Ranger Challenge 2012 Competition Study Guide
d. Weight. The grenade weighs 14 ounces.
e. Safety Clip. The grenade has a safety clip. (See paragraph 1-3.)
CHAPTER 1
TYPES OF HAND GRENADES
This chapter describes the various types of hand grenades, their components and mechanical
functions, and examples of the grenades used by US forces.
f. Capabilities. The average soldier can throw the M67 grenade 35 meters
effectively. The effective casualty-producing radius is 15 meters and the killing
radius is 5 meters.
g. Color and Markings. The grenade has an olive drab body with a single-yellow
band at the top. Markings are in yellow.
1-1. DESCRIPTION
WARNING
The hand grenade is a handheld, hand-armed, and hand-thrown weapon. US forces use colored
smoke, white smoke, riot-control, special purpose, offensive, and practice hand grenades.
Each grenade has a different capability that provides the soldier with a variety of options to
successfully complete any given mission. Hand grenades give the soldier the ability to kill
enemy soldiers and destroy enemy equipment. Historically, the most important hand grenade
has been the fragmentation grenade, which is the soldier’s personal indirect weapon system.
Offensive grenades are much less lethal than fragmentation grenades on an enemy in the open,
but they are very effective against an enemy within a confined space. Smoke and special
purpose grenades can be used to signal, screen, control crowds or riots, start fires, or destroy
equipment. The hand grenade is thrown by hand; therefore, the range is short and the casualty
radius is small. The 4- to5-second delay on the fuze allows the soldier to safely employ the
grenade.
Although the killing radius of this grenade is 5 meters and the
casualty-producing radius is 15 meters, fragmentation can
disperse as far away as 230 meters.
1-2. COMPONENTS
The hand grenade is made up of the following components:
a. Body. The body contains filler and, in certain grenades, fragmentation.
Figure 1-6. M67 fragmentation hand grenade.
b. Filler. The filler is composed of a chemical or explosive substance, which
determines the type of hand grenade for employment factors.
1-6. SMOKE HAND GRENADES
c. Fuze Assembly. The fuze causes the grenade to ignite or explode by detonating
the filler.
Smoke hand grenades are used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target
or landing zone marking devices, or screening devices for unit movements.
1-5. FRAGMENTATION HAND GRENADES
a. M18 Colored Smoke Hand Grenade. The following is a description of the M18
colored smoke hand grenade and its components (Figure 1-7).
The following is a description of the M67 fragmentation hand grenade (Figure 1-6):
a. Body. The body is a steel sphere.
b. Filler. The filler has 6.5 ounces of Composition B.
c. Fuze. The fuze is an M213.
(1) Body. The body has a sheet steel cylinder with four emission holes at
the top and one at the bottom. The holes allow smoke to escape when the
grenade is ignited.
(2) Filler. The filler has 11.5 ounces of colored smoke mixture (red,
yellow, green and violet).
(3) Fuze. The fuze is an M201A1.
(4) Weight. The grenade weighs 19 ounces.
(2) Filler. The filler has 11 ounces of terephthalic acid.
(5) Safety clip. This grenade does not have a safety clip.
(3) Fuze. The fuze is an M201A1.
(6) Capabilities. The average soldier can throw this grenade 35 meters. It
produces a cloud of colored smoke for 50 to 90 seconds.
(4) Weight. The grenade weighs 16 ounces and is 2.5 inches in diameter
and 5.7 inches in length.
(7) Color and markings. The grenade has an olive drab body with the top
indicating the smoke color.
(5) Safety clip. This grenade does not have a safety clip.
(8) Field expedient. In combat, you may need to use the M18 hand
grenade without the fuze. Use the following procedures in combat only:




Remove the tape from the grenade bottom to expose the
filler.
Remove the fuze by unscrewing it from the grenade.
Ignite the starter mixture with an open flame.
Throw the grenade immediately to avoid burn injury.
(6) Capabilities. The AN-M83 produces a cloud of white smoke for 25 to
70 seconds.
(7) Color and markings. The grenade has a forest green body with light
green markings, a blue band, and a white top.
Figure 1-8. AN-M83 white smoke hand grenade.
1-7. RIOT-CONTROL HAND GRENADES
Figure 1-7. M18 colored smoke hand grenade.
WARNING
Do not use a smoke grenade in an enclosed area. If you must
remain in the area with the smoke, always wear a protective
mask.
b. AN-M83 HC White Smoke Hand Grenade. The AN-M83 HC white smoke
hand grenade (Figure 1-8) is used for screening the activities of small units and for
ground-to-air signaling.
(1) Body. The body is a cylinder of thin sheet metal, 2.5 inches in
diameter.
The ABC-M7A2 and ABC-M7A3 riot-control hand grenades (Figure 1-9) contain only CS as
a filler. They differ only in the amount of filler and the form of the CS they contain.
Description and components are as follows:
a. Body. The bodies of both grenades are sheet metal with four emission holes at the
top and one at the bottom.
b. Filler. The ABC-7A2 grenade has 5.5 ounces of burning mixture and 3.5 ounces
of CS in gelatin capsules. The ABC-M7A3 has 7.5 ounces of burning mixture and
4.5 ounces of pelletized CS agent.
c. Fuze. The fuze for either grenade is an M201A1.
d. Weight. Each grenade weighs about 15.5 ounces.
e. Safety. These grenades do not have safety clips.
f. Capabilities. The average soldier can throw these grenades 40 meters. Both
grenades produce a cloud of irritant agent for 15 to 35 seconds.
thermate filler can burn through a 1/2-inch homogenous steel plate. It
produces its own oxygen and burns under water.
g. Color and Markings. Both grenades have gray bodies with red bands and
markings.
(7) Color and markings. The grenade is gray in color with purple
markings and a single purple band (current grenades). Under the standard
color-coding system, incendiary grenades are light red with black
markings.
WARNING
Avoid looking directly at the incendiary hand grenade as it
burns. The intensity of the light is hazardous to the retina and
can cause permanent eye damage.
Figure 1-9. ABC-M7A2 and M7A3 riot-control hand grenades.
WARNING
Do not use a riot control grenade in an enclosed area. If you must
remain in the area, always wear a protective mask.
1-8. SPECIAL-PURPOSE HAND GRENADES
Figure 1-10. AN-M14 TH3 incendiary hand grenade.
a. Incendiary. The AN-M14 TH3 incendiary hand grenade (Figure 1-10) is used to
destroy equipment or start fires. It can also damage, immobilize, or destroy vehicles,
weapons systems, shelters, or munitions. The description and components are as
follows:
(1) Body. The body is sheet metal.
(2) Filler. The filler has 26.5 ounces of thermate (TH3) mixture.
(3) Fuze. The fuze is an M201A1.
(4) Weight. The grenade weighs 32 ounces.
(5) Safety clip. This grenade does not have a safety clip.
(6) Capabilities. The average soldier can throw this grenade 25 meters. A
portion of thermate mixture is converted to molten iron, which burns at
4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The mixture fuzes together the metallic parts of
any object that it contacts. Thermate is an improved version of thermite,
the incendiary agent used in hand grenades during World War II. The
b. Offensive. The MK3A2 offensive hand grenade (Figure 1-11), commonly
referred to as the concussion grenade, is designed to produce casualties during close
combat while minimizing danger to friendly personnel. The grenade is also used for
concussion effects in enclosed areas, for blasting, and for demolition tasks. The
shock waves (overpressure) produced by this grenade when used in enclosed areas
are greater than those produced by the fragmentation grenade. It is, therefore, very
effective against enemy soldiers located in bunkers, buildings, and fortified areas.
(1) Body. The body is fiber (similar to the packing container for the
fragmentation grenade.)
(2) Filler. The filler has 8 ounces of TNT.
(3) Fuze. The fuze is an M206A1 or M206A2 (see paragraph 1-4).
(4) Weight. The grenade weighs 15.6 ounces.
(5) Safety clip. The MK3A2 may be issued with or without a safety clip
(see paragraph 1-3).
(6) Capabilities. The average soldier can throw this grenade 40 meters. It
has an effective casualty radius of 2 meters in open areas, but secondary
missiles and bits of fuze may be projected as far as 200 meters from the
detonation point.
(7) Color and markings. The grenade is black with yellow markings
around its middle.
Figure 1-12. M69 practice hand grenade.
1-10. STUN HAND GRENADES
Figure 1-11. MK3A2 offensive grenade.
1-9. PRACTICE HAND GRENADES
The M69 practice hand grenade (Figure 1-12) simulates the M67 series of fragmentation hand
grenades for training purposes. The grenade provides realistic training and familiarizes the
soldier with the functioning and characteristics of the fragmentation hand grenade. The
following is a description of the M69 practice hand grenade and its components:
Stun hand grenades are used as diversionary or distraction devices during building and room
clearing operations when the presence of noncombatants is likely or expected and the
assaulting element is attempting to achieve surprise. The following is a description of the M84
diversionary/flash-bang stun hand grenade and its components (Figure 1-13).
a. Body. The body is a steel hexagon tube with holes along the sides to allow for the
emission of intense light and sound when the grenade is ignited.
b. Fuze and safety pin. The fuze is the M201A1. The M84 also has a secondary
safety pin with a triangular pull ring.
a. Body. The body is a steel sphere.
c. Weight. The grenade weighs 8.33 ounces.
b. Fuze. The fuze is an M228, which is inserted into the grenade body.
c. Weight. The grenade weighs 14 ounces.
d. Safety Clip. The M69 grenade has a safety clip.
e. Capabilities. The average soldier can throw the M69 hand grenade 40 meters.
After a delay of 4 to 5 seconds, the M69 emits a small puff of white smoke and
makes a loud popping noise. The grenade body can be used repeatedly by replacing
the fuze assembly.
f. Color and Markings. The grenade is light blue with white markings. The safety
lever of the fuze is light blue with black markings and a brown tip.
d. Capabilities. The handheld device is designed to be thrown into a room (through
an open door, a standard glass window, or other opening) where it delivers a loud
bang and bright flash sufficient to temporarily disorient personnel in the room.
e. Field-expedient early warning device. In combat, you may need to use the M84
stun hand grenade as an early warning device. Use the following procedures in
combat only:
(1) Attach the grenade to a secure object such as a tree, post, or picket.
(2) Attach a tripwire to a secure object, extend it across a path, and attach
it to the pull ring of the grenade.
(3) Bend the end of the pull pin flat to allow for easy pulling.
(4) Remove the secondary safety pin.
1.
2.
3.
Index
Intermediate
Supplementary
7. How many Mils are in one Degree?
17.7 mils
8. How many Norths are there on a military map?
Three:
1.
2.
3.
True north
Magnetic north
Grid north
9. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a hill?
Figure 1-13. M84 stun hand grenade.
CHAPTER 2: LAND NAVIGATION
Land Navigation FAQ:
1. What is the Field Manual for map reading and land navigation?
FM 3-25.26
2. What are the basic colors of a map, and what does each color represent?







Black - Indicates cultural (man-made) features such as buildings and roads,
surveyed spot elevations, and all labels.
