View source for 75th Ranger Regiment

{{short description|Elite US Army light infantry unit}}
{{Distinguish|75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger)|75th Infantry Regiment (United States)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = 75th Ranger Regiment
| image                         = Distinctive unit insignia of the 75th Ranger Regiment.svg
| image_size                    = 125px
| caption                       = 75th Ranger Regiment's [[distinctive unit insignia]]
| nickname                      = [[United States Army Rangers|Army Rangers]]<br />Airborne Rangers
| size                          = 3,623 personnel authorized:<ref>{{Cite report |url=http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/671462.pdf |title=SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES Opportunities Exist to Improve Transparency of Funding and Assess Potential to Lessen Some Deployments. GAO-15-571 |date=July 2015 |publisher=[[Government Accountability Office]] |access-date=2 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322065309/http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/671462.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*3,566 military personnel
*57 civilian personnel
| motto                         = ''Sua Sponte'' ("Of their own accord")<br />''Rangers Lead the Way''
| colors                        = {{legend2|#9F885F|Tan|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
| colors_label                  = Color of [[Beret]]
| march                         = 
| ceremonial_chief              = 
| type                          = [[Rapid reaction force]], [[Special operations force]]
| country                       = {{flagu|United States|name=United States of America|size=23px}}
| branch                        = {{army|United States|size=23px}}
| dates                         = 1984–present<br />1942–present (1st Battalion)<br />2006–present (Regimental Special Troops Battalion)
| command_structure             = [[File:United States Army Special Operations Command DUI.png|25px]] [[United States Army Special Operations Command|U.S. Army Special Operations Command]]<br />[[File:United States Special Operations Command Insignia.svg|24px]] [[United States Special Operations Command]]<ref name="USSOCOMfactbook2017">{{Cite web |date=2017 |title=USSOCOM Fact Book – 2017 |url=https://www.socom.mil/FactBook/2017%20Fact%20Book.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427141656/http://www.socom.mil/FactBook/2017%20Fact%20Book.pdf |archive-date=27 April 2017 |access-date=27 March 2017 |publisher=[[United States Special Operations Command|USSOCOM]] |pages=19–20}}</ref>
| role                          = [[Special operations]]
| challenge                     = 
| identification_symbol         = [[File:Coat of arms of the United States Army 75th Infantry Regiment.png|100px|center]]
| identification_symbol_label   = [[Coats of arms of U.S. Army units|Regimental coat of arms]]
| response                      = 
| website                       = {{URL|https://www.soc.mil/rangers/75thrr.html}}
| current_commander             = Colonel Kitefre Oboho
| command_sergeant_major        = Command Sergeant Major Chris Masters
| garrison                      = [[Fort Benning]], Georgia
| garrison_label                = Headquarters
| battles                       = {{Tree list}}
* '''[[World War II]]'''
** [[Western Front (World War II)|Western Front]]
** [[North African campaign]]
** [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian campaign]]
** [[Operation Overlord]]
** [[Battle of Pointe du Hoc|Pointe du Hoc]]
** [[Battle for Brest]]
** [[Battle of Hürtgen Forest]]
** [[Philippines campaign (1944–1945)|Philippines campaign]]
** [[Burma campaign]]
* '''[[Cold War]]'''
** [[Korean War]]
** [[Vietnam War]]
** [[Invasion of Grenada]]
* '''[[War on Drugs]]'''
** [[Invasion of Panama]]
* '''[[Persian Gulf War|Gulf War]]'''
* '''[[Somali Civil War]]'''
** [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]]
* '''[[Kosovo War]]'''
* '''[[War on Terror]]'''
** [[Operation Enduring Freedom]]
** [[Iraq War]]
** [[War in North-West Pakistan]]
** [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)#Post ISAF phase|Operation Freedom's Sentinel]]
** [[Operation Inherent Resolve]]
* Notable operations:
** [[Operation Rutter]]
** [[Operation Torch]]
** [[Operation Husky]]
** [[Operation Overlord|Pointe du Hoc]]
** [[Raid at Cabanatuan]]
** [[Operation Delaware|Battle of Signal Hill Vietnam]]
** [[Operation Eagle Claw]]
** [[Operation Gothic Serpent]]
** [[Operation Enduring Freedom]]
** [[Operation Rhino]]
** [[Operation Anaconda]]
** [[Operation Kayla Mueller]]
{{tree list/end}}
| notable_commanders            = 
| anniversaries                 = 
| identification_symbol_2       = [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Regiment or Group.svg|100px]]<br />[[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Infantry - Airborne Ranger (NATO APP-6A).svg|100px]]
| identification_symbol_2_label = [[NATO Joint Military Symbology|NATO Map Symbol]]<br />(1998)
| identification_symbol_3       = [[File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Regiment or Group.svg|100px]]<br />[[File:Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Infantry - Rangers - Airborne (NATO APP-6D).svg|100px]]
| identification_symbol_3_label = [[NATO Joint Military Symbology|NATO Map Symbol]]<br />(2017)
}}
{{Military unit sidebar
 | title = U.S. Infantry Regiments
 | previous = [[74th Infantry Regiment (United States)|74th Infantry Regiment]]
 | next =[[85th Infantry Regiment (United States)|85th Infantry Regiment]]
}}

The '''75th Ranger Regiment''', also known as the '''[[United States Army Rangers|Army Rangers]]''',<ref name="RelentStrike">{{Cite book |last=Naylor |first=Sean |url=https://archive.org/details/relentlessstrike0000nayl |title=Relentless Strike : The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command |date=2015 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |isbn=978-1-250-01454-2 |edition=1st |location=New York |chapter=Chapter 4 |oclc=908554550 |author-link=Sean Naylor}}</ref> is the [[United States Army Special Operations Command]]'s premier light infantry and direct-action raid force.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.moore.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2016/JAN-MAR/pdf/11)%20Kingsley_75th_txt.pdf
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306190540/https://www.moore.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2016/JAN-MAR/pdf/11)%20Kingsley_75th_txt.pdf
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=6 March 2024
|title=The 75th Ranger Regiment Post-OEF: Adapting Training and TTPs Following 13 Years of War |first=MSG MARCUS |last=BRANCH |first2=CPT CHRISTOPHER |last2=GREER |first3=CPT JONATHAN |last3=KINGSLEY |first4=MAJ VINCENT |last4=KUCHAR |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref> The 75th Ranger Regiment is also part of [[Joint Special Operations Command]] via the [[Regimental Reconnaissance Company]] (RRC).<ref name="USSOCOMfactbook2017" /><ref name="SOFRef2015">{{Cite book |url=http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA625223 |title=Special Operations Forces Reference Manual |date=June 2015 |publisher=[[Joint Special Operations University]] |isbn=9781933749914 |edition=Fourth |location=MacDill AFB, Florida |pages=78–82 |access-date=27 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328022106/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA625223 |archive-date=28 March 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[U.S. Army Regimental System|regiment]] is headquartered at [[Fort Benning]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]],<ref>[https://www.army.mil/Ranger/ army.mil]</ref> and comprises a regimental headquarters company, a [[Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion|military intelligence battalion]], a [[Special Troops Battalion|special troops battalion]], and three Ranger battalions.

The 75th Ranger Regiment primarily handles direct-action raids in hostile or sensitive environments, often killing or capturing [[high-value target]]s. Other missions include airfield seizure, special reconnaissance, personnel recovery, clandestine insertion, and [[site exploitation]].<ref name="SOFRef2015" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Mission – 75th Ranger Regiment|url=http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/mission.html|website=GoArmy|access-date=27 March 2017|date=23 July 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212151816/http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/mission.html|archive-date=12 February 2017}}</ref> The regiment can deploy one Ranger battalion within 18 hours of alert notification.<ref name="SOFRef2015" />

The 75th Ranger Regiment is one of the U.S. military's most extensively used units. On December 17, 2020, it marked 7,000 consecutive days of combat operations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Atlamazoglou |first=Stavros |date=23 December 2020 |title=ARMY RANGERS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED TO COMBAT FOR 7,000 DAYS STRAIGHT |url=https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/army-rangers-have-been-deployed-to-combat-for-7000-days-straight/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001170739/https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/army-rangers-have-been-deployed-to-combat-for-7000-days-straight/ |archive-date=1 October 2022 |website=Sandboxx}}</ref>

==History==
===Origin===
{{Main|United States Army Rangers}}
American Ranger history predates the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Captain [[Benjamin Church (ranger)|Benjamin Church]] formed Church's Rangers, which fought hostile Native American tribes during [[King Philip's War]].<ref name="church-rhof">{{cite web|url=https://www.benning.army.mil/rtb/hall_of_fame/halloffame_inaugural/captain_church.htm |title=Biography of Captain Church |work=Ranger Hall of Fame |publisher=United States Army |quote=Church commanded an independent Ranger company during King Philip's War (1675–1678) on the New England frontier where they conducted highly successful combat operations against Indians. Church's men were the first Rangers successful in raiding the Indians' hiding places within the forests and swamps. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408033641/http://www.benning.army.mil/rtb/Hall_of_Fame/Halloffame_inaugural/captain_church.htm |archive-date=8 April 2005  }}</ref> In 1756, [[Robert Rogers (soldier)|Robert Rogers]] recruited nine Ranger companies to fight in the [[French and Indian War]]. They were known as "[[Rogers' Rangers]]". The 75th Regiment's history dates back to these rifle companies organized by Rogers, which made long-range attacks against French forces and their [[Native Americans in the United States|native]] allies, and were instrumental in capturing [[Fort Detroit]].<ref name="ranger heritage">{{cite web |title=History & Heritage |url=https://www.army.mil/ranger/heritage.html |website=Army.mil |access-date=12 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712103540/https://www.army.mil/ranger/heritage.html |archive-date=12 July 2011}}</ref>

During the American Revolutionary War, Rogers served as a Loyalist officer on the side of the Crown and many of his former Rangers served on both sides. One, [[John Stark]], commanded the [[1st New Hampshire Regiment]], which gained fame at the [[Battle of Bunker Hill|Battles of Bunker Hill]] and [[Battle of Bennington|Bennington]].<ref name="patrolling 2015-2">{{Cite magazine |last=Ankony |first=Robert |date=Summer 2015 |title=They Saw Us First |url=https://www.75thrra.org/patrolling/2015_2.pdf |magazine=Patrolling |publisher=75th Ranger Regiment Association, Inc. |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=2, 43–48 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011035306/https://www.75thrra.org/patrolling/2015_2.pdf |archive-date=11 October 2022}}</ref><ref name="ranger handbook">{{Cite book |last=Ranger Training Brigade |url=https://www.milsci.ucsb.edu/sites/secure.lsit.ucsb.edu.mili.d7/files/sitefiles/resources/Ranger%20Handbook.pdf |title=Ranger Handbook SH 21-76 |date=February 2011 |publisher=[[Ranger School|US Army Ranger School]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003175613/https://www.milsci.ucsb.edu/sites/secure.lsit.ucsb.edu.mili.d7/files/sitefiles/resources/Ranger%20Handbook.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2022}}</ref>  [[Ethan Allen]] and his [[Green Mountain Boys]] in [[Vermont]] were also designated as a ranger unit. In 1775, the [[Continental Congress]] later formed eight companies of expert riflemen to fight in the Revolutionary War. In 1777, this force commanded by [[Daniel Morgan]], was known as The Corps of Rangers. [[Francis Marion]], "The Swamp Fox", organized another famous Revolutionary War Ranger element known as "Marion's Partisans".<ref name="ranger handbook"/> Perhaps the most famous Ranger unit in the Revolutionary War was [[Butler's Rangers]], from [[upstate New York]].

During the [[War of 1812]], [[United States Rangers in 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 [[Equestrianism|horseback]] and by boat. Rangers participated in many skirmishes and battles with the British and their [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] allies. Various military Ranger units such as the [[United States Mounted Rangers]], [[United States Rangers in the War of 1812|United States Rangers]], [[Loudoun Rangers]], [[43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion|43rd Virginia Rangers]], and [[Texas Military Forces#Texas Rangers|Texas Military Rangers]] continued until the modern formation of the Army Ranger Battalions in [[World War II]].

