he later commanded troops during the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion.-Early years:Most authorities believe that...

, commander of the 11th Virginia Regiment
11th Virginia Regiment
The 11th Virginia Regiment was a Continental Army regiment that fought in the American Revolutionary War.Authorized by the Second Continental Congress on 16 September 1776, it was organized on 3 February 1777 and consisted of four companies from the Virginia counties of Loudoun, Frederick, Prince...

, later called the Corps of Rangers and "Morgan's Sharpshooters", during the American Revolution.

American Civil War

John Singleton Mosby, commander of the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

"Partisan Rangers" (later renamed "Mosby's Rangers").

World War II and modern day

Col. John W. Ripley, the first U.S. Marine to be inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, as well as being awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

for extraordinary heroism in destroying the Dong Ha
Dong Ha
Đông Hà is the capital town of Quang Tri province, Vietnam. It is located at around . Dong Ha is situated at the crossroads of National Highway 1A and Route 9, part of the East-West Economic Corridor . It lies on the Reunification Express Railway and is served by Dong Ha Railway Station...

bridge during the April 1972 North Vietnamese Easter Offensive.
COL Charles Alvin Beckwith, Ranger-qualified Airborne infantry and Special Forces officer, the creator and first commanding officer of Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...

. Beckwith helped shape the modern Ranger School, transforming the Florida phase from a WW2-era to a modern-era training regimen.
Col. Henry Mucci
Henry Mucci
Henry Andrew Mucci was a colonel in the United States Army Rangers. In January 1945, during World War II, he led a force of 128 Army Rangers on a mission which rescued 512 survivors of the Bataan Death March from Cabanatuan Prison Camp, despite being heavily outnumbered.- Youth :Mucci was born in...

, led and trained the 6th Ranger Battalion
6th Ranger Battalion
The 6th Ranger Battalion was a United States Army Ranger Battalion which saw action in the Pacific during World War II. The battalion is best known for its role in the Raid at Cabanatuan in January 1945.-98th Field Artillery Battalion:...

, responsible for the Raid at Cabanatuan
Raid at Cabanatuan
The Raid at Cabanatuan was a rescue of Allied prisoners of war and civilians from a Japanese camp near Cabanatuan City, in the Philippines...

.
General Vijay Kumar Singh
Vijay Kumar Singh
General Vijay Kumar Singh PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC is the 26th General of the Indian Army and the current Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.- Early Life and education:...

, Chief of the Army Staff, Indian Army
GEN John Abizaid
John Abizaid
John Philip Abizaid, AO is a retired General in the United States Army and former Commander of the United States Central Command , overseeing American military operations in a 27-country region, from the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, to South and Central Asia, covering much of the Middle...

, former Commander, United States Central Command
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...

, 2003–2007
LTG David Barno
David Barno
David W. Barno is a retired Lieutenant General of the United States Army. He was head of Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan from 2003–2005.-Early life:Barno is a native of Endicott, New York...

, Former Commander, Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan and former commander of 2nd Ranger Battalion.
COL William Orlando Darby
William Orlando Darby
William Orlando Darby was an officer in the United States Army during World War II. Darby led the famous Darby's Rangers which evolved into the US Army Rangers and was also made famous as a major motion picture starring the American actor James Garner in the role of Darby.-Early life:Darby was...

, established and commanded "Darby's Rangers" that later evolved into the U.S. Army Rangers.
MG Frank Merrill
Frank Merrill
Frank Dow Merrill is best remembered for his command of Merrill's Marauders, officially the 5307th Composite Unit , in the Burma Campaign of World War II. Merrill's Marauders came under General Joseph Stilwell's Northern Combat Area Command...

, led the 5307th CUP (Composite Unit [Provisional]) aka Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders
Merrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...

during World War II.
MSG Gary Gordon
Gary Gordon
Master Sergeant Gary Ivan Gordon is a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. At the time of his death, he was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army's premiere special operations unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta , or "Delta Force." Together with Sergeant...

, Ranger and, ultimately, 1st SFOD-D sniper; Medal of Honor recipient, killed during the Battle of Mogadishu.
LTG David E. Grange, Jr., namesake of the annual best Ranger competition.
COL Charles N. Hunter
Charles N. Hunter
Charles N. Hunter was the author of the book Galahad a first person account of the Burma Campaign in World War II. Galahad was the code-name for the U.S. Army's 5307th Composite Unit , better known as Merrill's Marauders. "Colonel Charles N...

had been with Galahad Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders
Merrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...

from the beginning as its ranking or second ranking officer, had commanded it during its times of greatest trial, and was more responsible than any other individual for its record of achievement.
COL Ralph Puckett
Ralph Puckett
Ralph Puckett Jr. led the 8th Army Ranger Company during the Korean War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on November 25, 1950, when his company of 51 Rangers was attacked by several hundred Chinese forces at the battle for Hill 205. He retired from the United...

