The 75th Ranger
Regiment (Airborne), also known as Rangers, is a Special Operations
light infantry elite,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).
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 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.
American Ranger history predates the Revolutionary War with Ethan Allen
and his guerilla fighting group The Green
Mountain Boys in Vermont. Captain Benjamin Church formed Church's
Rangers, which fought hostile Native American tribes
during King Philip's War Major Robert Rogers formed a Ranger unit in
1757 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
1st Ranger Battalion
On 8 December 1941, the United States of America entered World War II
the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked by
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 do the job. It was
therefore on 8 June 1942, that Darby was
officially put in charge of the 1st Ranger Battalion under General
Hartle.
On 19 August 1942, 50 Rangers fought alongside Canadian and British
commandos in the ill-fated Dieppe raid on the
coast of occupied France. In November, the entire 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.
On 11 February 1943, 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 medal for this action. The battalion
itself gained the nickname the “Black Death” by the Italians.
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.
Creation of the 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions
With the success of the 1st Battalion during the Tunisian campaign,
Darby requested up the chain of command, 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 first battalion. After getting the "green
light" to expand his unit, Darby ran into a problem. The Rangers 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. The
recruiting campaign worked. By 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.
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.
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.
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.Fall of the
1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions
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.
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 Butner, N.C.
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.
2nd and 5th Ranger battalions
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 Pointe du
Hoc. This coastal cliff was supposed to have
several 155m artillery cannons aimed down at the beach. 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 were successful in taking the area even with the intense German
resistance but the guns were not in sight. 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.
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 General 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. 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
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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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)
MODERN RANGERS
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.
Ranger Battalion operational tempo while deployed is high. The 1st
Ranger Battalion conducted more than 900 missions
in Afghanistan in one deployment: the battalion successfully captured
nearly 1,700 enemies (386 high-value targets)
and killed more than 400 enemy fighters.
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. 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
As of 2011, soldiers wishing to enter the selection process that leads
to membership in the 75th Ranger Regiment must
be qualified in their Military Occupational Specialty and be Airborne
qualified. Recruits who enter the Army with
Ranger contracts attend nine weeks of Basic Combat Training (BCT),
followed by either Advanced Individual Training
(AIT) or, in the case of Infantrymen, 13 weeks of One Station Unit
Training (OSUT). Upon completion of AIT or OSUT,
prospective Rangers attend a three week Pre-RASP preparatory course
before moving on to the eight week RASP I. Those
who successfully graduate RASP I attend United States Army Airborne
School. Upon completion of the Basic Airborne
Course, recruits advance to a three week pre-Ranger course, known as
Small Unit Ranger Tactics, or SURT. The Ranger
training path culminates with the 8.5 week long Ranger School.
Airborne qualified soldiers attend one of two selection programs: Ranger
Assessment and Selection Programs. Soldiers
below the grade E-6 attend "RASP1," while all others attend "RASP2". 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-5 and "Ranger Orientation Program" for E-5'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.
Rangers are also trained in "do-it-yourself" emergency medicine. Based
on the premise that 90% of deaths from wounds
are suffered before reaching medical facilities and that there are not
enough medics and doctors to go around the
Regiment began to train Rangers to give themselves immediate,
preliminary treatment. A 2011 study found a 3 percent
death rate from potentially survivable causes in the 75th Regiment
between October 2001 and April 2010. That compares
with a 24 percent rate in a previously reported set of U.S. military
deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, which included
troops who didn't have the Ranger-style training.
Ranger School
The United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat
leadership course oriented towards small-unit
tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world"
and "is the most physically and mentally
demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". The course is
conducted in various locations. Training in the
Benning Phase occurs in and around Camp Rogers and Camp Darby at Fort
Benning, Georgia. Training at the Mountain Phase
is conducted at Camp Merrill, in the remote mountains near Dahlonega,
Georgia. The Florida Phase is conducted at
various locations near Camp Rudder, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The
Desert Phase—conducted initially at the White
Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and later relocated to Dugway Proving
Ground, Utah and Fort Bliss, Texas—was
eliminated in 1995. Ranger School is effectively closed to female
applicants due to the Combat Exclusion Laws
pertaining to assignment to Ranger-coded positions within the Combat
Arms of the United States armed forces.
