75th Ranger Regiment

The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as the Army Rangers, is the United States Army Special Operations Command's premier light infantry direct-action force. The 75th Ranger Regiment is also part of Joint Special Operations Command via the Regimental Reconnaissance Company (RRC). The regiment is headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgia, and comprises a regimental headquarters company, a military intelligence battalion, a special troops battalion, and three Ranger battalions.

The 75th Ranger Regiment primarily handles direct-action raids in hostile or sensitive environments, often killing or capturing high-value targets. Other missions include airfield seizure, special reconnaissance, personnel recovery, clandestine insertion, and site exploitation. The regiment can deploy one Ranger battalion within 18 hours of alert notification.

History

Origin

American Ranger history predates the American Revolutionary War. Captain Benjamin Church formed Church's Rangers, which fought hostile Native American tribes during King Philip's War. In 1756, Robert Rogers recruited nine Ranger companies to fight in the French and Indian War. They were known as "Rogers' Rangers". The 75th Regiment's history dates back to these rifle companies organized by Rogers, which made long-range attacks against French forces and their native allies, and were instrumental in capturing Fort Detroit.

During the American Revolutionary War, Rogers served as a Loyalist officer on the side of the Crown and many of his former Rangers served on both sides. One, John Stark, commanded the 1st New Hampshire Regiment, which gained fame at the Battles of Bunker Hill and Bennington. Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys in Vermont were also designated as a ranger unit. In 1775, the Continental Congress later formed eight companies of expert riflemen to fight in the Revolutionary War. In 1777, this force commanded by Daniel 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". To create and lead this new unit, Marshall picked Major William Orlando Darby, who was serving as General Russell P. Hartle's aide in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he was frustrated with his lack of hands-on experience. On 8 June 1942, Darby—now known as the founder of the modern Rangers—was put in charge of the 1st Ranger Battalion under General Hartle.

On 19 August 1942, fifty Rangers fought alongside Canadian and British Commandos in the ill-fated Dieppe Raid on the coast of occupied France. Three Rangers were killed and several were captured. The first American soldier killed in Europe in World War II, Ranger Lieutenant E. V. Loustalot, was part of this raid. During the mission, Loustalot took command after the British captain leading the assault was killed. While attempting to reach a machine gun nest at the top of a cliff, he was wounded three times by enemy fire and killed.

In November 1942, the entire 1st Ranger Battalion entered combat for the first time when they landed at Arzew, Algeria during Operation Torch. 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, and the unit sustained minimal casualties. The battalion itself gained the nickname the "Black Death" by the Italians.

Creation of 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions

With the success of the 1st Ranger Battalion during the Tunisian campaign, Darby requested that the Rangers be expanded to a full Regiment. The request was granted. The 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions were authorized shortly after and were trained and led by veteran officers and NCOs from the 1st Battalion.

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 then took the town of Porto Empedocle.

Colonel Darby was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and was promoted by General George Patton; however, Darby, wanting to be closer to his men, turned down this promotion. The 4th Ranger Battalion, which approached the town from the opposite end, met opposition almost immediately on the road. During the night, the 1st and 3rd Ranger battalions separated by about , and when daylight caught the 1st Ranger Battalion out in an open field, the Germans began their ambush. Surrounded and unable to escape, the two Ranger battalions fought on until they exhausted their ammunition and resources. The 4th Ranger Battalion pushed to save their comrades but were forced to withdraw. After five hours of fighting, the Rangers surrendered to the German armor and mechanized infantry. The two battalions sustained 12 killed, 36 wounded, and 743 captured—only eight were able to escape. The 4th Battalion suffered 30 killed and 58 wounded.

This marked the end of the three Ranger battalions. The remaining 400 Rangers were scattered around the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and the 137 original Rangers were sent home. 1st and 3rd Battalions were disbanded on 15 August 1944, while 4th Battalion was disbanded on 24 October 1944, at Camp Butner, North Carolina. Once they arrived at the bottom of the cliff, they had an enormous climb to make up rope ladders while receiving a barrage of machinegun fire from the Germans above. The 2nd Rangers took the area even with the intense German resistance but the guns were not in sight. A patrol scouting the area found the 155 mm coastal guns a mile away; the patrol party quickly disabled the guns and resistance in the area. In an interview, Leonard Lomell and Jack Kuhn explained the events that took place that day:

Meanwhile, the rest of the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions spearheaded the attack on the beach at Omaha. An apocryphal story tells of when General Norman Cota, leading the 29th Infantry Division, met with Major Max F. Schneider, commanding the 5th Ranger Battalion. 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. The phrase "Rangers lead the way" later became the motto of the regiment.

The 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions worked on special operation tasks in the Normandy Campaign. The two battalions fought in many battles such as Battle for Brest and the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest. The 2nd Rangers were responsible for capturing Le Conquet Peninsula, where they disabled a 280 mm gun and took many German prisoners.

