Jump to content

75th Ranger Regiment

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 217.199.126.2 (talk) at 19:23, 5 August 2011. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

75th Ranger Regiment
75th Ranger Regiment Coat Of Arms
Active1974 – present
1st Battalion formed 19 June 1942
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
TypeSpecial Operations Forces
RolePrimary tasks:

Other Roles:

SizeThree light infantry battalions and one Special Troops Battalion
Part of U.S. Special Operations Command
U.S. Army Special Operations Command
Garrison/HQFort Benning, Georgia
Nickname(s)Airborne Rangers
Army Rangers
Motto(s)"Rangers lead the way" "Sua Sponte – Of their own accord"
EngagementsWorld War II

Korean War
Vietnam War
Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Urgent Fury
Operation Just Cause
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Gothic Serpent
Kosovo War
Afghanistan Campaign

Iraq Campaign
Commanders
Current
commander		COL Michael E. Kurilla
Insignia
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia
Beret Flash

Template:US Regiments

The 75th Ranger Regiment (Airborne), also known as Rangers, is a Special Operations light infantry unit of the United States Army. The Regiment is headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia with battalions in Fort Benning, Hunter Army Airfield and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It operates as a special operations force of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).[1]

The Regiment is composed of one Special Troops Battalion and three, organizationally identical, rapidly-deployable light infantry special operations battalions with specialized skills that enable them to perform a variety of special operations missions. These missions include but are not limited to airborne, air assault, and direct action operations, raids, infiltration and exfiltration by air, land or sea in addition to airfield seizure, recovery of personnel and special equipment, and support of general purpose forces (GPF). Each of the Regiment's three line battalions rotates as the "Ranger Ready Force". This battalion is at a constant readiness to deploy and is expected to be able to respond anywhere in the world within 18 hours.

Origin

Main article: United States Army Rangers

American Ranger history predates the Revolutionary War. Captain Benjamin Church formed Church's Rangers, which fought hostile Native American tribes during King Philip's War.[2] Major Robert Rogers formed a Ranger unit to fight during the French and Indian War. They would become known as the "Rogers' Rangers." The Continental Congress formed eight companies of expert riflemen in 1775 to fight in the Revolutionary War. In 1777, this force of hardy frontiersmen commanded by Dan Morgan was known as The Corps of Rangers. Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox", organized another famous Revolutionary War Ranger element known as "Marion's Partisans."

During the War of 1812, companies of United States Rangers were raised from among the frontier settlers as part of the regular Army. Throughout the war, they patrolled the frontier from Ohio to Western Illinois on horseback and by boat. They participated in many skirmishes and battles with the British and their American Indian allies. The American Civil War included Rangers such as John Singleton Mosby who was the most famous Confederate Ranger during the Civil War. His company's raids on Union camps and bases were so effective, part of North-Central Virginia soon became known as Mosby's Confederacy.

After the Civil War, more than half a century passed without military Ranger units in the United States.

World War II battalions

1st Ranger battalion

On 8 December 1941, America entered World War II when it declared war on Japan. At the time, Major William Orlando Darby, the founder of the modern rangers, was assigned to duty in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Darby, frustrated with his lack of hands on experience as General Russell Hartle’s aide, was put in charge of a new unit. General George C. Marshall envisioned an elite unit of 50 men selected voluntarily from the 34th Infantry Division. He believed Darby was the man to head the job. It was therefore on 8 June 1942, that Darby was officially put in charge of the 1st Ranger Battalion under General Hartle.[3]

In November 1942, the 1st Ranger battalion entered combat for the first time, when they landed at Arzew, Algeria. The 1st were split into two groups in hopes of assaulting Vichy-French batteries and fortifications before the 1st Infantry Division would land on the beach. The operation was successful. The unit sustained minimal casualties.[4]