===World War II battalions===

====1st Ranger Battalion====
Soon after the United States entered [[World War II]] in 1941, [[General (United States)|General]] [[George Marshall|George C. Marshall]], [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army]], envisioned an elite unit of fifty men selected voluntarily from the [[34th Infantry Division (United States)|34th Infantry Division]].<ref name="arsof formation">{{Cite magazine |last1=Finlayson |first1=Kenneth |last2=Jones Jr. |first2=Robert W. |date=2006 |title=Rangers in World War II: Part I—The Formation and Early Days |url=https://arsof-history.org/articles/pdf/v2n3_rangers_wwii.pdf |magazine=Veritas |publisher=[[United States Army Special Operations Command|USASOC]] |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=64–70 |issn=1553-9830 |id=PB 31-05-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820201137/https://arsof-history.org/articles/pdf/v2n3_rangers_wwii.pdf |archive-date=20 August 2021 |access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> To create and lead this new unit, Marshall picked [[Major (United States)|Major]] [[William Orlando Darby]], who was serving as General [[Russell P. Hartle]]'s aide in [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]], where he was frustrated with his lack of hands-on experience. On 8 June 1942, Darby—now known as the founder of the modern Rangers—was put in charge of the [[1st Ranger Battalion]] under General Hartle.<ref name="defense media net">{{cite web |last1=Zimmerman |first1=Dwight Jon |title=Col. William O. Darby The Ranger Who Led the Way |url=https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/col-william-o-darby-the-ranger-who-led-the-way/ |website=Defense Media Network |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922122151/https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/col-william-o-darby-the-ranger-who-led-the-way/ |archive-date=22 September 2021 |date=29 September 2016}}</ref>

On 19 August 1942, fifty Rangers fought alongside [[Canadian Army|Canadian]] and [[British Commandos]] in the ill-fated [[Dieppe Raid]] on the coast of occupied France. Three Rangers were killed and several were captured. The first American soldier killed in Europe in World War II, Ranger Lieutenant E. V. Loustalot, was part of this raid. During the mission, Loustalot took command after the British captain leading the assault was killed. While attempting to reach a machine gun nest at the top of a cliff, he was wounded three times by enemy fire and killed.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=S&D |date=Fall 2004 |title=The 1st Ranger Battalion |url=https://www.75thrra.org/patrolling/2004_2.pdf |magazine=Patrolling |publisher=75th Ranger Regiment Association, Inc. |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=61–62 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011033407/https://www.75thrra.org/patrolling/2004_2.pdf |archive-date=11 October 2022}}</ref>

In November 1942, the entire 1st Ranger Battalion entered combat for the first time when they landed at [[Arzew]], Algeria during [[Operation Torch]]. The 1st were split into two groups in hopes of assaulting [[Armistice Army|Vichy-French]] batteries and fortifications before the [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]] would land on the beach. The operation was successful, and the unit sustained minimal casualties.<ref name="arsof formation"/>

On 11 February 1943, the Rangers moved {{convert|32|mi|km}} to raid an Italian encampment at Sened Station. Moving at night, the Rangers slipped to within {{convert|50|yd|m}} of the Italian outpost and began their attack. It took the battalion only 20&nbsp;minutes to overtake the garrison and achieve their objective. Seventy-five Italians were killed and eleven were taken prisoner.<ref name="arsof formation"/> Darby, along with four other officers and nine enlisted, was awarded the Silver Star Medal for this action.<ref name="mir b wwii">{{cite web |last1=Bahmanyar |first1=Mir |title=Darby's Rangers |url=https://www.mirbahmanyar.com/world-war-ii |website=MirBahmanyar |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011053641/https://www.mirbahmanyar.com/world-war-ii |archive-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> The battalion itself gained the nickname the "Black Death" by the Italians.<ref name="defense media net"/>

At the time, the Italians still held the pass at Djebel El Ank, located at the far east edge of [[El Guettar, Algeria|El Guettar]]. The Rangers linked up with engineers elements of the [[26th Infantry Regiment (United States)|26th Infantry]], 1st Infantry Division, to attack the area in preparation for the [[Battle of El Guettar]]. The 1st Rangers orders were to move overland, on foot {{convert|12|mi|km}} to outflank the enemy's position. In eight hours of fighting, the Americans captured the objective; the 1st Rangers took 200 prisoners.<ref name="hogan wwii">{{Cite book |last=Hogan Jr. |first=David W. |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/070/70-42/CMH_Pub_70-42.pdf |title=US Army Special Operations In World War II CMH 70-42 |date=1992 |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |oclc=22909690 |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728043714/https://history.army.mil/html/books/070/70-42/CMH_Pub_70-42.pdf |archive-date=28 July 2022}}</ref>

====Creation of 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions====
With the success of the 1st Ranger Battalion during the [[Tunisian campaign]], Darby requested that the Rangers be expanded to a full Regiment. The request was granted. The 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions were authorized shortly after and were trained and led by veteran officers and NCOs from the 1st Battalion.<ref name="arsof formation"/>  After getting the "green light" to expand, 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 encourage his officers to scout around for eligible candidates. By June 1943, the three Ranger battalions were fully operational. 1st Rangers were still under Colonel Darby; the [[3rd Ranger Battalion|3rd Rangers]] under Major Herman Dammer, and the [[4th Ranger Battalion|4th Rangers]] commanded by Major Roy Murray.<ref name="arsof formation"/><ref name="defense media net"/>

1st and 4th Ranger Battalions were paired together and placed with General [[Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr.|Terry Allen]]'s 1st Division to spearhead the American landings of the [[Allied invasion of Sicily|Sicily campaign]]. Landing outside [[Gela]], the Rangers took the town just after midnight, starting off the [[Battle of Gela (1943)|Battle of Gela]]. They held Gela, enduring 50 hours of constant attack by enemy artillery, tank, and air forces.<ref name="hogan wwii"/>{{sfn|Garland|Smyth|1965}}

Following their success, the two Ranger battalions were then ordered to take the town of [[Butera]], a fortress suspended on the {{convert|1319|ft|m|adj=on}} high edge of the cliff at Butera beach. After almost withdrawing from the battle, and requesting artillery to level the city, a platoon of Rangers volunteered to breach its defenses. Two privates, John See and John Constantine, sneaked in behind enemy lines and tricked the Italians and Germans into surrendering the city.<ref name="rob black darby">{{cite book |last1=Black |first1=Robert W. |title=The Ranger Force : Darby's Rangers in World War II. |date=2009 |publisher=[[Stackpole Books]] |isbn=9780811743839 |pages=146–154 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UMS3DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT203}}</ref>

Meanwhile, the 3rd Ranger Battalion headed out into the area of [[Agrigento]], where they marched through Campobello, Naro, and Favara, successfully occupying each town. The 3rd then took the town of [[Porto Empedocle]].{{sfn|Garland|Smyth|1965|p=226-230}}

Colonel Darby was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]] and was promoted by General [[George S. Patton|George Patton]]; however, Darby, wanting to be closer to his men, turned down this promotion.<ref name="defense media net"/>

====Fall of 1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions====
{{Main|Battle of Cisterna}}
After a break for Christmas 1943, the Rangers were put together for a joint effort to occupy the town of [[Cisterna di Latina|Cisterna]] before the main infantry division moved in. On the night of 30 January 1944, the 1st and 3rd battalions moved into the town, passing many German soldiers who did not appear to notice the Rangers slip by.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://specialoperationshistory.info/omeka/items/show/71 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702112058/http://specialoperationshistory.info/omeka/items/show/71 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 July 2013 |title=Interview with Private Harry Perlmutter, Part I |publisher=Special Operations History Foundation |access-date=19 July 2013 }}</ref> The 4th Ranger Battalion, which approached the town from the opposite end, met opposition almost immediately on the road. During the night, the 1st and 3rd Ranger battalions separated by about {{convert|2|mi|km}}, and when daylight caught the 1st Ranger Battalion out in an open field, the Germans began their ambush. Surrounded and unable to escape, the two Ranger battalions fought on until they exhausted their ammunition and resources. The 4th Ranger Battalion pushed to save their comrades but were forced to withdraw. After five hours of fighting, the Rangers surrendered to the German armor and mechanized infantry. The two battalions sustained 12 killed, 36 wounded, and 743 captured—only eight were able to escape. The 4th Battalion suffered 30 killed and 58 wounded.<ref name="arsof wwii p2">{{Cite magazine |last1=Finlayson |first1=Kenneth |last2=Jones Jr. |first2=Robert W. |date=2007 |title=RANGERS IN WORLD WAR II Part II, Sicily and Italy |url=https://arsof-history.org/articles/v3n1_rangers_wwii_page_1.html |magazine=Veritas |publisher=[[United States Army Special Operations Command|USASOC]] |volume=3 |issue=1 |issn=1553-9830  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024125418/https://arsof-history.org/articles/v3n1_rangers_wwii_page_1.html |archive-date=24 October 2020 |access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref>

This marked the end of the three Ranger battalions. The remaining 400 Rangers were scattered around the [[504th Infantry Regiment (United States)|504th Parachute Infantry Regiment]], and the 137 original Rangers were sent home.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} 1st and 3rd Battalions were disbanded on 15 August 1944 while 4th Battalion was disbanded on 24 October 1944 at Camp Butner, North Carolina.<ref name="75rr lineage"/>

====2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions====
[[File:Rangers-pointe-du-hoc.jpg|thumb|upright|[[2nd Ranger Battalion]] troops use rope ladders to scale [[Pointe du Hoc]].]]

The [[2nd Ranger Battalion]] and [[5th Ranger Battalion]] were trained at [[Camp Forrest]], Tennessee, on 1 April 1943. They 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 155&nbsp;mm artillery cannons aimed down at the beach.<ref name="Lehman 1946, p28-52">{{Cite magazine |last=Lehman |first=Milton |date=15 June 1946 |title=The Rangers Fought Ahead of Everybody |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_saturday-evening-post_1946-06-15_218_50/page/28/mode/2up |magazine=[[The Saturday Evening Post]] |volume=218 |issue=50 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/sim_saturday-evening-post_1946-06-15_218_50/page/28/mode/2up 28-29], [https://archive.org/details/sim_saturday-evening-post_1946-06-15_218_50/page/44/mode/2up 45], [https://archive.org/details/sim_saturday-evening-post_1946-06-15_218_50/page/48/mode/2up 48], [https://archive.org/details/sim_saturday-evening-post_1946-06-15_218_50/page/50/mode/2up 50], [https://archive.org/details/sim_saturday-evening-post_1946-06-15_218_50/page/52/mode/2up 52]}}</ref> Once they arrived at the bottom of the cliff, they had an enormous climb to make up rope ladders while receiving a barrage of machinegun fire from the Germans above. The 2nd Rangers took the area even with the intense German resistance but the guns were not in sight. A patrol scouting the area found the 155&nbsp;mm coastal guns a mile away; the patrol party quickly disabled the guns and resistance in the area. In an interview, Leonard Lomell and Jack Kuhn explained the events that took place that day:

{{blockquote|"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."<ref>{{Cite interview |last=Lomell |first=Leonard  |title=D-DAY: INTERVIEW WITH TWO U.S. 2ND RANGER BATTALION MEMBERS WHO DESCRIBE THE ATTACK AT POINTE-DU-HOC |last2=Kuhn |first2=Jack |interviewer-last1=Frederick |interviewer-first1=Michael |interviewer-last2=Masci |interviewer-first2=Joseph F. |url=https://www.historynet.com/d-day-interview-with-two-us-2nd-ranger-battalion-members-who-describe-the-attack-at-pointe-du-hoc/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607094508/https://www.historynet.com/d-day-interview-with-two-us-2nd-ranger-battalion-members-who-describe-the-attack-at-pointe-du-hoc/ |archive-date=7 June 2022 |date=12 June 2006 |via=[[World History Group|History.net]]}}<!--previous recording of this citation listed as "Frederick, Michael & Masci, Joseph, May 2000, "Ranger take Point", World War II, Vol. 15 Issue 1, p. 50, Retrieved from Academic Search complete" but unable to verify--></ref>}}

Meanwhile, the rest of the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions spearheaded the attack on the [[Omaha Beach|beach at Omaha]]. An apocryphal story tells of when General [[Norman Cota]], leading the [[29th Infantry Division (United States)|29th Infantry Division]], met with Major Max F. Schneider, commanding the 5th Ranger Battalion. When Schneider was asked his unit by Cota, someone yelled out "5th Rangers!", to which Cota replied, "Well then Goddammit, Rangers, lead the way!" This drive cut the German line allowing the conventional army to move in. The phrase "Rangers lead the way" later became the motto of the regiment.<ref name="caraccilo">{{cite book |last1=Caraccilo |first1=Dominic J. |title=Forging a Special Operations Force : the US Army Rangers |date=2015 |publisher=Helion & Company |location=Solihull, West Midlands |isbn=978-1-910777-36-7 |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sv4sDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28}}</ref><ref name="hogan wwii"/><ref name="cota quote">{{cite web |title=2014 Ammunition Hall of Fame Inductee MAJOR GENERAL (RET.) JOHN C. RAAEN, JR. |url=https://www.jmc.army.mil/Docs/History/2014%20AHOF%20Inductee%20-%20Raaen.pdf |website=[[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809051437/https://www.jmc.army.mil/Docs/History/2014%20AHOF%20Inductee%20-%20Raaen.pdf |archive-date=9 August 2022 |date=2014}}</ref>
The 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions worked on special operation tasks in the Normandy Campaign. The two battalions fought in many battles such as [[Battle for Brest]] and the [[Battle of the Hurtgen Forest]]. The 2nd Rangers were responsible for capturing [[Le Conquet]] Peninsula, where they disabled a 280&nbsp;mm gun and took many German prisoners.<ref name="mir b wwii"/> The 2nd Ranger Battalion also went on to take several tactical German positions, cutting the German line in the [[Rhineland]]. In Saar west of Zerf, the 5th Battalion took an overlooking German position cutting of all supply routes to German forces.<ref name="arsof 5th bn">{{Cite magazine |last=Jones Jr. |first=Robert W. |date=2009 |title=FROM OMAHA BEACH TO THE RHINE The 5th Ranger Battalion in the European Theater |url=https://arsof-history.org/articles/pdf/v5n2_from_omaha_to_rhine.pdf |magazine=Veritas |publisher=[[United States Army Special Operations Command|USASOC]] |volume=5 |issue=2 |issn=1553-9830 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606142053/https://arsof-history.org/articles/pdf/v5n2_from_omaha_to_rhine.pdf |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref>

====6th Ranger Battalion====
The [[6th Ranger Battalion]] was stationed in the Pacific, and served mostly in the Philippines and New Guinea. All operations completed by the 6th Battalion were done in company- or platoon-size behind enemy lines. They were the first soldiers to hit the Philippines, three days before the army would launch the first invasion. The 6th Ranger Battalion conducted long-range reconnaissance, operating miles past the front line.<ref name="hogan wwii"/>

At [[Cabanatuan]], on the island of [[Luzon]] in January 1945, a company of the 6th Ranger Battalion executed the [[Raid at Cabanatuan]]. The Rangers penetrated {{convert|22-24|mi}} behind enemy lines, including crawling a mile ({{convert|1|mi}}) 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 [[POW]]s.<ref name="hogan wwii"/><ref name="arsof 6th bn">{{Cite magazine |last=Krivdo |first=Michael E.  |date=2018 |title=RESCUE AT CABANATUAN |url=https://arsof-history.org/articles/pdf/v14n2_cabanatuan.pdf |magazine=Veritas |publisher=[[United States Army Special Operations Command|USASOC]] |volume=14 |issue=2 |issn=1553-9830 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130213849/https://arsof-history.org/articles/pdf/v14n2_cabanatuan.pdf |archive-date=30 January 2022 |access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref>