The United States Army Ranger School is not organizationally affiliated
with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Ranger School
falls under control of the United States Army Training and Doctrine
Command as a school open to most male members of
the United States Army; while the 75th Ranger Regiment is a Special
Operations warfighting unit organized under the
United States Army Special Operations Command. The two share a common
heritage and subordinate battalions common
lineage, and Ranger School is a requirement for all officers and NCOs of
the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Those graduating from Ranger School are presented with the Ranger Tab,
which is worn on the upper shoulder of the left
sleeve of a military uniform, according to U.S. Army regulations Wearing
the tab is permitted for the remainder of a
soldier's military career. The cloth version of the tab is worn on the
Army Combat Uniform and Class-A dress uniform
of the U.S. Army; a smaller, metal version is worn on the new Army
Service Uniform.
HISTORY
Ranger Training began in September 1950 at Fort Benning Georgia "with
the formation and training of 17 Airborne
Companies by the Ranger Training Command". The first class graduated
from Ranger training in November 1950, becoming
the 1st Ranger Infantry Company. The United States Army's Infantry
School officially established the Ranger Department
in December 1951. Under the Ranger Department, the first Ranger School
Class was conducted in January–March 1952, with
a graduation date of 1 March 1952. Its duration was 59 days. At the
time, Ranger training was voluntary.
In 1966, a panel headed by General Ralph E. Haines Jr. recommended
making Ranger training mandatory for all Regular
Army officers upon commissioning. "On 16 August 1966, the Chief of Staff
of the Army, General Harold K. Johnson,
directed it so." This policy was implemented in July 1967. It was
rescinded on 21 June 1972 by General William
Westmoreland. Once again, Ranger training was voluntary.
In August 1987, the Ranger Department was split from the Infantry School
and the Ranger Training Brigade was
established. The Ranger Companies that made up the Ranger Department
became the current training units—the 4th, 5th
and 6th Ranger Training Battalions.
In 1983, the Desert Phase was added and the length of the Ranger course
was extended to 65 days. The duration was
again expanded in October 1991 to 68 days, concurrently with the
reshuffling of the Desert phase from the last phase
to the second. The 7th Ranger Training Battalion was added to administer
this phase. The most recent duration change
to Ranger School occurred in May 1995, when the Desert Phase was removed
from the Ranger course. Ranger School was
reduced to its current length—61 days of training, at 19.6 hours of
training per day.
The Ranger Assessment Phase, the first five days of Ranger School, was
added in the first class of 1992
Students
Ranger School is open to all Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) in
the US Army, although—as of April 2011—an
Army combat exclusion zone still limits some from attending. Ranger
students come from units in the U.S. Army, U.S.
Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and from
foreign military services. However, the two
largest "customers" for Ranger School are the U.S. Army's Infantry Basic
Officer Leadership Course (IBOLC), and the
75th Ranger Regiment. Ranger School slots are highly valued school
slots. Competitions and pre-Ranger courses are
typically used to determine attendance.
Ranger students' ranks typically range from Private First Class to
Captain, with lieutenants and specialists making up
the largest group of students. The average age is 23, and the average
class will have 366 students, with 11 classes
conducted per year.
Training
Ranger School training has a basic scenario: the flourishing drug and
terrorist operations of the enemy forces, the
"Aragon Liberation Front," must be stopped. To do so, the Rangers will
take the fight to their territory, the rough
terrain surrounding Fort Benning, the mountains of northern Georgia, and
the swamps and coast of Florida. Ranger
students are given a clear mission, but they determine how to best
execute it.
The purpose of the course is learning to soldier as a combat leader
while enduring the great mental and psychological
stresses and physical fatigue of combat; the Ranger Instructors (RIs)
create and cultivate such a physical and mental
environment. The course primarily comprises field craft instruction;
students plan and execute daily patrolling,
perform reconnaissance, ambushes, and raids against dispersed targets,
followed by stealthy movement to a new patrol
base to plan the next mission. Ranger students conduct about 20 hours of
training per day, while consuming two or
fewer meals daily totaling about 2,200 calories (9,200 kJ), with an
average of 3.5 hours of sleep a day. Students
sleep more before a parachute jump for safety considerations. Ranger
students typically wear and carry some 65–90
pounds (29–41 kg) of weapons, equipment, and training ammunition while
patrolling more than 200 miles (320 km)
throughout the course.