On 11 February the Rangers moved 32 miles to raid an Italian encampment at Sened Station. Moving at night, the Rangers slipped to within 50 yards of the Italian outpost and began their attack. It took the battalion only 20 minutes to overtake the garrison and achieve their objective. Fifty Italians were killed and an additional 10 were taken prisoner. Darby, along with other officers, were awarded the Silver Star medals for this battle. The battalion itself gained the nickname the “Black Death” by the Italians.[3]

At the time, the Italians still held the pass at Djebel El Ank, located at the far east edge of El Guettar. The rangers linked up with engineers elements of the 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, to attack the area. The 1st Rangers orders were to move overland, on foot 12 miles to outflank the enemy's position. In eight hours of fighting, the Americans captured the objective; the 1st Rangers took 200 prisoners.[3]

Creation of the 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions

With the success of the 1st Battalion during the Tunisian campaign, Colonel Darby set created and trained the 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions. The problem with the 1st Rangers was that they only took volunteers, Darby knowing that the best man for the job was not always a volunteer, sought out men around Oran. Although he was still limited in that he could only accept volunteers, he began to find ways around this. For instance, he began to give speeches, put up posters and encouraged his officers to scout around for eligible candidates. As of June 1943, the three Ranger battalions were fully operational. 1st Rangers were still under Colonel Darby; the 3rd under Major Herman Dammer, the 4th commanded by Major Roy Murray, both reported directly to Darby.[3]

1st and 4th Battalions were paired together, and positioned to spearhead General Terry Allen's 1st Division, on the Sicily campaign. Landing outside Gela, the Rangers took the town just after midnight, and were quickly sent out to San Nicola. The Rangers seized the town with the help of an armored division. Despite the fact that they were under a constant attack from enemy artillery, tank, and air forces, they still succeeded in the completion of their mission.[3] This 50 hour barrage would be one of the most unbearable experiences for the Rangers.

Following their success, the two Ranger battalions were then ordered to take the town of Buerta, a fortress suspended on the 4,000 foot high edge of the cliff at Buerta beach. After almost withdrawing from the battle, and requesting artillery to level the city, a platoon of Rangers volunteered to breach the city. Two privates, John See and John Constantine, snuck in behind enemy lines and tricked the Italians and Germans into surrendering the city.[3]

Meanwhile the 3rd Ranger Battalion headed out into the area of Agrigento, where they marched through Campobello, Naro, and Favara successfully occupying each town. The 3rd was ordered to back track to the shores of Porto Empedocle. The beach itself was not occupied, but high in the cliffs heavy machinegun and cannon fire poured onto the Rangers. Scrambling, the Rangers made their way to each machine gun nest and they managed to disable all enemy opposition before the supporting infantry battalion even hit the shore.[3]

Colonel Darby was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his effective commanding of the Rangers, and was given a promotion by Patton; Darby, wanting to be closer to his men, turned down this promotion.[3]

Fall of the 1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions

Main article: Battle of Cisterna

On 30 January 1944, after Christmas break the Rangers were put together for a joint operation, to occupy the town of Cisterna, before the main infantry division moved in. That night the 1st and 3rd battalions moved into the town, passing many German soldiers that did not appear to notice the Rangers slip by. The 4th battalion met opposition almost immediately taking an opposite route by the road. During the night the 1st and 3rd battalion separated out about 2 miles, and when daylight caught the 1st Ranger battalion out in an open field, the Germans began their assault. Unable to escape and completely surrounded, the two Ranger battalions fought on until ammunition and resources were empty. The 4th battalions tried to make a push to save their comrades but were unsuccessful and had to withdraw. After 5 hours of fighting the Germans had sent in wave after wave of elite parachute troopers and didn’t stop until there was nothing left. Out of the 760 men in the two battalions, only six escaped.[3]

This marked the end of the three Ranger battalions, the remaining 400 rangers would be scattered around the 504th Parachute Regiment, and the 137 original rangers would be sent home. On 26 October 1944, the three original Ranger battalions were deactivated at Camp Burner, N.C.[3]

2nd and 5th Ranger battalions

Rangers from 2nd Ranger Battalion demonstrate the rope ladders they used to scale Pointe du Hoc.