Red-Brown - The colors red and brown are combined to identify cultural
features, all relief features, non-surveyed spot elevations, and elevation, such as
contour lines on red-light readable maps.
Blue - water features, such as lakes and rivers
Green - Identifies vegetation with military significance, such as woods,
orchards, and vineyards.
Brown - Identifies all relief features and elevation, such as contours on older
edition maps, and cultivated land on red-light readable maps.
Red - Classifies cultural features, such as populated areas, main roads, and
boundaries, on older maps.
Other - Occasionally other colors may be used to show special information.
These are indicated in the marginal information as a rule.
3. What are military symbols?
Figures used to represent types of military organizations, installations, and activities
4. Where is the Legend of the map found?
Lower left margin
5. What are contour lines?
Imaginary lines on the ground connecting equal elevation, they represent high and low
ground elevation.
6. What are 3 types of contour lines?
A hill is shown on a map by contour lines forming concentric circles. The inside of the
smallest closed circle is the hilltop.
10. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a saddle?
A saddle is normally represented as an hourglass
11. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a valley?
Contour lines forming a valley are either U-shaped or V-shaped.
12. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a Ridge?
Contour lines forming a ridge tend to be U-shaped or V-shaped. The closed end of the
contour line points away from high ground.
13. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a depression?
Usually only depressions that are equal to or greater than the contour interval will be
shown. On maps, depressions are represented by closed contour lines that have tick
marks pointing toward low ground.
14. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a draw?
The contour lines depicting a draw are U-shaped or V-shaped, pointing toward high
ground.
15. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a spur?
Contour lines on a map depict a spur with the U or V pointing away from high ground.
16. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a cliff?
Cliffs are also shown by contour lines very close together and, in some instances,
touching each other.
17. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a cut?
This contour line extends the length of the cut and has tick marks that extend from the
cut line to the roadbed, if the map scale permits this level of detail.
18. What shape are the contour lines that indicate a fill?
This contour line extends the length of the filled area and has tick marks that point
toward lower ground. If the map scale permits, the length of the fill tick marks are drawn
to scale and extend from the base line of the fill symbol.
19. What must be done to a map before it can be used?
It must be oriented.
20. What are 5 major terrain features found on a map?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Hill
Ridge
Valley
Saddle
Depression
21. What are the 3 minor terrain features found on a military map?
1.
2.
3.
Draw
Spur
Cliff
22. What are the 2 supplementary terrain features found on a military map?
1.
2.
Cut
Fill
23. What is a map?
A map is a graphic representation of a portion of the earth’s surface drawn to scale, as
seen
from above.
24. What is an azimuth?
A horizontal angle, measured in a clockwise manner from a north base line, expressing
direction.
25. What is vertical distance?
The distance between the highest and lowest points measured.
26. What is a contour interval?
The vertical distance between adjacent contour lines on a map.
27. What is the distance between grid lines on a combat map?
1 kilometer or 1000 meters
28. How many mils are there in a circle?
6400 mils in 360 degrees
29. Which north is used when using a military map?
Magnetic north when using a compass, and grid north when using the map
30. How would you hold a lensatic compass?
Away from metal (weapons, electrical devices), level and firm
31. Name two ways to hold a compass?
1.
2.
Compass-to-Cheek Method
Center-Hold Method
32. Are topographic symbols drawn to scale?
No
33. What do topographic symbols represent?
Man-made and natural features
34. In military symbols, what colors are used for a map overlay and what do they
represent?





Blue- Friendly forces
Red-Enemy forces
Black- boundaries
Yellow-contaminated area both friendly and enemy
Green- engineer obstacles, both friendly and enemy
35. What is Back Azimuth?
The opposite direction of an azimuth.
36. How do you figure out a back azimuth?
To obtain a back azimuth from an azimuth, add 180 degrees if the azimuth is 180 degrees
or less; subtract 180 degrees if the azimuth is 180 degrees or more
37. What is a declination diagram?
Shows the angular relationship between the magnetic north, grid north and true north
38. What is the general rule for reading military grid coordinates?
Right and UP
39. How many sights does a compass have?
2
40. What is a benchmark?
A man-made marker showing points of elevation
41. What are parallels of latitude?
Measured distances going north or south of the equator
42. What is an aerial photograph?
An aerial photograph is any photograph taken from an airborne vehicle (aircraft, drones,
balloons, satellites, and so forth)
43. What does UTM stand for?
Universal Transverse Mercator
44. The lensatic compass has a bezel ring; each bezel ring click is equal to how
many degrees?
3
45. How many times would the bezel ring click if it were fully rotated?
120
46. Large cities on a map are represented by what color?
Black
47. Name two ways to orient a map?
Use a compass and terrain association
48. What is the Field Manual for Operational Terms and Graphics?
FM 1-02
49. The arrow on a compass always points what direction?
Magnetic north
50. What does the term FLOT mean?
Forward Line Of Troops
51. What are the alternate colors on a map and what do they mean?
Gray- alternate color for brown, Yellow- built up areas, and Pink- political boundaries
52. What is longitude?
Imaginary lines that run north to south originating in Greenwich, England and measured
in degrees
53. What s a topographic map?
Portrays terrain and land forms in a measurable way as well as horizontal features of the
positions represented
54. What is a small-scale map?
Those maps with scales of 1:1,000,000 and smaller are used for general planning and for
strategic studies. The standard small-scale map is 1:1,000,000. This map covers a very
large land area at the expense of detail.
55. What is a medium-scale map?
Those maps with scales larger than 1:1,000,000 but smaller than 1:75,000 are used for
operational planning. They contain a moderate amount of detail, but terrain analysis is
best done with the large-scale maps described below. The standard medium-scale map
is 1:250,000. Medium scale maps of 1:100,000 are also frequently encountered.
56. What is a large-scale map?
Those maps with scales of 1:75,000 and larger are used for tactical, administrative, and
logistical planning. These are the maps that you as a soldier or junior leader are most
likely to encounter. The standard large-scale map is 1:50,000; however, many areas have
been mapped at a scale of 1:25,000.
57. What does the term intersection mean?
Finding the location of an unknown point by sighting two or more known points
58. Why is a map so important?
When used correctly, a map can give you accurate distances, locations and heights, best
routes key terrain features and cover and concealment information.
59. What does the term resection mean?
Resection is the method of locating one’s position on a map by determining the grid
azimuth
to at least two well-defined locations that can be pinpointed on the map.
60. If you find a symbol on a map that is unknown to you, where would you look?
The marginal data, located on the outside lower portion of the map
61. How many scales are there on a compass, what are they?
There are two:
1.
2.
Degrees
Mils
62. What are the 4 quadrants on a map?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Northeast
Southeast
Northwest
Southwest
63. What are the three elements for a land navigation process known as Dead
Reckoning?
1.
2.
3.
Known starting point
Known distance
Known azimuth
64. What is the feature that makes the lensatic compass work well at night?
The dials and needles are luminous
65. What is a polar coordinate?
Plotting or locating an unknown point using an azimuth and a distance from a known
starting point
66. What is the name of the map system that the U.S. uses?
UTM
67. On a lensatic compass there are two rings, an outer black ring and an inner red
ring, what are they used for?
The inner red ring is used to find degrees, and the outer black ring is used to find mils
68. Name 3 field expedient methods of determining direction
The shadow-tip method, the watch method, and the North Star method
69. What is a contour level?
It is the vertical distance between contour lines. The amount of the contour level is
located in the Marginal Information on the map.
70. The border line around the edge of the map is called the what?
Neat Line
71. Name the different slopes found on a map.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Gentle
Steep
Concave
Convex
72. You must find at least how many known locations on a map and the actual
ground in order to plot your location accurately?
At least 2
73. What are the three main map sizes?
1.
2.
3.
f. H – Head to Toe: Reevaluate the casualty, perform shock
prevention measures and administer pain medications and
antibiotics(pill pack)
3. Casualty Evacuation Care: Transported the casualty to the site where casualty can be
evacuated. Monitored an unconscious casualty’s airway, breathing, and bleeding during
casualty evacuation.
Small
Medium
Large
74. What are two methods of measuring an azimuth?
Compass and a protractor
75. How close will an eight-digit grid get you to your point?
10 meters
76. How close will a six-digit grid coordinate get you to your point?
100 meters
77. What would you use on a map to measure actual ground distance?
The bar scale
CHAPTER 3: FIRST AID
1. Care Under Fire.
a. Suppressed enemy fire to keep the casualty from sustaining
additional wounds.
b. Encouraged responsive casualties to protect themselves and
perform self-aid, if able. If not, have them play dead.
c. If unconscious, administer life-saving hemorrhage control
(tourniquet) to wounded.
d. Control burning
e. When the tactical situation permitted, transport the casualties,
weapons, and mission-essential equipment
2. Tactical Field Care (TCCC).
Really Big Beers Should Fit Both Hands (RBBSFBH)
a. R – Responsiveness: Checked for responsiveness.
(AVPU) [see section 2A]
b. B – Breathing : Positioned the casualty and opened the
airway(nasopharyngeal ) (ABC) [see section 2B].
c. B – Bleeding: Identified and controlled bleeding.
[see section 2C]
d. S – Shock: Check for Shock [see section 2D]
e. F – Fractures: Checked for broken bones.[see section 2E]
e. B – Burns: Checked for burns.[see section 2F]
Section 2A: Check for Responsiveness
AVPU
A – Alert
- Visually see if the wounded is alert. Eyes open, they are moving.
- Maybe cannot talk because they are choking
V – Vocal
- If eyes are closed shake the wounded and call to them “Are you
okay?” etc
P – Pain
- If they do not respond to vocal commands, attempt to cause them pain
- Sternum Rub
U – Unresponsive
- If none of the above work, then the patient is unresponsive
Section 2B: Open Position the casualty and open the Airway (ABCs)
Steps: (If casualty is unconscious)
A - Airway
1. Place the casualty on his/her back
2. Use the jaw thrust or head tilt chin lift technique to open the mouth
3. Look inside the mouth to see if there is any obstruction
4. If there is an obstruction, remove it using your fingers in a sweeping motion. (The
tongue is the most common cause of airway obstructions)
5. Insert Nasopharyngeal Airway into Nostril
B - Breathing
52. Place your ear near their mouth with your eyes towards their chest
6. Feel for their breath on your cheek, Listen to them inhaling and exhaling, Look at
the rise and fall of their chest.
7. If uneven rise and fall of the rest, treat for sucking chest wound
C – Circulation
8. place index and middle finger an the side of their throat to feel for a pulse (Carotid
Pulse)
-
8. DO NOT use your thumb to check for a pulse
Section 2C: Control Bleeding
Steps:
Inspecting for wounds
1. Visually look for spurts of blood or blood soaked clothes
2. Knife hands from head to toe
3. Most serious and obvious wound first
4. Look for entrance and exit wounds
Addressing the wound:
5. Apply Field Dressing First
a. Place the dressing with the white side down. (Do not touch the
white side, it is sterile)
b. Wrap it around wound covering 2 inches around the wound
c. Do not tie the knot on the wound
6. If bleeding continues, apply manual pressure for 5 – 10 minutes and
elevate wound above the level of the heart
7. If bleeding continues apply pressure dressing/Israeli bandage
8. If bleeding still continues, apply a tourniquet
1. place the tourniquet 2 inches above the wound, but never on the joint.
