United States Army Rangers

Ranger Tab, received after completion of Ranger School

The United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School.[1] The term "Ranger" was first used in North America in the early 17th century. Rangers fought in King Phillips War and the four French and Indian Wars. Just prior to the final French and Indian War, Rogers' Rangers was established (1751).[2] Since Major Robert Rogers organized nine Ranger companies in the American colonies, early American light infantry units called "Rangers" were employed during the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War. It was in World War II that the modern Rangers were born, authorized by General George C. Marshall in 1942. The six battalions of the modern Rangers were employed in wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and saw action in several conflicts, such as those in Panama and Grenada. Of the current active Ranger battalions, two, the 1st and the 2nd, have been in service since reactivation in 1974.[3] The 3rd Ranger Battalion and the headquarters of the 75th Ranger Regiment were reactivated in 1984.

The 75th Ranger Regiment is now a special operations combat formation within the U.S. Army Special Operation Command (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”, and then reflagged as the 475th Infantry, then as the 75th Infantry.

The Ranger Training Brigade (RTB)—headquartered at Fort Benning, GA—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 RTB administrates Ranger School. Successful completion of this 61-day course is required to become Ranger qualified and to wear the Ranger Tab.

Contents

Colonial Period

Rangers in North America served in the 17th and 18th-century wars between colonists and Native American Indian 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."[4] Robert Black also stated that,

In 1622, after the Berkeley Plantation Massacre...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.[5]

During King Phillip's War, one of the most prominant Rangers was Benjamin Church (military officer). He is best known for his actions during this time in commanding a company of men independent of the governor's direct command. Church's men were the first colonial force successful in raiding the Indians' camps in forests and swamps. During previous decades, colonists were on the defense against the Natives, although relations were generally peaceful until 1675. Church would later conduct raids on Acadia during King William's War and Queen Anne's War.

During the French and Indian War, Rogers' Rangers became the most famous of the colonial rangers and formed Robert Rogers. During this time period, Rangers such as John Gorham (military officer) and Joseph Gorham also fought in Acadia and Nova Scotia.

American Revolution

During the American Revolution, General George Washington ordered Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Knowlton to select an elite group of men for reconnaissance missions. This unit was known as Knowlton's Rangers, and was the first official Ranger unit for the United States, and are considered the historical parent of the modern day Army Rangers, Special Forces, and Delta Force.

American Civil War

The most famous Rangers of the American Civil War fought for the Confederate States Army. In January 1863, John S. Mosby was given command of the 43rd Battalion, Partisan Ranger. Mosby's Rangers became infamous among Union 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. Weeks after the surrender of the Confederate Army Mosby disbanded his unit rather than formally surrender.

Also a famous Confederate commander, Turner Ashby 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. Mean's Rangers became famous when they successfully captured General James Longstreet's ammunition train. They later fought and captured a portion of Mosby's force.

World War II

European theater

1st Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion
3rd Ranger Battalion
World War II "lozenge" patch.

In January 1941, during World War II, Colonel William J. Donovan met Dudley Clarke during a strategic tour of the Mediterranean. Clarke had founded the British Commandos, and wrote a paper for Donovan suggesting the formation of an American equivalent. As he had recently seen the Western film Northwest Passage, which dramatized the frontier force Rogers' Rangers, Clarke suggested the term "Rangers" as a suitable name.[2]

In May 1942, the 1st Ranger Battalion was sanctioned, recruited, and began training under the British Commandos in Carrickfergus, 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."[6] 80 percent of the original rangers came from the 34th Infantry Division. Together with the ensuing 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions they fought in North Africa and Italy commanded by Colonel William O. Darby until the Battle of Cisterna (January 29, 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. They were then instrumental in operations in and around the Anzio beachhead.[7]

D-Day, Pointe du Hoc.

Before the 5th Ranger Battalion landing on Dog White sector on Omaha Beach, during the Invasion of Normandy, the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the 150-foot (46 m) cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, a few miles to the west, to destroy a five-gun battery of captured French Canon de 155 mm GPF guns.[8] Under constant fire during the climb, they encountered only a small company of Germans 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.[9]

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 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 and performed the daring Raid at Cabanatuan. They played an important role until they were deactivated on 30 December 1945, in Japan.

After the first Quebec Conference, the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional) was formed with Frank Merrill as the commander, leading them to be nicknamed Merrill's Marauders. They began training in India 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. In February 1944, the Marauders began a 1,000-mile (1,600 km) march over the Himalayan mountain range and through the Burmese jungle to strike behind the Japanese lines. By March, they had managed to cut off Japanese forces in Maingkwan and cut their supply lines in the Hukawng Valley. On 17 May, the Marauders and Chinese forces captured the Myitkyina 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.