Capabilities
Ranger School students will participate in three airborne, and several
air assault operations throughout the duration
of the course, relying on C-130 Hercules cargo planes, as well as UH-60
Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, for
insertion and extraction. Non-airborne personnel will work drop zone
details while the other students jump. The
students also have the ability to call-in and utilize close air support
in the form of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters
and AC-130H Spectre gunships during many of their missions. All aircraft
are provided by other nearby units as part of
a training co-operative.
Benning Phase
The first phase of Ranger School is conducted at Camp Rogers and Camp
Darby at Fort Benning, Georgia and is conducted
by the 4th Ranger Training Battalion. The "Benning Phase" is the "crawl"
phase of Ranger School, where students learn
the fundamentals of squad-level mission planning. It is "designed to
assess a Soldier’s physical stamina, mental
toughness, leadership abilities, and establishes the tactical
fundamentals required for follow-on phases of Ranger
School". In this phase, training is separated into two parts, the Ranger
Assessment Phase (RAP) and Squad Combat
Operations.
Water confidence course
The Ranger Assessment Phase is conducted at Camp Rogers. As of April
2011, it encompasses Days 1–3 of training.
Historically, it accounts for 60% of students who fail to graduate
Ranger School.
Events include:
Ranger Physical Fitness Test (RPFT) requiring the following minimums:
Push-ups: 49 (in 2 minutes, graded strictly for perfect form)
Sit-ups: 59 (in 2 minutes)
Chin-ups: 6 (performed from a dead hang with no lower body movement)
5 mile individual run in 40 minutes or less over a course with gently
rolling terrain
Combat Water Survival Test (no longer conducted as of 2010)
Combat Water Survival Assessment, conducted at Victory Pond (previously
called the Water Confidence Test). This test
consists of three events that test the Ranger student's ability to
calmly overcome any fear of heights or water.
Students must calmly walk across a log suspended thirty-five feet above
the pond, then transition to a rope crawl
before plunging into the water. Each student must then jump into the
pond and ditch their rifle and load-bearing
equipment while submerged. Finally, each student climbs a ladder to the
top of a seventy foot tower and traverses down
to the water on a pulley attached to a suspended cable, subsequently
plunging into the pond. All of these tasks must
be performed calmly without any type of safety harness. If a student
fails to negotiate an obstacle (through fear,
hesitation or by not completing it correctly) he is dropped from the
course.
Combination Night/Day land navigation test - This has proven to be one
of the more difficult events for students, as
sending units fail to teach land navigation using a map and compass.
Students are given a predetermined number of MGRS
locations and begin testing approximately two hours prior to dawn.
Flashlights, with red lens filters, may only be
used for map referencing; the use of flashlight to navigate across
terrain will result in an immediate dismissal from
the school. Later in the course, Ranger students will be expected to
conduct, and navigate, patrols at night without
violating light discipline. The land navigation test instills this skill
early in each student's mind, thus making the
task second nature when graded patrolling begins.
A 3-mile terrain run, followed by the Malvesti Field Obstacle Course,
featuring the notorious "worm pit": a shallow,
muddy, 25-meter obstacle covered by knee-high barbed wire. The obstacle
must be negotiated—usually several times—on
one's back and belly.
Demolitions training and airborne refresher training.
Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) training was removed as a part of
a new POI at the start of 2009; however, it
was reinstated with Class 06-10. The Combatives Program now is spread
over all phases and culminates with practical
application in Florida Phase.
A 15-mile forced, tactical ruck march with full gear from Camp Rogers to
Camp Darby. This is the last test during RAP
and is a pass/fail event. If the Ranger student fails to maintain the
pace set by the Ranger Instructors, he is
dropped from the course.
The emphasis at Camp Darby is on the instruction in and execution of
Squad Combat Operations. The phase includes "fast
paced instruction on troop leading procedures, principles of patrolling,
demolitions, field craft, and basic battle
drills focused towards squad ambush and reconnaissance missions". The
Ranger student receives instruction on
airborne/air assault operations, demolitions, environmental and "field
craft" training, executes the infamous "Darby
Queen" obstacle course, and learns the fundamentals of patrolling,
warning and operations orders, and communications.