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 Ranger Battalion conducted long-range reconnaissance, operating miles past the front line.

The 6th Ranger Battalion's final mission was to secure a drop zone for 11th Airborne Division paratroopers into enemy territory. They linked up with the 37th Infantry Division and ended the war in the Philippines.

Merrill's Marauders

right|thumb|150px|Marauders badge

In August 1944, after five months of fighting in China Burma India Theater with the Japanese Army, Merrill's Marauders (5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)) were consolidated into then 475th Infantry, afterwards the 75th Infantry Regiment. Merrill's Marauders would later become part of the regiment's lineage. In all six airborne Ranger companies, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th, averaging 125 soldiers in each company served during the conflict. Two other companies, the 10th and 11th, were scheduled for Korea but were deactivated in Japan. During the course of the Korean War, 100 Rangers were killed in action and 296 were wounded in action.

Vietnam War

left|thumb|1st Cavalry Rangers making communications checks prior to patrol on 12 February 1968.

The history of Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP—pronounced "Lurp"), LRP, and Ranger units deployed during the Cold War in Europe and South Vietnam is based on three time periods: 1) LRRP from late 1965 to 20 December 1967; 2) LRP from late December 1967 through January 1969; and 3) Ranger from 1 February 1969, to 1972 when the Vietnam War drew down and the U.S. Vietnam Ranger units were deactivated.

The first period above began in Vietnam in November 1966 with the creation of a provisional LRRP Detachment by the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile); followed by the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division; the 1st Infantry Division; and the 25th Infantry Division in June 1966. General William C. Westmoreland, commander of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), ordered the creation of provisional LRRPs in all Infantry brigades and divisions on 8 July 1966. By the winter of 1966 the 4th and 9th Infantry Divisions had operational LRRP units, and in January 1967 the 196th Light Infantry Brigade had the same. 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.

right|thumb|Two 1st Cav LRP Ranger teams in Quang Tri, Vietnam, 26 July 1968.

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 Reconnaissance 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 stationed 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 a strength of 230 men, and was commanded by a major. On 9 June 1972, H Company (Ranger) lost SGT Elvis Weldon Osborne Jr. and CPL Jeffrey Alan Maurer to enemy action. Three other US soldiers were killed by non-hostile action that day, but SGT Osborne and CPL Maurer were the last US Army infantrymen killed on the ground, as well as the last Rangers killed in the Vietnam War.

Post-Vietnam War

thumbnail|Rangers from 1/75 during a training exercise 1989–1990 1LT Joe Yorio, CPT Jeff Jarkowsky and SSG Paul Johnson.

In January 1974, General Creighton Abrams, Army Chief of Staff, directed the formation of a Ranger battalion. General Kenneth C. Leuer was charged with activating, organizing, training and leading the first battalion sized Ranger unit since World War II. Though the Vietnam War era Ranger companies of the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger), which drew their lineages from Merrill's Marauders, had all been deactivated (or soon would be), they passed their lineages and colors to these new battalions. The 1st Battalion, which carried its legacy from Merrill's Marauders via Company C, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) was activated and parachuted into Fort Stewart, Georgia, on 1 July 1974. The 2nd Battalion, which drew lineage from Company H, 75th Infantry (Ranger), followed shortly afterward with activation at Fort Lewis, Washington on 1 October 1974. The 3rd Battalion and Headquarters Company were activated and received their colors on 3 October 1984, from Company F, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) at Fort Benning, Georgia. On 3 February 1986, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the 75th were consolidated with active and inactive units which carried the lineages of the World War II era: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Battalions. The regiment as a whole was concurrently redesignated as the 75th Ranger Regiment. In 2006, the Regimental Reconnaissance Company was moved into the new Regimental Special Troops Battalion. The RSTB draws its lineage from Company N, 75th Infantry Regiment (back to Merrill's Marauders) and Company B, 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion.

Global war on terrorism

While the Ranger Regiment has traditionally been considered an elite light infantry force, its operations in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to 2012 demonstrated its ability to conduct a full range of special operations missions.

In October 2007, a D Company was added to each of the three battalions of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

By 2012, the 75th Ranger Regiment was conducting sustained combat operations in multiple countries, deploying from multiple locations in the United States—an unprecedented task for the regiment. Rangers conducted combat operations with almost every deployed special operations, conventional, and coalition force in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Ranger Regiment executed a wide range of operations, including airborne and air assaults into Afghanistan and Iraq, mounted infiltrations behind enemy lines, complex urban raids on high-value targets (HVTs), and rescue operations.

By mid-2015 each Ranger battalion had completed its twentieth deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Army Times reported that in December 2016, the first female officer completed RASP, making the 75th Ranger Regiment the first special operations unit to have a female soldier graduate its selection course.

Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan

After the events of September 11, 2001, Rangers were called into action for the war on terror. On 19 October 2001, 200 Rangers of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment spearheaded ground forces by conducting an airborne assault to seize Objective Rhino during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the opening battle of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan. Spc. Jonn J. Edmunds and Pfc. Kristofer T. Stonesifer became the first combat casualties in the war on terror when their MH-60L helicopter crashed at Objective Honda in Pakistan, a temporary staging site used by a company of Rangers from 3rd Battalion. Ranger protection force teams were part of Task Force Sword, a black SOF unit whose primary objective was capturing or killing senior leaders and HVTs with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. A squadron of Delta Force operatives, supported by Rangers from TF Sword, conducted an operation outside Kandahar at a location known as Objective Gecko; they missed the mission's target but killed some 30 Taliban fighters in a heavy firefight.

In November 2001, the 75th Ranger Regiment carried out its second combat parachute drop into Afghanistan: a platoon-sized Ranger security element, including the Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment Team 3 conducted the missions: Objective Wolverine, Raptor and Operation Relentless Strike. During the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001, a CIA Jawbreaker team (a small group of CIA SAD ground branch operators) requested that the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment be inserted into the mountains to block escape routes from Tora Bora to Pakistan. They would serve as an "anvil" while Special Forces with the Afghan Militia Forces would be the "hammer". With the attached Air Force Combat Controllers, the Rangers could have directed airstrikes onto enemy concentrations or engaged them in ambushes, but their requests to do so were denied.

In March 2002, 35 Rangers from 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment had been assigned as QRF for all Task Force operations, but only half of the platoon was available for the Battle of Takur Ghar. In the final days of Operation Anaconda, a mixed force of Rangers travelling in Blackhawk helicopters backed up operators from DEVGRU who intercepted a convoy of al-Qaeda fighters traveling in three SUVs via three MH-47Es. A firefight left 16 al-Qaeda fighters dead and two seriously wounded and captured. On 18 August, Rangers and other coalition special forces joined the 82nd Airborne Division in Operation Mountain Sweep, carrying out five combat air assault missions in the area around the villages of Dormat and Narizah, south of Khowst and Gardez. The force found an anti-aircraft gun, two 82mm mortars, recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, machine guns, small arms and ammunition for all of them; they also detained 10 people. Later in 2002, TF 11 was replaced by a small JSOC element manned by SEALs and Rangers.

In 2003, after Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was arrested in a joint CIA-ISI operation in Pakistan, Rangers and 82nd Airborne Division troops helped transport him to a U.S. black site prison. After the troops secured an improvised desert strip in a dry river bed near the Pakistani border, an MC-130 Combat Talon plane landed and lowered its ramp, whereupon SEALs from DEVGRU drove Desert Patrol Vehicles carrying the detainee up the ramp into the back of the plane, which taxied and lifted off.

In summer 2005, during Operation Red Wings, a Ranger patrol retrieved HM2 Marcus Luttrell five days after he went missing.

In July 2006, in Helmand Province, two MH-47Es from 160th SOAR attempted to insert a combined strike element of DEVGRU, Rangers, and Afghan commandos so they could attack a compound. With some troops on the ground, a large insurgent force ambushed them; both helicopters were struck by small arms fire. One MH-47E pilot put his aircraft in the line of fire to protect the assault team disembarking from the other MH-47E, but was struck by an RPG and crash-landed without serious injury. The Ranger commander and an attached Australian commando organized an all-round defense while the other MH-47E held back the advancing insurgents until its Miniguns ran out of ammunition. An AC-130 Spectre joined the battle and kept the downed crew and passengers safe until a British Immediate Response Team helicopter recovered them. The AC-130 then destroyed the MH-47E wreck, denying it to the Taliban. Also that year, a six-man RRD (Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment) team from the 75th Ranger Regiment attached to the JSOC Task Force inserted into the Hindu Kush mountain range after intelligence indicated that an insurgent chief, Haqqani, would be entering Afghanistan from Pakistan. After establishing an OP almost 4,000 meters above sea level, the RRD team waited and watched for their target. Insurgents arrived and began to fire on the Ranger team, whose attached JTAC called in an orbiting B-1B strategic bomber. The airplane killed an estimated 100 insurgents, but not Haqqani.

thumb|A Ranger assault team assaults a compound in [[Narkh|Nerkh district in Wardak province, Afghanistan, on November 19, 2009.]]

In 2007, after a CIA source reported seeing Bin Laden in Tora Bora, many theater ISR assets were sent the area. The initial plan based around a small helicopter assault force soon expanded to include Special Forces ODAs and a Ranger element to provide a cordon for the SEALs. Eventually, the operation was launched under the cover of Air Force bombing, but after fruitless searching through the mountains, no sign of Bin Laden was found.