, Honorary Colonel of the 75th Ranger Regiment from January 1996 to January 2008.
GEN William F. Kernan
William F. Kernan
General William F. "Buck" Kernan was born in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He was commissioned in November 1968 from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He holds a bachelor's degree in History, and a master's degree in Personnel Administration. His military education includes the...

, 6th Colonel of the 75th Ranger Regiment.
CPT Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...

, singer/songwriter, actor.
SFC Matt Larsen
Matt Larsen
Matt Larsen is a United States Army Ranger and Combatives instructor known as "The Father of Modern Combatives" for creating the United States Army's modern combatives doctrine and establishing the U.S. Army Combatives School...

, father of the Modern Army Combatives system, founder of the United States Army Combatives School.
SP4 Robert D. Law
Robert D. Law
Robert David Law was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...

, served in the Vietnam War, Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

recipient (posthumous).
CSM Gary L. Littrell
Gary L. Littrell
Gary Lee Littrell is a retired United States Army Command Sergeant Major who, while a Sergeant First Class serving as an adviser to Army of the Republic of Vietnam's Ranger units during the Vietnam War, acted with extraordinary courage during a four day siege on his battalion — for which he...

, Medal of Honor recipient.
GEN Stanley A. McChrystal
Stanley A. McChrystal
Stanley Allen McChrystal is a retired four-star general in the United States Army. His last assignment was as Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan...

, former Commander, International Security Assistance Force
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...

(ISAF) and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A); former Director of the Joint Staff
Director of the Joint Staff
The Director of the Joint Staff is a three-star officer who assists the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the management of the Joint Staff, an organization composed of approximately equal numbers of officers contributed by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, who have been...

; former Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
1LT Kelly Perdew
Kelly Perdew
Kelly Crawford Perdew of Carlsbad, California was the winner of The Apprentice 2.-Before The Apprentice:Perdew was born in Lexington, Kentucky and was raised in Florida and Wyoming...

, winner of the second season of The Apprentice
The Apprentice (U.S. TV series)
The Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC...

.
GEN David Petraeus
David Petraeus
David Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...

, Commander of International Security Assistance Force
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...

ISAF, former Commander of CENTCOM, former commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq
CPT Greg Plitt
Greg Plitt
Greg Plitt is an American fitness model and actor.-Modeling career:Greg Plitt has modeled for Under Armour, Old Navy Jeans, Calvin Klein, Modell's and Skimpies, among others, and has done covers and/or editorials for Maxim, AXL, American Health & Fitness, Flaunt, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness,...

, fitness model and actor.
GEN Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...

, Former National Security Adviser
National Security Advisor (United States)
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...

, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...

, and United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...

.
SSG Robert Pruden, served in the Vietnam War, Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

recipient (posthumous).
SSG Laszlo Rabel
Laszlo Rabel
Laszlo Rabel was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...

, served in the Vietnam War, Medal of Honor recipient (posthumous).
CPT Jack Reed A U.S. Senator from Rhode Island.
T/Sgt. David Richardson
David Richardson (American)
David Richardson was an American journalist and United States Army soldier. A member of Merrill's Marauders, he became famous for his behind the lines coverage of their combat exploits during the Burma Campaign of World War II...

, Ranger who served with Merrill's Marauders and led a prominent career as a journalist.
2LT J Robinson, 4-time national wrestling champion, member of the US Olympic team, head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling
Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are a Division I college wrestling team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are a member of the Big Ten Conference and NCAA. Wrestling began at the University of Minnesota in 1910, but the first formal dual meet was not until 1921 when coach Frank Gilman led the team...

team.
COL James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder was a United States Army Major General, Texas Land Commissioner, and President of Texas A&M University.-Early life:...

, commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion is the name of two distinct units of United States Army Rangers. The first was part of the six Ranger battalions of the Second World War...

during World War II and later president of Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...

, led the Ranger assault on Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc is a clifftop location on the coast of Normandy in northern France. It lies 4 miles west of Omaha Beach, and stands on 100 ft tall cliffs overlooking the sea...

on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

.
SGT Paul R. Scurka, two-time winner of the Best Ranger Competition (1985–1986).
Perry Satullo
Perry Satullo
Perry Arthur Satullo is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , World Wrestling Federation and Total Nonstop Action .-Early career:Satullo enlisted...

, professional wrestler known as Perry Saturn.
SFC Randy Shughart
Randy Shughart
Sergeant First Class Randall David Shughart was a soldier in the United States Army special operations unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta , or "Delta Force." Shughart posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Mogadishu in October...

started his Army career as a Ranger, later being selected for Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...