The fundamentals of combat operations include battle drills (React to
Contact, Break Contact, React to Ambush, Platoon
Raid), which are focused on providing the principles and techniques that
enable the squad-level element to
successfully conduct reconnaissance and raid missions. As a result, the
Ranger student gains tactical and technical
proficiency, confidence in himself, and prepares to move to the next
phase of the course, the Mountain Phase.
Mountain Phase
The second phase of Ranger School is conducted at the remote Camp
Merrill near Dahlonega, Georgia by the 5th Ranger
Training Battalion. Here, "students receive instruction on military
mountaineering tasks, mobility training, as well
as techniques for employing a platoon for continuous combat patrol
operations in a mountainous environment". Adding to
the physical hardships endured in the Benning phase, in this phase "the
stamina and commitment of the Ranger student
is stressed to the maximum. At any time, he may be selected to lead
tired, hungry, physically expended students to
accomplish yet another combat patrol mission". One of the mental
hardships (aside from the pressures of training) is
that the Mountain Phase is located 'in the middle of nowhere', several
miles from any real civilization. This leaves
the students feeling more isolated than they may feel during the other
phases. In the winter, the temperatures drop
very low at night, and many students (in addition to other ailments)
receive frostbite. During the warmer months,
Poison Ivy becomes a common adversary. The Ranger student continues
learning how to sustain himself and his
subordinates in the mountains. The rugged terrain, severe weather,
hunger, mental and physical fatigue, and the
psychological stress the student encounters allow him to measure his
capabilities and limitations and those of his
fellow soldiers.
In addition to combat operations, the student receives four days of
military mountaineering training. The sequence of
training has changed in past decades. As of 2010, the training sequence
is as follows. In the first two days students
learn knots, belays, anchor points, rope management, mobility
evacuation, and the fundamentals of climbing and
abseiling. The training ends in a two-day Upper mountaineering exercise
at Yonah Mountain, to apply the skills learned
during Lower mountaineering. Each student must make all prescribed
climbs at Mt. Yonah to continue in the course.
During the field training exercise (FTX), students execute a mission
requiring mountaineering skills.
Combat missions are against a conventionally-equipped threat force in a
Mid-Intensity Conflict. These missions are
both day and night in a two part, four and five day FTX, and include
moving cross country over mountains, vehicle
ambushes, raiding communications and mortar sites, river crossing, and
scaling steeply-sloped mountainous terrain.
The Ranger student reaches his objective in several ways: cross-country
movement, parachuting into small drop zones,
air assaults into small, mountain-side landing zones, or a 10-mile march
across the Tennessee Valley Divide. The
student's commitment and physical-mental stamina are tested to the
maximum. At the end of the Mountain Phase, the
students travel by bus to a nearby airfield and conduct an airborne
operation, parachuting into Florida Phase. Non-
airborne are bussed to Eglin Air Force Base for the Florida Phase.
Florida Phase
The third phase of Ranger School is conducted at Camp James E. Rudder
(Auxiliary Field #6), Eglin Air Force Base,
Florida by the 6th Ranger Training Battalion. According to the Ranger
Training Brigade,
This phase focuses on the continued development of the Ranger Student's
combat arms functional skills. Students
receive instruction on waterborne operations, small boat movements, and
stream crossings upon arrival. Practical
exercises in extended platoon level operations executed in a coastal
swamp environment test the Students’ ability to
operate effectively under conditions of extreme mental and physical
stress. This training further develops the
Students' ability to plan and lead small units during independent and
coordinated airborne, air assault, small boat,
and dismounted combat patrol operations in a low intensity combat
environment against a well trained, sophisticated
enemy.
The Florida Phase continues the progressive, realistic OPFOR (opposing
forces) scenario. As the scenario develops, the
students receive "in-country" technique training that assists them in
accomplishing the tactical missions later in the
phase. Technique training includes: small boat operations, expedient
stream crossing techniques, and skills needed to
survive and operate in a rainforest/swamp environment by learning how to
deal with reptiles and how to determine the
difference between venomous snakes and non-venomous snakes. Camp Rudder
has specially trained reptile experts who
teach the students to not fear the wildlife they encounter.
The Ranger students are updated on the scenario that eventually commits
the unit to combat during techniques training.
The 10-day FTX comprises "fast paced, highly stressful, challenging
exercises in which the Students are evaluated on
their ability to apply small unit tactics and techniques during the
execution of raids, ambushes, movements to
contact, and urban assaults to accomplish their assigned missions". The
capstone of the course is the extensively-
planned raid of the ALF's island stronghold. This small boat operation
involves each platoon in the class, all working
together on separate missions to take down the cartel's final point of
strength.