The 6th Ranger Battalion's final mission was to secure a drop zone for [[11th Airborne Division (United States)|11th Airborne Division]] paratroopers {{convert|250|mi}} into enemy territory. They linked up with the [[37th Infantry Division (United States)|37th Infantry Division]] and ended the war in the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwiirangers.com/History/History/Battalion%20Pages/sixth.htm |title=The 6th Ranger Battalion |last=Strausbaugh |first=Leo V. |publisher=Descendants of World War II Rangers |access-date=15 February 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151229093631/http://www.wwiirangers.com/History/History/Battalion%20Pages/sixth.htm |archive-date=29 December 2015 }}</ref>

===Merrill's Marauders===
{{main|Merrill's Marauders}}
[[File:Merrills Marauders.svg|right|thumb|150px|Marauders badge]]
In August 1944, after five months of fighting in [[China Burma India Theater]] with the Japanese Army, [[Merrill's Marauders]] (5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)) were consolidated into then 475th Infantry, afterwards the 75th Infantry Regiment.<ref name="75rr lineage"/> As a special force group led by Brigadier General [[Frank Merrill]], to commemorate its companion [[Chinese Expeditionary Force (Burma)]], Merrill's Marauders put the sun from the [[National emblem of the Republic of China]] and the Star from [[Flag of Myanmar|Burma's flag]] on its badge. The lightning bolt signifies the swiftness of their strikes.<ref name="merrill's icon">{{cite web |title=Unit History 75TH RANGER REGIMENT |url=https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/petry/history.html |website=Army.mil |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324142547/https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/petry/history.html |archive-date=24 March 2021}}</ref> Merrill's Marauders would later become part of the regiment's lineage.<ref name="75rr lineage"/>

===Korean War===
{{main|Korean War Ranger Companies}}
The outbreak of hostilities in Korea in June 1950 again signaled the need for Rangers. Fifteen Ranger companies were formed during the Korean War, drawing their lineages from the World War II era Ranger battalions.<ref name="75rr lineage"/> The Rangers went to battle throughout the winter of 1950 and the spring of 1951. They were nomadic warriors, attached first to one Regiment and then to another. They performed "out front" work—scouting, patrolling, raids, ambushes, spearheading assaults, and as counterattack forces to regain lost positions.<ref name="Heritage">{{cite book |publisher=GoArmy.com |title=75th Ranger Regiment Heritage |url=http://www.goarmy.com/Ranger/heritage.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511131510/http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/heritage.html |archive-date=11 May 2017  }}</ref> In all six airborne Ranger companies, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th, averaging 125 soldiers in each company served during the conflict. Two other companies, the 10th and 11th, were scheduled for Korea but were deactivated in Japan.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stanton |first=Shelby L. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/28093451 |title=Rangers at War : Combat Recon in Vietnam |date=1993 |publisher=[[Ivy Press|Ivy Books]] |isbn=978-0-8041-0875-1 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=8–9 |oclc=28093451}}</ref> During the course of the Korean War, 100 Rangers were killed in action and 296 were wounded in action.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Black |first=Robert W. |date=Jun-Jul 2010 |title=Rangers in Korea |url=http://digitaledition.qwinc.com/publication/?i=37952&article_id=391224&view=articleBrowser |magazine=VFW [magazine] |publisher=[[Veterans of Foreign Wars|VFW]] |pages=42–43 |issn=0161-8598 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221011172632/http://digitaledition.qwinc.com/publication/?i=37952&article_id=391224&view=articleBrowser |archive-date=11 October 2022}}</ref>

===Vietnam War===
{{Main|75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger)}}
[[File:Doug on Radio2.png|left|thumb|1st Cav Rangers making commo check prior to patrol, 12 February 1968.]] 
The history of [[Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol]] (LRRP—pronounced "Lurp"), LRP, and Ranger units deployed during the [[Cold War]] in Europe and Vietnam is based on three time periods: 1) LRRP from late 1965 to 20 December 1967; 2) LRP from late December 1967 through January 1969; and 3) Ranger from 1 February 1969 to 1972 when the [[Vietnam War]] drew down and the U.S. Vietnam Ranger units were deactivated.<ref name="ranger diary"/> Despite sharing a similar name, these Ranger units under the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) drew their lineages not from the World War II/Korean War era Ranger battalions but from [[Merrill's Marauders|5307 Composite Unit]], also known as Merrill's Marauders.<ref name="75rr lineage"/> In 1974, their colors and lineage were passed to newly formed Ranger Battalions based in the United States.<ref name="ranger diary">{{Cite book |last=Ankony |first=Robert C. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/266915908 |title=LURPS: A Ranger's Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri |date=2009 |publisher=Hamilton Books |isbn=978-0761843726 |edition=Revised |location=Lanham, MD |oclc=266915908}}</ref>

The first period above began in Vietnam in November 1966 with the creation of a provisional LRRP Detachment by the [[1st Cavalry Division (United States)|1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)]]; followed by the 1st Brigade, [[101st Airborne Division]]; the [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]]; and the [[25th Infantry Division (United States)|25th Infantry Division]] in June 1966. General [[William Westmoreland|William C. Westmoreland]], commander of [[Military Assistance Command, Vietnam]] (MACV), ordered the creation of provisional LRRPs in all Infantry brigades and divisions on 8 July 1966. By the winter of 1966 the [[4th Infantry Division (United States)|4th]] and [[9th Infantry Division (United States)|9th Infantry Divisions]] had operational LRRP units, and in January 1967 the [[196th Infantry Brigade (United States)|196th Light Infantry Brigade]] had the same. The 101st Airborne Division "main body," while still at [[Fort Campbell]], Kentucky, converted its divisional Recondo School into a provisional LRRP unit in the summer of 1967, before the division deployed to Vietnam. This provisional company arrived in Vietnam in late November 1967.<ref name="Gebhart">{{Cite book |last=Gebhardt |first=James F. |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA446131.pdf |title=Eyes Behind the Lines: US Army Long-Range Reconnaissance and Surveillance Units |publisher=Combat Studies Institute Press, Army University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4289-1633-3 |pages=45–110 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011173323/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA446131.pdf |archive-date=11 October 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Two 1st Cav LRP teams.jpg|right|thumb|Two 1st Cav LRP Ranger teams in Quang Tri, Vietnam, 26 July 1968.]]
The second period began in late June 1967, when the [[chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]], General [[Earle Wheeler|Earle G. Wheeler]], authorized the formation of two long-range patrol companies for [[I Field Force, Vietnam|I]] and [[II Field Force, Vietnam|II Field Forces]]. Company E (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol), [[20th Infantry Regiment (United States)|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 Regiment (United States)|51st Infantry (Airborne)]] was activated on 25 September 1967 and assigned to II Field Force stationed at [[Biên Hòa|Bien Hoa]]. Its nucleus came from the LRRP platoon of the [[173rd Airborne Brigade|173d Airborne Brigade]], along with soldiers from the replacement stream. Each of the two Field Force LRP companies had a strength of 230 men, and was commanded by a major.<ref name="Gebhart" /> In an apparent response to division commanders' tactical requirements, and bolstered by the combat effectiveness of the provisional LRRP units, in the winter of 1967 the Army authorized separate company designations for Long Range Patrol (LRP) 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 LRP units occurred on 20 December 1967 in the 1st Cavalry, 1st Infantry, 4th Infantry, 9th Infantry, [[Americal Division|23d (Americal)]], and 25th Infantry Divisions. LRP detachments were created in the [[199th Infantry Brigade (United States)|199th Light Infantry Brigade]] on 10 January 1968, in the 173d Airborne Brigade on 5 February 1968, and in the 3d Brigade [[82nd Airborne Division|82d Airborne Division]] and 1st Brigade [[5th Infantry Division (United States)|5th Mechanized Division]] on 15 December 1968.<ref name="Gebhart" />

On 1 February 1969, the final period of the existence of these units began when the Department of the Army redesignated the LRP companies and detachments as lettered Ranger companies of the 75th Infantry Regiment under the [[U.S. Army Combat Arms Regimental System|Combined Arms Regimental System (CARS)]]. The "re-flagged" Ranger companies were: "A" [[V Corps (United States)|V Corps]] Rangers, Fort Hood, Texas; "B" [[VII Corps (United States)|VII Corps]] Rangers, Fort Lewis, Washington; "C" I Field Forces, Vietnam; "D" II Field Forces, Vietnam; "E" 9th Infantry Division, Vietnam; F 25th Infantry Division, Vietnam; "G" 23rd Infantry Division, Vietnam; "H" 1st Cavalry Division, Vietnam; "I" 1st Infantry Division, Vietnam; "K" 4th Infantry Division, Vietnam; "L" 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam; "M" 199th Light Infantry Brigade, Vietnam; "N" 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vietnam; "O" 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Vietnam; "P" 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Vietnam; "D/151" [[Indiana National Guard]]; and "F/425 " [[Michigan National Guard]].<ref name="patrolling 2015-2"/> The third period ended when the Ranger companies were inactivated as their parent units were withdrawn from the war between November 1969 (starting with Company O, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division) to 15 August 1972 (ending with Company H, 1st Cavalry Division).<ref name="ranger diary"/><ref name="Gebhart" /><ref name="patrolling 2015-2"/><ref>{{Cite report |title=Long-Range Surveillance Unit Force Structure in Force XXI [thesis] |last=Meadows |first=Mark R. |date=12 October 2012 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA382623.pdf |publisher=[[United States Army Command and General Staff College|US Army Command and General Staff College]] |location=Fort Leavenworth, KS |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011035124/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA382623.pdf |archive-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> On 9 June 1972, H Company (Ranger) lost SGT Elvis Weldon Osborne Jr. and CPL Jeffrey Alan Maurer to enemy action. Three other US soldiers were killed by non-hostile action that day, but SGT Osborne and CPL Maurer were the last US Army infantrymen killed on the ground, as well as the last Rangers killed in the Vietnam War.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kolb |first=Richard K. |date=August 2012 |title=Last Days of the Infantry in Vietnam, 1972 |url=http://digitaledition.qwinc.com/publication/?i=118061&article_id=1112161&view=articleBrowser |magazine=VFW [magazine] |publisher=[[Veterans of Foreign Wars|VFW]] |pages=36–42 |issn=0161-8598 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221011181021/http://digitaledition.qwinc.com/publication/?i=118061&article_id=1112161&view=articleBrowser |archive-date=11 October 2022}}</ref>

===Post-Vietnam War===
[[File:1st 75th Ranger Regiment.jpg|thumbnail|Rangers from 1/75 during a training exercise 1989–1990 1LT Joe Yorio, CPT Jeff Jarkowsky and SSG Paul Johnson.]]
In January 1974, General [[Creighton Abrams]], Army Chief of Staff, directed the formation of a Ranger battalion. General Kenneth C. Leuer was charged with activating, organizing, training and leading the first battalion sized Ranger unit since [[World War II]]. Though the Vietnam War era Ranger companies of the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger), which drew their lineages from Merrill's Marauders, had all been deactivated (or soon would be), they passed their lineages and colors to these new battalions. The 1st Battalion, which carried its legacy from Merrill's Marauders via Company C, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) was activated and parachuted into Fort Stewart, Georgia, on 1 July 1974. The 2nd Battalion, which drew lineage from [[Company E, 52nd Infantry (LRP) (United States)|Company H, 75th Infantry (Ranger)]], followed shortly afterward with activation at [[Fort Lewis (Washington)|Fort Lewis]], Washington on 1 October 1974. The 3rd Battalion and Headquarters Company were activated and received their colors on 3 October 1984 from Company F, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) at [[Fort Benning|Fort Benning, Georgia]]. On 3 February 1986, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the 75th were consolidated with active and inactive units which carried the lineages of the World War II era: [[1st Ranger Battalion|1st]], [[2nd Ranger Battalion|2nd]], [[3rd Ranger Battalion|3rd]], [[4th Ranger Battalion|4th]], [[5th Ranger Battalion|5th]], and [[6th Ranger Battalion]]s. The regiment as a whole was concurrently redesignated as the 75th Ranger Regiment.<ref name="Heritage" /><ref name="75rr lineage"/><ref name="1st bn lineage"/><ref name="2bn lineage"/><ref name="3bn lineage"/>

The modern Ranger battalions were first called upon in 1980 when elements of 1st Ranger Battalion participated in [[Operation Eagle Claw]], the Iranian hostage-rescue mission. In October 1983, 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions spearheaded [[Operation Urgent Fury]], conducting a dangerous low-level parachute assault to seize Point Salines Airfield and rescue American citizens at True Blue Medical Campus in Grenada.<ref name="Heritage" />

The entire 75th Ranger Regiment participated in [[Operation Just Cause]], which lasted from December 1989 to January 1990. Rangers spearheaded the action by conducting two important operations. Simultaneous parachute assaults were conducted onto Torrijos/[[Tocumen International Airport]], [[Rio Hato Airfield]], and General [[Manuel Noriega]]'s beach house to neutralize [[Panamanian Defense Forces]]. The Rangers captured more than 1,014 prisoners of war and more than 18,000 weapons.<ref name="Heritage" />

Elements of Company B, and 1st Platoon Company A, 1st Ranger Battalion, deployed to Saudi Arabia from 12 February 1991 to 15 April 1991 for [[Operation Desert Storm]]. They conducted raids and provided a quick reaction force in cooperation with allied forces.<ref name="Heritage" /> In December 1991, 1/75 and the Regimental headquarters deployed to Kuwait in a show of force called Operation Iris Gold. The Rangers performed an airborne assault onto Ali Al Salem airfield, near [[Kuwait City]], conducted a {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} foot march through devastation (including mine fields) left from the ground campaign, conducted a live fire exercise, and left on foot.

