Always Out Front: The Story of the U.S. Army Rangers

An Impossible Climb, and the Birth of the Modern Ranger

-By Byron Owen

The surf crashed hard against the Normandy coast as the landing craft pitched in the dark. Rain mixed with salt spray. A few soldiers heaved over the rails, their guts unable to match their grit. Captain James Rudder stood at the front of his boat, soaked to the bone and staring through the mist toward the high cliffs looming ahead. He didn’t flinch.

Pointe du Hoc wasn’t just a cliff. It was a fortress. The Germans had turned the limestone cliffs into a stronghold of concrete, steel, and murder. Somewhere on top of that rock, if the intel was right for once, were 155mm howitzers that could shred the D-Day invasion to pieces. If Rudder and his 2nd Ranger Battalion didn’t take that position, thousands of men on the beaches below would die.

The plan was simple. Insane, but simple. Land beneath the cliffs. Climb straight up under fire. Take out the guns. Hold the point. Rangers lead the way.

At 0630 hours on June 6th, 1944, the ramps dropped.

Immediately, the beach erupted in machine gun and artillery fire. Sand turned to shrapnel. Bodies hit the water. Rudder’s men sprinted across the narrow strip of sand with ropes, ladders, and grappling hooks, diving for cover behind the base of the cliff. The enemy had range and elevation. The Rangers had heart.

A few grapple hooks found purchase. Ropes went taut, some swinging free as enemy soldiers cut them from above or dropped grenades down the face. But the Rangers kept climbing. One hand over the other. Boots slipping. Bullets biting the rock around them.

Sergeant Leonard “Bud” Lomell jammed his bayonet into a seam in the cliff face and used it to pull himself higher. His hands were bleeding. The air was filled with smoke and gravel. But the only thing that mattered was getting to the top.

It took minutes. It felt like hours.

Rudder was one of the first to reach the crest. He pulled himself up, rolled over the edge, and fired from the kneeling. The top of Pointe du Hoc was a hellscape of craters, trenches, twisted rebar and fire. German troops rushed to reinforce the battery, but the Rangers closed the distance and started clearing bunkers with grenades and close-quarters fire. Within 15 minutes, the position was contested. Within 30, it was in American hands.

But the guns weren’t there.

The casemates were empty. The Krauts moved the artillery inland days earlier.

Lesser men might have stopped there, regrouped, or radioed for new orders. But the Rangers were not lesser men.

Lomell and Sergeant Jack Kuhn grabbed a small patrol and pushed beyond the objective, deeper into enemy territory. They moved fast, through hedgerows and orchard fields, until they found the missing artillery camouflaged and unguarded. The Germans hid them, assuming the cliffs were impregnable.

The Rangers set charges and destroyed the guns. Mission complete.

Back at the cliffs, Rudder’s men dug in. The Germans counterattacked with everything they had. For two full days, the Rangers held the high ground alone. No reinforcements. No resupply. Outnumbered. Surrounded. Shells and mortars rained down. By the time relief arrived, fewer than 90 men remained of the original 225.

But they had done the impossible.

They had climbed into hell and held it.

Pointe du Hoc became more than a battlefield. It became a symbol. The Rangers didn’t just follow orders. They adapted, improvised, and kept pushing forward when everything said stop. That’s the ethos that still defines the 75th Ranger Regiment to this day.

Check out MTNTOUGH's most recent visit to the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning

Rangers Through the Ages: Origins (1600s–1865)

The American Ranger tradition began long before the United States had an standing army. It was born in the cold forests of New England, where colonial militias found themselves locked in brutal conflict with native tribes, the French Army, and the unforgiving wilderness.

In 1676, during King Philip’s War, Captain Benjamin Church led one of the first formal colonial ranger units. A pragmatic leader, Church realized early that traditional European tactics, with their tight formations, fixed camps, and slow movements, had little chance of surviving the fluid and unforgiving terrain of the New World. He adopted Native American techniques: ambushes, camouflage, silent movement, and decentralized control. His men wore moccasins, traveled light, and operated in small teams. They didn’t just patrol, they hunted.