In June 2009, Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban. Over the five years that he was held by the Taliban and Haqqani Network, Rangers and DEVGRU "spun up" operations to rescue him, but each resulted in a "dry hole."

thumb|left| Rangers armed with [[M4 carbine|M4A1 carbines in SOPMOD Block II clear a room during a night raid in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2012.]]

On 8 October 2010, a troop from DEVGRU and two squads of Rangers tried to rescue Linda Norgrove, who was being held by the Taliban in compounds in the Korangal Valley. The rescue mission failed when a DEVGRU operator accidentally killed Norgrove with a grenade.

For actions between 14 and 16 November 2010, Charlie Company 1/75th, received the Valorous Unit Award for extraordinary heroism, combat achievement, and conspicuous gallantry.

With ISAF's surge in Afghanistan at its peak in summer 2011, 1/75th (and Bravo Company in particular) received the Meritorious Unit Citation for actions during Operation Enduring Freedom between 15 May – 28 August 2011. These included conducting continuous combat operations, including time-sensitive raids and deliberate movement-to-contact operations in enemy-held terrain beyond reach of friendly forces in places like Khost, Paktika and Nangarhar Province. Two Rangers from the battalion were killed during this time.

thumb|right|Rangers conduct a security halt in Iraq, 26 April 2007.

On 23 July 2005, in Baghdad, Rangers acted as a back-up force for the British Special Boat Service during Operation Marlborough.

On 1 January 2006, Rangers raided a remote farmhouse outside Baghdad, capturing several gunmen without a fight and rescuing British freelance journalist Phillip Sands, who had been kidnapped a week earlier.

In Ramadi, the Rangers switched to riskier daylight raids after insurgents learned to move out of the city at night.

In November 2006, a new secret directive sanctioned by President Bush allowed U.S. forces in Iraq to kill or capture Iranian nationals if they were targeting coalition forces. The directive reflected Hezbollah's success in the 2006 Lebanon War and Iran's defiance on its nuclear issue; the new mission was known by its acronym CII (Counter Iranian Influence). The CII missions were given to Task Force 17, a new command based around the headquarters of an Army Special Forces group. To support TF 17, Rangers from B Company 2/75th flew into Sadr City to hunt a Shia Special Groups leader, leading to a fierce street battle; the Rangers conducted a fighting withdrawal that was likened to "Mogadishu Mile." More than 45 insurgents were killed with no Ranger losses; when the Iraqi government was made aware of the operation, permission to conduct operations in Sadr City was immediately withdrawn, limiting the Task Force's targeting.

In June 2008, Rangers eliminated perhaps their highest-profile target yet: Abu Khalaf, deputy leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. A reinforced platoon of Rangers assaulted the target house, codenamed Objective Crescent Lake. As the Ranger assault element placed their explosive breaching charges, two sentries on the roof of the house armed with AK-47 assault rifles approached them, who were then killed by an attached 4-man sniper team from the Ranger battalion's sniper platoon. The assault element breached the house and methodically cleared each room; in one room, Rangers arrested a man and a woman. When the man reached under his clothing, the Rangers shot him, then the woman as she leapt on his body. The man was found to be wearing a suicide-bomb vest filled with ball bearings. Meanwhile, Khalaf ran to the road with a pistol and was shot dead by the Ranger snipers. The Rangers also discovered a plan for a chemical weapon attack on a coalition base.

War in North-West Pakistan

In March 2006, DEVGRU operators and a Ranger element are alleged to have attacked an al-Qaeda training camp in North Waziristan in Pakistan. In an operation reportedly named Operation Vigilant Harvest, they were flown across the Afghan-Pakistani border and killed as many as 30 terrorists, including the Chechen camp commandant Imam Asad. The operation has been credited to the Pakistani Special Service Group.

On 1 May 2011, a Ranger element was assigned to support Operation Neptune Spear, aimed at killing or capturing Osama bin Laden. The Ranger element and additional SEALs in MH-47E Chinooks served as QRF; the Ranger element would also protect the FARP north of Abbottabad. Following the successful completion of the operation, a Ranger team transported Bin Laden's body to the aircraft carrier for burial at sea.

Operation Freedom's Sentinel

In November 2015, the U.S. military sent a company of Rangers to southeastern Afghanistan, as part of the post-ISAF phase of the war in Afghanistan, to help Afghan counter-terrorism forces destroy an al-Qaeda training camp in a "fierce fight" that lasted for several days.

On the evening of 26 April 2017, 50 Rangers from 3/75th joined 40 Afghan commandos in a joint US-Afghan raid on the headquarters of Abdul Hasib, the emir of ISIS-K, in a village in Achin District, Nangarhar Province. The force was flown into Mohmand Valley and within minutes were engaged in a heavy, close-quarter firefight with ISIL-KP militants. AC-130 gunships, Apache helicopters, F-16 fighters, and drones were called in. In the 3-hour firefight, two Rangers died (one each from C and D Companies, possibly from friendly fire) and one was wounded, while 35 ISIL-KP militants (including Abdul Hasib and an unspecified number of ISIL-KP leaders) were killed.