2. mark the time when the tourniquet was placed
Section 2D: Check and Treat for Shock
- When treating a patient, assume that shock is present or will occur shortly.
Every time you conduct first aid wounds, automatically finish First Aid care after the
RBBSFBH process.
Signs of Shock to look for:
Sweaty but cool skin (Clammy skin)
Weak and rapid pulse
Paleness of skin
Nervousness
Thirst
Loss of Blood
Confusion
Faster-than-normal breathing rate
Blotch or bluish skin
Nausea and/or Vomiting
Steps:
1. Position the casualty on his back(if unconscious, keep him on his back but turn his
head to the side)
2. Elevate legs (DO NOT elevate legs if the casualty has an unsplinted broken leg,
head injury, or abdominal injury)
3. Loosen clothing at neck, waist, or wherever clothing is restrictive
4. Prevent Chilling or overheating
- Cold Weather: blanket, extra clothing, etc
- Hot Weather: Place him from under the shade and protect them
from becoming chilled; avoid excessive use of blankets
5. Calm and reassure the casualty
6. Seek Medical aid
7. Reevaluate the casualty until medical personnel arrive
DO NOT give the casualty food or drink
Section 2E: Fractures:
2 types of fractures
1. Closed Fracture – Bone does not break the skin. Dislocated join or sprain should
be treated as a closed fracture
2. Open Fracture – Bone breaks/pierces through skin
Steps:
1. Locate the site of a Suspected Fracture.
a. If he is conscious, ask the casualty? (Where is the pain? Where is it
Tender? Can you move your arms/legs?)
b. If he is unconscious, look/feel for signs of fracture.
Signs of Fracture: deformity, tenderness, swelling, pain, inability to move
the injured part, protruding bone, bleeding, or discolored skin at the injury
site. A sharp pain when the service member attempts to move the part is also a
sign of a fracture.
Some medical bags include pre-packaged chest seals. These are easy to use and fast.
2. Secure the fracture with a split/sling
a. Splint the fracture in the position found
b. Place splint on each site of fracture
c. Tie all knots on the splint away from the casualty
Section 2F: Burns
Steps:
1. Eliminate the source of the burn
2. DO NOT remove clothing, cut around the clothing stuck to the wound to expose
the area
3. DO NOT pour water on
4. Loosely cover with bandage
Sucking Chest WoundStart by uncovering the wound. If the clothing is stuck to the wound or in a chemical
environment, then clothing should not be removed. Don't attempt to clean the wound.
That will be done later.
·
Use the enclosed gauze pad to wipe the skin dry around the wound.
·
Peel off the paper backing and place the sticky side of the seal over the wound
and surrounding skin
·
The one-way flutter valve will allow air to be expelled from the chest, but will
keep the outside air from returning.
4-9. NEEDLE CHEST DECOMPRESSION
CAUTION: A needle chest decompression is performed ONLY if the casualty has a
penetrating wound to the chest and increasing trouble breathing.
a. Gather Materials. You will need the large bore needle and catheter unit from
your aid bag. You will also need a strip of tape from the spool in your aid bag.
b. Locate the Insertion Site. The insertion site is located in the second
intercostal space (the area between the second and third ribs, counting from the top) at
the mid-clavicular line (an imaginary line perpendicular to the ribs approximately in line
with the casualty's nipple) on the same side of the chest as the penetrating wound.
Figure 4-5 shows the location of the second intercostal space. Figure 4-6 shows the
mid-clavicular line.
Use the casualty's hand to cover the wound while you quickly prepare an occlusive patch.
The plastic wrapper of a battle dressing works very well, although any air-tight material
can be substituted, such as:




Cellophane
Aluminum foil
Duct Tape
Vaseline Gauze
The patch should be large enough to extend 2 inches beyond the edge of the wound.
Smaller patches tend to get pulled back into the wound.
Secure the patch to the wound with adhesive tape. Three sides should be taped, while the
4th side is left untaped. Whenever the casualty breaths out (exhales), air is expelled from
the chest cavity and escapes from underneath the open edge of the patch. Whenever the
casualty breaths in (inhales), the patch sticks to the skin and keeps air from returning
into the chest cavity. This helps to re-inflate the collapsed lung.
Place a small battle dressing over the patch, but don't make it so tight that the casualty
can't breath.
Sometimes, you won't have any adhesive tape, or the tape won't stick (blood, water, mud,
or perspiration may keep it from sticking). In that case, it is still very helpful to use the
patch, held in place by a battle dressing or triangular bandage.
Finally, roll the patient onto the injured side while awaiting transportation.
Figure 4-5. Locating the second intercostal space (wound on casualty's left side).
Figure 4-6. Locating the mid-clavicular line (wound on casualty's left side).
c. Insert the Needle. Firmly insert the needle into the skin above the top of the
third rib into the second intercostal space at a 90-degree angle (figure 4-6). Continue
inserting the needle (with its catheter covering) until the chest cavity has been
penetrated. You will feel a "pop" as the needle enters the chest cavity. A hiss of
escaping air under pressure should be heard.
CAUTION: Proper positioning of the needle is essential to avoid damaging blood
vessels and nerves that run along the bottom of each rib.
d. Withdraw the Needle. Withdraw the needle while holding the catheter in
place. The catheter will remain as a means for air trapped in the chest to escape to the
atmosphere.
e. Secure the Catheter. Use the strip of tape to secure the catheter hub to the
chest wall. Do not cover the opening of the catheter hub. Figure 4-7 illustrates a
casualty with a catheter and flutter valve dressing in place.
Figure 4-7. Casualty with catheter in place to relieve tension pneumothorax.
f. Monitor Casualty. By allowing trapped air to escape from the plural area,
the casualty's respirations should quickly improve. Applying airtight material over the
wound and having a catheter release trapped air permits the affected lung to re-inflate
somewhat. If possible, monitor the casualty until medical care arrives or until the
casualty is evacuated to the nearest medical facility. Be prepared to take measures to
treat for shock.
g. Transport Casualty. If you have performed a needle decompression on a
casualty with a tension pneumothorax, the casualty should be transported with his
injured side up rather than injured side down. This is done to allow access to the
catheter during transport. The casualty may be transported in a sitting-up position if the
casualty finds that position more comfortable.
CHAPTER 4: DR SNOW’S HEALTH GUIDE
Hydration: Each person should be drinking at least one gallon of water every day. You
should be peeing clear and often. In addition to preventing dehydration, water also aids
in metabolism and the body's ability to absorb nutrients so the diet your following is
actually more effective. Water also breaks down fat stores which helps in the overall loss
of fat.
Diet: Our workouts and current physical fitness level causes us to burn thousands of
calories per day. In order to maintain out current muscle mass and continue training
hard, its highly important that we maintain a solid diet. Each person should be taking in
between 4000-6000 calories per day. This should include Proteins, Carbs, and fats. When
trying to gain muscle and size, realize that the more muscle you put on, the more calories
you have to take in. Each person's diet should include lean proteins such as chicken
breasts, tuna (or other fish), lean steak, etc. In addition to those protein loaded foods, you
should be taking in about twice the amount of carbohydrates than protein. Carbs serve as
your main source of energy in a workout lasting longer than about 10 minutes, especially
in the endurance style workouts we are currently doing. Good sources of carbohydrates
are wheat breads, grains, potatoes, rice, and PASTA. Your diet will also include lots and
lots of vegetables (salad, broccoli, carrots, etc.) to maintain a high level of vitamins and
minerals. Fats are kept to a minimum but should take up about 10% of your diet.
Essential fats are the majority of the fats you should be taken in and these can be found
in nuts, almonds, avocados, olive oil, fish oil.
Protein: is the most important part of our diets as far as muscle recovery and giving
your body the proper nutrients for your workouts. Additional protein (outside of your
normal diet should be a minimum of 2-3 full shakes per day. Each of these shakes will
probably be 28-36g per. The bigger you are, the more you can handle per serving.
Nobody except Downey and Longuevan need to be taking more than 40g per serving.
Stretching: Clearly stretching is extremely important to becoming more physically fit in
general. It has proven to help avoid injuries such as pulled or torn muscles (we have not
had any since we have started training). Stretching prior to a physically demanding
workout will help to avoid any injury and have a more beneficial workout. After a
workout, stretching will help to increase overall flexibility and help to relax the muscles
so they can start recovering. If you do not stretch after a workout, you will allow the
lactic acid to sit in your muscles for a longer amount of time thus making you more sore
than you would be if you had stretched. DISCLAIMER on stretching: It has been known to
decrease explosiveness and power in a muscle if it is stretched prior to a workout. For
any strength training or power/ explosiveness workout, it is better to warm up the
muscles by moving them in rotating or other motions using the muscle (called dynamic
stretching).
Muscle Recovery: In order for your body to gain the full benefit of a workout, you must
allow enough time for your muscles to recover. Basically, if a muscle group is sore, it has
not yet recovered completely. That's not to say that you should not work out at all. You
can have a very effective workout on a separate muscle group. It has also been shown
that it is beneficial to work out a sore muscle group (lightly) to "work out some of the
soreness", meaning you are engaging the sore muscle and forcing out some of the stored
acid which is causing the soreness. Know that you can speed up recovery by taking the
proper actions to do so. The first line of defense was talked about earlier and this is
protein. Also, I have talked to most of you about BCAA's (Branch chain amino acids) and
Glutamine. Both of these things are already in your body but working out at a
consistently high level like we are, your body may not be able to keep up. These can be
found in supplements and I encourage you to be on these in order to greatly increase
your ability to recover quickly. In addition to these supplements, it is important to
maintain a healthy and sufficient diet (see paragraph on nutrition), as well as making
sure your body has enough rest (sleep). You should be shooting for about 6-8 hours a
night whenever you can.
Supplementation: When done correctly, supplementation can be extremely effective
your overall physical fitness and gains in strength, speed, endurance, etc. I have talked to
many of you about which supplements I would recommend because everyone is different
and one supplement may have a different result on two different people. Ask me about
any questions you have on supplements because I have tried a lot of them (or know
someone who has.) Also, do your own research on supplements; you know your body
better than I do and know how you react to certain things (i.e. if you are sensitive to
caffeine, be careful taking a pre-workout supplement.) This may be self explanatory, but
do not take anything you cannot buy at a normal nutrition store. There are tons of
dangerous, or illegal supplements out there so be aware when buying.
Again, if you have any more questions on these topics, just ask. If I don't know the
answer, I can find out pretty easily.
-From the desk of Dr. Snow.