Afterwards, students who have met graduation requirements spend several
days cleaning their weapons and equipment
before returning to Fort Benning. By then they have earned PX (Post
Exchange) privileges, and access to a community
center where they can use a telephone, eat civilian food, and watch
television. In years past, the "Gator Lounge"
served this purpose, but it was destroyed by a fire in late 2006. In the
years since, a new "Gator Lounge" has been
built, maintaining many of the features of the old one. Graduation is at
Fort Benning. In an elaborate ceremony at
Victory Pond, the black-and-gold Ranger Tab is pinned to the graduating
soldier's left shoulder (usually by a
relative, a respected RI, or soldier from the student's original unit).
The Ranger Tab is permanently worn above the
soldier's unit patch.
Desert Phase
The Desert Phase was designed to instruct its students in Desert Warfare
operations and basic survival in the deserts
of the Middle East. John Lock describes the Desert Phase as follows.
The phase commenced with an in-flight rigging and airborne assault—or an
air assault landing by non airborne
personnel, onto an objective. Following the mission, the students moved
into a cantonment area. Remaining in garrison
for five days, they then received classes on desert-survival techniques
to include water procurement and water
preservation. Leadership responsibilities, standing operating procedures
(SOPs), reconnaissance, and ambush techniques
were also reviewed. Additional emphasis was placed on battle drills to
include react to enemy contact, react to
indirect fire, and react to near and far ambushes. Drills on how to
breach barbed and concertina wire with wire
cutters and assault ladders were taught as were techniques on how to
clear a trench line and how to assault a
fortified bunker.
The remainder of the phase comprised patrolling during field training
exercises—"reconnaissance, raid, or ambush
missions". "The phase culminated with an airborne assault—with
non-Airborne trucked—by the entire class on a joint
objective."
Ranger School's initial evaluation of a Desert Phase was a cadre-lead
patrol at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico
in early 1971 called Arid Fox I. In June 1971, the Ranger Training
Brigade conducted Arid Fox II, the first student-
led patrol. This was part of the brigade's continuing evaluation of the
possibility of integrating a Desert Phase into
the Ranger course. The first students to undergo the Desert Phase were
selected from Ranger Class 13-71 (class 13 in
1971). When the bulk of the class went on to begin the Florida phase,
the airborne qualified members of Ranger Class
13-71 (Desert) donned MC1-1 parachutes, boarded a C-130 aircraft and
parachuted into the White Sands Missile Range.
Upon formal integration into the Ranger Course, the Desert Phase was
initially run by the Ranger School's 4th (Desert
Ranger) Training Company stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas from 1983 to
1987. When the Desert Phase was officially
introduced, the length of Ranger School was lengthened to 65 days. At
the outset, the Desert Phase was the last phase
of the Ranger Course—following the Benning, Mountain and Florida Phases,
respectively.
In 1987, the unit was expanded into the 7th Ranger Training Battalion
and moved to Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah.
In October 1991, the course was increased to sixty-eight days and the
sequence was changed to Fort Benning, Desert
(Fort Bliss, Texas), Mountain, and Florida. In May 1995, the school
underwent its most recent change when the Desert
phase was discontinued." The last Ranger School class to go through the
Desert Phase was class 7-95.
Leadership positions
A student's graduation is highly dependent on his performance in graded
positions of leadership. This leadership
ability is evaluated at various levels in various situations, and is
observed while he is in one of his typically two
graded leadership roles per phase. He can either meet the high standards
and be given a "GO" by the R.I., or he can
fail to meet this standard and receive the dreaded "NO GO". He must
demonstrate the ability to meet the standard in
order to move forward, and can thus only afford one unsuccessful patrol.
His success will lie in his ability to
essentially manipulate the men directly underneath his charge of
leadership. At times, this will be as few as two to
three men—and at other times he may be required to lead up to an entire
45 man platoon. His success can be dependent
on the performance and team work of these individuals, whom he must
motivate and lead. Missions are typically broken
up into four stages: planning, movement, actions on the objective, and
establishment of a patrol base. The Platoon
Leader position (in Mountains and Florida) will be rotated throughout
the mission, the same is said for the platoon
sergeant position. The squad leader position is on a 24 hour rotation
which is the same for all of the ungraded key
leadership positions: Medic, Forward Observer (FO) and Radio Telephone
Operator (RTO).