Korean War

At the outbreak of the Korean War, a unique Ranger unit was formed. Headed by Second Lieutenant Ralph Puckett, 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 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.

October 28, 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 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 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

In order to prepare the Rangers for combat, the Army instituted the United States Army Ranger School. Initially, all Rangers trained at the school belonged to one of the numerous Ranger companies. After the Korean War ended and the companies were disbanded, the school continued to train new Rangers.

Vietnam War

Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (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 behind enemy lines". On January 1, 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).[10] 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.[11]

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 [12]). Each company from the 75th Infantry (Ranger) was assigned to a major US army combat unit:[13]

Rangers in Vietnam conducted long range reconnaissance into hostile territory. They collected intelligence, planned and directed air strikes, acted as force-multipliers in conventional operations, assessed aerial bombing damage in enemy-controlled areas, executed hunter-killer missions, both day and night, conducted ambushes, and specially-trained and specially-equipped Ranger snipers killed selected enemy personnel.

Additionally, Rangers attempted the recovery of friendly prisoners of war; captured enemy soldiers for interrogation, tapped North Vietnam Army and Viet Cong wire communications lines in their established base areas along the Ho Chi Minh trail, and mined enemy trails and motor vehicle transport routes.

The Modern Ranger Regiment

75th Ranger Regiment Scroll.

After the Vietnam conflict, division and brigade commanders determined that the U.S. Army needed elite, rapidly deployable light infantry, so in 1974 General Creighton Abrams 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 many conventional and special operations targets. The 75th Ranger Regiment is the largest combat special operations unit in the US Army [4].

The 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Battalions were re-activated as the Ranger Training Brigade, the cadre of instructors of the contemporary Ranger School; moreover, because they are parts of a TRADOC 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, the 1980 rescue attempt of American hostages in Tehran, Iran.[14] 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, 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, 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 (8.0 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 September 11, the United States began its War on Terror with the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. Special Operations Units such as the Rangers, along with some CIA officers were the first US Forces on Afghan soil during Operation Enduring Freedom. This was the first large Ranger operation since Somalia in 1993. 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 were also in the biggest firefight of Operation Anaconda in 2002 at Takur Ghar [5].

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 [6]. One of their notable achievements in Iraq was the rescue of American POW Private-First-Class Jessica Lynch [7]. Throughout the War on Terror, the 75th Ranger Regiment has been one of the few units to have members continuously deployed. [8].

Notable United States Army Rangers

Honors

75th Ranger Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia.

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.

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, nine Valorous Unit Awards, and four Meritorious Unit Commendation, the most recent of which were earned in Vietnam and Haditha, Iraq, respectively.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Ranger Hall of Fame". U.S. Army Ranger Association. U.S. Army Ranger Association, Inc.. 2010. http://www.ranger.org/Default.aspx?pageId=578463. Retrieved 6 July 2010. ; "US Army Ranger Association Membership Requirements". U.S. Army Ranger Association. U.S. Army Ranger Association, Inc.. 2010. http://www.ranger.org/Default.aspx?pageId=578463. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Churchill's Wizards: The British Genius for Deception, 1914–1945 (Rankin, Nicholas). p. 454 (2008 paperback)
  3. ↑ McManners 2006. p. 68.
  4. ↑ Indian Narratives, 1854. Claremont, New Hampshire. Tracy and Brothers. pp. 262, 264, quoted in Black 2009. p. 7–8.
  5. ↑ Black 2009. p. 7–8.
  6. ↑ Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Ranger Centre,County Antrim (BBC History Magazine June 2010)
  7. ↑ Nadler 2006.
  8. ↑ "Birth of the United States Army Rangers". 2nd Ranger Battalion, Fox Company Living History Group. http://www.2ndrangerbattalion.org/wwiihistory.html. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  9. ↑ Small Unit Actions Center of Military History, Washington, D.C. 1982.
  10. ↑ Lewis 2004. p. 398.
  11. ↑ Johnson 2001. p. 8.
  12. ↑ Boatner, John M., Military Customs and Traditions, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1976.
  13. ↑ Stanton, p. 154
  14. ↑ "Ranger History". Dept. of Military Science & Leadership The University of Tennessee. http://web.utk.edu/~utrotc/ranger-history.html. Retrieved 2010-07-03. 
  15. ↑ Charlton Ogburn, The Marauders (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1956) pg 2
  16. ↑ "Medal of Honor Recipients Vietnam (A-L)". United States Army Center of Military History. http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietnam-a-l.html. 
  17. ↑ http://www.gregplitt.com/bio.html
  18. ↑ [1]
  19. ↑ "Medal of Honor Recipients Vietnam (M-Z)". United States Army. http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietnam-m-z.html. Retrieved 2009-06-25. 
  20. ↑ [2]
  21. ↑ "BRC Past Winners". National Ranger Association. http://www.bestrangercompetition.com/. Retrieved 18 March 2010. 
  22. ↑ Himble, David (2000). "On Another Planet - wrestler Perry Saturn". Wrestling Digest. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_4_2/ai_67872117. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 "The Men In The Battle: Where Are They Now?". Seattle Times. February 9, 1998. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980209&slug=2733456. Retrieved 18 March 2010. 
  24. ↑ [3]