Church’s success proved the value of adaptable, unconventional warfare. He didn’t invent the concept, but he crystallized it into a model others would follow. By the time the British Empire faced off against the French and their Native allies a century later, the colonies knew where to look for tough, capable fighters. That demand led to the emergence of the first man to truly define the Ranger legacy: Major Robert Rogers.

Rogers was a New Hampshire frontiersman with a keen mind for strategy and an appetite for danger. During the French and Indian War (1754–1763), he raised and commanded a group known as Rogers’ Rangers, a mobile light infantry force that became legendary for its reach, endurance, and audacity. Rogers formalized the way his men operated in a now-famous list of 28 "Rules of Ranging."

These rules, part field manual and part warrior philosophy, read like a blueprint for modern special operations:

“Don’t ever march home the same way you went out.”
“If the enemy is near, keep moving until it’s safe to rest.”
“Let the enemy come within a hundred yards, then fire low.”

They emphasized initiative, stealth, flexibility, and discipline. These are values still echoed in the Ranger Creed today. Rogers’ Rangers fought in deep snow, crossed frozen lakes, executed surprise attacks on French forts, and tracked war parties across hundreds of miles. Their battles were often small and brutal, but their impact was outsized. The British regulars may have worn the red coats, but Rogers’ men did the work no one else could.

After the war, the unit disbanded, but the Ranger spirit lived on.

During the Revolutionary War, several commanders embraced the same ideals. Francis Marion, known as the “Swamp Fox,” led a ragtag band of patriots through the marshlands of South Carolina. They hit British supply lines, ambushed patrols, and disappeared into the swamps before the enemy could react. Marion’s tactics were pulled straight out of the Ranger Handbook: strike fast, vanish, and never fight on the enemy’s terms.

At the same time, Daniel Morgan’s Riflemen brought precision marksmanship and mobility to the Continental Army. They wore hunting shirts and carried long rifles instead of muskets, allowing them to harass British forces at greater ranges. Morgan’s men demonstrated how light, independent-minded units could outmaneuver and outfight traditional formations at battlefields like Saratoga and Cowpens

Following independence, the new nation continued to rely on Ranger-like units, particularly in conflicts along the frontier. During the War of 1812, mounted Ranger companies patrolled the wilderness and conducted skirmishes against British and Native forces in the Old Northwest. These companies were irregular by nature, often composed of local volunteers with deep knowledge of the land and an aversion to rigid discipline. Though loosely organized, they filled a vital niche between the main army and isolated frontier settlements.

By the mid-19th century, as the United States expanded westward, the military's need for agile, unconventional forces remained constant. Frontier scouts, Indian fighters, and dragoon detachments filled this role, adapting to harsh terrain and unpredictable enemies. The “Ranger” title was not always official, but the role was clear: track, scout, ambush, and survive.

This warrior tradition continued during the Civil War, on both sides of the conflict.

The Union and Confederacy both fielded units that carried the Ranger legacy into a new era of warfare. Among the most famous was Colonel John Singleton Mosby, who led the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry, better known as Mosby’s Rangers. Operating in Northern Virginia, Mosby’s men conducted guerrilla raids on Union outposts, supply lines, and railroads. They struck at night, used local support to hide in plain sight, and inflicted damage far beyond their numbers.

Mosby’s Rangers operated with a high degree of autonomy. They relied on speed, surprise, and deception. Their effectiveness forced the Union to commit disproportionate forces just to counter them. While their Confederate cause would ultimately be defeated, their tactics made a lasting impression. Military theorists and future special operations leaders studied their campaign for its mastery of irregular warfare.

On the Union side, some cavalry and partisan units performed similar roles, particularly in the Western Theater. They gathered intelligence, harassed enemy forces, and operated without clear front lines. However, unlike Mosby’s battalion, few of these units were formally designated as Rangers. The U.S. Army had yet to institutionalize that role, but the principles were there across multiple units.