Intro
CHAPTER 5: RANGER HISTORY
Rangers came into existence in response to challenges that were far different
than those faced in the Old World during the 17th century. The major differences were in
the ruggedness of the terrain and the enemy they faced in the New World. The American
Indian did not conceive of war as a long campaign of maneuver, and he despised pitched
battles. Hardened by his environment, accustomed to traveling great distances on foot,
he was more inclined to use stealth and reconnaissance to select his objective, then
execute a swift and devastating raid that employed terror to maximum advantage.
European tactics and methods were useless against this combination of terrain
and enemy. Survival dictated the need for new methods. Small groups of men began to
move out from the settlements to scout the surrounding territory for signs of enemy
movement and to provide early warning. Reports of these groups include words such as:
"This day, ranged 9 miles." Thus, the "Ranger" was born. As their skill in woodcraft and
this new form of warfare was perfected, it was now the turn of the "Rangers" to use the
raid. They were versatile from the start, able to move on foot or horseback. In addition to
over-land raids, they conducted over-water operations against the French and their
Indian allies.
The first organized Ranger unit was activated in 1670 to combat a hostile tribe
under the leadership of Metocomet, also called King Phillip. The Rangers, commanded by
Captain Benjamin Church, crushed the attacks and ended King Phillip's War in 1675.
Colonial Wars
Benjamin Church was the principal aide to Governor Josiah Winslow of
Plymouth Colony. Holding the rank of captain, he fought during King Philip's War (1675–
1678) on the New England frontier against the Wampanoag, Nipmuck and Podunk tribes
of Indians. He is best known for his actions during this time in commanding a company of
men independent of the governor's direct command. Church's men were the first colonial
force successful in raiding the Indians' camps in forests and swamps. During previous
decades, colonists were on the defense against the Natives, although relations were
generally peaceful until 1675.
Church was eventually allowed to recruit Indians when traditional Army tactics
of the times were unsuccessful. He persuaded many neutral or formerly hostile Indians
to surrender and join his unit, where they operated skillfully as irregular troops. Some of
these men had converted to Christianity in settlements before the war. These were
known as Praying Indians. After being organized by Church, these troops tracked Indians
into the forests and swamps and conducted effective raids and ambushes on their camps.
During the Great Swamp Fight, Church was wounded while playing a leading role in the
battle. The war soon ended after an operation by Church's company on August 12, 1676,
when one of Church's Indian Rangers (John Alderman) killed Metacomet - the chieftain
also known as King Philip. Upon inspection of Philip's body, Church is quoted as saying "a
doleful, great, naked, dirty beast." Philip was then butchered in a manner standard with
English punishment for treason, drawing and quartering.
Over the next 28 years, Church led five New England raiding parties into Maine
and Canada against the French and Indians. During King William's War he carried out the
devestating Raid of Beaubassin (1691), the Siege of Fort Nashwaak (1696) which was the
Capital of Acadia, and the Raid on Beaubassin (1696) in Acadia, now holding the rank of
major. Despite weighing approximately 250 pounds, he led his troops personally in
killing inhabitants of Beaubassin, looting their household goods, burning their houses
and slaughtering the livestock.
During Queen Anne's War, in retaliation for the Deerfield Massacre, Major
Church raided Acadia in the Raid on Grand Pre (1704), Raid on Pisiquid (1704) and the
Raid on Beaubassin (1704). Church took prisoners and claimed to have left only five
houses standing in Acadia. One of the prominent Acadian prisoners he took in the Raid of
Pisiquid (1704) was Noel Doiron.
French and Indian War
Robert Rogers was a colonial farmer recruited from New Hampshire in 1755 by
the British for service in the French and Indian War (1754-63).
He created a unit called Rogers' Rangers in 1756 (the first Rangers), and by
1758 the British placed him in charge of all colonial Ranger companies. The Rangers
wore distinctive green outfits and developed tactics called "Rogers' Ranging Rules",
which the British considered unconventional. These tactics are still in use by Rangers
today.
Rogers' Rangers were most famous for their engagement with the Abenaki St
Francis Indians, who lived midway between Montreal and Quebec. These Abenaki were
credited with the deaths of over 600 colonists during the duration of the war. After the
Indians attacked a retreating British unit under a flag of truce, Rogers led a hand-picked
force of 200 Rangers to destroy the Indian's village.
Rogers' Rangers took part in General James Wolfe's expedition against Quebec
and in the Montreal campaign of 1760. The Rangers were later sent by General Jeffrey
Amherst to take possession of the northwestern posts, including Detroit. In 1763 the
Rangers were in the West again, during Pontiac's War (1763-64), and they participated
in the Battle of Bloody Bridge
After the war, Rogers went to England to write of his accounts. In 1766 he
asked King George III to fund an expedition from the Mississippi River to the Pacific. The
King refused, but granted him command of the northwest post called Michilimackinac.
From there, Rogers conducted his own expedition anyways. His ambition caused him to
be sent to England on the charges of treason, but he was acquitted.
Historians believe the spark of the American Revolution may have begun in the
ranks of Rogers' Rangers. One of America's best officers during the Revolution was John
Stark, who had been Rogers' Lieutenant. The British had treated the Rangers poorly
during the French and Indian War. In 1775 former members of Rogers' Rangers fired
upon the British at Concord and Lexington.
Rogers returned to America to join the Revolution when it started. George
Washington refused his offer of help, because he feared that Rogers might be a loyalist
spy. Outraged by this, Rogers openly joined the British and organized and commanded
the Queen's Rangers, which saw service in areas around New York City, and later created
the King's Rangers.
American Revolution
On June 14, 1775, with war on the horizon, the Continental Congress resolved that
"six companies of expert riflemen be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in
Maryland, and two in Virginia." In 1777, this force of hardy frontiersmen provided the
leadership and experiences necessary to form, under Dan Morgan, the organization
George Washington called "The Corps of Rangers." According to British General
John Burgoyne, Morgan's men were "...the most famous corps of the Continental
Army, all of them crack shots."
Also active during the Revolutionary War were Thomas Knowlton's Connecticut
Rangers. This force of less than 150 hand-picked men was used primarily for
reconnaissance. Knowlton was killed leading his men in action at Harlem Heights.
King’s Rangers
In May of 1779, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Rogers, the famous commander of
Rogers' Rangers during the French and Indian War, was given a warrant to raise two
battalions of KING'S RANGERS to combat what the British called the "unnatural
rebellion." Rogers himself would ultimately have little to do with the King's Rangers as
he had given in to alcoholism. Major James Rogers, Robert's brother, was the
commandant of the Second Battalion. Captain Samuel Hayden of New Jersey was the
senior officer of the First Battalion. The two battalions were quite different from each
other. While the 1st Battalion was heavily comprised of New Jersey men, the 2nd
Battalion was composed mostly of New Englanders along with a few immigrants from
England and Ireland.
In September 1779, the Second Battalion of King's Rangers were garrisoned for
a time at Fort St. Johns on the Richelieu River (now Saint Jean, Quebec). In October of
1780, a detachment of the Second Battalion took part in raids by Major Christopher
Carleton into the Champlain Valley and the attacks on Fort Anne and Fort George NY.
When rebels surrendered at Fort Anne, the King's Rangers took advantage of an easy
opportunity: they recruited 16 of the enemy prisoners into their own relatively small
ranks.
There was, however, another side of the war. The Second Battalion was
involved in the business of spying for the British. One of the more interesting missions
was when James Breakenridge, Jr. of the King's Rangers accompanied another loyalist
carrying a secret proposal from Vermont's Governor Thomas Chittendon and Ethan Allen
regarding negotiations for Vermont to become a Canadian province. Known as "The
Vermont Negotiations," Major James Rogers was reportedly heavily involved in
correspondence and face to face meetings with Allen and his associates.
Knowlton's Rangers
Knowlton's Rangers were the United States of America's first organized
espionage organization, as well as the first American Ranger unit formed after America
declared its independence from the United Kingdom. Named after their commander,
Thomas Knowlton, they were formed in 1776.
On August 12, 1776, General of the Army George Washington promoted
Knowlton to Lieutenant Colonel. He was ordered to select an elite group of men from
Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts to carry out reconnaissance missions.
America's first official spies, "Knowlton's Rangers" were also the first organized
American elite troops, analogous to a modern special forces unit. The famous American
spy, Captain Nathan Hale, of Coventry, Connecticut, was under the command of
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Knowlton. The date "1776" on the modern U.S. Army's
intelligence service seal refers to the formation of Knowlton's Rangers.
On September 16, 1776, Knowlton's Rangers, outfitted as a regiment of light
infantry, were scouting in advance of Washington's Army at Harlem Heights, New York.
They stumbled upon the Black Watch, an elite Highlander British unit with an
attachment of Hessians. They managed a successful retreat but re-engaged the enemy
with the support of a unit led by Major Leitch of Virginia. General Washington ordered
the units to fall on the enemy's rear, while a feint in front engaged the British troops’
attention. An American premature shot into the right flank of the British ruined
Washington's plan and placed Knowlton's Rangers and the Virginians at risk. Once the
premature shot had been fired, Knowlton rallied his troops to carry on the attack. Both
commanding officers were killed in front of their men.
Whitcomb’s Rangers
Whitcomb's Rangers were authorized on October 15, 1776, and formed in
November 1776 at Fort Ticonderoga in New York. The unit consisted of two companies
of New Hampshire rangers for service with the Continental Army under the command of
Benjamin Whitcomb, a veteran of Bedel's Regiment. They saw action at the Battle of
Hubbardton, Battle of Bennington and the Battle of Saratoga. They were disbanded on
January 1, 1781 at Coos, New Hampshire.
Whitcomb's Rangers functioned primarily as scouts and spies. Small groups of
up to six men traveled behind British lines for days or weeks at a time. Several times,
British intelligence reported them going into Canada dressed as Canadians or Indians.
The unit, augmented by another ranger company under Captain Thomas Lee and
volunteers from other companies, also went out in pursuit of Indian and Loyalist raiding
and scouting parties. On June 17, 1777, men of Whitcomb's Corps fought the first action
of Burgoyne's campaign when Indians functioning as a screen for the advancing British
army ambushed fourteen Rangers on a scouting mission. Subsequently, some of the
Rangers took part in the actions at Hubbardton, Fort Anne, Bennington, and Saratoga
(where they fought as part of Dearborne’s light infantry). Several of the Rangers also
took part in Brown’s raid on the British and Germans garrisoning the
Ticonderoga/Mount Independence complex in the fall of 1777.
After the surrender of Burgoyne, Whitcomb received orders to serve as major
in a regiment organized for an incursion into Canada under Lafayette. In early 1778, as
part of those plans, the corps moved to Rutland, Vermont, where they built Fort Ranger
which ultimately became the military headquarters for the Republic of Vermont. That
fall, Whitcomb’s Rangers played a significant role in detecting and limiting the success of
a "secret" British expedition to burn mills and sources of supplies in the Champlain
valley. The Rangers had known of the pending raid for several weeks.