In August 1993, elements of 3rd Ranger Battalion deployed to Somalia as "Task Force Ranger", part of [[Operation Gothic Serpent|Operation GOTHIC SERPENT]] designed to help [[United Nations Operation in Somalia II|United Nations forces attempting to bring order]] to the chaotic and starving nation. On 3 October 1993, the Rangers conducted a daylight raid with [[1st SFOD|Delta Force]]. They captured the high-value targets but the ensuing [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]] ended in chaos as the American forces were trapped for hours inside the city by Somalian militias, due to a series of planning and command errors, resulting in the death of 18 American soldiers. Rangers held improvised positions for nearly 18 hours, killing between 500 and 1,000 Somalis before American QRF, Pakistani, and Malaysian troops with armor rescued them and the American troops could retreat. The mission was seen as a [[pyrrhic victory]]<ref name="Heritage" />

===Regimental Reconnaissance Company===
{{main|Regimental Reconnaissance Company}}
In 1984, the 75th Ranger Regiment established a Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment (RRD). On 24 November 2000, the detachment deployed with a command-and-control element to Kosovo for [[Task Force Falcon (US)|Task Force Falcon]].<ref name="Heritage" /> By 2005, the unit—enlarged and renamed the [[Regimental Reconnaissance Company]] (RRC)—had become an elite [[special operations force]] and a member of [[Joint Special Operations Command]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Jack |date=22 June 2013 |title=Evolution of the 75th Ranger Regiment: RRD |url=https://thenewsrep.com/21408/75th-ranger-regiment-regimental-reconnaissance-detachment/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113210615/https://thenewsrep.com/21408/75th-ranger-regiment-regimental-reconnaissance-detachment/ |archive-date=13 November 2018 |website=TheNewsRep |accessdate=13 November 2018}}</ref> In 2006, the Regimental Reconnaissance Company was moved into the new Regimental Special Troops Battalion.<ref name="rstb at soc"/>

===Regimental Special Troops Battalion===
Several years into the War on Terror, the 75th Ranger Regiment created a Regimental [[Special Troops Battalion]] (RSTB) to help switch from short-term "contingency missions" to continuous combat operations.<ref name="Heritage" /> Activated on 17 July 2006, the RSTB conducts sustainment, intelligence, reconnaissance and maintenance missions that were previously accomplished by small detachments assigned to the Regimental Headquarters and then attached within each of the three Ranger battalions. The battalion consists of the Ranger Reconnaissance Company, the Ranger Communications Company (RCC), the Ranger Military Intelligence Company (RMIC), and the Ranger Selection and Training Company (RST&C).<ref name="rstb at soc">{{cite web |title=75th Ranger Regiment Special Troops Battalion |url=https://www.soc.mil/rangers/stb.html |website=[[USASOC]] |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001103347/https://www.soc.mil/rangers/stb.html |archive-date=1 October 2022}}</ref> The RSTB draws its lineage from Company N, 75th Infantry Regiment (back to Merrill's Marauders) and Company B, 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion.<ref name="rstb lineage">{{cite web |title=Lineage and Honors SPECIAL TROOPS BATTALION 75TH RANGER REGIMENT |url=https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra-sptpsbn.htm |website=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721220336/https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra-sptpsbn.htm |archive-date=21 July 2022 |date=26 March 2013}}</ref>

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

In October 2007,{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} a D Company was added to each of the three battalions of the 75th Ranger Regiment.<ref name="4th line company">{{cite news |title=75th Rangers - Living the legacy |url=https://www.army.mil/article/29317/75th_rangers_living_the_legacy |access-date=11 October 2022 |publisher=[[United States Army Special Operations Command|USASOC]] |date=26 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011200158/https://www.army.mil/article/29317/75th_rangers_living_the_legacy |archive-date=11 October 2022}}</ref>

By 2012, the 75th Ranger Regiment was conducting sustained combat operations in multiple countries, deploying from multiple locations in the United States—an unprecedented task for the regiment. Rangers conducted combat operations with almost every deployed special operations, conventional, and coalition force in [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] and [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]. The Ranger Regiment executed a wide range of operations, including airborne and air assaults into Afghanistan and Iraq, mounted infiltrations behind enemy lines, complex urban raids on high-value targets (HVTs), and rescue operations.<ref name="Heritage" /> Ranger battalion operational tempo while deployed was high. During one Afghanistan deployment, the 1st Ranger Battalion conducted more than 900 missions, captured nearly 1,700 enemy combatants (including 386 [[high-value target]]s), and killed more than 400 fighters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dickstein |first=Corey |date=19 March 2012 |title=Hunter-based Army Rangers awarded for actions in Afghanistan |url=http://savannahnow.com/share/blog-post/corey-dickstein/2012-03-19/hunter-based-army-Rangers-awarded-actions-afghanistan#.T3ELVNX3NAJ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523012723/http://savannahnow.com/share/blog-post/corey-dickstein/2012-03-19/hunter-based-army-rangers-awarded-actions-afghanistan#.T3ELVNX3NAJ |archive-date=23 May 2014 |access-date=26 March 2012 |website=[[Savannah Morning News]]}}</ref>

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

''[[Army Times]]'' reported that in December 2016, the first female officer completed RASP, making the 75th Ranger Regiment the first special operations unit to have a female soldier graduate its selection course.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Myers |first=Meghann |date=18 January 2018 |title=This woman will be the first to join the Army's elite 75th Ranger Regiment |url=https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/01/18/this-woman-will-be-the-first-to-join-the-army-s-elite-75th-ranger-regiment/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220829014910/https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/01/18/this-woman-will-be-the-first-to-join-the-army-s-elite-75th-ranger-regiment/ |archive-date=29 August 2022 |website=[[Army Times]]}}</ref>

====Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan====
After the events of [[September 11 attacks|11 September 2001]], Rangers were called into action for the [[War on Terror]]. On 19 October 2001, 200 Rangers of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment spearheaded ground forces by conducting an airborne assault to seize [[Operation Rhino|Objective Rhino]] during the [[United States invasion of Afghanistan|2001 invasion of Afghanistan]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Finkel |first=Gal Perl |date=21 March 2017 |title=WIN THE CLOSE FIGHT |url=http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Win-the-close-fight-484803 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322094808/http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Win-the-close-fight-484803 |archive-date=22 March 2017 |website=[[The Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref> the opening battle of [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan]]. Spc. Jonn J. Edmunds and Pfc. Kristofer T. Stonesifer became the first combat casualties in the War on Terror when their [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|MH-60L helicopter]] crashed at Objective Honda in [[Pakistan]], a temporary staging site used by a company of Rangers from 3rd Battalion.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=34–36}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Janofsky |first=Michael |date=23 October 2001 |title=A NATION CHALLENGED: THE EARLY CASUALTIES; 2 Soldiers Remembered for Their Focus and Patriotism |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/23/us/nation-challenged-early-casualties-2-soldiers-remembered-for-their-focus.html |url-status=live |access-date=17 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202065659/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/23/us/nation-challenged-early-casualties-2-soldiers-remembered-for-their-focus.html |archive-date=2 February 2017}}</ref> Ranger protection force teams were part of [[United States invasion of Afghanistan#Command structure|Task Force Sword]], a [[Black operation|black]] SOF unit whose primary objective was capturing or killing senior leaders and HVTs with [[al-Qaeda]] and the [[Taliban]].{{sfn|Neville|2015|p=29}} A squadron of Delta Force operatives, supported by Rangers from TF Sword, conducted an operation outside Kandahar at a location known as [[United States invasion of Afghanistan#Objective Rhino and Gecko|Objective Gecko]]; they missed the mission's target but killed some 30 Taliban fighters in a heavy firefight.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite book |last=Cawthorne |first=Nigel |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/176894746 |title=The Mammoth Book of Inside the Elite Forces |date=2008 |publisher=[[Constable & Robinson Limited|Robinson Publishing]] |isbn=978-1845298210 |location=London |oclc=176894746 |author-link=Nigel Cawthorne}}</ref>{{sfn|Neville|2015|p=36}}

In November 2001, the 75th Ranger Regiment carried out its second combat parachute drop into Afghanistan: a platoon-sized Ranger security element, including the Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment Team 3 conducted the missions: [[United States invasion of Afghanistan#Objectives Wolverine, Raptor and Operation Relentless Strike|Objective Wolverine, Raptor and Operation Relentless Strike]]. During the [[Battle of Tora Bora]] in December 2001, a CIA Jawbreaker team (a small group of [[Special Activities Division|CIA SAD]] ground branch operators) requested that the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment be inserted into the mountains to block escape routes from [[Tora Bora]] to Pakistan. They would serve as an "anvil" while Special Forces with the Afghan Militia Forces would be the "hammer". With the attached Air Force [[United States Air Force Combat Control Team|Combat Controllers]], the Rangers could have directed airstrikes onto enemy concentrations or engaged them in ambushes, but their requests to do so were denied.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=42, 46–47}}

In March 2002, 35 Rangers from 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment had been assigned as [[Quick reaction force|QRF]] for all Task Force operations, but only half of the platoon was available for the [[Battle of Takur Ghar]]. In the [[Operation Anaconda#17 March 2002|final days of Operation Anaconda]], a mixed force of Rangers travelling in Blackhawk helicopters backed up operators from [[SEAL Team Six|DEVGRU]] who intercepted a convoy of al-Qaeda fighters traveling in three SUVs via three [[MH-47E Chinook|MH-47Es]]. A firefight left 16 al-Qaeda fighters dead and two seriously wounded and captured. On 18 August, Rangers and other coalition special forces joined the [[82nd Airborne Division]] in [[Operation Mountain Sweep]], carrying out five combat air assault missions in the area around the villages of Dormat and Narizah, south of [[Khowst]] and [[Gardez]]. The force found an anti-aircraft gun, two 82mm mortars, [[recoilless rifle]]s, [[Rocket-propelled grenade|rocket-propelled-grenade launchers]], machine guns, small arms and ammunition for all of them; they also detained 10 people. Later in 2002, TF 11 was replaced by a small JSOC element manned by SEALs and Rangers.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=64–65, 67–69, 83}}

In 2003, after [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]] was arrested in a joint CIA-[[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]] operation in Pakistan, Rangers and 82nd Airborne Division troops helped transport him to a U.S. [[black site]] prison. After the troops secured an improvised desert strip in a dry river bed near the Pakistani border, an [[Lockheed MC-130|MC-130 Combat Talon]] plane landed and lowered its ramp, whereupon SEALs from DEVGRU drove [[Desert Patrol Vehicle]]s carrying the detainee up the ramp into the back of the plane, which taxied and lifted off.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=231–232}}

In summer 2005, during [[Operation Red Wings]], a Ranger patrol retrieved [[Hospital corpsman|HM2]] [[Marcus Luttrell]] five days after he went missing.{{sfn|Neville|2015|p=156}}

In July 2006, in [[Helmand Province]], two MH-47Es from [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)|160th SOAR]] attempted to insert a combined strike element of DEVGRU, Rangers, and [[Commandos (Afghanistan)|Afghan commandos]] so they could attack a compound. With some troops on the ground, a large insurgent force ambushed them; both helicopters were struck by small arms fire. One MH-47E pilot put his aircraft in the line of fire to protect the assault team disembarking from the other MH-47E, but was struck by an RPG and crash-landed without serious injury. The Ranger commander and an attached [[Australian commandos|Australian commando]] organized an all-round defense while the other MH-47E held back the advancing insurgents until its [[Minigun]]s ran out of ammunition. An [[Lockheed AC-130|AC-130 Spectre]] joined the battle and kept the downed crew and passengers safe until a British Immediate Response Team helicopter recovered them. The AC-130 then destroyed the MH-47E wreck, denying it to the Taliban.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=236–237}} Also that year, a six-man RRD (Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment) team from the 75th Ranger Regiment attached to the JSOC Task Force inserted into the [[Hindu Kush]] mountain range after intelligence indicated that an insurgent chief, Haqqani, would be entering Afghanistan from Pakistan. After establishing an [[Observation post|OP]] almost 4,000 meters above sea level, the RRD team waited and watched for their target. Insurgents arrived and began to fire on the Ranger team, whose attached [[Joint terminal attack controller|JTAC]] called in an orbiting [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer|B-1B]] strategic bomber. The airplane killed an estimated 100 insurgents, but not Haqqani.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=238–239}}

[[File:Defense.gov photo essay 091119-A-5713F-461.jpg|thumb|A Ranger assault team assaults a compound in [[Narkh|Nerkh district]] in [[Wardak province]], [[Afghanistan]],{{sfn|Neville|2015|p=238}} on 19 November 2009.]]

In 2007, after a CIA source reported seeing [[Osama bin Laden|Bin Laden]] in Tora Bora, many theater [[Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance#ISR (Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance)|ISR]] assets were sent the area. The initial plan based around a small helicopter assault force soon expanded to include Special Forces ODAs and a Ranger element to provide a cordon for the SEALs. Eventually, the operation was launched under the cover of Air Force bombing, but after fruitless searching through the mountains, no sign of Bin Laden was found.{{sfn|Neville|2015|p=233}}

In June 2009, Army soldier [[Bowe Bergdahl]] was captured by the Taliban. Over the five years that he was held by the Taliban and [[Haqqani network|Haqqani Network]], Rangers and DEVGRU "spun up" operations to rescue him, but each resulted in a "dry hole."{{sfn|Neville|2015|p=277}}

[[File:Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Operation in Nahr-e Saraj (Image 5 of 7).jpg|thumb|left| Rangers armed with [[M4 carbine|M4A1 carbines]] in [[SOPMOD]] Block II clear a room during a night raid in [[Helmand Province]], Afghanistan,{{sfn|Neville|2015|p=264}} on 26 August 2012.]]