. He was a Medal of Honor recipient sniper who was killed during the Battle of Mogadishu.
COL Arthur D. Simons
Arthur D. Simons
Colonel Arthur D. "Bull" Simons was a US Army Special Forces officer, best known for leading the Son Tay raid, an attempted rescue of American prisoners of war from a North Vietnamese prison at Son Tay.-Early life:Arthur David Simons was born in New York City, moving to Missouri in his youth...

, World War II Ranger and later leader of Operation Ivory Coast, an effort to rescue Prisoners of War in Vietnam.
CPL James "Jamie" Edgar Smith Jr.
SSG John Stebbins, Awarded the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

after the Battle of Mogadishu.
COL Michael D. Steele
Phil Stern
Phil Stern
Phil "Snapdragon" Stern is an award-winning American photographer noted for his iconic portraits of Hollywood stars, as well as his war photography while serving as a U.S. Army Ranger in the "Darby's Rangers" unit in the North African and Italian campaigns during World War II. Settling in Los...

, world-famous Hollywood and jazz photographer who joined Darby's Rangers as an official photographer during World War II.
CPL Pat Tillman
Pat Tillman
Corporal Patrick Daniel "Pat" Tillman Jr. was an American football player who left his professional career and enlisted in the United States Army in June 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. He joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in combat before he died in the...

, An American football player who left his NFL career and enlisted in the United States Army in May 2002 and was killed by friendly fire on 22 April 2004.
SGT Stephen Trujillo, 2d Ranger Battalion medic awarded the first Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

of the post-Vietnam era for gallantry in action during Operation Urgent Fury.
LTG Samuel V. Wilson
Samuel V. Wilson
Lieutenant General Samuel Vaughan Wilson , aka "General Sam", completed his active military career in the fall of 1977, having divided his service almost equally between special operations and intelligence assignments...
LTG Leonard Wong
Leonard Wong
Leonard Wong is a Research Professor of Military Strategy in the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College, who focuses on the human and organizational dimensions of the military, and is a published author on leadership strategy...

, military analyst, former Director of the Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis (OEMA), Strategic Studies Institute
Strategic Studies Institute
The Strategic Studies Institute is the U.S. Army's institute for strategic and national security research and analysis. It is part of the U.S. Army War College. SSI conducts strategic research and analysis to support the U.S. Army War College curricula, provides direct analysis for Army and...

researcher, and author.
CPT Joseph Yorio
Joseph Yorio
Joseph M. Yorio is an American business executive and the former President and CEO of Xe Services, formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide.Joseph M...

, President & CEO, Xe Services. Served as an officer with the 1st Ranger Battalion during Operations Just Cause and Desert Storm.
SFC Leroy Petry
Leroy Petry
Leroy Arthur Petry is a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army and recipient of the Medal of Honor. Petry was nominated for The Medal for his actions during a firefight in Afghanistan as a Staff Sergeant in the 2nd Ranger Battalion...

, United States Army Ranger, 75th Regiment. Picked up a live grenade and threw it back towards the enemy, losing his right hand in the process and saving at least 2 of his comrades. On July 12, 2011, Petry was awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the second living Soldier to receive the award since the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism.

Honors

The 75th Ranger Regiment has been credited with numerous campaigns from World War II onwards. In World War II, they participated in 16 major campaigns, spearheading the campaigns in French Morocco, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio and Leyte. During the Vietnam War, they received campaign participation streamers for every campaign in the war.

In modern times, the regiment received streamers with arrowheads (denoting conflicts they spearheaded) for Grenada and Panama.

To date, the Rangers have earned six Presidential Unit Citations

Presidential Unit Citation (US)

The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...

, nine Valorous Unit Award

Valorous Unit Award

The Valorous Unit Award is the second highest unit decoration which may be bestowed upon a U.S. Army unit and is considered the unit equivalent of the Silver Star...

s, and four Meritorious Unit Commendation

Meritorious Unit Commendation

The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....

s, the most recent of which were earned in Vietnam and Haditha, Iraq

Haditha

Haditha is a city in the western Iraqi Al Anbar Governorate, about 240 km northwest of Baghdad. It is a farming town situated on the Euphrates River at . Its population of around 100,000 people is predominantly Sunni Muslim Arabs...

, respectively.

External links

75th Ranger Regiment
Ranger Hall of Fame
http://75thrangerregiment.org/
http://www.goarmy.com/life/ranger_school.jsp?ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sgtstar.com%2Fagent.aspx
http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses_1/available/etd-07112005-223056/unrestricted/02_amq_textC.pdf

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.