Operation Inherent Resolve

In March 2017, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, CNN reported that about 100 Rangers in Strykers and armored Humvees deployed in and around Manbij, Syria, to protect the 11th MEU, which was providing artillery and other support to U.S.-backed forces in the battle to liberate Raqqa from ISIL, rather than the typical mission of training, advising and assisting local forces. U.S. officials took the unusual step of publicly talking about the Ranger deployment and where they are located to protect against them inadvertently coming under fire from forces fighting in the region or Turkish, Russian, or Syrian government forces.

Regiment Military Intelligence Battalion (RMIB)

On 22 May 2017, the Ranger Regiment Military Intelligence Battalion was established to specialize in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber, and electronic warfare operations. Based at Fort Benning, it consists of the Military Intelligence Company (MICO), Cyber Electro Magnetic Activities company (CEMA), and Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC). It draws its lineage from Company P, 75th Infantry (back to Merrill's Marauders) and Company B, 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion.

Operation Kayla Mueller

On 26 October 2019, the Rangers, Delta Force, and the 160th SOAR killed ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Organization

{|class="wikitable"

! Unit

! Combat Service Identification Badge<br />(a.k.a. Ranger Scroll)

! Beret Flash

! Location

| 75th Ranger Regiment Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company

| 150px|center|75th Ranger Regiment CSIB

|rowspan=4 | 125px|center

|rowspan=4 | Fort Benning, Georgia

|Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Military Intelligence Company
Cyber Electro Magnetic Activities Company

| 150px|center|75th Ranger Regiment Military Intelligence Battalion CSIB

|rowspan=2 | Regimental Special Troops Battalion

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Regimental Reconnaissance Company
Communications Company
Selection and Training Company

| 150px|center|75th Ranger Regiment Special Troop Battalion (STB) CSIB

| 1st Ranger Battalion

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Alpha Company (Rifle)
Bravo Company (Rifle)
Charlie Company (Rifle)
Delta Company (Specialty)
Echo Company (Support)

| 150px|center|1st Ranger Battalion CSIB

| center|125px

| Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia

| 2nd Ranger Battalion

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Alpha Company (Rifle)
Bravo Company (Rifle)
Charlie Company (Rifle)
Delta Company (Specialty)
Echo Company (Support)

| 150px|center|2nd Ranger Battalion CSIB

| center|125px Fort Lewis

| (Joint Base Lewis-McChord)Washington

| 3rd Ranger Battalion

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Alpha Company (Rifle)
Bravo Company (Rifle)
Charlie Company (Rifle)
Delta Company (Specialty)
Echo Company (Support)

| 150px|center|3rd Ranger Battalion CSIB

| center|125px

| Fort Benning, Georgia

Lineage

Organized as 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) on 3 October 1943

:Consolidated with the 475th Infantry and unit designated as 475th Infantry on 10 August 1944

:Inactivated on 1 July 1945

Redesignated as 75th Infantry on 21 June 1954

:Allotted to the Regular Army on 26 October 1954

:Activated on 20 November 1954

:Inactivated on 21 March 1956

75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) reorganized as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System on 1 January 1969

:Reorganized with Headquarters on 1 July 1984

On 3 February 1986, the 75th Infantry Regiment (then consisting of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion, and 3rd Battalion) was consolidated with the former Company A, 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion (then part of HHC 7th SFG), Company A, 2nd Infantry Battalion (then part of HHC 10th SFG), and the inactive units Company A, 3rd Ranger Infantry Battalion (last part of HHC 13th SFG, inactivated in 1966), 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, and 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion; it was concurrently designated as 75th Ranger Regiment and reorganized under the Regimental System.

Modern Ranger selection and training

Qualifications

thumb|U.S. Army Rangers, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, prepare for extraction during Task Force Training at [[Fort Hunter Liggett, California, January 30, 2014.]]

Be a U.S. citizen
Be on active duty and volunteer for assignment
Have a General Technical Score of 105 or higher
No physical limitations (PULHES of 111221 or better)
Qualify and volunteer for Airborne training
A person of good character (no pending UCMJ action or drug or alcohol related incidents within 24 months)
Must enlist into or currently hold a Military Occupational Specialty found in the 75th Ranger Regiment
Able to attain at minimum a Secret clearance
Pass physical requirements which include the Ranger Fitness Test (41 hand-release push-ups, 2:30 plank, run 5 miles in 40 minutes or less, 6 chin-ups), Water Survival Assessment, and 12-mile footmarch with a 35lb rucksack and weapon in under 3 hours

Additionally Army officer applicants must:

Be an officer of grade O-1 through O-4
Qualify for a Top Secret Security Clearance
Meet Year Group specific criteria
Hold an officer Military Occupational Specialty found in the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Selection and training

Every volunteer for the Regiment, from new recruit to officer and any senior leader selected to command in the Regiment, will go through the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) to assess their ability and provide the basic skills required to be an effective member of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

For new soldiers, RASP is conducted after applicants complete their basic Military Occupational Specialty course. After completing RASP, soldiers attend the Army parachutists course (Airborne School). For soldiers, both enlisted and officer, who have completed their first tour of duty and meet the recruiting qualifications, a RASP date will be scheduled upon application and conditional acceptance to the 75th Ranger Regiment.