References

  • Black, Robert W. (2009). Ranger Dawn: the American Ranger from the Colonial Era to the Mexican War. Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811736008. 
  • Boatner, John M. (1976). Military Customs and Traditions. Westport Connecticut: Greenwood Press. 
  • Indian Narratives, 1854. Claremont, New Hampshire. Tracy and Brothers.
  • Johnson, Frank (2001). Diary of an Airborne Ranger: A LRRPs year in the Combat Zone. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 9780804118804. 
  • Lewis, Jon E., ed (2004). The Mammoth Book of Special Forces: True Stories of the Fighting Elite Behind Enemy Lines. Philadelphia: Running Press. ISBN 9780786714278. 
  • Ogburn, Charlton. The Marauders. 1956. New York. Harper & Brothers.
  • McManners, Hugh (2006). Ultimate Special Forces: The Insiders Guide to the World's Most Deadly Commandos. New York: DK Publishing. ISBN 9780756618988. 
  • Nadler, John (2006). A Perfect Hell: The True Story of the Black Devils, the True Forefathers of the Special Forces. Ballantine Books. ISBN 9780739465042. 
  • Rankin, Nicholas (2008). Churchill's Wizards: The British Genius for Deception 1914–1945. Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811736008. 

External links

United States Army Rangers
Rangers of British America and the United States Army
British American Rangers
Church's Rangers
Rogers' Rangers
75 Ranger Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia.svg
United States Army Rangers
2nd Legionary Corps • Armand's Legion • Knowlton's Rangers • Whitcomb's Rangers
43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry (Mosby's Rangers) • 7th Virginia Cavalry • Marion's Men • Loudoun Rangers
1st Ranger Battalion • 2nd Ranger Battalion • 3d Ranger Battalion • 4th Ranger Battalion • 5th Ranger Battalion • 6th Ranger Battalion • Merrill's Marauders
Modern Rangers
Korean War Ranger Companies • 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment (Airborne) • 75th Ranger Regiment
See also
Ranger Creed • Ranger Memorial • Ranger Indoctrination Program • Ranger Orientation Program • Ranger School • Rangers Standing Orders • RSLC
Portal Portal:United States Army  · Category Category:United States Army
Leadership
Secretary of the Army · Under Secretary of the Army · Chief of Staff · Vice Chief of Staff · 4-star generals · Sergeant Major of the Army · United States Congress (House Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces · Senate Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces)

Components and commands
Regular Army · Army Reserve · Army National Guard · Active Units
Central · Europe · Pacific · Africa · North · South · Forces · Special Ops Command  · Special Forces · Chemical Corps · Corps of Engineers · Intelligence & Security · Materiel · Ordnance Corps · Signal Corps · Test & Evaluation · Training & Doctrine · Chaplain Corps (Chief of Chaplains) · JAG Corps (Judge Advocate General) · Medical (Surgeon General) · Military Police · Criminal Investigation Command (Provost Marshal General) · Military District of Washington
Installations
The Pentagon · United States · Germany · Kuwait · Kosovo · South Korea
Training
Basic Training · OCS · BOLC · West Point · MOS
Uniforms and insignia
Uniforms · Awards · Badges · Officer · Warrant · Enlisted · Branch
Equipment
Individual Weapons · Crew-Served Weapons · Vehicles
History and traditions
History · Continental Army · National Army & Army of the United States · United States Army Air Forces · Center of Military History · Institute of Heraldry · America's Army · Army Art Program · Army Band · Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps · Flag · National Museum · Rangers · Soldier's Creed · The Army Goes Rolling Along · Draft · Army service numbers