During the winter of 1778-79, Whitcomb’s Rangers moved to the upper
Connecticut River valley, then known as “Co’os,” and set up headquarters in Haverhill,
NH. As well as continuing to scout into Canada, the corps guarded the men working on
the Bayley-Hazen Road which had been started with the intention of serving as the route
for the second invasion of Canada. Much of the responsibility of protecting the region fell
to Whitcomb Rangers and companies of men raised just for the summer months. In
October of 1780, the British and their allied Indians attempted a raid on Co’os in order to
destroy any war-making capabilities of the region. A few miles before they reached Co’os,
a spy reported that Whitcomb had 500 men with him and the raiders decided to turn
south and attack the White River valley instead. The area around Royalton, Vermont,
suffered severely and the raid became a legendary piece of Vermont’s history.
Whitcomb’s Rangers carried on their service until the army’s reorganization in
early 1781. At that time, the officers retired and the enlisted men joined the light infantry
companies of the three New Hampshire regiments with the main army.
War of 1812
During the War of 1812, companies of United States Rangers were raised from
among the frontier settlers as part of the regular Army. Throughout the war, they
patrolled the frontier from Ohio to Western Illinois on horseback and by boat. They
participated in many skirmishes and battles with the British and their American Indian
allies.
Civil War
Mosbey’s Rangers
The 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, also known as Mosby's Rangers, was a
battalion of partisan cavalry in the Confederate army during the American Civil War.
Noted for their lightning strikes on Union targets and their ability to consistently elude
pursuit, the Rangers disrupted Federal communications and supply lines.
The 43rd Battalion was formed on June 10, 1863, at Rector's Cross Roads, near
Rectortown, Virginia, when John S. Mosby formed Company A of the battalion. Mosby
was acting under the authority of General Robert E. Lee, who had granted him
permission to raise a company in January 1863 under the Partisan Ranger Act of 1862, in
which the Confederate Congress authorized the formation of such units. By the summer
of 1864, Mosby's battalion had grown to six cavalry companies and one artillery
company, comprising about 400 men. After February 1864, the Confederate Congress
revoked the authority of all partisan units, except for two, one of which was the 43rd
Battalion. The battalion never formally surrendered, but was disbanded on April 21,
1865, after General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court
House, but not before attempting to negotiate surrender with Major General Winfield S.
Hancock in Winchester, Virginia.
Loudoun Rangers (Means' Rangers)
The Loudoun Rangers, also known as Mean's Rangers for their commander,
Samuel C. Means, was a partisan cavalry unit raised in Loudoun County, Virginia, that
fought for the Union during the American Civil War. The Rangers have the distinction of
being the only unit raised in present-day Virginia to serve in the Union Army.
The Loudoun Rangers were formed in the spring of 1862, when the Union Army
first occupied Loudoun County as part of its campaign in the Shenandoah Valley.
Returning with the army was local unionist, Samuel Means, who had been run out of the
county the previous year by local Confederates. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
issued Means orders to raise a company of men to serve as independent command, of
which he would serve as captain, for special service in Loudoun and along the VirginiaMaryland border. Recruiting operations were established in the northern Loudoun
Valley, an area of strong unionist sentiment, eventually leading to the formation of 2
companies. For the first two years of service the Loudoun Rangers served as partisans,
often in conjunction with Cole's Maryland Cavalry (1st Potomac Home Brigade) fighting
their confederate counterparts, such as White's Comanches, Mosby's Rangers and John
Mobberly's renegade band in and around Loudoun. In 1864 the Rangers were absorbed
into regular service, leading to Means' departure. Daniel Keyes subsequently took his
place as leader of the outfit. During the final years of the war the Rangers were attached
to the Union army in the Shenandoah Valley and took part in the Valley Campaigns of
1864 under General Phillip Sheridan. As the war in the valley came to an end, the
Rangers returned to their partisan role and were eventually effectively broken up in
April 1865 when a detachment of Mosby's Rangers raided their camp at Castleman's
Ferry and captured the better part of the command. The Rangers were officially
mustered out of service the following month.
7th Virginia Cavalry (Ashby's Ranger)
The 7th Virginia Cavalry called Ashby’s Ranger after it’s commander Turner
Ashby, was originally organized by Colonel Angus W. McDonald, Sr., in the early part of
1861. The regiment spent that year operating in the neighborhood of Harpers Ferry and
Romney, West Virginia. However, by the spring of 1862, the 7th Virginia Cavalry, was
more frequently called "Ashby's Cavalry" although he had brought only Company A, the
Mountain Rangers to it in 1861. The 7th Virginia Cavalry served with Gen. T.J.
"Stonewall" Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862. Here they were very
active. In one 28 day period they fought 32 separate actions. Jackson called Ashby one of
the finest partisan officers of the war.
After Gen. Ashby's death in battle in 1862, the unit served under Gen. Wm. E.
"Grumble" Jones' Brigade, and under Gen. Thomas L. Rosser of the Laurel Brigade. The
regimental commander for most of the war was Col. Richard H. Dulany. Company A was
led by Captain Daniel Cooke Hatcher.
In 1863, the 7th Virginia Cavalry took part in the famous Jones-Imboden Raid
into Western Virginia, fought in the great mounted battle at Brandy Station, won a
cavalry victory at Fairfield, PA in the Gettysburg Campaign, and served in the Wilderness
Campaign. In 1864 they fought at Ream's Station, the "Beefsteak Raid," Trevilian Station,
and Cedar Creek.
The 7th Virginia Cavalry was at Appomattox Court House in April 1865, but
many, before the Confederate lines were enveloped, succeeded in breaking through and
were not forced to surrender. Disbanding and going home, the men tried to return to
their post-war lives. The 7th Virginia Cavalry suffered 571 casualties with 118 killed
during the war.
WORLD WAR TWO RANGER BATTALIONS
But more rugged and realistic training with live ammunition was in store for the Rangers
at the famed Commando Training Center at Achnacarry, Scotland. Coached, prodded and
challenged by the battle-seasoned Commando instructors, commanded by Colonel
Charles Vaughan, the Rangers learned the rudiments of Commando warfare. Five
hundred of the six hundred volunteers that Darby brought with him to Achnacarry
survived the Commando training with flying colors, although one Ranger was killed and
several wounded by live fire.
Meanwhile 44 enlisted men and five officers took part in the Dieppe Raid sprinkled
among the Canadians and the British Commandos—the first American ground soldiers to
see action against the Germans in occupied Europe. Three Rangers were killed, several
captured and all won the commendation and esteem of the Commandos. Under the
inspired leadership of Darby, promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, the 1st Ranger Battalion
spearheaded the North African Invasion at the Port of Arzew, Algeria by a silent night
landing, silenced two gun batteries and opened the way for the First Infantry Division to
capture Oran. Later in Tunisia the 1st Battalion executed the first Ranger behind-thelines night raid at Sened, killing a large number of defenders and taking 10 prisoners
with only one Ranger killed and 10 wounded. On March 31, 1943 the 1st Ranger
Battalion led General Patton's drive to capture the heights of El Guettar with a 12-mile
night march across mountainous terrain, surprising the enemy positions from the rear.
By dawn the Rangers swooped down on the surprised Italians, cleared the El Guettar
Pass and captured two hundred prisoners. For this action the Battalion won its first
Presidential Citation and Darby won his first DSC.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
With America's entry into the Second World War, Rangers came forth to add to the pages
of history. Major General Lucian K. Truscott, U.S. Army Liaison with the British General
Staff, submitted proposals to General George Marshal that "we undertake immediately an
American unit along the lines of the British Commandos" on May 26, 1942. A cable from
the War Department quickly followed to Truscott and Major General Russell P. Hartle,
commanding all Army Forces in Northern Ireland, authorizing the activation of the First
U.S. Army Ranger Battalion. The name RANGER was selected by General Truscott
"because the name Commandos rightfully belonged to the British, and we sought a name
more typically American. It was therefore fit that the organization that was destined to
be the first of the American Ground Forces to battle Germans on the European continent
should be called Rangers in compliment to those in American history who exemplified
the high standards of courage, initiative, determination and ruggedness, fighting ability
and achievement."
After much deliberation, General Hartle decided that his own aid-de-camp Captain
William Orlando Darby, a graduate of West Point with amphibious training was the ideal
choice. This decision was highly approved by General Truscott who rated Darby as
"outstanding in appearance, possessed of a most attractive personality....and filled with
enthusiasm."
Promoted to Major, Darby performed a near miracle in organizing the unit within a few
weeks after receiving his challenging assignment. Thousands of applicants from the 1st
Armored Division and the 34th Infantry Division and other units in Northern Ireland
were interviewed by his hand-picked officers, and after a strenuous weeding-out
program at Carrickfergus, the First Ranger Battalion was officially activated there on
June 19, 1942.
After Tunisia, the 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions with the 1st Battalion as cadre were
activated and trained by Darby for the invasion of Sicily at Nemours, Algeria in April
1943. Major Herman Dammer assumed command of the 3rd, Major Roy Murray the 4th,
and Darby remained CO of the 1st but in effect was in command of what became known
as the Darby Rangers force. The three Ranger units spearheaded the Seventh Army
landing at Gela and Licata and played a key role in the Sicilian campaign that culminated
in the capture of Messina.
The three Battalions were the first Fifth Army troops to land during the Italian Invasion
near Salerno. They quickly seized the strategic heights on both sides of Chinuzi Pass and
fought off eight German counterattacks, winning two Distinguished Unit Citations. It was
here that Colonel Darby commanded a force of over 10,000 troops, elements of the 36th
Division, several companies of the 82nd Airborne Division and artillery elements, and it
was here that the Fifth Army advance against Naples was launched with the British 10th
Corps.
All three Ranger units later fought in the bitter winter mountain fighting near San Pietro,
Venafro and Cassino. Then after a short period of rest, reorganizing and recruiting new
volunteers, the three Ranger Battalions, reinforced with the 509 Parachute Battalion, the
83rd Chemical Warfare, 4.2 Mortar Battalion and 36th Combat Engineers, were
designated as the 6615 Ranger Force under the command of Darby who was finally
promoted to Colonel. This Force spearheaded the surprise night landings at the Port of
Anzio, captured two gun batteries, seized the city and struck out to enlarge the
beachhead before dawn—a classic Ranger operation.
On the night of January 30, 1944, the 1st and 3rd Battalions infiltrated five miles behind
the German Lines while the 4th Battalion fought to clear the road toward Cisterna, a key
5th Army objective. But preparing for a massive counterattack, the Germans had
reinforced their lines the night before, and both the 1st and 3rd were surrounded and
greatly outnumbered. The beleaguered Rangers fought bravely, inflicting many
casualties but ammunition and time ran out, and all along the beachhead front
supporting troops could not break through the strong German positions. Among the
killed in action was the 3rd Battalion CO, Major Alvah Miller, and the 1st Battalion CO,
Major John Dobson, was wounded. The tragic loss of the 1st and 3rd Battalions combined
with the heavy casualties the 4th Battalion sustained, however, was not entirely in vain,
for later intelligence revealed that the Ranger-led attack on Cisterna had helped spike the
planned German counterattack and thwarted Hitler's order to "Push the Allies into the
sea."