On 8 October 2010, a troop from DEVGRU and two squads of Rangers tried to [[List of operations conducted by SEAL Team Six#Death of Linda Norgrove, 8 October 2010|rescue Linda Norgrove]], who was being held by the Taliban in compounds in the [[Korangal Valley]]. The rescue mission failed when a DEVGRU operator accidentally killed Norgrove with a grenade.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=263–265}}

For actions between 14 and 16 November 2010, Charlie Company 1/75th, received the [[Valorous Unit Award]] for extraordinary heroism, combat achievement, and conspicuous gallantry.<ref name="Army.mil 1st Battalion honors its heroes">{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Tracy A. |date=5 May 2015 |title=1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment honors its heroes |url=https://www.army.mil/article/147889/1st_Battalion__75th_Ranger_Regiment_honors_its_heroes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825173814/https://www.army.mil/article/147889/1st_Battalion__75th_Ranger_Regiment_honors_its_heroes |archive-date=25 August 2016 |publisher=Army.mil}}</ref>

With [[International Security Assistance Force|ISAF]]'s surge in Afghanistan at its peak in summer 2011, 1/75th (and Bravo Company in particular) received the [[Meritorious Unit Citation]] for actions during Operation Enduring Freedom between 15 May – 28 August 2011. These included conducting continuous combat operations, including time-sensitive raids and deliberate movement-to-contact operations in enemy-held terrain beyond reach of friendly forces in places like [[Khost Province|Khost]], [[Paktika Province|Paktika]] and [[Nangarhar Province]]. Two Rangers from the battalion were killed during this time.<ref name="Army.mil 1st Battalion honors its heroes" /> On 20 July, Delta Force supported by Rangers and Afghan SOF elements were inserted by the 160th SOAR into the mountainous region of Sar Rowzah District, [[Paktika Province]]. They were immediately engaged by insurgents who were heavily armed with [[DShK|DShK HMGs]] and RPGs; during that night's fighting, about 30 insurgents were killed. As the sun rose, dozens of remaining insurgents who had been hiding in bunkers and caves became visible, and [[Unmanned combat aerial vehicle|armed UAVs]], [[Boeing AH-6|AH-6s]], and [[MH-60L Direct Action Penetrators|MH-60 DAPs]] flew in close air support, as did ground attack aircraft. Fighting continued into a second day as bunkers and fighting positions were systematically cleared, some using then-recently issued Mk14 Antistructural Grenades. An estimated 80 to 100 Haqqani and foreign fighters were killed in the two-day battle.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=274–275}}

On 6 August, a platoon of U.S. Army Rangers began taking fire while trying to capture a senior Taliban leader in the [[Tangi Valley]] in [[Wardak province]]. A CH-47 helicopter carrying 38 American and Afghan servicemen was dispatched to help, but was shot down by the Taliban. All 38 aboard died in the deadliest single incident for Americans in the Afghanistan campaign.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

====Operation Iraqi Freedom====
During the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], all three Ranger Battalions were assigned to a new Task Force whose goals were to seize key locations, conduct long-range [[special reconnaissance]], and capture [[High-value target|HVT]]s. On 24 March 2003, 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment conducted a combat drop onto [[H-1 Air Base]], securing the site as a staging area for operations in western Iraq. A company of Rangers and [[Royal Marines]] from [[45 Commando]] flew into Iraq from Jordan to secure [[H-2 Air Base|H-2]] and [[H-3 Air Base|H-3 airbases]] after they were captured by US, British and Australian SOF. On 26 March, B Company, 2/75th supported DEVGRU operators in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq#Objective Beaver|Objective Beaver]] raid on a suspected chemical and biological weapons site north of [[Haditha]]; they engaged numerous gunmen but found no chemical or biological weapons. On 1 April 2003, 290 Rangers from 1/75th and 2/75th helped [[2003 invasion of Iraq#Jessica Lynch rescue|rescue Private 1st Class Jessica Lynch]]; also that day, Delta Force and 3/75th [[2003 invasion of Iraq#Battle of Haditha Dam|captured the Haditha Dam and held it for five days]].{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=93–96, 118, 128–129, 131, 133–134}}

After the invasion, the main 75th Ranger element deployed to Iraq carried out operations in northern Iraq and was based out of [[Mosul]] or [[Tikrit]], supported by a small element of Delta Force operators. The DEVGRU squadron were supported by a reinforced Ranger platoon as was the Delta Force squadron, all part of the overall effort by [[Joint Special Operations Command|JSOC]] in Iraq.{{sfn|Urban|2012}}{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=190–191}} On 18 June 2003, Delta Force operators and Rangers flew from Mosul via helicopter to chase a vehicle convoy of [[Ba'athism|Ba'ath]] Party Iraqis who were fleeing over the border into Syria; JSOC suspected that [[Saddam Hussein]] was part of the convoy so the convoy was destroyed by an [[Lockheed AC-130|AC-130 Spectre]]. The operators then conducted a heliborne assault into a nearby compound that proved to be a Ba'athist safe house for ferrying former regime elements across the border. The operators came under fire from Syrian border guards, leading to a firefight that left several Syrians dead and 17 captured. Hussein was not in the convoy, but several of his cousins were.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=190–191}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lamothe |first=Dan |date=1 September 2015 |title=Six little-known stories about secretive Joint Special Operations Command, as told in a new book |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/09/01/six-little-known-stories-about-secretive-joint-special-operations-command-as-told-in-a-new-book/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822122237/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/09/01/six-little-known-stories-about-secretive-joint-special-operations-command-as-told-in-a-new-book/ |archive-date=22 August 2016}}</ref>

[[File:75th Ranger Regiment conducing operations in Iraq, 26_April_2007.jpg|thumb|right|Rangers conduct a security halt in Iraq, 26 April 2007.]]

On 23 July 2005, in Baghdad, Rangers acted as a back-up force for the British [[Special Boat Service]] during [[Operation Marlborough]].{{sfn|Urban|2012|p=88}}

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

In [[Ramadi]], the Rangers switched to riskier daylight raids after insurgents learned to move out of the city at night.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=212–214}}

In November 2006, a new secret directive sanctioned by President Bush allowed [[U.S. kill or capture strategy in Iraq|U.S. forces in Iraq to kill or capture Iranian nationals]] if they were targeting coalition forces. The directive reflected [[Hezbollah]]'s success in the [[2006 Lebanon War]] and Iran's defiance on its [[Nuclear program of Iran|nuclear issue]]; the new mission was known by its acronym CII (Counter Iranian Influence). The CII missions were given to Task Force 17, a new command based around the headquarters of an Army Special Forces group.{{sfn|Urban|2012}} To support TF 17, Rangers from B Company 2/75th flew into [[Sadr City]] to hunt a Shia [[Special Groups (Iraq)|Special Groups]] leader, leading to a fierce street battle; the Rangers conducted a fighting withdrawal that was likened to "[[Mogadishu Mile]]." More than 45 insurgents were killed with no Ranger losses; when the Iraqi government was made aware of the operation, permission to conduct operations in Sadr City was immediately withdrawn, limiting the Task Force's targeting.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite book |last=Neville |first=Leigh |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/951712359 |title=US Army Rangers 1989–2015: Panama to Afghanistan |date=2016 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4728-1540-8 |location=Oxford |language=en |oclc=951712359}}</ref>

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

By this time, the Rangers had sent an additional platoon to Iraq to help conduct a day-night raiding cycle, and conducted up to 100 missions in one three-month deployment.

After January 2009, the new [[Status of forces agreement|Status of Forces Agreement]] (SOFA) required JSOC and Ranger operations to seek Iraqi judicial permission for each mission.<ref name="ReferenceB" />

On the night of 18 April 2010, [[Iraqi Special Operations Forces|ISOF]] troops, supported by U.S. troops, raided a terrorist safe house near Tikrit in Iraq, the ISOF killed [[Abu Ayyub al-Masri]] and [[Abu Omar al-Baghdadi]], the two leaders of [[Islamic State of Iraq|ISI]]; 16 others were also arrested. A US [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|UH-60 Blackhawk]] helicopter supporting the mission crashed, killing a Ranger NCO from 3/75th and wounding the aircrew.{{sfn|Neville|2015|p=226}}<ref>{{Cite news  |date=19 April 2010 |title=2 Most Wanted Al Qaeda Leaders in Iraq Killed by U.S., Iraqi Forces |work=[[Fox News]] |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/2-most-wanted-al-qaeda-leaders-in-iraq-killed-by-u-s-iraqi-forces |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701141957/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/19/iraqi-al-qaeda-leader-killed-countrys-intelligence-team-pm-maliki-says/ |archive-date=1 July 2015}} Contribution from [[Associated Press]]</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ibrahim |first=Waleed |date=19 April 2010 |title=Al Qaeda's top two leaders in Iraq have been killed |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-violence-alqaeda-idUSTRE63I3CL20100419 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924144937/http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/04/19/us-iraq-violence-alqaeda-idUSTRE63I3CL20100419 |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

====War in North-West Pakistan====
In March 2006, DEVGRU operators and a Ranger element are alleged to have attacked an al-Qaeda training camp in [[North Waziristan]] in Pakistan. In an operation reportedly named Operation Vigilant Harvest, they were flown across the [[Afghan-Pakistani border]] and killed as many as 30 terrorists, including the [[Chechens|Chechen]] camp commandant Imam Asad. The operation has been credited to the [[Special Services Group|Pakistani Special Service Group]].{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=232–233}}

On 1 May 2011, a Ranger element was assigned to support [[Death of Osama bin Laden#Operation Neptune Spear|Operation Neptune Spear]], aimed at killing or capturing Osama bin Laden. The Ranger element and additional [[United States Navy SEALs|SEALs]] in MH-47E Chinooks served as QRF; the Ranger element would also protect the [[List of United States Marine Corps acronyms and expressions#F|FARP]] north of [[Abbottabad]]. Following the successful completion of the operation, a Ranger team transported Bin Laden's body to the aircraft carrier {{USS|Carl Vinson}} for burial at sea.{{sfn|Neville|2015|pp=269–272}}

====Operation Freedom's Sentinel====
In November 2015, the U.S. military sent a company of Rangers to southeastern Afghanistan, as part of the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)#Post ISAF phase|post-ISAF phase]] of the war in Afghanistan, to help Afghan counter-terrorism forces destroy an al-Qaeda training camp in a "fierce fight" that lasted for several days.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Jaffe |first1=Greg |last2=Ryan |first2=Missy |author-link2=Missy Ryan |date=26 January 2016 |title=The U.S. was supposed to leave Afghanistan by 2017. Now it might take decades. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/01/26/the-u-s-was-supposed-to-leave-afghanistan-by-2017-now-it-might-take-decades/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603161751/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/01/26/the-u-s-was-supposed-to-leave-afghanistan-by-2017-now-it-might-take-decades/ |archive-date=3 June 2016}}</ref>

On the evening of 26 April 2017, 50 Rangers from 3/75th joined 40 Afghan commandos in a [[Mohmand Valley raid|joint US-Afghan raid]] on the headquarters of Abdul Hasib, the [[emir]] of [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province|ISIS-K]], in a village in [[Achin District]], Nangarhar Province. The force was flown into Mohmand Valley and within minutes were engaged in a heavy, close-quarter firefight with ISIL-KP militants. AC-130 gunships, [[Boeing AH-64 Apache|Apache]] helicopters, [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16]] fighters, and drones were called in. In the 3-hour firefight, two Rangers died (one each from C and D Companies, possibly from [[friendly fire]]) and one was wounded, while 35 ISIL-KP militants (including Abdul Hasib and an unspecified number of ISIL-KP leaders) were killed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cooper |first=Helene |author-link=Helene Cooper |date=27 April 2017 |title='Friendly Fire' May Have Killed 2 U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Raid |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/world/middleeast/american-soldiers-afghanistan.html?_r=0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429224029/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/world/middleeast/american-soldiers-afghanistan.html?_r=0 |archive-date=29 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Myers |first1=Meghann  |last2=deGrandpre |first2=Andrew |date=28 April 2017 |title=Army Rangers killed in Afghanistan were possible victims of friendly fire |url=https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/04/28/army-rangers-killed-in-afghanistan-were-possible-victims-of-friendly-fire/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210825091200/https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/04/28/army-rangers-killed-in-afghanistan-were-possible-victims-of-friendly-fire/ |archive-date=25 August 2021 |website=[[Army Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 May 2017 |title=Afghanistan IS head killed in raid – US and Afghan officials |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39839339 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523031153/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39839339 |archive-date=23 May 2017 |publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

====Operation Inherent Resolve====
In March 2017, as part of [[Operation Inherent Resolve]], ''CNN'' reported that about 100 Rangers in [[Stryker]]s and armored Humvees deployed in and around [[Manbij]], [[Syria]], to protect the [[11th Marine Expeditionary Unit|11th MEU]], which was providing artillery and other support to U.S.-backed forces in the battle to liberate [[Raqqa]] from [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]], rather than the typical mission of training, advising and assisting local forces. U.S. officials took the unusual step of publicly talking about the Ranger deployment and where they are located to protect against them inadvertently coming under fire from forces fighting in the region or Turkish, Russian, or [[Syrian Arab Armed Forces|Syrian government forces]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Starr |first=Barbara |author-link=Barbara Starr |date=8 March 2017 |title=US Marines join local forces fighting in Raqqa |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/politics/marines-raqqa-assault-syria/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310150458/http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/politics/marines-raqqa-assault-syria/ |archive-date=10 March 2017 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