RASP 1

Ranger Assessment & Selection Program 1 (RASP 1) is an 8-week selection course for junior non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers (pay grades E-1 through E-5) that is broken down into two phases. Ranger candidates endure a grueling test of physical and mental endurance, road marches with rucksacks, land navigation, leadership skills, and weapons training—performed under continuous food and sleep deprivation. Graduates have the advanced skills all Rangers are required to know to start their career with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Phase 1 focuses more on the critical events and skill level 1 tasks and Phase 2 focuses on training in marksmanship, breaching, mobility, and physical fitness.

Throughout their time in the Ranger Regiment, Rangers may attend many types of special schools and training. Depending on occupation and job requirements, members of the 75th Ranger Regiment enjoy unparalleled access to countless military schools, including Jumpmaster, Sniper, Pathfinder, Military Freefall, Scuba, Survival-Evasion-Resistance-Escape (SERE), Special Operations Combat Medic and others. Before serving as a leader in the Regiment, Rangers are also expected to attend and graduate Ranger School. Members of the regiment may also get joint training and non-traditional military and civilian schooling.

RFS/RFM

As a U.S. Army Special Operations Command unit, the Rangers maintain more stringent standards for their personnel. If at any point a Ranger is deemed 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 RFS'd 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".

Honors, mottos and 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. 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!" Acceptance into the U.S. Army Ranger Association is limited to "Rangers that have earned the U.S. Army Ranger tab, WWII Rangers, Korean War Rangers, Vietnam War Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol members and Rangers, and all Rangers that participated in Operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, Desert Storm, Restore Hope, Enduring Freedom, as well as those who have served honorably for at least one year in a recognized Ranger unit."</blockquote>

Beret change

thumb|right|upright|COL [[Richard D. Clarke wearing the Regiment's tan beret. The tan beret may only be worn by those assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment or have served in the Regiment for one year and are assigned to a unit within USASOC.]]

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 Ranger Regiment. This created discontent within the 75th Ranger Regiment and even led to retired Rangers going on nationwide road marches 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. A memorandum for the purpose of changing the Ranger beret from black to tan was sent and approved in March 2002. Press releases were issued and articles were published all over the nation about this change in headgear after it was formally announced by the Regimental Commander, Colonel P. K. Keen. In a private ceremony, past and present Rangers donned the tan beret on 26 July 2002. The Army G-1 released a memorandum in October 2017 stating the following: WEAR OF THE TAN BERET OUTSIDE OF RANGER REGIMENT. The memo from the Army G-1 expands authorization for wear of the Tan Beret in the following assignments: Headquarters elements of Combatant Commands, The Joint Staff, Department of the Army Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command Joint Task Force, Theater Special Operations Command, and Joint Special Operations Command. The Tan Beret is authorized for Ranger-qualified Soldiers in the above listed assignments if they previously served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and departed on honorable terms. This was formalized in DA Pam 670–1 in January 2021.