Peer evaluations
Another part of the evaluation of the student is a peer evaluation;
failing a peer evaluation (scoring less than a 60%
approval rating from your squad) can result in disqualification, though
usually only if it happens twice. Due to unit
loyalties, certain individuals within a squad who may be "the odd man
out" will sometimes be singled out by the squad
arbitrarily. Because of this, someone who has been "peered out" or
"peered," will be moved to another squad, sometimes
within another platoon, in order to ensure that this was not the reason
the student was peered. If it happens within
this new squad, however, this is generally an indication that student is
being singled out because he is either lazy,
incompetent, or cannot keep up. At this time he will usually be removed
from the course.
It is possible for the evaluation process to be completed via agreement
within a squad—also known as "rigging" the
peers system. In other words, squad members all agree to rate one
another in such a manner that no one is singled out.
Ranger School cadre watch for such attempt. If discovered, all involved
students could be dropped from the course for
an honor violation.
Recycling
If a student performs successfully, but suffers an injury that keeps him
from finishing, he may be re-cycled at the
discretion of either the battalion or the Ranger Training Brigade
commander; he’ll be given an opportunity to heal and
finish the course with the next class. Students recycled in the first
phase are temporarily assigned to Vaughn's
Detachment (informally known as the "Gulag" to Ranger students).
Recycled students typically receive daily classes on
Ranger School tasks and perform general tasks for their respective
Ranger Training Battalion. While marking time at
Ranger School is not always pleasant, those who have been recycled
typically perform well when reinserted back into
the course, with pass rates well over 80%.
Students can also be recycled for failing a leadership evaluation on
patrol; however, if a student fails a phase twice
from patrols, he will usually be offered a "day one restart," and will
restart on Day 1 of the next Ranger School
class. In rare cases, those assessed of honor violations (lying,
cheating, stealing) and Special Observation Reports
(SORs) may be offered a day one restart as opposed to being dropped from
the course. Students that fall in these
categories must obtain permission from the Ranger Training Brigade
Commander to reenter Ranger School at a later date.
Graduation Rates
Historically, the graduation rate has been around 50%, but this has
fluctuated. In the period prior to 1980, the
Ranger School attrition rate was over 65%. 64% of Ranger School class
10-80 graduated. The graduation rate has dropped
below 50% in recent years: 52% in 2005, 54% in 2006, 56% in 2007, 49% in
2008, 46% in 2009, and 43% in 2010. Recycles
are included in the graduation rates. Recycles are tracked by the class
they start with, and affect only that class's
graduation rate.
Physical effects
Following the completion of Ranger School, a student will usually find
himself "in the worst shape of his life".
Military folk wisdom has it that Ranger School's physical toll is like
years of natural aging; high levels of fight-
or-flight stress hormones (epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol), along
with standard sleep deprivation and continual
physical strain, inhibit full physical and mental recovery throughout
the course.
Common maladies during the course include weight loss, dehydration,
trench foot, heatstroke, frostbite, chilblains,
fractures, tissue tears (ligaments, tendons, muscles), swollen hands,
feet, knees, nerve damage, loss of limb
sensitivity, cellulitis, contact dermatitis, cuts, and insect, spider,
bee, and wildlife bites.
Because of the physical and psychological effect of low calorie intake
over an extended period of time, it is not
uncommon for many Ranger School graduates to encounter weight problems
as they return to their units and their bodies
and minds slowly adjust to routine again. A drastically lowered
metabolic rate, combined with a nearly insatiable
appetite (the result of food deprivation and the ensuing survivalist
mentality) can cause quick weight gain, as the
body is already in energy (fat) storing mode.
Food and sleep deprivation
A Ranger student's diet and sleep are strictly controlled by the Ranger
Instructors. During time in garrison students
are given one to three meals a day, but forced to eat extremely quickly
and without any talking. During field
exercises Ranger students are given two MREs (Meal, Ready-to-eat) per
day, but not allowed to eat them until given
permission. This is enforced most harshly in Darby and Mountain phases.