====Regiment Military Intelligence Battalion (RMIB)====
{{main|Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion}}
On 22 May 2017, the [[Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion|Ranger Regiment Military Intelligence Battalion]] was established to specialize in [[intelligence]], [[surveillance]], [[reconnaissance]], cyber, and [[electronic warfare]] operations. Based at [[Fort Benning]], it consists of the Military Intelligence Company (MICO), Cyber Electro Magnetic Activities company (CEMA), and [[Headquarters and Headquarters Company]] (HHC).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.benning.army.mil/tenant/75thranger/RMIB-ABOUT.html |title=75th Ranger Regiment About |access-date=23 August 2020 |website=[[Fort Benning]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902155645/https://www.benning.army.mil/tenant/75thranger/RMIB-ABOUT.html |archive-date=2 September 2022}}</ref> It draws its lineage from Company P, 75th Infantry (back to Merrill's Marauders) and Company B, 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion.<ref name="rmib lineage">{{cite web |title=Lineage and Honors MILITARY INTELLIGENCE BATTALION 75st RANGER REGIMENT |url=https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra-mibn.htm |website=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721220341/https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra-mibn.htm |archive-date=21 July 2022 |date=7 October 2020}}</ref>

====Operation Kayla Mueller====
On 26 October 2019, the Rangers, [[Delta Force]], and the [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)|160th SOAR]] killed ISIL leader [[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keller |first=Jared |date=30 October 2020 |title=US special operations forces behind al-Baghdadi raid awarded Presidential Unit Citation |url=https://taskandpurpose.com/news/al-baghdadi-raid-presidential-unit-citatation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709145318/https://taskandpurpose.com/news/al-baghdadi-raid-presidential-unit-citatation/ |archive-date=9 July 2022 |access-date=21 May 2021 |publisher=[[Task & Purpose]]}}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=75th Ranger Regiment
|width=180
|height=180
|File:JBLM Ranger jump master.jpg|A Ranger from the [[2nd Ranger Battalion (United States)|2nd Ranger Battalion]] instructs fellow soldiers in a Jump Master course at [[Joint Base Lewis-McChord]], 13 April 2004
|File:U.S. Army Ranger, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment providing Overwatch in Iraq 2006.jpg|A Ranger from the 2nd Ranger Battalion providing overwatch during combat operations in Iraq, 23 November 2006
|File:Wayne Downing funeral honor guard.jpg|The Ranger honor platoon at the interment ceremony of General [[Wayne Downing]] at [[West Point, New York]], 27 September 2007
|File:Ranger MOUT exercise.jpg|Army Rangers from the [[1st Ranger Battalion (United States)|1st Ranger Battalion]], conduct a [[Urban warfare|MOUT]] exercise at [[Fort Bragg]], [[North Carolina]], 21 April 2009
|File:Ranger inspect gear at Ranger Rendezvous 2009.jpg|Two Rangers inspect their gear before the Ranger Rendezvous, a mass tactical jump conducted by elements from the entire Regiment, 3 August 2009
|File:COL Puckett and RASP graduate.jpg|Retired Colonel [[Ralph Puckett]] places the Ranger Scroll on two graduates of the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, 5 January 2010
|File:Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment fast-rope from an MH-47 Chinook during a capabilities exercise.jpg|Rangers practice [[fast roping]] techniques from an [[MH-47]] during an exercise at Fort Bragg, 28 April 2010
|File:Rangers afg.jpg|Rangers in [[Puli Alam District]], Afghanistan, 28 August 2012
|File:75thRRMT.jpg|Ranger snipers from 1st Ranger Battalion, practice marksmanship on a range in [[Afghanistan]] prior to a night combat operation against insurgents, 7 May 2013
|}}

==Organization==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Unit
! [[Combat Service Identification Badge]]<br />(a.k.a. Ranger Scroll)
! [[United States military beret flash|Beret Flash]]
! Location
|-
| 75th Ranger Regiment Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company
| [[File:75 Ranger Regiment SCSIB.png|150px|center|75th Ranger Regiment CSIB]]
|rowspan=4 | [[File:75thrangerflash.svg|125px|center]]
|rowspan=4 | [[Fort Benning]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|-
|[[Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion]]
* Headquarters and Headquarters Company
* Military Intelligence Company
* Cyber Electro Magnetic Activities Company
| [[File:75 Ranger Regiment MIB CSIB.png|150px|center|75th Ranger Regiment Military Intelligence Battalion CSIB]]
|-
|rowspan=2 | Regimental Special Troops Battalion
* Headquarters and Headquarters Company
* [[Regimental Reconnaissance Company]]
* Communications Company
* Selection and Training Company
|-
| [[File:US Army 75 Ranger Regiment STB CSIB.png|150px|center|75th Ranger Regiment Special Troop Battalion (STB) CSIB]]
|-
| [[1st Ranger Battalion]]
* Headquarters and Headquarters Company
* Alpha Company (Rifle)
* Bravo Company (Rifle)
* Charlie Company (Rifle)
* Delta Company (Specialty)
* Echo Company (Support)
| [[File:US Army 1st Ranger BN CSIB.png|150px|center|1st Ranger Battalion CSIB]]
| [[File:1 Bn 75 Ranger Regiment Beret Flash.svg|center|125px]]
| [[Hunter Army Airfield]], Georgia
|-
| [[2nd Ranger Battalion]]
* Headquarters and Headquarters Company
* Alpha Company (Rifle)
* Bravo Company (Rifle)
* Charlie Company (Rifle)
* Delta Company (Specialty)
* Echo Company (Support)
| [[File:US Army 2nd Ranger BN CSIB.png|150px|center|2nd Ranger Battalion CSIB]]
| [[File:2 Bn 75 Ranger Regiment Beret Flash.svg|center|125px]]
| [[Joint Base Lewis-McChord]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
|-
| [[3rd Ranger Battalion]]
* Headquarters and Headquarters Company
* Alpha Company (Rifle)
* Bravo Company (Rifle)
* Charlie Company (Rifle)
* Delta Company (Specialty)
* Echo Company (Support)
| [[File:US Army 3rd Ranger BN CSIB.png|150px|center|3rd Ranger Battalion CSIB]]
| [[File:3 Bn 75 Ranger Regiment Beret Flash.svg|center|125px]]
| Fort Benning, Georgia<ref>[https://www.army.mil/Ranger/ army.mil]</ref>
|}

==Lineage==
*Organized as '''[[5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)]]''' on 3 October 1943
:Consolidated with the 475th Infantry and unit designated as '''475th Infantry''' on 10 August 1944
:Inactivated on 1 July 1945

*Redesignated as '''[[75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger)|75th Infantry]]''' on 21 June 1954
:Allotted to the Regular Army on 26 October 1954
:Activated on 20 November 1954
:Inactivated on 21 March 1956

*75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) reorganized as a parent regiment under the [[U.S. Army Combat Arms Regimental System|Combat Arms Regimental System]] on 1 January 1969
:Reorganized with Headquarters on 1 July 1984

*On 3 February 1986, the 75th Infantry Regiment (then consisting of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion, and 3rd Battalion) was consolidated with the former [[1st Ranger Battalion|Company A, 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion]] (then part of HHC [[7th Special Forces Group (United States)|7th SFG]]), [[2nd Ranger Battalion|Company A, 2nd Infantry Battalion]] (then part of HHC [[10th Special Forces Group (United States)|10th SFG]]), and the inactive units [[3rd Ranger Battalion|Company A, 3rd Ranger Infantry Battalion]] (last part of HHC 13th SFG, inactivated in 1966), [[4th Ranger Battalion|4th Ranger Infantry Battalion]], [[5th Ranger Battalion|5th Ranger Infantry Battalion]], and [[6th Ranger Battalion|6th Ranger Infantry Battalion]]; it was concurrently designated as '''75th Ranger Regiment''' and reorganized under the [[U.S. Army Regimental System|Regimental System]].<ref name="75rr lineage">{{cite web |title=Lineage and Honors 75th RANGER REGIMENT |url=https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra.htm |website=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721220314/https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra.htm |archive-date=21 July 2022 |date=27 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="1st bn lineage">{{Cite web |date=27 April 2017 |title=Lineage and Honors 1st BATTALION, 75th RANGER REGIMENT |url=https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra001bn.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721220320/https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra001bn.htm |archive-date=21 July 2022 |access-date=11 October 2022 |website=[[United States Army Center of Military History]]}}</ref><ref name="2bn lineage">{{Cite web |date=27 April 2017 |title=Lineage and Honors 2d BATTALION, 75th RANGER REGIMENT |url=https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra002bn.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721220323/https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra002bn.htm |archive-date=21 July 2022 |access-date=11 October 2022 |website=[[United States Army Center of Military History]]}}</ref><ref name="3bn lineage">{{cite web |title=Lineage and Honors 3D BATTALION, 75TH RANGER REGIMENT |url=https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra003bn.htm |website=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812012921/https://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0075ra003bn.htm |archive-date=12 August 2022 |date=28 January 2015}}</ref>

==Modern Ranger selection and training==

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

* Be a U.S. citizen
* Be on [[active duty]] and volunteer for assignment
* Have a [[Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery|General Technical Score]] of 105 or higher
* No physical limitations ([[PULHES Factor|PULHES]] of 111221 or better)
* Qualify and volunteer for [[Airborne forces|Airborne]] training
* A person of good character (no pending [[UCMJ]] action or drug or alcohol related incidents within 24 months)
* Must enlist into or currently hold a [[Military Occupational Specialty]] found in the 75th Ranger Regiment
* Able to attain at minimum a [[Classified information in the United States#Secret|Secret clearance]]
* Pass physical requirements which include the Ranger Fitness Test (58 push-ups, 69 sit-ups, run 5 miles in 40 minutes or less, 6 pull-ups), Water Survival Assessment, and 12-mile footmarch with a 35lb rucksack and weapon in under 3 hours<ref>{{Cite web |title=Join the 75th Ranger Regiment |url=https://www.benning.army.mil/tenant/75thRanger/Recruiting.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419151606/https://www.benning.army.mil/tenant/75thRanger/Recruiting.html |archive-date=19 April 2022 |access-date=7 October 2019 |website=[[Fort Benning]]}}</ref>

Additionally Army officer applicants must:
* Be an officer of grade [[Second Lieutenant (United States)|O-1]] through [[Major (United States)|O-4]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://army.com/info/spec-ops/Rangers/qualifications |title=Army Ranger Qualifications |publisher=Army.com |date=14 March 2014 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626071142/http://army.com/info/spec-ops/rangers/qualifications |archive-date=26 June 2014  }}</ref>
* Qualify for a Top Secret Security Clearance
* Meet Year Group specific criteria
* Hold an officer Military Occupational Specialty found in the 75th Ranger Regiment.<ref name="Join the Rangers">{{cite web |publisher=GoArmy.com |title=Join the Rangers |url=http://www.goarmy.com/Ranger/joining-the-Rangers.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505195257/http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/joining-the-rangers.html |archive-date=5 May 2013  }}</ref>

===Selection and training===
{{main|Ranger Assessment and Selection Program}}
Every volunteer for the Regiment, from new recruit to officer and any senior leader selected to command in the Regiment, will go through the [[Ranger Assessment and Selection Program]] (RASP) to assess their ability and provide the basic skills required to be an effective member of the 75th Ranger Regiment.<ref name="Training">{{cite web |publisher=GoArmy.com |title=Training |url=http://www.goarmy.com/Ranger/training.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427164936/http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/training.html |archive-date=27 April 2011 |access-date=26 May 2017 }}</ref>

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

RASP includes two levels of training: RASP 1 for junior non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers (pay grades [[Private (rank)#United States Army|E-1]] through [[Sergeant#United States|E-5]]) and RASP 2 for [[senior non-commissioned officer]]s, officers, and [[warrant officer]]s. Candidates train in physical fitness, [[marksmanship]], [[small unit tactics]], medical proficiency, and mobility. Training is fast-paced and intense, ensuring Ranger candidates can handle continued training and worldwide operations upon reaching their assigned Ranger unit. Throughout the course, candidates are screened to ensure that only the best soldiers are chosen for the Ranger Regiment. All candidates must meet the course requirements in order to serve in the Ranger Regiment. Upon completion of RASP, candidates will don the [[tan beret]] and 75th Ranger Regiment Scroll.<ref name="RASP 1&2">{{cite web|publisher=GoArmy.com|title=RASP 1&2|url=http://www.goarmy.com/Ranger/training/rasp.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505195140/http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/training/rasp.html|archive-date=5 May 2013|access-date=26 May 2017}}</ref>

====RASP 1====
Ranger Assessment & Selection Program 1 (RASP 1) is an 8-week selection course for junior non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers (pay grades E-1 through E-5) that is broken down into two phases. Ranger candidates endure a grueling test of physical and mental endurance, road marches with rucksacks, land navigation, leadership skills, and weapons training—performed under continuous [[hunger|food]] and [[sleep deprivation]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ankony |first=Robert C. |date=Fall 2015 |title=H/75 - E/52 LRP - 1ST CAV LRRP |url=https://www.75thrra.org/patrolling/2015_2.pdf |magazine=Patrolling |publisher=75th Ranger Regiment Association, Inc. |volume=28 |issue=3 |page=32 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011035343/https://www.75thrra.org/patrolling/2015_3.pdf |archive-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> Graduates have the advanced skills all Rangers are required to know to start their career with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Phase 1 focuses more on the critical events and skill level 1 tasks and Phase 2 focuses on training in marksmanship, [[door breaching|breaching]], mobility, and physical fitness.<ref name="RASP 1&2" />

====RASP 2====
Ranger Assessment & Selection Program 2 (RASP 2) is a 21-day selection course for senior non-commissioned officers, officers, and warrant officers. Candidates' physical and mental capabilities are tested as they learn the special tactics, techniques and procedures of the Regiment, as well as learning the expectations of leading and developing young Rangers.<ref name="RASP 1&2" />

===Continued training===
To maintain readiness, Rangers train constantly. Rangers focus on the "Big 5": marksmanship, physical training, medical training, small unit tactics, and mobility.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Big 5 |url=https://www.benning.army.mil/tenant/75thRanger/programs.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302134523/http://www.benning.army.mil/tenant/75thRanger/programs.htm |archive-date=2 March 2013 |access-date=28 April 2018 |website=[[Fort Benning]]}}</ref>

Throughout their time in the Ranger Regiment, Rangers may attend many types of special schools and training. Depending on occupation and job requirements, members of the 75th Ranger Regiment enjoy unparalleled access to countless military schools, including [[United States Army Jumpmaster School|Jumpmaster]], [[United States Army Sniper School|Sniper]], [[United States Army Pathfinder School|Pathfinder]], [[Military Freefall Parachutist Badge|Military Freefall]], Scuba, [[Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape|Survival-Evasion-Resistance-Escape (SERE)]], [[Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) Course|Special Operations Combat Medic]] and others. Before serving as a leader in the Regiment, Rangers are also expected to attend and graduate [[Ranger School]]. Members of the regiment may also get joint training and non-traditional military and civilian schooling.<ref name="Training" />

Rangers are 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, [[Tactical Combat Casualty Care|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 Ranger-style training.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tanner |first=Lindsey |date=15 August 2011 |title=Do-it-yourself battlefield medicine saves lives |work=[[NBCNews]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44149419 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226032003/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna44149419 |archive-date=26 February 2022}}</ref>

===RFS/RFM===
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2021}}
As a U.S. Army Special Operations Command unit, the Rangers maintain more stringent standards for their personnel. If at any point a Ranger is deemed to be failing to meet these standards he may be relieved and removed from the regiment. This is commonly referred to as being RFSed, short for "Released For Standards". A Ranger can be RFS'd for virtually any reason, ranging from lack of motivation to disciplinary problems. Similarly, a Ranger physically incapable of performing his mission through prolonged illness or injury can also be removed from the regiment through a process referred to as RFM or "Relieved For Medical reasons".