The 2nd Ranger Battalion and 5th Ranger Battalion were trained at Camp Forrest, Tennessee in 1 April 1943. The 2nd and 5th Ranger battalions first saw action 6 June 1944, during Operation Overlord. During D-day 2nd Rangers companies D, E, and F, were ordered to take a strategic German outpost at point-du-Hoc. This coastal cliff was supposed to have several 155m artillery cannons aimed down at the beach.[5] Once they arrived at the bottom of the cliff they had an enormous climb to make up rope ladders while receiving a barrage of machine gunfire from the Germans above. The 2nd Rangers were successful in taking the area even with the intense German resistance but the guns were not in site. A patrol scouting the area found the 155m coastal guns a mile away; the patrol party quickly disabled the guns and any resistance in the area. In the article “Rangers take Pointe” Lenoard Lomell and Jack Kuhn are interviewed on the events that took place that day. Lomell goes on to explain

The guns had to have been taken off the Pointe. We were looking for any kind of evidence we could find and it looked like there were some markings on the secondary road where it joined the main road. We decided to leapfrog. Jack covered me, and I went forward. When I got a few feet forward, I covered him. It was a sunken road with very high hedgerows with trees and bushes and stuff like that. It was wide enough to put a column of tanks in, and they would be well hidden. We didn't see anybody, so we just took a chance, running as fast as we could, looking over the hedgerow. At least we had the protection of the high hedgerows. When it became my turn to look over, I said, "God, here they are!" They were in an orchard, camouflaged in among the trees.[6]

Meanwhile the rest of the 2nd Ranger and 5th Ranger battalions spearheaded the 1–16th infantry regiment, 1st infantry division, on the beach at Omaha. This is where the famous Ranger slogan comes from, when Major Max F. Schneider, commanding the 5th Ranger Battalion, met with Colonel Norman Cota. When Schneider was asked his unit by Cota, someone yelled out "5th Rangers!", to which Cota replied, “Well then Goddammit, Rangers, lead the way!” This drive cut the German line allowing the conventional army to move in.[3] The 2nd and 5th battalions would go on into the Normandy campaign, working with the conventional army on special operation tasks. The two battalions fought in many battles such as Battle for Brest and the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. The 2nd Rangers were responsible for capturing Le Conquet peninsula, where they disabled a 280mm gun and took many German prisoners. The 2nd Rangers also went on to take several tactical German position cutting the German line in the Rhineland’s. In Saar west of Zerf, the 5th battalion took an overlooking German position cutting of all supply routes to German forces. The 2nd and 5th Rangers would continue to advance until they were discharged at the end of the war.[3]

6th Ranger Battalion

The 6th Ranger Battalion was stationed in the Pacific, and served mostly in the Philippines and New Guinea. All operations completed by the 6th Battalion were done in company or platoon size behind enemy lines. They were the first soldiers to hit the Philippines, three days before the army would launch the first invasion. The 6th Battalion was a long-range reconnaissance or combat unit, operating miles past the front line.[3]

At Cabanatuan, on the island of Luzon in January 1945, a company of the 6th Ranger Battalion executed one of the most daring rescues in American history. The Rangers penetrated 29 miles (47 km) behind enemy lines, including crawling an entire mile (1 mile (1.6 km)) across an open field on their stomachs. During their final assault the rangers destroyed a garrison of Japanese soldiers twice their size and rescued 500 POWs.[3]

The 6th Rangers final mission was to secure a drop zone for paratroopers 250 miles (400 km) into enemy territory. They linked up with the 32nd Infantry Division and ended the war in the Philippines.

Korean War

The Ranger Tab, first introduced during the Korean War.