By 1865, the Ranger legacy was scattered across the landscape of American conflict. It had no fixed organization, no standing command, and no permanent place in the Army’s structure. But it had a reputation. It was known to commanders who needed a job done with speed and precision. It was remembered by soldiers who had fought alongside them and enemies who had been struck by their sudden arrival.

More than anything, the Ranger name had become a symbol, a shorthand for independence, aggression, and tactical excellence.

That symbol would fade in the decades after the Civil War, but it would not die. 

Rangers Through the Ages Part II: Rise of the Modern Ranger (1942–1945)

For decades after the Civil War, the Ranger legacy remained dormant. The U.S. military professionalized and modernized, and with it came a shift toward large standing formations, traditional hierarchies, and industrialized warfare. But while the Ranger name had slipped into history books, the need for men who could operate fast, deep, and quiet had not disappeared.

It took a global conflict to bring the Rangers back into existence.

In 1942, the United States was newly at war, and the Allied powers were reeling from Axis offensives across Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific. The British had begun forming commando units. These light, highly trained forces were capable of striking deep behind enemy lines, seizing key terrain, and sowing chaos. Commando units proved their effectiveness in raids across occupied Europe, and American planners took notice.

Major William Orlando Darby, a West Point graduate and artillery officer, was selected to form and lead a similar force for the U.S. Army. What emerged from that decision was the 1st Ranger Battalion, activated in June 1942. Volunteers were selected from across the Army, each one required to meet strict physical and mental standards. The training that followed was designed to eliminate the unready.

In the Scottish Highlands, under the guidance of British Commando instructors, Darby’s men ran until their legs gave out. They scaled cliffs with bare hands and rope ladders. They conducted amphibious assaults in freezing surf, learned to kill silently, and trained in demolitions, sabotage, and house-to-house combat. By the end, only the toughest remained, some 500 men, lean and hardened, ready to test themselves in combat.

The 1st Rangers entered battle in North Africa, during the Allied landings of Operation Torch. Their first combat mission was a night assault on the port of Arzew, Algeria, in November 1942. Silently scaling cliffs and storming enemy positions, they overwhelmed Vichy French defenders in a textbook example of speed and surprise. It was a small operation by war standards, but its success signaled something new. The U.S. now had troops capable of surgical strikes and irregular tactics.

From North Africa, the Rangers followed the fight into Sicily and mainland Italy. The 1st Battalion was soon joined by the 3rd and 4th, forming what became known as the Ranger Force under Darby’s leadership. In Italy, they were often the tip of the spear, leading amphibious assaults, capturing mountain passes, and holding key terrain under brutal conditions. Their operations at San Pietro and Monte Cassino demonstrated both their capabilities and their cost. Small units, moving ahead of friendly lines, often bore the brunt of enemy counterattacks.

One of the darkest days for the early Rangers came at Cisterna, in January 1944. During the Anzio campaign, the 1st and 3rd Battalions were ordered to infiltrate enemy lines and seize the town. What was expected to be a surprise attack turned into a trap. German forces had fortified the area and spotted the Ranger movements. Cut off and surrounded, the majority of the force was killed or captured. Only a few escaped. The loss was devastating—and led to the deactivation of those battalions shortly afterward.

But the Ranger lineage was far from finished. At the same time, new battalions were forming in preparation for a different fight: the invasion of northern France.

The 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions trained for months in England, preparing for one of the most audacious missions in military history. On June 6, 1944, as Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, the 2nd Battalion was tasked with one of the most dangerous objectives: scaling the 100-foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc to destroy German artillery batteries threatening Omaha and Utah Beaches.

The German position sat atop sheer cliffs, reinforced by concrete bunkers and manned by veteran troops. The Rangers would have to assault from the sea, under fire, climb the cliffs using ropes and ladders, and neutralize the guns—all while isolated from the main force.

At dawn, the Rangers launched from their landing craft into rough surf. German machine guns opened fire. Grappling hooks were thrown up the cliffside, many of them cut by defenders above. Some men used their bayonets to dig into the rock when their ropes failed. They climbed with bullets snapping past their ears, grenades raining down, and smoke blinding their path.

Against all odds, they reached the top.