==Honors, mottos and creed==
{{Main|List of honors and decorations of the 75th Ranger Regiment|Ranger Creed}}
The 75th Ranger Regiment has been credited with numerous campaigns from World War II onwards. In World War II, they participated in 16 major campaigns, spearheading the campaigns in Morocco, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, and Leyte. During the Vietnam War, they received campaign participation streamers for every campaign in the war. The regiment received streamers with arrowheads (denoting conflicts they spearheaded) for Grenada and Panama. The Rangers have earned six [[Presidential Unit Citation (US)|Presidential Unit Citations]], nine [[Valorous Unit Award]]s, and four [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]], the most recent{{when?|date=November 2024}} of which were earned in Vietnam and [[Haditha|Haditha, Iraq]], respectively.{{fact|date=November 2024}}

[[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.<ref name="bhd">{{cite book |last1=Bowden |first1=Mark |author-link=Mark Bowden |title=Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War |title-link=Black Hawk Down (book) |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press |year=1999 |location=Berkeley, CA |isbn=978-0-87113-738-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/blackhawkdownsto0000bowd/page/8/mode/2up 8]}}</ref>

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 (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Norman Cota]] (assistant CO of the [[29th Infantry Division (United States)|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!"<ref name="caraccilo"/><ref name="hogan wwii"/><ref name="cota quote"/>

==The term "Ranger"==
Organizations define the term "Ranger" in different ways. For example, the annual "United States Army [[Best Ranger Competition]]," hosted by the Ranger Training Brigade, can be won by pairs of participants from the 75th Ranger Regiment, or by ranger-qualified entrants from other units in the U.S. military. For an individual to be inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Association's "Ranger Hall of Fame," they "must have served in a Ranger unit in combat or be a successful graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School." The Ranger Association further clarifies the type of unit: "A Ranger unit is defined as those Army units recognized in Ranger lineage or history."<ref name="HOF">{{cite web|url=http://www.Ranger.org/Default.aspx?pageId=578463 |title=Ranger Hall of Fame |year=2011 |author=U.S. Army Ranger Association |publisher=U.S. Army Ranger Association, Inc. |access-date=19 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223112520/http://ranger.org/Default.aspx?pageId=578463 |archive-date=23 December 2010 }}</ref> Acceptance into the U.S. Army Ranger Association is limited to "Rangers that have earned the U.S. Army Ranger tab, WWII Rangers, Korean War Rangers, Vietnam War Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol members and Rangers, and all Rangers that participated in Operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, Desert Storm, Restore Hope, Enduring Freedom, as well as those who have served honorably for at least one year in a recognized Ranger unit."<ref name="HOF" />

===Ranger term controversy===
There is some dispute over the use of the word "Ranger." According to John Lock, <blockquote>The problems of the [[Ranger Tab]] and indeed Ranger history is in large part caused by the lack of a clear-cut definition of who is a Ranger. The Ranger Department, the [[United States Army Infantry School|Infantry School]], and [[United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army]] have in the past carelessly accepted the definition of a Ranger unit to include the use of terms 'Ranger-type' and 'Units like Rangers,' and 'Special Mission Units.' In his book ''Raiders or Elite Infantry'', David Hogan of the [[United States Army Center of Military History|Center of Military History]] writes that 'By the time of the formation of LRRP units..., Ranger had become a term of legendary connotations but no precise meaning.' For the want of a definition of who and what is a Ranger, integrity was lost. As a result of Grenada, circumstances have changed. Since 1983, men have had the opportunity to earn and wear an authorized Ranger unit scroll or an authorized Ranger Tab or both. But there is a need for a firm definition of who and what constitutes a RANGER. Without that definition, we face the likelihood of future controversy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lock |first=John D. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57965974 |title=The Coveted Black and Gold : A Daily Journey Through the U.S. Army Ranger School Experience |date=2005 |publisher=Fenestra Books |isbn=978-1-58736-367-2 |edition=2nd |location=Tucson, AZ |page=219 |oclc=57965974}}</ref></blockquote>

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

In June 2001, [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army|Army Chief of Staff]] General [[Eric Shinseki]] gave the order to issue [[black beret]]s to regular soldiers. At the time, black berets were being worn exclusively by the Ranger Regiment. This created discontent within the 75th Ranger Regiment and even led to retired Rangers going on nationwide road marches to Washington, D.C. to protest against the decision.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 June 2001 |title=Rangers protest black beret decision |work=[[USA Today]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2001-03-10-army-berets.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327071543/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2001-03-10-army-berets.htm |archive-date=27 March 2022}}</ref> Because there was not a Presidential authorization to the regiment for exclusive wear of the black beret, they switched to wearing a [[tan beret]] to preserve a unique appearance, tan being reflective of the buckskin worn by the men of [[Robert Rogers (soldier)|Robert Rogers]]' Rangers during the [[French and Indian War]].<ref name="Bahmanyar2011">{{Cite book |last=Bahmanyar |first=Mir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xAdSSu5nYAMC |title=Shadow Warriors: A History of the US Army Rangers |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-78096-075-3 |oclc=1021807447}}</ref> A memorandum for the purpose of changing the Ranger beret from black to tan was sent and approved in March 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DA Approves Ranger's New Headgear |url=http://www.army.mil/features/beret/beret.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001071949/http://www.army.mil/features/beret/beret.htm |archive-date=1 October 2014 |access-date=21 November 2012 |website=Army.mil}}</ref> Press releases were issued and articles were published all over the nation about this change in headgear after it was formally announced by the Regimental Commander, Colonel [[Ken Keen|P. K. Keen]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 March 2001 |title=Adopting the Beret |work=Pentagram [newspaper] |agency=[[Army News Service]] |url=http://ww2.dcmilitary.com/dcmilitary_archives/stories/032301/5859-1.shtml |url-status=dead |access-date=21 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227011903/http://ww2.dcmilitary.com/dcmilitary_archives/stories/032301/5859-1.shtml |archive-date=27 December 2013}}</ref> In a private ceremony, past and present Rangers donned the tan beret on 26 July 2002.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Siter |first=Bridgett |date=3 August 2001 |title=Private Ceremony |work=Stripe |agency=[[Army News Service]] |url=http://ww2.dcmilitary.com/dcmilitary_archives/stories/080301/9188-1.shtml |url-status=dead |access-date=21 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227011950/http://ww2.dcmilitary.com/dcmilitary_archives/stories/080301/9188-1.shtml |archive-date=27 December 2013}}</ref> The Army G-1 released a memorandum in October 2017 stating the following: WEAR OF THE TAN BERET OUTSIDE OF RANGER REGIMENT. The memo from the Army G-1 expands authorization for wear of the Tan Beret in the following assignments: Headquarters elements of Combatant Commands, [[The Joint Staff]], [[United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army]] Headquarters, [[United States Special Operations Command|U.S. Special Operations Command]], [[United States Army Special Operations Command|U.S. Army Special Operations Command]], U.S. Special Operations Command Joint Task Force, Theater Special Operations Command, and [[Joint Special Operations Command]]. The Tan Beret is authorized for Ranger-qualified Soldiers in the above listed assignments if they previously served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and departed on honorable terms. This was formalized in DA Pam 670–1 in January 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 January 2021 |title=Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia PAM 670-1 |url=https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN30948-PAM_670-1-000-WEB-1.pdf#page=137 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925180705/https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN30948-PAM_670-1-000-WEB-1.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2022 |access-date=11 January 2022 |publisher=[[United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army]]}}</ref>

==Notable members==
[[File:Soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment descend in an MH-6 Little Bird.jpg|thumb|upright|Rangers descend in an [[MH-6 Little Bird]] helicopter flown by pilots from the [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment]] during a staged demonstration.]]
<!----ADDITIONS HERE ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY AND MUST HAVE A SOURCE ATTACHED OR A LINK TO A BIOGRAPHICAL ARTICLE---->