The beginning of the Korean War in June 1950 sparked a renewed desire in the Army for Rangers. Seventeen Korean War Ranger Companies were formed during the war from the Ranger Training Program set up at Fort Benning under Colonel John Gibson Van Houten. The Companies formed during this period were the first to be entirely Airborne qualified.

The Ranger Companies were active in combat operations throughout late 1950 and early 1951. They were attached to various Regiments over the course of their active term performing "out front" work such as scouting, patrolling, raids, ambushes, spearheading assaults, and as counterattack forces to regain lost positions.

Vietnam War

Main article: 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment (Airborne)

The conventional approach to the history of Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP), LRP, and Ranger unit employment in Vietnam is first to acknowledge the three chronological periods of their existence: LRRP from late 1965 to December 1967, LRP from late September 1967 to February 1969, and Ranger thereafter to the end of the war. The first period began in December 1965, with the creation of a provisional LRRP platoon by the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. The 1st Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade both formed provisional LRRP units in April and the 25th Infantry Division in June 1966. General William C. Westmoreland, commander of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), officially authorized the creation of provisional LRRP units on 8 July 1966. Other divisions and brigades stood up provisional LRRP units during the ensuing months: the 4th and 9th Infantry Divisions in November 1966, 196th Light Infantry Brigade in January 1967, and 1st Air Cavalry Division in November 1966. The 9th Infantry Division LRRP Platoon came into being in the fall of 1966 while the division was still at Fort Riley, Kansas, and deployed to Vietnam in January 1967. This unit was expanded to a company in July 1967. The 101st Airborne Division “main body,” while still at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, converted its divisional Recondo School into a provisional LRRP unit in the summer of 1967, before the division deployed to Vietnam. This provisional company arrived in Vietnam in late November 1967.[7]

The second period began in late June 1967, when the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Earle G. Wheeler, authorized the formation of two long-range patrol companies for I and II Field Forces. Company E (Long Range Patrol), 20th Infantry (Airborne) was activated on 25 September 1967 and assigned to I Field Force and stationed at Phan Rang. The nucleus of this unit came from the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division LRRP Platoon, along with soldiers from the replacement stream. Company F (Long Range Patrol), 51st Infantry (Airborne) was activated on 25 September 1967 and assigned to II Field Force with station at Bien Hoa. Its nucleus came from the LRRP platoon of the 173d Airborne Brigade, along with soldiers from the replacement stream. Each of the two field force LRP companies had an authorized strength of 230, and was commanded by a major.[7]

In an apparent response to division commanders' tactical requirements, and bolstered by the proven combat effectiveness of the provisional LRRP units, in the fall of 1967 the Army authorized separate company designations for LRRP units in divisions and detachments in separate brigades. The divisional LRP companies were authorized 118 men and the brigade detachments 61 men. The wholesale renaming of existing divisional LRRP units occurred on 20 December 1967 in the 23d (Americal), 1st Air Cavalry, 1st Infantry, 4th Infantry, 9th Infantry, and 25th Infantry Divisions. LRP detachments were created in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade on 10 January 1968, in the 173d Airborne Brigade on 5 February 1968, and in the 3d Brigade 82d Airborne Division and 1st Brigade 5th Mechanized Division on 15 December 1968.[7]

On 1 February 1969, the final period of the existence of these units began when the Department of the Army re-designated the LRP companies and detachments as lettered Ranger companies of the 75th Infantry Regiment under the Combined Arms Regimental System (CARS). All of the LRP companies and detachments were “re-flagged” as Ranger companies on that date, except Company D (Ranger), which was formed on 20 November 1969 upon the rotation of the Company D (Ranger), Indiana National Guard back to its home state. The third period ended when the Ranger companies were inactivated as their parent units were withdrawn from the war between November 1969 (Company O of 3d Brigade 82d Airborne Division), and 15 August 1972 (Company H of 1st Air Cavalry Division)[7]