Since food and sleep are at the bottom of an
infantryman's priorities of work behind security, weapons maintenance,
and personal hygiene, it is generally the last
thing Ranger students are allowed to do. As such, the two MRE's are
generally eaten within three hours of each other,
one post mission, and the other prior to the planning portion of the
mission. Though the Ranger student's daily
caloric intake of 2200 calories might seem to be more than enough for
the average person, Ranger students are under
such physical stress that this amount is insufficient. The Ranger
Training Brigade does not maintain weight
information in the 21st century, but in the 1980s, Ranger Students lost
an average of 25-30 pounds during the Ranger
course.
Ranger School Class Awards
The awards listed below are designed to recognize outstanding
achievement during the Ranger Course. Dependent on class
performance, all or some of these awards may be presented upon
graduation.
WILLIAM O. DARBY AWARD (Distinguished Honor Graduate)
The Darby Award is awarded to the Ranger that shows the best tactical
and administrative leadership performance, has
the most positive spot reports and has demonstrated being a cut above
the rest. He must also pass all graded
leadership positions, peer reports, and may not recycle. This award is
named in the honor of BG William O. Darby, who
organized the 1st Ranger Battalion in 1942 with handpicked volunteers
leading the way onto the beaches of North
Africa. Ranger Battalions also spearheaded the campaigns in Sicily and
Italy, and the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach. In
the Pacific the 6th Ranger Battalion served with distinction in the
Philippines.
RALPH PUCKETT AWARD (Officer Honor Graduate)
The Puckett Award is awarded to the ranger that passes all graded
leadership positions; peer reports, and may not
recycle. The Ranger may not have any loss equipment due to negligence
and may not have any retests on any critical
tasks. This award is named in honor of Colonel Ralph Puckett. Colonel
Puckett earned the Distinguished Service Cross
during the Korean War as company commander of the 8th Army Ranger
Company, the first Ranger Company seeing active
service during the war. Then First Lieutenant Puckett, in an attack
against numerically superior Chinese forces,
established defensive fighting positions on the capture objective. His
Rangers held off five Chinese counterattacks,
on the sixth counterattack he was severely wounded and evacuated despite
his protests.
GLENN M. HALL AWARD (Enlisted Honor Graduate)
The Hall is awarded to the ranger that passes all graded leadership
positions; peer reports, and may not recycle. The
Ranger may not have any loss equipment due to negligence and may not
have any retests on any critical tasks. This
award is named in honor of Corporal Glenn M. Hall. Corporal Hall was
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross while
serving with the 1st Airborne Ranger Company for his gallant actions at
Chipyon-Ni during the Korean War. He exposed
himself to direct enemy fire to cover his platoon’s movement. Once his
weapon jammed he joined his platoon and
volunteered to contact friendly forces on an adjacent hill. When he
reached the hill, it was covered with enemy
troops. Corporal Hall killed a Chinese soldier in a foxhole and used
that position to drive the enemy from the hill.
He was wounded during that action by a grenade.
COLONEL Robert A. “Tex” Turner Officer Leadership Award
The Turner Award is awarded to the officer who embodies the leadership
spirit and ideals displayed by Colonel Robert
A. “Tex” Turner. Colonel Turner was awarded the Silver Star for his
actions on 6 May 1970 while serving as a member of
a command group during the defense of Fire Support Base Henderson,
Vietnam. Despite the intense mortar fire, Colonel
Turner landed at the firebase assessing the damage and directing the
defense of the firebase. Though seriously wounded
by a mortar round impact, Colonel Turner carried a wounded soldier out
to the landing pad for immediate medical
evacuation. Colonel Turner’s most significant impact to the Ranger
community was the creation of the Desert Phase of
Ranger School when he was the Commander of the Ranger Department. As a
result of Colonel Turner’s commitment to the
Rangers and Ranger Training Brigade, he has been recognized as the
honorary commander of the Ranger Training Brigade.
SGM Robert Spencer Enlisted Leadership Award
The Spenser Award is awarded to the enlisted member who embodies the
leadership spirit and ideals displayed by SGM
Robert Spencer. As the Sergeant Major of the Ranger Training Department
from 1981 to 1985, SGM Spencer was
instrumental in the reorganization of the Ranger Department. His
contributions and astute leadership were recognized
in March 2002, when SGM Spencer was recognized as the honorary Sergeant
Major of the Ranger Training Brigade.
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