* [[John P. Abizaid]], General, former platoon leader of Company A, and executive officer of Company C, former commander of Company A, 1st Ranger Battalion; former commander, [[United States Central Command|Central Command]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Adkin |first=Mark |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/18836419 |title=Urgent Fury : The Battle for Grenada |date=1989 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=9780669207170 |location=Lexington, MA |page=195 |oclc=18836419}}</ref>
* [[David Barno]], Lieutenant General, former commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion; former commander, Combined Forces-Afghanistan.
* [[Mat Best]], former team leader in 2nd Ranger Battalion, best selling author, music artist, celebrity/actor, and veteran entrepreneur.
* [[Richard D. Clarke]], General, spent eight years in the 75th Ranger Regiment as a company commander from 1994 to 1996, then as a battalion commander from 2004 to 2006 and regimental commander from 2007 to 2009.
* [[Jason Crow]], Captain, member of the U.S. House of Representatives for [[Colorado's 6th congressional district]]<ref name="JasonCrow">{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |title=Congressional Veterans Caucus: Jason Crow |url=http://caucus.militarytimes.com/speaker/jason-crow/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128223740/http://caucus.militarytimes.com/speaker/jason-crow/ |archive-date=28 January 2022 |access-date=15 January 2021 |website=[[Military Times]]}}</ref>
* [[William O. Darby]], Colonel, established and commanded "Darby's Rangers" that later evolved into the 75th Ranger Regiment. Ranger Hall of Fame Member.
* [[Kristoffer Domeij]], Sergeant First Class, enlisted 2001, killed in action in 2011 during his 14th deployment. At the time of his death, he had the most deployments for a Ranger killed in action.<ref name="Martinez">{{Cite news |last1=Martinez |first1=Luis |last2=Caron |first2=Christine |date=25 October 2011 |title=Army Ranger Dies On 14th Deployment |publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/army-ranger-dies-14th-deployment/story?id=14811227 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327071635/https://abcnews.go.com/US/army-ranger-dies-14th-deployment/story?id=14811227 |archive-date=27 March 2022 |quote=Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer Domeij served in Iraq and Afghanistan. |accessdate=25 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="Dreazen">{{Cite web |last=Dreazen |first=Yochi J. |date=25 October 2011 |title=For Elite U.S. Troops, War's End Will Only Mean More Fighting |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/for-elite-us-troops-wars-end-will-only-mean-more-fighting/247309/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327071635/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/for-elite-us-troops-wars-end-will-only-mean-more-fighting/247309/ |archive-date=27 March 2022 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |quote=According to Lt. Col. Tom Bryant, a spokesman for the Army Special Operations Command: "We're getting real close to double-digit deployments across a number of different formations ... Those numbers are becoming increasingly common and will be even more the norm down the road". |accessdate=23 January 2021}}</ref>
* [[Wayne A. Downing]], General, third commander of the regiment from 1984 to 1985; former commander of [[2nd Ranger Battalion]]; former commander of [[Joint Special Operations Command]] (JSOC), former commander [[United States Army Special Operations Command|U.S. Army Special Operations Command]] and former commander of [[United States Special Operations Command]] (SOCOM). Ranger Hall of Fame Member.
* [[Jason Everman]], Sergeant First Class, American musician who played with [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[Soundgarden]], and [[Mind Funk]]. Everman served with the 2nd Ranger Battalion and later the [[3rd Special Forces Group]] with multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan.
* [[David L. Grange]], Major General, seventh commander of the regiment from 1991 to 1993; former commander, [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]] and deputy commander of [[Delta Force]].
* [[Eric L. Haney]], Command Sergeant Major, Author and retired member of Delta Force.
* [[Robert L. Howard]], Colonel, former company commander in the 2nd Ranger Battalion; was nominated three times for the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions in Vietnam. Two were downgraded and the third was awarded.
* [[Nicholas Irving]], former sniper in the 3rd Ranger Battalion
* [[Peter Kassig]], 1st Battalion 2006-2006, followed by a medical discharge, then became an aid worker who was taken hostage and beheaded by [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|The Islamic State]].
*[[Dario Lorenzetti]], CIA Officer killed in Afghanistan
*[[Ryan D. McCarthy|Ryan McCarthy]], Captain, former [[United States Secretary of the Army|US Secretary of the Army]].
* [[Stanley A. McChrystal]], General, tenth commander of the regiment from 1997 to 1999; former commander, [[International Security Assistance Force]] (ISAF) and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A); former [[Director of the Joint Staff]]; former Commander of [[Joint Special Operations Command]] (JSOC).
* [[Danny McKnight]], Colonel, former commander of the 3rd Ranger Battalion during the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]]. 
* [[Austin S. Miller]], General, former [[2nd Ranger Battalion]] [[Platoon leader|Platoon Leader]], former commander of [[Delta Force]], and former Commander of [[Joint Special Operations Command]] (JSOC).
* [[Glen E. Morrell]], Sergeant Major of the Army, former 1st Ranger Battalion command sergeant major and past Sergeant Major of the Army.
* [[Kris Paronto]], Sergeant, former member of Company B, 2d Ranger Battalion, who served at the CIA annex during the [[2012 Benghazi attack]].
* [[Thomas Payne (soldier)|Thomas Payne]], Sergeant Major, Member of Delta Force and [[Medal of Honor]] recipient. He is the first living Delta Force Medal of Honor recipient, and first Medal of Honor recipient for [[Operation Inherent Resolve]]. He served with MSG Joshua Wheeler in the combat operation in Iraq that saw MSG Wheeler KIA, and then-SFC Payne earned [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]], later upgraded to Medal of Honor. He served with Company A, 1st Ranger Battalion.
* [[Leroy Petry]], Sergeant First Class, [[Medal of Honor]] recipient for actions during a firefight in [[Afghanistan]]. 
*  [[Marshall Plumlee]], 1st Lieutenant
*  [[Robert Prince (captain)|Robert Prince]], Major, planned and led the [[Raid at Cabanatuan]] which liberated over 500 Allied POWs from Japanese captivity.
* [[James Earl Rudder]], Colonel, former commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion during World War II, which he led the ranger assault on Pointe du Hoc on D-Day and was later the president of Texas A&M University.
* [[Randy Shughart]], Sergeant First Class, [[Medal of Honor]] recipient, who was killed in action during the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]] while serving as a [[Delta Force]] sniper defending a downed helicopter, started his career in 2nd Ranger Battalion.
* [[Michael D. Steele]], Colonel, former commander of Company B, [[3rd Ranger Battalion]] during the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]].
* [[Jeff Struecker]], Major, served as a staff sergeant and squad leader assigned to [[Task Force Ranger]] as a part of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Struecker and his partner, SPC Isaac Gmazel Won the [[Best Ranger Competition]] in 1996. He became commissioned as a [[Chaplain Corps (United States Army)|chaplain]] in 2000.
* [[Keni Thomas]], Staff Sergeant, American country music singer who served with the 3rd Ranger Battalion as part of Task Force Ranger during the [[Unified Task Force|Operation Restore Hope]].
* [[Raymond A. Thomas]], General, led a Ranger Rifle platoon from A Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion during the Invasion of Grenada in 1983.He was assigned as Assistant S-3, Plans/Liaison Officer with 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia until 1987.In 1989, during the Invasion of Panama, Thomas was then assigned as a company commander with 3rd Ranger Battalion. He was also the commander of [[Joint Special Operations Command]] from 2014 to 2016 and [[United States Special Operations Command]] from 2016 to 2019.
* [[Pat Tillman]], Corporal, an American football player who left his National Football League career to enlist in the United States Army in May 2002; killed on 22 April 2004 (by friendly fire) as a member of the 2nd Ranger Battalion.
* [[Alejandro Villanueva (American football)|Alejandro Villanueva]], Captain, an American football player in the National Football League, former company Executive Officer in the 1st Ranger Battalion.
* [[Joseph L. Votel]], General, twelfth commander of the regiment from 2001 to 2003; former Commander of [[Joint Special Operations Command]] (JSOC), former Commander of [[United States Special Operations Command]] (SOCOM) and former Commander of [[United States Central Command]] (CENTCOM).
* [[Joshua Wheeler|Joshua Lloyd Wheeler]], Master Sergeant, (22 November 1975 – 22 October 2015) was a United States Army Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (aka Delta Force) operator who was killed in Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve. He was the first American service member killed in action as a result of enemy fire while fighting ISIS militants and at the time of his death was the first American to be killed in action in Iraq since November 2011. Wheeler was a highly decorated Delta Force soldier having earned 11 Bronze Star Medals including four with Valor Devices. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the Medal of Patriotism.
*[[John E. Whitley|John Whitley]], Sergeant, Acting US Secretary of the Army.
 <!----ADDITIONS HERE ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY AND MUST HAVE A SOURCE ATTACHED OR A LINK TO A BIOGRAPHICAL ARTICLE---->

==Colonels of the Regiment==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2022}}
{{Incomplete list|date=April 2022}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Sequence
!Name
!From
!To
!Comments
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|3rd
|Colonel [[Wayne A. Downing]]
| style="text-align:right;"|May 1984
| style="text-align:right;"|November 1985
|Commander, 2–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USSOCOM
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|4th
|Colonel Joseph S. Stringham
| style="text-align:right;"|July 1985
| style="text-align:right;"|August 1987
|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|5th
|Colonel Westley B. Taylor Jr.
| style="text-align:right;"|June 1987
| style="text-align:right;"|June 1989
|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|6th
|Colonel [[William F. Kernan]]
| style="text-align:right;"|June 1989
| style="text-align:right;"|June 1991
|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USJFCOM
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|7th
|Colonel [[David L. Grange]]
| style="text-align:right;"|June 1991
| style="text-align:right;"|August 1993
|Deputy Commander, 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force)
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|8th
|Colonel James T. Jackson
| style="text-align:right;"|July 1993
| style="text-align:right;"|July 1995
|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|9th
|Colonel William J. Leszczynski
| style="text-align:right;"|July 1995
| style="text-align:right;"|June 1997
|Commander, JTF-Bravo, Honduras
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|10th
|Colonel [[Stanley A. McChrystal]]
| style="text-align:right;"|June 1997
| style="text-align:right;"|August 1999
|Commander, 2–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, US Forces Afghanistan
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|11th
|Colonel [[Purl K. Keen]]
| style="text-align:right;"|July 1999
| style="text-align:right;"|July 2001
|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; Deputy Commander, USSOUTHCOM
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|12th
|Colonel [[Joseph L. Votel]]
| style="text-align:right;"|October 2001
| style="text-align:right;"|August 2003
|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion, Commander, USSOCOM; Commander, USCENTCOM
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|13th
|Colonel James C. Nixon
| style="text-align:right;"|June 2003
| style="text-align:right;"|8 July 2005
|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|14th
|Colonel [[Paul J. LaCamera]]
| style="text-align:right;"|8 July 2005
| style="text-align:right;"|9 August 2007
|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USARPAC; Commander, UNC/CFC/USFK
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|15th
|Colonel [[Richard D. Clarke]], Jr.
| style="text-align:right;"|9 August 2007
| style="text-align:right;"|6 August 2009
|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USSOCOM
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|16th
|Colonel [[Michael E. Kurilla]]
| style="text-align:right;"|6 August 2009
| style="text-align:right;"|28 July 2011
|Commander, 2–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, USCENTCOM
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|17th
|Colonel Mark W. Odom
| style="text-align:right;"|28 July 2011
| style="text-align:right;"|25 July 2013
|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion; DCG-S, 82nd Airborne Division
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|18th
|Colonel Christopher S. Vanek
| style="text-align:right;"|25 July 2013
| style="text-align:right;"|25 June 2015
|DCO, 75th Ranger Regiment
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|19th
|Colonel [[Marcus S. Evans]]
| style="text-align:right;"|25 June 2015
| style="text-align:right;"|29 June 2017
|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion; Commander, 25th Infantry Division 
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|20th
|Colonel Brandon R. Tegtmeier
| style="text-align:right;"|29 June 2017
| style="text-align:right;"|12 July 2019
|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; DCG-O, 82nd Airborne Division
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|21st
|Colonel Robert (Todd) S. Brown
| style="text-align:right;"|12 July 2019
| style="text-align:right;"|23 July 2021
|Commander, 1–75th Ranger Battalion; DCG-M, 2nd Infantry Division
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|22nd
|Colonel Jim (JD) Kiersey
| style="text-align:right;"|23 July 2021
| style="text-align:right;"|28 June 2024
|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|23rd
|Colonel Kitefre (Kit) Oboho
| style="text-align:right;"|28 June 2024
| style="text-align:right;"|Incumbent
|Commander, 3–75th Ranger Battalion
|}
Note: The above list accounts for 21 Colonels, missing are the first two. Assignment dates are based on various biographies and may not all line up properly. Specific dates are based on reports of changes of command.

== See also ==
* [[Ranger Memorial]]
* [[Recondo|Recondo School]]
* [[Ranger School]]
* ''[[Black Hawk Down (book)|Black Hawk Down]]'' and the [[Black Hawk Down (film)|movie]] based on it.
* [[Ranger Body Armor]]
* [[Commandos (United Kingdom)|British Commandos]]
* [[Company E, 52nd Infantry (LRP) (United States)|Company E, 52nd Infantry (LRP) / H Co. 75th Infantry (Ranger)]] — The most decorated and longest serving LRRP/Ranger unit in continuous combat.
* [[Operation Delaware]]
* [[17th Special Tactics Squadron]] - Primary USAF STS attached to the 75th Ranger Regiment.
* [[JW AGAT]] - Polish [[Polish Special Forces|Special Troops Command]] unit modelled after the 75th Ranger Regiment.
* [[Ranger Special Operations Vehicle]]
* [[Ground Mobility Vehicle (USSOCOM)|Ground Mobility Vehicle-R]]

== Citations ==
{{Source-attribution|[https://web.archive.org/web/20110712103540/https://www.army.mil/ranger/heritage.html History & Heritage]|inline=y}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

== General references ==
* {{citation
|first=Leigh
|last=Neville 
|title=Special Forces in the War on Terror
|series=General Military
|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]
|year=2015
|isbn=978-1472807908
|oclc=889735079
}}.
* {{Cite book |last=Urban |first=Mark |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/759914001 |title=Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq |date=2012 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press|St. Martin's Griffin]] |isbn=978-1-250-00696-7 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=759914001 |author-link=Mark Urban |access-date=2022-10-11}}
* {{cite book |last1=Garland |first1=Albert N. |last2=Smyth |first2=Howard McGaw |title =U.S. Army in World War II – Mediterranean Theater of Operations – Sicily and the Surrender of Italy |publisher =United States Government Printing Office |date =1965 |location =Washington, D.C. |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/006/6-2-1/CMH_Pub_6-2-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927072315/https://history.army.mil/html/books/006/6-2-1/CMH_Pub_6-2-1.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2012}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Bahmanyar |first=Mir |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51481921 |title=Darby's Rangers 1942-45 |date=2003 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-84176-627-0 |location=Oxford |oclc=51481921}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bahmanyar |first=Mir |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51068676 |title=U.S. Army Ranger, 1983-2002 : sua sponte - of their own accord |date=2003 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-84176-585-3 |location=Oxford |oclc=51068676}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bowden |first1=Mark |author-link=Mark Bowden |title=Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War |title-link=Black Hawk Down (book) |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press |year=1999 |location=Berkeley, CA |isbn=978-0-87113-738-8 |id=[https://archive.org/details/blackhawkdownsto0000bowd Available at Archive.org]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bryant |first=Russ |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50478516 |title=To Be a U.S. Army Ranger |date=2003 |publisher=MBI Publishing |isbn=978-0-7603-1314-5 |location=St. Paul, MN |oclc=50478516}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bryant |first=Russ |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57751354 |title=Weapons of the U.S. Army Rangers |date=2005 |publisher=Zenith Press |isbn=978-0-7603-2112-6 |location=St. Paul, MN |oclc=57751354}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bryant |first=Russ |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/58422742 |title=75th Rangers |date=2005 |publisher=MBI Publishing |isbn=978-0-7603-2111-9 |location=St. Paul, MN |oclc=58422742}}
* {{Cite book |last=Grenier |first=John |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/59655870 |title=The First Way of War : American War Making on the Frontier, 1607-1814 |date=2005 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-84566-3 |location=Cambridge, UK |oclc=59655870}}. Extensive discussion of American colonial Rangers.
* {{cite book |last=Haney |first=Eric L. |author-link=Eric Haney |title=Inside Delta Force |title-link=Inside Delta Force |publisher=[[Delacorte Press]] |year=2002 |location=New York |isbn=978-0385336031}}
* {{Cite book |last=Shanahan |first=Bill |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53895995 |title=Stealth Patrol : The Making of a Vietnam ranger |date=2003 |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |isbn=978-0-306-81273-6 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=53895995}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://www.soc.mil/rangers/75thrr.html 75th Ranger Regiment Home Page]
*[https://75thrangerregiment.org/ Official Recruiting Website]
* [https://www.benning.army.mil/tenant/75thRanger/ Fort Benning Profile]
* [https://www.army.mil/Ranger/ Army.mil profile]
* [http://www.goarmy.com/Ranger.html Goarmy.com profile]
* [https://75thrra.org/ 75th Ranger Regiment Association]
* [https://ranger.org/ US Army Ranger Association]
* [http://www.nationalrgrassociation.com/ National Ranger Association]
* [https://www.lrra20105.org Long Range Reconnaissance Association]

{{United States Army Rangers}}
{{US Special Operations Forces}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:075}}
[[Category:Airborne units and formations of the United States Army]]
[[Category:Reconnaissance units and formations of the United States Army]]
[[Category:Infantry regiments of the United States Army]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1984]]
[[Category:Rapid reaction force units and formations]]
[[Category:United States Army Special Operations Command]]
[[Category:United States Army Rangers regiments]]