Modern battalions

Current organization of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

At the end of the Vietnam War, division and brigade commanders saw that the U.S. Army needed an elite, light infantry capable of rapid deployment. In 1974, General Creighton Abrams created the 1st Ranger Battalion, which was assigned the lineage from C Company (Ranger) 75th Infantry (Airborne) First Field Force Vietnam. Eight months later, the 2nd Ranger Battalion was created, and the lineage of H Company (Ranger) 75th Infantry (Airborne), 1st Cavalry Division, Vietnam and in 1984, the 3rd Ranger Battalion and the regimental headquarters was created. In 1986, the 75th Ranger Regiment was formed and their lineage formally authorized. The 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Battalions were also re-activated, becoming the Ranger Training Brigade, the instructors of the modern day Ranger School. These units are parts of TRADOC school and are not included in the 75th Ranger Regiment.

In 1980, elements of the 1st Battalion participated in the failed attempt to rescue the American hostages held in Tehran, Iran in Operation Eagle Claw. In October 1983, 1st and 2nd Battalions spearheaded Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada by conducting a bold low-level parachute assault to seize Point Salines Airfield and rescue American citizens at True Blue Medical Campus.

In 1989, the entire 75th Ranger Regiment participated in Operation Just Cause in Panama. Rangers spearheaded the action by conducting two important operations. Simultaneous parachute assaults were conducted onto Tocumen airfield and the adjacent Omar Torrijos International Airport, Rio Hato Airfield and Manuel Noriega's beach house, to neutralize Panamanian Defense Forces. The Rangers captured 1,014 enemy prisoners of war and over 18,000 arms of various types.

Elements of Company B, and 1st Platoon Company A of the 1st Battalion deployed to Saudi Arabia from 12 February 1991 to 15 April 1991, in support of Operation Desert Storm. Over two years later, in August 1993, Company B of the 3rd Battalion deployed to Somalia to assist UN humanitarian forces as part of Operation Restore Hope. On 3 October 1993, the Rangers conducted Operation Gothic Serpent with Delta Force operators to capture two of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's lieutenants. For nearly 18 hours, the Rangers fought Somali guerrillas in what became the fiercest ground combat for U.S. military personnel since the Vietnam War. The 1st and 2nd Battalions and a Company of the 3rd Battalion were deployed to Haiti in 1994. The operation was canceled within five minutes of its execution when a team of negotiators, dispatched by President Bill Clinton and led by former President Jimmy Carter, was able to convince General Raoul Cédras to relinquish power. Elements of the 1st and 2nd Battalions operated in-country while order was being restored. This is also the first operation where the U.S. Army was the primary operating force on a U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS America (CV-66). The ship had Special Operations Forces from USSOCOM composed of Rangers, Special Forces, and other special warfare groups.

On 24 November 2000 the 75th Ranger Regiment deployed Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment Team 2 and a command and control element to Kosovo in support of Task Force Falcon.

After the 11 September attacks, Rangers were called upon to participate in the War on Terrorism. On 19 October 2001, the 3rd Battalion spearheaded ground forces by conducting an airborne assault to seize "Objective Rhino" in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. On 28 March 2003, the 3rd Battalion employed the first airborne assault in Iraq to seize "Objective Serpent" in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Due to the changing nature of warfare and the need for an agile and sustainable Ranger Force, the Regimental Special Troops Battalion was activated on 17 July 2006. The RSTB conducts sustainment, intelligence, reconnaissance and maintenance missions which were previously accomplished by small detachments assigned to the Regimental headquarters and then attached within each of the three Ranger battalions.

75th Ranger Regiment

Honors, Mottos and Creed

Main article: List of honors and decorations of the 75th Ranger Regiment
Main article: Ranger Creed

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 Morocco, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio and Leyte. During the Vietnam War, they received campaign participation streamers for every campaign in the war. The regiment received streamers with arrowheads (denoting conflicts they spearheaded) for Grenada and Panama. To date, the Rangers have earned six Presidential Unit Citations, nine Valorous Unit Awards, and four Meritorious Unit Commendation, the most recent of which were earned in Vietnam and Haditha, Iraq, respectively.