The gun emplacements were empty. The Germans had moved the guns days earlier, a discovery that could have rendered the mission moot. But the Rangers adapted. A patrol found the hidden artillery inland and destroyed them with thermite grenades and rifle fire.

Then came the harder task. The Rangers had to hold the position against overwhelming odds. Th reinforcements they expected within hours were delayed by chaos on the beach. The Rangers dug in and prepared for the worst. Over the next two days, they repelled multiple counterattacks. Ammunition ran low. Casualties mounted. But they held the cliffs.

Of the 225 men who started the assault, only about 90 remained combat effective when relief finally arrived. Pointe du Hoc became one of the most enduring symbols of American courage, not just for the daring climb, but for the endurance, tenacity, and refusal to quit in the face of overwhelming odds.

Elsewhere in Normandy, the 5th Rangers earned their own share of glory. As troops bogged down on Omaha Beach under heavy fire, Brigadier General Norman Cota turned to the 5th and shouted, “Rangers, lead the way!” The battalion surged forward, scaling the bluffs and punching a hole through German defenses. That moment became legend, and the official motto of the Rangers from that day forward.

Ranger units also served in the Pacific Theater, though in smaller numbers. The 6th Ranger Battalion conducted reconnaissance and raids across New Guinea and the Philippines. Their most famous mission came in 1945 with the raid on Cabanatuan Prison Camp, where they rescued over 500 Allied POWs held by the Japanese. It was a daring operation, combining stealth, surprise, and coordination with local Filipino guerrillas. The Rangers completed the raid with minimal casualties and maximum success, cementing their ability to operate in any environment.

By the war’s end, six Ranger battalions had fought with distinction. But as victory came and the military downsized, the units were deactivated. Their legacy remained intact, but once again, the Ranger name became dormant.

Still, something had changed. The world had seen what Rangers could do. The name had meaning again, etched into the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, whispered in enemy reports, and remembered by those who had fought beside them. It would not stay silent for long.

Rangers Through the Ages Part III: Korea and the Cold War (1950–1980).

The Korean War was a brutal conflict fought in the shadow of the Cold War. It was a battlefield of mountains and minefields, of desperate advances and equally desperate retreats. It was also a proving ground for the next generation of Rangers.

By 1950, the United States had no standing Ranger force. The battalions that had made their name in World War II were long deactivated; their traditions preserved only in memory and unit lore. But when North Korea invaded the South, and U.S. troops rushed to contain the Communist advance, Army leaders recognized a need that had never truly gone away: highly trained light infantry capable of operating behind enemy lines.

In response, the Army stood up a series of Airborne Ranger Infantry Companies. These were not battalion-sized elements, but small, agile units, often under 150 men, organized to conduct raids, reconnaissance, and rapid reaction operations. From 1950 to 1951, eighteen Ranger companies were activated: A through H for the active Army, and a series of companies designated for the Army Reserve and National Guard.

Their selection and training were modeled on the World War II standard: brutal physical conditioning, marksmanship, demolitions, small-unit tactics, and patrolling under stress. Training was held at Fort Benning, Georgia, where the modern Ranger School would later be formalized. The companies were then attached to regular infantry divisions in Korea, used for specific, high-risk missions that required skill beyond the line.

Company-level Rangers fought in some of the fiercest battles of the war: Chipyong-ni, Bloody Ridge, Heartbreak Ridge. They executed night raids, ambushes, prisoner snatches, and pathfinder operations for airborne assaults. They operated in freezing weather, waist-deep snow, and under the constant threat of being overwhelmed by superior numbers. Their presence in the field often created confusion among enemy forces and served as a psychological advantage for friendly units.

The Eighth Army Ranger Company, in particular, built a reputation for boldness and professionalism. In February 1951, they conducted a daring airborne insertion into the area of Munsan-ni, clearing and holding the drop zone for a larger follow-on force. The mission was executed with surgical precision and minimal casualties, showcasing what disciplined, elite light infantry could accomplish when properly employed.