But other Ranger units proudly carried on and enhanced the Ranger standards and
traditions in the European Theater Operations. The 2nd Ranger Battalion, activated on
April 1, 1943, at Camp Forrest, Tennessee trained and led by Lieutenant Colonel James
Earl Rudder, carried out the most desperate and dangerous mission of the entire Omaha
Beach landings - in Normandy, June 6, 1944. General Bradley said of Colonel Rudder,
"Never has any commander been given a more desperate mission."
Three companies, D, E, and F assaulted the perpendicular cliffs of Point Du Hoc under
intense machine-gun, mortar and artillery fire and destroyed a large gun battery that
would have wreaked havoc on the Allied fleets offshore. For two days and nights they
fought without relief until the 5th Ranger Battalion linked up with them. Later with the
5th Battalion, the 2nd played a key role in the attacks against the German fortifications
around Brest in the La Coquet Peninsular. This unit fought through the bitter Central
Europe campaign and won commendations for its heroic actions in the battle of Hill 400.
The 2nd Ranger Battalion earned the Distinguished Unit Citation and the Croix de Guerre
and was inactivated at Camp Patrick Henry October 23, 1945.
The Fifth Ranger Battalion activated September 1, 1943 at Camp Forrest, commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Max Schneider, former executive officer of the 4th Ranger Battalion,
was part of the provisional Ranger Assault Force commanded by Colonel Rudder. It
landed on Omaha Beach with three companies of the 2nd Battaloin, A, B and C, where
elements of the 116th Regiment of the 29th Inf. Division were pinned down by
murderous cross fire and mortars from the heights above. It was there that the situation
was so critical that General Omar Bradley was seriously considering redirecting
reinforcements to other areas of the beachhead. And it was then and there that General
Norman D. Cota, Assistant Division Commander of the 29th Division, gave the now
famous order that has become the Motto of the 75th Ranger Regiment: "Rangers, Lead
The Way!"
The Fifth Battalion Rangers broke across the sea wall and barbed wire entanglements,
and up the pillbox-rimmed heights under intense enemy machine-gun and mortar fire
and with A and B Companies of the 2nd Battalion and some elements of the 116th
Infantry Regiment, advanced four miles to the key town of Vierville, thus opening the
breach for supporting troops to follow-up and expand the beachhead. Meanwhile C
Company of the 2nd Battalion, due to rough seas, landed west of the Vierville draw and
suffered 50 percent casualties during the landing, but still scaled a 90-foot cliff using
ropes and bayonets to knock out a formidable enemy position that was sweeping the
beach with deadly fire.
The Fifth Battalion with elements of the 116th Regiment finally linked up with the
beleaguered 2nd Battalion on D+3, although Lieutenant Charles Parker of A Company,
5th Battalion, had penetrated deep behind enemy lines on D Day and reached the 2nd
Battalion with 20 prisoners. Later, with the 2nd Battalion the unit distinguished itself in
the hard-fought battle of Brest. Under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Richard
Sullivan the Fifth Ranger Battalion took part in the Battle of the Bulge, Huertgen Forest
and other tough battles throughout central Europe, winning two Distinguished Unit
Citations and the French Croix de Guerre. The outfit was deactivated October 2 at Camp
Miles Standish, Mass.
The Sixth Ranger Battalion, commanded by Colonel Henry (Hank) Mucci, was the first
American force to return to the Philippines with the mission of destroying coastal
defense guns, radio and radar stations on the islands of Dinegat, Suluan offshore Leyte.
This was the first mission for the 6th Battalion that was activated at Port Moresby, New
Guinea in September 1944. Landing three days in advance of the main Sixth Army
Invasion Force on October 17 and 18, 1944, they swiftly killed and captured some of the
Japanese defenders and destroyed all enemy communications.
The unit took part in the landings of U.S. forces in Luzon, and several behind the lines
patrols, penetrations and small unit raids, that served to prime the Rangers for what to
become universally known as the greatest and most daring raid in American military
history. On January 30, 1944, C Company, supported by a platoon from F Company,
struck 30 miles behind enemy lines and rescued five hundred emaciated and sickly
POWs, survivors of the Bataan Death March. Carrying many of the prisoners on their
backs, the Rangers, aided by Filipino guerrillas, killed over two hundred of the garrison,
evaded two Japanese regiments, and reached the safety of American lines the following
day. Intelligence reports had indicated the Japanese were planning to kill the prisoners
as they withdrew toward Manila. Good recon work by the Alamo Scouts also contributed
to the success of the Cabana- tuan Raid led by Colonel Mucci.
The unit later commanded by Colonel Robert Garrett played and important role in the
capture of Manila and Appari, and was preparing to spearhead the invasion of Japan
when news flashed the war with that nation was ended. It received the Presidential Unit
Citation and the Philippine Presidential Citation. It was inactivated on December 30,
1945 in the Philippines.
MERRILL'S MARAUDERS
5307 COMPOSITE UNIT CBI THEATER WW II
Merrill's Marauders, a Ranger type outfit, came into existence as a result of the Quebec
Conference of August 1943. During this conference, President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Prime Minister Winston Churchill of England, and other allied leaders conceived the idea
of having an American ground unit spearhead the Chinese Army with a Long Range
Penetration Mission behind enemy lines in Burma. Its goal would be the destruction of
Japanese communications and supply lines and generally to play havoc with enemy
forces while an attempt was made to reopen the Burma Road.
A Presidential call for volunteers for "A Dangerous and Hazardous Mission" was issued,
and approximately 2,900 American soldiers responded to the call. Officially designated
as the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) code name "GALAHAD" the unit later became
popularly known as MERRILL'S MARAUDERS, named after its leader, Brigadier General
Frank Merrill. Organized into combat teams, two to each battalion, the Marauder
volunteers came from a variety of theaters of operation. Some came from stateside
cadres; some from the jungles of Panama and Trinidad; and the remainder were battlescarred veterans of Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and New Guinea campaigns. In India some
Signal Corps and Air Corps personnel were added, as well as pack troops with mules.
After preliminary training operations undertaken in great secrecy in the jungles of India,
about 600 men were detached as a rear echelon headquarters to remain in India to
handle the soon-to-be vital air-drop link between the six Marauder combat teams (400 to
a team) and the Air Transport Command. Color-coded Red, White, Blue, Green, Orange
and Khaki, the remaining 2,400 Marauders began their March up the Ledo Road and over
the outlying ranges of the Himalayan Mountains into Burma. The Marauders, with no
tanks or heavy artillery to support them, walked over 1,000 miles throughout extremely
dense and almost impenetrable jungles and came out with glory. In five major and 30
minor engagements, they defeated the veteran soldiers of the Japanese 18th Division
(conquerors of Singapore and Malaya) who vastly outnumbered them. Always moving to
the rear of the main forces of the Japanese, they completely disrupted enemy supply and
communication lines, and climaxed their behind-the-lines operations with the capture of
Myitkina Airfield, the only all-weather airfield in Burma.
For their accomplishments in Burma, the Marauders were awarded the Distinguished
Unit Citation in July 1944. However, in November 1966, this was redesignated as the
PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION which is awarded by the President in the name of
Congress.
The unit was consolidated with the 475th Infantry on August 10, 1944. On June 21, 1954,
the 475th was redesignated the 75th Infantry. It is from the redesignation of Merrill's
Marauders into the 75th Infantry Regiment that the modern-day 75th Ranger Regiment
traces its current unit designation.
accomplished by the officers who would command the companies, similar to colonial
days when Robert Rogers was recruiting.
Orders were issued and those selected shipped to Fort Benning, Ga. The First group
arrived on September 20, 1950. Training began on Monday, October 9, 1950, with three
companies of airborne qualified personnel. On October 9, 1950 another company began
training. These were former members of the 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment and the
80th Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division. Initially designated
the 4th Ranger Company, they would soon be redesigned the 2nd Ranger Infantry
Company (Airborne), the only Department of the Army authorized, all-black Ranger unit
in the history of the United States.
All volunteers were professional soldiers with many skills who often taught each other.
Some of the men had fought with the original Ranger Battalions, the First Special Service
Force, or the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Many of the instructors
were drawn from this same group. The faces of this select group may have appeared
youthful, but these men were highly trained and experienced in Ranger operations
during World War II.
The training was extremely rigorous. Training consisted of amphibious and airborne
(including low-level night jumps) operations, demolitions, sabotage, close combat, and
the use of foreign maps. All American small arms, as well as those used by the enemy,
were mastered. Communications, as well as the control of artillery, naval, and aerial fires,
were stressed. Much of the training was at night.
The 1st Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) departed from Fort Benning, Ga. on
November 15, 1950, and arrived in Korea on December 17, 1950, where it was attached
to the 2nd Infantry Division. It was soon followed by the 2nd and 4th Ranger Companies,
who arrived on December 29, 1950. The 2nd Ranger Company was attached to the 7th
Infantry Division. The 4th Ranger Company served both Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army,
and the 1st Cavalry Division.
THE RANGER INFANTRY COMPANIES (AIRBORNE) OF THE KOREAN WAR
The outbreak of hostilities in Korea in June of 1950 again signaled the need for Rangers.
Colonel John Gibson Van Houten was selected by the Army Chief of Staff to head the
Ranger training program at Fort Benning, Ga.
Throughout the winter of 1950 and the spring of 1951, the Rangers went into battle.
They were nomadic warriors, attached first to one regiment and then another. They
performed "out-front" work: scouting, patrolling, raids, ambushes, spearheading
assaults, and as counterattack forces to regain lost positions.
On September 15, 1950, Colonel Van Houten reported to the Chief of Staff, Office of the
Chief of Army Field Forces, Fort Monroe, Va. He was informed that training of Rangertype units was to begin at Fort Benning at the earliest possible date. The target date was
October 1, 1950 with a tentative training period of six weeks.
Attached on the basis of one 112-man company per 18,000 man infantry division, the
Rangers compiled an incredible record. Nowhere in American military history is the
volunteer spirit better expressed. They were volunteers for the Army, for airborne
training, for the Rangers and for combat.
The implementing orders called for formation of a headquarters detachment and four
Ranger infantry companies (airborne). Requests went out for volunteers who were
willing to accept "extremely hazardous" duty in the combat zone in the Far East.
The Rangers went into battle by air, land and water. The 1st Ranger Infantry Company
(Airborne) opened with an extraordinary example of land navigation, then executed a
daring night raid nine miles behind enemy lines destroying an enemy complex. The
enemy installation was later identified by a prisoner as the Headquarters of the 12th
North Korean Division. Caught by surprise and unaware of the size of the American force,
two North Korean Regiments hastily withdrew from the area. The 1st Company as in the
middle of the major battle of Chipyong-Ni and the "May Massacre." It was awarded two
Distinguished Unit Citations. The 2nd and 4th Ranger Companies made a combat jump at
Munsan-Ni where Life Magazine reported patrols operating North of the 38th parallel.