Notable members

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

John P. Abizaid, General, former platoon leader of Company A, and executive officer of Company C, former commander of Company A, 1st Ranger Battalion; former commander, Central Command.
David Barno, Lieutenant General, former commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion; former commander, Combined Forces-Afghanistan.
Mat Best, former team leader in 2nd Ranger Battalion, best selling author, music artist, celebrity/actor, and veteran entrepreneur.
Richard D. Clarke, General, spent eight years in the 75th Ranger Regiment as a company commander from 1994 to 1996, then as a battalion commander from 2004 to 2006 and regimental commander from 2007 to 2009.
Jason Crow, Captain, member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Colorado's 6th congressional district
William O. Darby, Colonel, established and commanded "Darby's Rangers" that later evolved into the 75th Ranger Regiment. Ranger Hall of Fame Member.
Kristoffer Domeij, Sergeant First Class, enlisted 2001, killed in action in 2011 during his 14th deployment. At the time of his death, he had the most deployments for a Ranger killed in action.
Wayne A. Downing, General, third commander of the regiment from 1984 to 1985; former commander of 2nd Ranger Battalion; former commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), former commander U.S. Army Special Operations Command and former commander of United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Ranger Hall of Fame Member.
Jason Everman, Sergeant First Class, American musician who played with Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mind Funk. Everman served with the 2nd Ranger Battalion and later the 3rd Special Forces Group with multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan.
David L. Grange, Major General, seventh commander of the regiment from 1991 to 1993; former commander, 1st Infantry Division and deputy commander of Delta Force.
Eric L. Haney, Command Sergeant Major, Author and retired member of Delta Force.
Robert L. Howard, Colonel, former company commander in the 2nd Ranger Battalion; was nominated three times for the Medal of Honor for his actions in Vietnam. Two were downgraded and the third was awarded.
Nicholas Irving, former sniper in the 3rd Ranger Battalion
Peter Kassig, 1st Battalion 2006-2006, followed by a medical discharge, then became an aid worker who was taken hostage and beheaded by The Islamic State.
Dario Lorenzetti, CIA Officer killed in Afghanistan
Ryan McCarthy, Captain, former US Secretary of the Army.
Stanley A. McChrystal, General, tenth commander of the regiment from 1997 to 1999; former commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A); former Director of the Joint Staff; former Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
Danny McKnight, Colonel, former commander of the 3rd Ranger Battalion during the Battle of Mogadishu.
Austin S. Miller, General, former 2nd Ranger Battalion Platoon Leader, former commander of Delta Force, and former Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
Glen E. Morrell, Sergeant Major of the Army, former 1st Ranger Battalion command sergeant major and past Sergeant Major of the Army.
Kris Paronto, Sergeant, former member of Company B, 2d Ranger Battalion, who served at the CIA annex during the 2012 Benghazi attack.
Thomas Payne, Sergeant Major, Member of Delta Force and Medal of Honor recipient. He is the first living Delta Force Medal of Honor recipient, and first Medal of Honor recipient for Operation Inherent Resolve. He served with MSG Joshua Wheeler in the combat operation in Iraq that saw MSG Wheeler KIA, and then-SFC Payne earned Distinguished Service Cross, later upgraded to Medal of Honor. He served with Company A, 1st Ranger Battalion.
Leroy Petry, Sergeant First Class, Medal of Honor recipient for actions during a firefight in Afghanistan.
Marshall Plumlee, 1st Lieutenant
Robert Prince, Major, planned and led the Raid at Cabanatuan which liberated over 500 Allied POWs from Japanese captivity.
James Earl Rudder, Colonel, former commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion during World War II, which he led the ranger assault on Pointe du Hoc on D-Day and was later the president of Texas A&M University.
Randy Shughart, Sergeant First Class, Medal of Honor recipient, who was killed in action during the Battle of Mogadishu while serving as a Delta Force sniper defending a downed helicopter, started his career in 2nd Ranger Battalion.
Michael D. Steele, Colonel, former commander of Company B, 3rd Ranger Battalion during the Battle of Mogadishu.
Jeff Struecker, Major, served as a staff sergeant and squad leader assigned to Task Force Ranger as a part of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Struecker and his partner, SPC Isaac Gmazel Won the Best Ranger Competition in 1996. He became commissioned as a chaplain in 2000.
Keni Thomas, Staff Sergeant, American country music singer who served with the 3rd Ranger Battalion as part of Task Force Ranger during the Operation Restore Hope.
Raymond A. Thomas, General, led a Ranger Rifle platoon from A Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion during the Invasion of Grenada in 1983.He was assigned as Assistant S-3, Plans/Liaison Officer with 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia until 1987.In 1989, during the Invasion of Panama, Thomas was then assigned as a company commander with 3rd Ranger Battalion. He was also the commander of Joint Special Operations Command from 2014 to 2016 and United States Special Operations Command from 2016 to 2019.
Pat Tillman, Corporal, an American football player who left his National Football League career to enlist in the United States Army in May 2002; killed on 22 April 2004 (by friendly fire) as a member of the 2nd Ranger Battalion.
Alejandro Villanueva, Captain, an American football player in the National Football League, former company Executive Officer in the 1st Ranger Battalion.
Joseph L. Votel, General, twelfth commander of the regiment from 2001 to 2003; former Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), former Commander of United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and former Commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM).
Joshua Lloyd Wheeler, Master Sergeant, (22 November 1975 – 22 October 2015) was a United States Army Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (aka Delta Force) operator who was killed in Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve. He was the first American service member killed in action as a result of enemy fire while fighting ISIS militants and at the time of his death was the first American to be killed in action in Iraq since November 2011. Wheeler was a highly decorated Delta Force soldier having earned 11 Bronze Star Medals including four with Valor Devices. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the Medal of Patriotism.
John Whitley, Sergeant, Acting US Secretary of the Army.