These Korean War Rangers were never grouped into a single unified regiment. Instead, they remained dispersed, attached to different units, often fighting in isolation. They were effective, but their success came at a steep cost. Their operations were dangerous by nature, and turnover was high. The Army did not sustain these companies for long. By 1951, as the war settled into a more static phase, most of the Ranger companies were disbanded, their missions assumed by line units or conventional reconnaissance elements.

Though short-lived, their presence left a lasting mark. They demonstrated, again, that there was a need for specialized forces trained in small-unit tactics, rapid deployment, and independent operations. And they gave the Army a model that could be refined and institutionalized in the years to come.

As the Korean War ended and the Cold War deepened, the Ranger role once again faded into ambiguity. There were still capable small-unit leaders in the Army, many of them veterans of the war, but the institutional appetite for elite light infantry waned. The Pentagon focused on nuclear deterrence, conventional force-on-force planning in Europe, and counterinsurgency theory in Southeast Asia. The Ranger name slipped into the background.

But not entirely.

In 1952, the Army formally established the United States Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Though it did not produce operational Ranger units, it became a proving ground for infantry leaders across the Army. The school was grueling. Candidates endured intense physical training, sleep deprivation, long-range patrols, and simulated combat in mountains, swamps, and forests. Those who passed earned the coveted Ranger Tab, a symbol of individual excellence in leadership and fieldcraft.

The establishment of Ranger School ensured that while Ranger units might not exist permanently, Ranger standards would endure. Officers and NCOs from across the Army, and later other services, would pass through its gates and emerge transformed, carrying with them the ethos of small-team excellence and disciplined aggression.

Still, there was no formal Ranger unit during the late 1950s and most of the 1960s. That would change in the next chapter of the Ranger story: Vietnam.

Rangers Through the Ages Part IV: Vietnam and the 75th Infantry (1964–1980)

The Vietnam War did not begin with Rangers, but it revealed their necessity.

From the outset, American forces struggled to counter a cunning enemy in the Viet Cong. The battlefield was undefined. There were no front lines. The jungle was thick, visibility short, and the enemy always watching. Ambushes came without warning. Booby traps were everywhere. The sprawling conflict demanded small units capable of moving quietly, striking hard, and gathering intelligence deep behind enemy lines.

This environment gave rise to the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols, known simply as LRRPs. Though not initially branded as “Rangers,” the DNA was unmistakable. These units operated in six-man teams, inserted by helicopter into remote areas of the jungle to observe enemy movement, call for fire, or ambush targets of opportunity. They carried limited supplies, often operated for days at a time without resupply, and had no backup but their radios and each other.

They were the eyes and ears of division commanders. When an infantry battalion needed to know what was happening beyond the hills or inside a suspected enemy stronghold, the LRRPs went first. Their missions required stealth, endurance, and restraint. To survive, they had to remain invisible. Firing their weapons meant compromise and likely a fight to the death.

These teams were drawn from the most capable soldiers in the Army. Many were graduates of Ranger School. Some came from Special Forces or other specialized units. They operated with near-total autonomy. It was a dangerous job. The casualty rate was high. But their impact was undeniable.

In 1969, the Army decided to formalize these teams under the historic banner of the 75th Infantry Regiment. Twenty separate Ranger companies, designated by letter (e.g., Company L, Company E, Company C), were assigned to every U.S. division in Vietnam. These companies became the modern inheritors of the Ranger legacy.

Though operating independently, they all carried the same regimental lineage, and with it a growing sense of identity.

Each company had its own character, shaped by terrain and mission. In the highlands near the Cambodian border, Company K, 75th Infantry, stalked the enemy along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. In the Mekong Delta, Company D moved through rice paddies and jungle thickets, observing Viet Cong supply routes. Company C, attached to the 101st Airborne Division, worked the central highlands, hunting North Vietnamese Army regulars in triple-canopy jungle.

The men were often young, often only 19 or 20 years old, but they bore a weight beyond their years. One misstep, one careless movement, could bring an entire enemy company down on them. They trusted each other completely. And they moved like ghosts.