In the 82nd Airborne Division, the results of the call for volunteers was astounding. Some
estimates were as high as 5,000 men (experienced regular Army paratroopers). The
ruthless sorting out process began. Where possible, selection of the men was
The 2nd Ranger Company plugged a critical gap left by a retreating allied force. The 4th
Ranger Company executed a daring over-water raid at the Hwachon Dam. The 3rd
Ranger Company (attached to the 3rd Infantry Division) had the motto "Die Bastard,
Die!" The 5th Ranger Company, fighting as an attachment to the 25th Infantry Division,
performed brilliantly during the Chinese "5th Phase Offensive." Gathering up every
soldier he could find, the Ranger company commander held the line with Ranger
Sergeants commanding line infantry units. In the Eastern sector, the Rangers were the
first unit to cross the 38th parallel on the second drive North.
The 8th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) was attached to the 24th Infantry Division.
They were known as the "Devils." A 33-man platoon from the 8th Ranger Company
fought a between-the-lines battle with two Chinese reconnaissance companies. Seventy
Chinese were killed. The Rangers suffered two dead and three wounded, all of whom
were brought back to friendly lines.
VIETNAM WAR RANGERS
The 75th Ranger Regiment is linked directly and historically to the 13 Infantry
Companies of the 75th that were active in Vietnam from February 1, 1969 until August
15, 1972. The longest sustained combat history for an American Ranger unit in more
than three hundred years of U.S. Army Ranger History. The 75th Infantry Regiment was
activated in Okinawa during 1954 and traced its lineage to the 475th Infantry Regiment,
thence to the 5307th Composite Provisional Unit, popularly known as Merrill's
Marauders. Historically, company I (Ranger) 75th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division and
Company G, (Ranger) 75th Infantry, 23rd Infantry Division (Americal) produced the first
two U.S. Army Rangers to be awarded the Medal of Honor as a member of and while
serving in a combat Ranger company. Specialist Four Robert D. Law was awarded the
first Medal of Honor with I\75 while on long range patrol in Tinh Phoc Province RVN. He
was from Texas. Staff Sergeant Robert J. Pruden was awarded the second Medal of Honor
with G\75 while on reconnaissance mission in Quang Ni Province RVN. He was from
Minnesota. In addition to the two Medal of Honor recipients above, Staff Sergeant Lazlo
Rabel was awarded the Medal of Honor while serving with the 74th Infantry Detachment
(LRP), a predecessor to Company N, (Ranger) 75th Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade
while on a long range patrol Binh Dinh Province, RVN. He was from Pennsylvania.
Conversion of the Long Range Patrol Companies of the 20th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 58th, 71st,
78th, and 79th Infantry Detachment and Company D, 151st Infantry Long Range Patrol of
the Indiana National Guard, to Ranger Companies of the 75th Infantry began on February
1, 1969. Only Company D, 151st retained their unit identity and did not become a 75th
Ranger Company, however, they did become a Ranger Company and continued the
mission in Vietnam. Companies C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O and P (Ranger) 75th
Infantry conducted Ranger missions for three years and seven months every day of the
year while in Vietnam. Like the original unit from whence their lineage as Neo Marauders
was drawn, 75th Rangers came from Infantry, Artillery, Engineers, Signal, Medical,
Military Police, Food Service, Parachute Riggers and other Army units. They were joined
by former adversaries, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army soldiers who became
"Kit Carson Scouts", and fought alongside the Rangers against their former units and
comrades. Unlike Rangers of other eras in the 20th century who trained in the United
States or in friendly nations overseas, LRP and Rangers in Vietnam were activated,
trained and fought in the same geographical areas in Vietnam.
Training was a combat mission for volunteers. Volunteers were assigned, not accepted in
the various Ranger Companies, until, after a series of patrols, the volunteer had passed
the acid test of a Ranger, Combat, and was accepted by his peers. Following the peer
acceptance, the volunteer was allowed to wear the black beret and wear the Red, White
and Black scroll shoulder sleeve insignia bearing his Ranger Company identity. All Long
Range Patrol Companies and 75th Ranger Companies were authorized Parachute pay.
Modus Operandi for patrol insertion varied, however, the helicopter was the primary
means for insertion and exfiltration of enemy rear areas. Other methods included foot,
wheeled, tracked vehicle, airboats, Navy Swift Boats, and stay behind missions where the
Rangers remained in place as a larger tactical unit withdrew. False insertions by
helicopter was a means of security from ever present enemy trail watchers. General
missions consisted of locating the enemy bases and lines of communication. Special
missions included wiretap, prisoner snatch, Platoon and Company size Raid Missions and
Bomb Damage Assessment (BDA) following B-52 Arc-Light missions. Staffed initially by
graduates of the US Army Ranger School (at the outset of the war, later by volunteers,
some of whom were graduates of the in-country Ranger School, the Recondo School and,
line company cadres), Paratroopers, and Special Forces trained men, the bulk of the
Ranger volunteers came from the soldiers who had no chance to attend the schools, but
carried the fight to the enemy. These Rangers remained with their units through some of
the most difficult patrolling action(s) in Army history, and frequently fought much larger
enemy forces when compromised on their reconnaissance missions.
Army Chief of Staff Creighton Abrams, who observed the 75th Ranger operations in
Vietnam as Commander of all U.S. Forces there, selected the 75th Rangers as the role
model for the first U.S. Army Ranger units formed during peacetime in the history of the
U.S. Army.
ABRAM'S OWN
The outbreak of the 1973 Middle East War prompted the Department of the Army to be
concerned about the need for a light mobile force that could be moved quickly to any
trouble spot in the world. In the fall of 1973, General Creighton Abrams, Army Chief of
Staff formulated the idea of the reformation of the first battalion-sized Ranger units since
World War II. In January 1974, he sent a message to the field directing formation of a
Ranger Battalion. He selected its missions and picked the first officers. He felt a tough,
disciplined and elite Ranger unit would set a standard for the rest of the U.S. Army and
that, as Rangers "graduated " from Ranger units to Regular Army units, their influence
would improve the entire Army. See Abram’s Charter.
On January 25, 1974, Headquarters, United States Army Forces Command, published
General Orders 127, directing the activation of the 1st Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger),
with an effective date of January 31, 1974. In February, the worldwide selection was
begun and personnel assembled at Fort Benning, Ga., to undergo the cadre training from
March through June 1974. On July 1, 1974, the 1st Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger),
parachuted into Fort Stewart, Ga.
DESERT ONE
The modern Ranger Battalions were first called upon in 1980 as elements of 1st
Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger) to participate in the Iranian hostage rescue attempts.
The ground work of our Special Operations capability of today was laid during training
and preparation for this operation. Rangers and other Special Operations Forces from
throughout the Department of Defense developed tactics, techniques, and equipment
from scratch, as no doctrine existed anywhere in the world.
The 2nd Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger) soon followed with activation on October 1,
1974. These elite units eventually established headquarters at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.,
and Fort Lewis, Wash., respectively.
GRENADA
The farsightedness of General Abrams' decision, as well as the combat effectiveness of
the Ranger battalions, was proven during the United States' deployment on October 25,
1983, to Grenada. The mission of the Rangers was to protect the lives of American
citizens and restore democracy to the island. During this operation, code-named
"URGENT FURY," the 1st and 2d Ranger Battalions conducted a daring low-level
parachute assault (500 feet), seized the airfield at Point Salinas, rescued American
citizens at the True Blue Medical Campus, and conducted air assault operations to
eliminate pockets of resistance.
As a result of the demonstrated effectiveness of the Ranger Battalions, the Department of
the Army announced in 1984, that if was increasing the size of the active duty Ranger
force to its highest level in 40 years, by activating another Ranger Battalion and a Ranger
Regimental Headquarters. These new units, the Id Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger), and
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 75th Infantry (Ranger), received their colors
on October 3, 1984, at Fort Benning, Ga. The activation ceremonies were a step into the
future for the Ranger Regiment, and a link to the past, as they were held concurrently
with the first reunion of the Korean War-era Rangers. Distinguished visitors and proud
Rangers, both active duty and retired, joined to hail the historic activation of the
Headquarters, 75th Ranger Regiment. On February 3, 1986, World War II Battalions and
Korean War Lineage and Honors were consolidated and assigned by tradition to the 75th
Ranger Regiment. This marked the first time that an organization of that size had been
officially recognized as the parent headquarters of the Ranger Battalions.
Not since World War II and Colonel Darby's Ranger Force Headquarters, had the U.S.
Army had such a large Ranger force, with over 2,000 soldiers being assigned to Ranger
units.
captured 1,014 Enemy Prisoners of War (EPW), and over 18,000 arms of various types.
The Rangers sustained five killed and 42 wounded.
DESERT STORM
Elements of Company B and 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger
Regiment deployed to Saudi Arabia from February 12, 1991 to April 15, 1991, in support
of OPERATION DESERT STORM. The Rangers conducted raids and provided a quick
reaction force in cooperation with Allied forces; there were no Ranger casualties. The
performance of these Rangers significantly contributed to the overall success of the
operation, and upheld the proud Ranger traditions of the past.
SOMALIA
From early 1993, to October 21, 1993, Company B and a Command and Control Element
of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Deployed to Somalia to assist United Nations
forces in bringing order to a desperately chaotic and starving nation. Their mission was
to capture key leaders in order to end clan fighting in and around the City of Mogadishu.
On October 3, 1993, the Rangers conducted a daring daylight raid in which several
special operations helicopters were shot down. For nearly 18 hours, the Rangers
delivered devastating firepower, killing an estimated 300 Somali's in what many have
called the fiercest ground combat since Vietnam. Six Rangers paid the supreme sacrifice
in accomplishing their mission.
OEF/OIF
The 3rd Ranger Battalion led the attack in Afghanistan, in 2001. The Ranger Regiment
has been involved in multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since
2003.
After September 11, the United States began its War on Terror with the invasion of
Afghanistan in October 2001. Special Operations Units such as the Rangers, along with
some CIA officers were the first US Forces on Afghan soil during Operation Enduring
Freedom. This was the first large Ranger operation since Somalia in 1993. The Rangers
met with success during the invasion and, along with the other US Special Operations
forces, played an integral part in overthrowing the Taliban government. They were also
in the biggest firefight of Operation Anaconda in 2002 at Takur Ghar.
PANAMA
The entire Ranger Regiment participated in OPERATION JUST CAUSE, in which U.S.
forces restored democracy to Panama. Rangers spearheaded the action by conducting
two important operations. The 1st Battalion, reinforced by Company C, 3rd Battalion,
and a Regimental Command and Control Team, conducted an early morning parachute
assault onto Omar Torrijos International Airport and Tocumen Military Airfield, to
neutralize the Panamanian Defense Forces PDF 2nd Rifle Company, and secure airfields
for the arrival of the 82nd Airborne Division. The 2nd and 3rd Ranger Battalions and a
Regimental Command and Control Team, conducted a parachute assault onto the airfield
at Rio Hato, to neutralize the PDF 6th and !Oh Rifle Companies and seize General Manuel
Noriega's beach house. Following the successful completion of these assaults, Rangers
conducted follow-on operations in support of Joint Task Force (JTF) South. The Rangers
In 2003, when the United States invaded Iraq, the Rangers were among those sent in.