Colonels of the Regiment

{| class="wikitable"

!Sequence

!Name

!From

!To

!Comments

|style="text-align:center;"|3rd

|Colonel Wayne A. Downing

| style="text-align:right;"|May 1984

| style="text-align:right;"|November 1985

|Commander, 2–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USSOCOM

|style="text-align:center;"|4th

|Colonel Joseph S. Stringham

| style="text-align:right;"|July 1985

| style="text-align:right;"|August 1987

|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion

|style="text-align:center;"|5th

|Colonel Westley B. Taylor Jr.

| style="text-align:right;"|June 1987

| style="text-align:right;"|June 1989

|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion

|style="text-align:center;"|6th

|Colonel William F. Kernan

| style="text-align:right;"|June 1989

| style="text-align:right;"|June 1991

|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USJFCOM

|style="text-align:center;"|7th

|Colonel David L. Grange

| style="text-align:right;"|June 1991

| style="text-align:right;"|August 1993

|Deputy Commander, 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force)

|style="text-align:center;"|8th

|Colonel James T. Jackson

| style="text-align:right;"|July 1993

| style="text-align:right;"|July 1995

|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion

|style="text-align:center;"|9th

|Colonel William J. Leszczynski

| style="text-align:right;"|July 1995

| style="text-align:right;"|June 1997

|Commander, JTF-Bravo, Honduras

|style="text-align:center;"|10th

|Colonel Stanley A. McChrystal

| style="text-align:right;"|June 1997

| style="text-align:right;"|August 1999

|Commander, 2–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, US Forces Afghanistan

|style="text-align:center;"|11th

|Colonel Purl K. Keen

| style="text-align:right;"|July 1999

| style="text-align:right;"|July 2001

|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; Deputy Commander, USSOUTHCOM

|style="text-align:center;"|12th

|Colonel Joseph L. Votel

| style="text-align:right;"|October 2001

| style="text-align:right;"|August 2003

|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion, Commander, USSOCOM; Commander, USCENTCOM

|style="text-align:center;"|13th

|Colonel James C. Nixon

| style="text-align:right;"|June 2003

| style="text-align:right;"|8 July 2005

|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion

|style="text-align:center;"|14th

|Colonel Paul J. LaCamera

| style="text-align:right;"|8 July 2005

| style="text-align:right;"|9 August 2007

|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USARPAC; Commander, UNC/CFC/USFK

|style="text-align:center;"|15th

|Colonel Richard D. Clarke, Jr.

| style="text-align:right;"|9 August 2007

| style="text-align:right;"|6 August 2009

|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USSOCOM

|style="text-align:center;"|16th

|Colonel Michael E. Kurilla

| style="text-align:right;"|6 August 2009

| style="text-align:right;"|28 July 2011

|Commander, 2–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USCENTCOM

|style="text-align:center;"|17th

|Colonel Mark W. Odom

| style="text-align:right;"|28 July 2011

| style="text-align:right;"|25 July 2013

|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion; DCG-S, 82nd Airborne Division

|style="text-align:center;"|18th

|Colonel Christopher S. Vanek

| style="text-align:right;"|25 July 2013

| style="text-align:right;"|25 June 2015

|DCO, 75th Ranger Regiment

|style="text-align:center;"|19th

|Colonel Marcus S. Evans

| style="text-align:right;"|25 June 2015

| style="text-align:right;"|29 June 2017

|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion; Director, Army Staff

|style="text-align:center;"|20th

|Colonel Brandon R. Tegtmeier

| style="text-align:right;"|29 June 2017

| style="text-align:right;"|12 July 2019

|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, 82nd Airborne Division

|style="text-align:center;"|21st

|Colonel Robert (Todd) S. Brown

| style="text-align:right;"|12 July 2019

| style="text-align:right;"|23 July 2021

|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; DCG-O, Eighth Army

|style="text-align:center;"|22nd

|Colonel Jim (JD) Kiersey

| style="text-align:right;"|23 July 2021

| style="text-align:right;"|28 June 2024

|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion

|style="text-align:center;"|23rd

|Colonel Kitefre (Kit) Oboho

| style="text-align:right;"|28 June 2024

| style="text-align:right;"|Incumbent

|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion

Note: The above list accounts for 21 Colonels, missing are the first two. Assignment dates are based on various biographies and may not all line up properly. Specific dates are based on reports of changes of command.

75th Ranger Regiment

History

Origin

Creation of 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions

6th Ranger Battalion

Merrill's Marauders

Vietnam War

Post-Vietnam War

Global war on terrorism

Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan

War in North-West Pakistan

Operation Freedom's Sentinel

Operation Inherent Resolve

Regiment Military Intelligence Battalion (RMIB)

Operation Kayla Mueller

Organization

Lineage

Modern Ranger selection and training

Qualifications

Selection and training

RASP 1

RFS/RFM

Honors, mottos and creed

Beret change

Notable members

Colonels of the Regiment

See also

Citations

General references

Further reading

External links