The 75th Infantry Rangers rarely sought recognition. Their missions were classified. Their success was often measured in what didn’t happen: a convoy that was never ambushed, a firebase that was never overrun. But those who fought alongside them never forgot.

Some teams became legends. In Company F, operating in the Central Highlands, a small six-man patrol once fought off an entire platoon of North Vietnamese troops. They held their position until helicopters could extract them, refusing to leave a wounded teammate behind. All six were decorated for valor. These kinds of stories circulated quietly, passed between units, often unreported in official accounts.

Despite their effectiveness, the Ranger companies were again treated as temporary formations. As the war wound down and U.S. combat forces withdrew, most of the LRRP and Ranger companies were deactivated. Their legacy seemed destined to fade once more into military folklore.

But this time, something was different.

The Army had finally seen, over decades of conflict, what elite light infantry could offer. More importantly, the men who had served in Ranger companies and LRRPs were now rising through the ranks. They remembered the gaps in capability, the missions only they could perform, and the burden they carried without institutional support.

A turning point came not in Southeast Asia, but in the deserts of Iran.

In April 1980, the U.S. launched Operation Eagle Claw, a daring attempt to rescue American hostages held in Tehran. The mission was ambitious but rushed, involving a patchwork of units from different services. There was no unified command, no rehearsed plan, and no designated special operations force to execute it. A mechanical failure in the desert led to a catastrophic collision between a helicopter and a transport aircraft, killing eight American servicemen. The operation was aborted. The hostages remained captive, and the nation watched in horror.

Eagle Claw was more than a failed rescue mission. It was an indictment of U.S. military readiness in an era of fast, global crises. Congress, the Pentagon, and military leadership responded decisively.

Within months, the Department of Defense established the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) to unify elite forces and prevent similar failures. Within the Army, the need for a standing, full-time, and rapidly deployable Ranger unit became undeniable.

The groundwork had been laid by the 75th Infantry in Vietnam. The lessons of Korea, the rigor of Ranger School, the experiences of LRRPs, and the scars of Eagle Claw all converged to produce a new vision.

The Army needed a new unit, a permanent, elite light infantry formation with global reach, modern firepower and the finest soldiers the Army could train. And it would carry a name already steeped in American history.

Rangers Through the Ages Part V: The Modern Ranger Regiment (1980–Present)

On October 3, 1984, the U.S. Army activated the 75th Ranger Regiment, not as an ad hoc unit or temporary wartime construct, but as a standing force. For the first time, the Ranger lineage was more than a legacy. It was a living formation with permanent battalions, a dedicated training pipeline, and a mission that extended far beyond the battlefield.

But the journey to that moment began years earlier, in the aftermath of failure.

Following the botched 1980 rescue mission in Iran, military leaders recognized a critical shortfall in America's special operations capability. There were units with extraordinary skill, but no standing, full-spectrum force designed for rapid, lethal, and precise action under a single command. What the U.S. needed was not just elite troops, but an elite institution with its own doctrine, logistics, training, and leadership development.

Enter the modern Rangers.

The 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions, originally reactivated in 1974 and 1975 respectively, formed the core of the new regiment. A 3rd Battalion was added in 1984, along with a Regimental Headquarters at Fort Benning, Georgia. These battalions were not pieced together for specific conflicts. They were designed to be ready at all times, to respond to crises anywhere in the world with less than 18 hours’ notice.

The Regiment’s mission was clear:

- Conduct direct action raids against high-value targets

- Seize airfields and key terrain ahead of larger forces

- Carry out special reconnaissance

- Provide precision firepower and shock force capability in support of national objectives

Their first test came swiftly.

In 1983, Rangers jumped into action during Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S. invasion of Grenada. It was a baptism of fire for the modern regiment. Despite communication problems and strong resistance, Rangers successfully conducted airborne assaults, neutralized enemy positions, and secured objectives critical to the overall success of the mission. The operation exposed flaws in joint coordination, but also showcased what a flexible, well-trained light infantry force could accomplish under pressure.