During the beginning of the war, they faced some of Iraq's elite Republican Guard units
and captured the Haditha Dam. One of their notable achievements in Iraq was the rescue
of American POW Private First Class Jessica Lynch. Throughout the War on Terror, the
75th Ranger Regiment has been one of the few units to have members continuously
deployed. Their courage and selfless service epitomized the values espoused in the
Ranger Creed, and are indicative of the Ranger spirit of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Chapter 6: M4 Disassembly, Assembly and Function Check
Disassembly and Assembly
the SAFE position. It should always be on safe unless you are
performing a functions check or firing it. If the weapon has been fired
already (not cocked), you will not be able to engage the safety.
Continue on with these steps to see how to engage the safety.
B. If necessary, remove the magazine by pressing themagazine
release button on the right side of the lower receiver. Set the
magazine away from arms reach, especially if loaded, to prevent
any unintended accidental loading.
The steps for field-stripping are easy. All you are doing is giving it a
quick dust off and lube, which means there isn’t much to
disassemble.
C. Pull the charging handle rearward and lock the bolt in place
by pressing on the bottom of the bolt catch on the left side of
the lower receiver. Ease up on the charging handle while
Step1Clear the Weapon
pressing the bolt catch to allow the bolt to move forward until it
engages the bolt catch.
A.
First off, make
sure that your firearm is on safe by checking that the safety
selector on the left side of the lower receiver is set in
D. Return the charging handle to its full forward position and
ammunition. Do not physically inspect (which means DO NOT
place the selector lever on SAFE.
stick your finger inside the upper receiver), because the bolt
may slide forward and catch your finger. Remove any ammo if
necessary.
F.
Press the upper portion of the bolt catch (the bolt release) to
allow the bolt to slide forward.
G. Now place the selector lever to SEMI and squeeze the trigger.
This is basically just a double check to make sure there is no
ammo in the chamber, to prevent injury when disassembling.
H. Pull the charging handle rearward fully and then release to
allow the bolt to return to the full forward position.
E.
Visually
inspect the upper receiver and chamber for any
I.
Place the selector lever on SAFE and close the ejection port
cover on the right side of the upper receiver. Always close the
ejection port cover unless firing, to prevent damage and keep
the bolt clean.
Warnings
If you try to open the receiver with the bolt locked to the rear, it
could seriously injure you or someone else. Make sure you follow
the full clearing procedure properly.
Step2Pop Out Rear Takedown Pin
Now that your weapon is considered safe to disassemble, pop out
the rear takedown pin on the lower receiver all of the way. Do
not remove the second takedown pin (commonly called the pivot
pin) near the barrel, because this pin will allow the upper receiver
and barrel to swing down for access to the bolt carrier group,
without fully disassembling.
I always found
that it was easy to remove the takedown pin by grabbing the lips
of the pin on the right side with my fingernails and simply pulling it
out. Sometimes it can be a little stubborn, so you may need to pop
it out from the left side with something. Sometimes your finger will
be enough to get it started, but sometimes you may need to use
Pull the bolt carrier group out of the upper receiver and set down
your Gerber or barrel rod from your weapons cleaning kit. You can
close by you on a clean surface.
also use practically anything else, like a pen or pencil.
Once the pin is out, swing the receivers apart for inner access.
Step3Pull the Charging Handle
Pull the charging handle rearward on the upper receiver. You will
not be able to remove this however, until after you have removed
the bolt carrier group.
Step5Remove the Charging Handle
After the bolt carrier group is removed, the charging handle will
slide out easily. Remove and set down on the clean surface by the
bolt carrier group.
Step4Remove the Bolt Carrier Assembly
group, because you could possibly misplace a piece, which could be
detrimental in an unexpected attack. Plus the whole idea of a field
strip is to only give it a basic dust over, to remove any large
obstructions or coarse dirt and sand from hindering your M4,
causing jams or double feeds.
Step6Clean
Now it’s time to clean and inspect your weapon. Inspect the bolt
carrier group and charging handle for any damage. Proceed to
dust off the two components with a rag or barber brush.
Next, use the rag or barber brush to clean the inside of
the upper and lower receiver. Also, quickly wipe down any other
noticeably dirty areas on the outside of the firearm if you have
time. If you want, you can even remover the buffer
assembly and action spring from the lower receiver and gently
wipe them off. To remove, simply use your fingernail to press on
the release button by the buffer assembly.
After wiping your weapon down, you may apply a light coat
of CLP (cleaner, lubricant, and preservative), which I usually just
refer to as oil or lubricating oil. In the desert environment, it’s a
good idea to apply a very light amount of oil to your bolt carrier
group, because sand and dust will cling to it in seconds, defeating
the purpose of cleaning in the first place. Do not lubricate the
outside of your weapon in Iraq!
Step7Reassemble
After a light cleaning is performed, insert the charging
handle back into the upper receiver, but do not push forward all
of the way. Only slide it in through the groove until it is locked from
falling out, which will leave most of the handle hanging outward.
In the field or
when off base in hostile territory, you never want to disassemble
your weapon more than this. Do not disassemble the bolt carrier
Install the bolt carrier group into the upper onto the charging
handle. Now, the bolt carrier group will not install if the bolt
assembly is not pulled out— pull out the bolt assembly, then
install. Once in place, push the bolt and charging handle forward
fully until they lock in place. Make sure to close the ejection port
cover. If the port ejection cover was already closed, pushing the
bolt forward will open it, so you’ll have to close it again. If
necessary, reinstall thebuffer assembly and action spring.
Part 4: Reset
Step 18: move selector switch to "Safe"
Step 19: Close the dust cover
Step 20: Place the weapon down the with dust cover facing UP
CHAPTER 7: STANDING ORDERS AND RANGER CREED
Roger's Standing Orders
Now, just bring the upper and lower receiver together and push
the rear takedown pin back in place and you’re done— almost.
Step8Functions Check
To make sure your weapon is still capable of firing, you’ll need to
perform a functions check on the M4. It is very important to
perform a functions check any time you disassemble you rifle, no
matter how small the disassembly was.
1. Don't forget nothing.
2. Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball,
and be ready to march at a minute's warning.
3. When you're on the march, act the way you would if you was sneaking up on a deer.
See the enemy first.
4. Tell the truth about what you see and what you do. There is an army depending on us
for correct information. You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the
Rangers, but don't never lie to a Ranger or officer.
When memorizing the functions check, you can break it down into 4 parts: SAFE, SEMI,
AUTO/BURST, and RESET. There are a total of 20 steps
5. Don't never take a chance you don't have to.
These parts will essentially have the same steps, but the only difference is how many
times you pull the charging hand and what setting you choose the selector switch. The
parts that are similar to a step in the previous part are in BOLD
6. When we're on the march we march single file, far enough apart so one shot can't go
through two men.
Part 1: SAFE
Step 1: Pull the charging handle back and release it
Step 2: Make sure the selector switch is on "Safe"
Step 3: Pull the trigger to ensure the weapon doesn't fire while on safety
Part 2: SEMI
Step 4: With your thumb, move the selector switch to "Single"
Step 5: Pull the trigger (you should hear a click)
Step 6: Hold the trigger down
Step 7: While holding the trigger, pull the charging handle ONCE
Step 8: Release the the trigger (you should hear the "thud" not a "click)
Step 9: Pull the trigger again to make sure it fires (listen for a "click"
Step 10: Pull the charging handle (if you do not, you cannot change the selector
switch for the next step
Part 3: AUTO/BURST
Step 11: With your thumb, move the selector switch to "Auto/Burst"
Step 12: Pull the trigger (you should hear a click)
Step 13: Hold the trigger down
Step 14: While holding the trigger, pull the charging handle 3 times
Step 15: Release the the trigger (you should hear the "thud" not a "click)
Step 16: Pull the trigger again to make sure it fires (listen for a "click"
Step 17: Pull the charging handle (if you do not, you cannot change the selector
switch for the next step
7. If we strike swamps, or soft ground, we spread out abreast, so it's hard to track us.
8. When we march, we keep moving till dark, so as to give the enemy the least possible
chance at us.
9. When we camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps.
10. If we take prisoners, we keep 'em separate till we have had time to examine them, so
they can't cook up a story between 'em.
11. Don't ever march home the same way. Take a different route so you won't be
ambushed.
12. No matter whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each party has to keep a
scout twenty yards ahead, twenty yards on each flank and twenty yards in the rear, so
the main body can't be surprised and wiped out.
13. Every night you'll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force.
14. Don't sit down to eat without posting sentries.
15. Don't sleep beyond dawn. Dawn's when the French and indians attack.
16. Don't cross a river by a regular ford.
17. If somebody's trailing you, make a circle, come back onto your own tracks, and
ambush the folks that aim to ambush you.
18. Don't stand up when the enemy's coming against you. Kneel down, lie down, hide
behind a tree.
19. Let the enemy come till he's almost close enough to touch. Then let him have it and
jump out and finish him with your hatchet.
Ranger Creed
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen
profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps
of the Rangers.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting
edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects
me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong
and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may
be, one-hundred-percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My
courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the
example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of
battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger
word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no
circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective
and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.
Rangers Lead The Way!
CHAPTER 8: SWISS SEATS AND ROPE BRIDGE
The Swiss Seat
longer than the other, so have them meet on the hip you started
the bite on. Tie a square not on that hip with the two ends.
if there is extra rope, safety knots will be tied. These will be
demonstrated in the initial stages of explanation. After safeties are
tied, the remainder of the rope is shoved into the pockets.
The Bowline
1) find the middle bite in the rope, splitting it in half.
2) place that bight on your left hip. (note: this is for right handed
operator. If dominant hand is the left, it is recommended in all
ascending/descending applications to situate the bite on the right
hip.)
3) from their, wrap each end around the waste. One side will be
much longer than the other.
4) wrap one end twice around the other, making the beginnings of
a double knot.
5) allow each end of the rope to dangle to the ground in front of
you. Reach around the back of your legs, grabbing each end of the
rope and pull them back through your upward towards the small
of your back. Take special care in making sure that the ropes are
not crossed in the crotch area. Severe damage to important male
genitalia can occur.
6) Insert, from the small of your back to the floor, each end of the
rope. Ensure that the upward directed rope is on the outside,
closer to the hips, of the downward directed rope, closer to the
small of your back.
7) By simultaneously squatting and pulling down on the rope ends,
you can tighten the harness in the crotch region. The tighter you
can make it now, the better off you will be during movement.
8) take both ends of the rope and wrap them around their
respective directions from the back to the front. One end will be
- the bowline is tied around
the swimmer, or initial team
member across the bridge. In
order to secure the rope to
his body, he ties the bowline.
This takes the place of the
swiss seat.
The Square Knot
- the square knot is the basic knot used to fasten the ends of
the rope during the finishing stages of the swiss seat.
The Figure 8
-the Figure 8 is a basic knot used to stow the swiss seat
ropes. It is also used in tying up some of the additional objects to
be transported across the bridge.