Sua Sponte, Latin for Of their own accord is the 75th Ranger Regiment's regimental motto. Contemporary Rangers are triple-volunteers: for the U.S. Army, for Airborne School, and for service in the 75th Ranger Regiment.

The motto "Rangers lead the way" dates from 6 June 1944, during the Normandy Landings on Dog White sector of Omaha Beach. Then Brigadier General Norman Cota (assistant CO of the 29th ID) calmly walked towards Maj. Max Schneider (CO of the 5th Ranger Battalion) while under heavy machine gun fire and asked “What outfit is this?” Someone yelled "5th Rangers!" To this, Cota replied “Well then Goddammit, Rangers, lead the way!”

Modern Ranger training

Entry requirements

To become eligible to join the 75th Ranger Regiment, prospective Rangers must be qualified in their Military Occupational Specialty and be Airborne qualified. New soldiers with Ranger contracts attend nine weeks of Basic Combat Training (BCT), followed by either Advanced Individual Training (AIT), or One Station Unit Training (OSUT) and finally attend United States Army Airborne School.

Airborne qualified soldiers then attend one of two Ranger Assessment and Selection Programs. Soldiers below the grade E-6 attend "RASP1" while all others attend "RASP2".[8] All combat arms NCOs and officers must be Ranger-qualified prior to attending RASP2. Upon graduation of RASP1/RASP2, the new Rangers will be assigned to one of the three Ranger Battalions, the 75th Regimental Headquarters or the Ranger Special Troops Battalion (RSTB), where they are now authorized to wear the Ranger tan beret, the Ranger Scroll of their parent unit and the distinctive black physical training uniform. Before January 2010, RASP training was called the "Ranger Indoctrination Program" for soldiers below E-6 and "Ranger Orientation Program" for E-6's and above.

Continued training

Career development encourages that all members of the 75th Ranger Regiment successfully complete Ranger School, earning the Ranger Tab. Soldiers in direct combat MOSs are not permitted to occupy leadership billets within the 75th Ranger Regiment without having graduated Ranger School. Graduating Ranger School is encouraged but not required for non-combat MOS leadership billets within the Regiment.

Throughout their time in Ranger Regiment, Rangers may attend many types of special schools and training. Some of these schools include but are not limited to: military free-fall; combat diver qualification course; survival, evasion, resistance & escape (SERE); jumpmaster; pathfinder; Combatives Instructor; first responder/combat lifesaver; language training; Mountain Warfare School; and many types of shooting, driving, and assault procedures training. Rangers with specialized jobs may also attend various special schools and training related to their job field. MOS 13F (forward observers) may attend naval gunfire training and close air support courses; medics will attend the special operations combat medic course; communications specialists attend joint communications courses.

RFS/RFM

Being a USASOC unit, the Rangers maintain more stringent standards for their personnel. If at any point a Ranger is deemed by his superiors to be failing to meet these standards he may be relieved and removed from the Regiment. This is commonly referred to as being RFSed, short for "Released For Standards". A Ranger can be RFSed for virtually any reason, ranging from lack of motivation to disciplinary problems. Similarly, a Ranger physically incapable of performing his mission through prolonged illness or injury can also be removed from the Regiment through a process referred to as RFM or "Relieved For Medical reasons".

Controversies

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.[9]

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."[10] 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."[11]

Beret change

In June 2001, Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki gave the order to issue black berets to regular soldiers. At the time, black berets were being worn exclusively by the Rangers. This created discontent within the 75th Ranger Regiment and even led to retired Rangers going on nationwide roadmarches to Washington, D.C. to protest against the decision. Because there was not a Presidential authorization to the Regiment for exclusive wear of the black beret, they switched to wearing a tan beret to preserve a unique appearance, tan being reflective of the buckskin worn by the men of Robert Rogers' Rangers during the French and Indian War.