In 1989, during Operation Just Cause, the Regiment struck again, this time in Panama. In a bold nighttime assault, Rangers executed parachute drops to seize Torrijos-Tocumen International Airport, cut off enemy escape routes, and capture key terrain before conventional units could arrive. The operation demonstrated how the Rangers could serve as the leading edge of American force projection: fast, disciplined, and deadly.

But it was the events of the 1990s that truly forged the Regiment’s modern identity.

In 1993, elements of the 3rd Battalion deployed to Somalia as part of Task Force Ranger, a joint special operations force hunting Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The ensuing battle, immortalized in the book and movie Black Hawk Down, was a brutal, close-quarters urban fight that exposed the dangers of piecemeal deployments and inadequate support.

Nineteen American servicemen were killed, including several Rangers. Dozens more were wounded. But the Regiment fought with courage and cohesion, rescuing downed crews, evacuating the wounded, and maintaining unit integrity under fire. Though the operation was politically controversial, the battle highlighted the Rangers' unshakable commitment to one another and to mission completion.

As the global landscape shifted in the late 1990s and early 2000s, so too did the Ranger mission. The attacks on September 11, 2001, triggered a massive expansion of special operations. The Rangers found themselves at the forefront of a new kind of war.

In Afghanistan, Rangers were among the first U.S. boots on the ground. During Operation Rhino in October 2001, they executed a daring nighttime air assault on an airfield near Kandahar, striking Taliban forces and establishing a forward operating base for follow-on operations. The raid was fast, surgical, and violent, everything the Regiment had trained for.

In the years that followed, Rangers would conduct thousands of night raids, often in coordination with Delta Force, SEALs, and CIA paramilitary officers. They targeted insurgent leadership, destroyed weapons caches, and captured or killed high-value targets. Their ability to rapidly insert, overwhelm enemy positions, and exfiltrate without leaving a trace became one of the most lethal tools in America’s counterterrorism arsenal.

The Regiment was also pivotal in Iraq. In 2003, they seized Objective Serpent during the opening stages of the invasion. Over the next decade, they operated in Mosul, Baghdad, and beyond, often hitting multiple targets in a single night. These were not just raids—they were the connective tissue of an intelligence-driven campaign to dismantle insurgent networks piece by piece.

As combat operations continued, the Regiment grew and adapted.

The 75th Ranger Regiment now consists of:

- 1st Battalion (Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia)

- 2nd Battalion (Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington)

- 3rd Battalion (Fort Benning, Georgia)

- Regimental Special Troops Battalion (Fort Benning, Georgia)

- Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion (Fort Benning, Georgia)

Each battalion is capable of deploying on short notice, conducting complex joint operations, and integrating seamlessly with other special operations elements. Rangers train constantly—both at home stations and in theaters of war. Their training pipeline includes the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP), advanced marksmanship, breaching, combat medicine, language instruction, and cultural awareness.

But the Regiment is not just about tactics. It is about culture.

The Ranger Creed is memorized, lived, and enforced. The standard is uncompromising. Weakness is not tolerated. Mutual respect is mandatory. It is a culture where leadership is earned, where every man is expected to be both a follower and a commander. It is why Rangers move with confidence. It is why they fight as if their lives, and the lives of their fellow Rangers, depend on it. Because they often do.

Today, Rangers continue to operate globally, often in classified missions. They’ve fought in Syria, conducted hostage rescues, partnered with foreign special operations forces, and maintained readiness for crises in every corner of the globe. They remain a vital component of JSOC, embedded in the highest tiers of U.S. special operations capability.

From icy New England woodlands to the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of the Middle East, the Ranger has changed shape, but never purpose. Always light. Always fast. Always ready.

And always leading the way.


Article Author: Byron Owen - Ibex Journal Editor, MTNTOUGH Military SME

Byron Owen is a former Reconnaissance Marine with tours as both a platoon commander and commanding officer at the elite 1st Force Reconnaissance Company. He also had the honor of commanding several intelligence and cyber units to include Combat Mission Team One, Cyberspace Warfare Task Group 1, and 3d Radio Battalion. He writes about influence warfare and cyber at keyterraincyber.com, and about leadership at broadswordsix.com