Notable members

Rangers descend in an MH-6 Little Bird helicopter flown by pilots from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment during a staged demonstration.

See also

References

  1. ^ Army Command and General Staff College. "Special Operations Forces Reference Manual Chapter 3: US Army Special Operations Forces". Federation of American Scientists.
  2. ^ "Biography of Captain Church". Ranger Hall of Fame. United States Army. Church commanded an independent Ranger company during King Philip's War (1675–1678) on the New England frontier where they conducted highly successful combat operations against hostile Indians. Church's men were the first Rangers successful in raiding the Indians' hiding places in forests and swamps.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n McGowen, Sam (January 1997). "Darby's Rangers surrounded at Cistema, World War II". Vol. 11. Academic Search Complete: 38. {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Unknown parameter |Issue= ignored (|issue= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ McGowen, Sam, January 1997,Darby’s Rangers surrounded at Cistema, World War II; Vol. 11 Issue 5, p38, Retrieved from Academic Search Complete
  5. ^ Lehman,Milton,1946,The Rangers Fought Ahead Of Everybody, Saturday Evening Post; Vol. 218 Issue 50, p28-52:Retrevied from academic Search complete
  6. ^ Frederick, Michael & Masci,Joseph, may 2000,Ranger take Point, World War II; , Vol. 15 Issue 1, p50, Retrieved from Academic Search complete
  7. ^ a b c d "The Vietnam Experience, 1966–1972 LRRP" This material is from Major James F. Gebhardt (Retired), Eyes Behind the Lines: US Army Long-Range Reconnaissance and Surveillance Units, Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 2005, Chapter 3.
  8. ^ "75th Ranger Regiment". GoArmy.com. United States Army.
  9. ^ Lock, John (2005). The Coveted Black and Gold: A Daily Journey Through the U.S. Army Ranger School Experience. Arizona: Fenestra Books. p. 219. ISBN 1-58736-367-4.
  10. ^ U.S. Army Ranger Association (2011). "Ranger Hall of Fame". U.S. Army Ranger Association, Inc. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  11. ^ U.S. Army Ranger Association (2011). "Join USARA". U.S. Army Ranger Association, Inc. Retrieved 19 March 2011.

Further reading

  • Bahmanyar, Mir. Darby's Rangers 1942–45. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, 2003. ISBN 978-1-84176-627-0.
  • Bahmanyar, Mir. Shadow Warriors: A History of the U.S. Army Rangers. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-1-84176-860-1. This book lists the lineage and history of the 75th Ranger Regiment.
  • Bahmanyar, Mir. U.S. Army Ranger 1983–2002. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, 2003. ISBN 978-1-84176-585-3.
  • Bowden, Mark. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. Berkeley, California: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999. ISBN 0-87113-738-0.
  • Bryant, Russ. To Be a U.S. Army Ranger. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 2002. ISBN 0-7603-1314-8.
  • Bryant, Russ, and Susan Bryant. Weapons of the U.S. Army Rangers. St. Paul, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2005. ISBN 0-7603-2112-4.
  • Bryant, Russ. 75th Rangers. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 2005. ISBN 0-7603-2111-6.
  • Grenier, John. The First Way of War: American War Making on the Frontier, 1607–1814. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-521-84566-1. Extensive discussion of American colonial rangers.
  • Haney, Eric. Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit. Delacorte Press, 2002. ISBN 978-0-385-33603-1.
  • Shanahan, Bill, and John P. Brackin. Stealth Patrol: The Making of a Vietnam Ranger. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press, 2003. ISBN 0-306-81273-8.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 75th Ranger Regiment.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=75th_Ranger_Regiment&oldid=443229549"