The force specialises in airborne, air assault, Light-Infantry and direct action operations, conducting raids, infiltration and exfiltration by air, land or sea, airfield seizure, recovery of personnel and special equipment, and support of general purpose forces (GPF) among others. Each Ranger Battalion can deploy anywhere in the world with 18 hours' notice.
The term ‘Ranger’ first appeared in the 13th century in England. The origin of the ranger tradition - in America - lies in the seventeenth century wars between colonists and Native American tribes. In the original concept rangers were full-time soldiers employed by the colonial governments to "range" between fixed frontier fortifications as a reconnaissance system to provide early warning of hostile raids. In offensive operations they became scouts and guides, locating targets (such as villages) for task forces drawn from the militia or other colonial troops.
By 1675-1676 a new element appeared in the ranger concept. Benjamin Church (1639-1718) of Massachusetts developed a special full-time unit mixing white colonists selected for frontier skills with friendly Indians to carry out offensive strikes against hostile Indians in terrain where normal militia units were ineffective. In fact, his memoirs published in 1716 by a son are the first American military manual.
The traditional ranger usage reached its peak during the French and Indian War. Robert Rogers of New Hampshire organized a corps of New England woodsmen as full-time Provincials directly under British military auspices and paid out of British funds. The companies supported British operations against French Canada on the New York and St. Lawrence River fronts. They occasionally operated with friendly Indians, but more commonly served the British as a substitute for traditional allies. Astute British commanders assigned regular British officers to Rogers' Rangers for training in wilderness warfare which they could then pass on to their normal regiments.
Veterans of this corps played a major role in the Continental Army during the Revolution, including Major General Israel Putnam and Brigadier Generals John Stark and Moses Hazen. The tranditional ranger usage had only limited application during that later war. Various state governments did employ such units for local frontier security, but the Continental Army formed very few, in part because George Washington considered frontier security to be a local responsibility and focused national military forces on opposing regular British and German units in a formal battlefield context.
Other than the regiments and separate companies of riflemen from Pennsylvania and the states to the south, who really functioned as light infantry rather than rangers, the Continental Army only formed two functional ranger units. Knowlton's Rangers, a provisional three-company unit of volunteers from Connecticut and Massachusetts line regiments under Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Knowlton, came into being during the late summer of 1776 at New York City. It performed excellently in a light infantry role at the battle of Harlem Heights on September 16, 1776, but Knowlton suffered a mortal wound. Two months later the remnants of the corps fell into British hands whenFort Washington surrendered. Captain Nathan Hale of this corps gained immortality as a brave but singularly inept spy.
Whitcomb's Rangers started as a similar provisional unit on the Lake Champlain front in 1776. It gained permanent status as a two-company force on October 15th of that year and provided reconnaissance capability to the Northern Department until January 1, 1781 when it disbanded at Coos, New Hampshire, as part of a general reorganization of the Continental Army. Most of Whitcomb's men came from New Hampshire and the Hampshire Grants (now Vermont).
Other units in the Continental Army either used the term ranger in their designation or were commonly called rangers, but did not serve in that capacity in the traditional sense. South Carolina and Georgia each raised mounted ranger units in 1775-1776, but when they became part of the Continental Army during the summer of 1776 they transformed into mounted infantry. In fact over the period of several years the 3rd South Carolina Regiment gradually evolved into a line infantry regiment. When Washington authorized Gist's Additional Continental Regiment in 1777 he intended to man it with a mixture of Caucasian southern frontiersmen and members of the Cherokee and related tribes. Washington wanted to use it as a vehicle for insuring tribal support--its Native American members would become hostages for the good behavior of the rest of the tribe--as well as a combat element. The regiment never recruited the Indian component, and changes in British operations led to the transformation of the white elements into normal infantry.
Contrary to myth, the light troops in the Continental Army overwhelmingly followed European doctrinal concepts. The four regiments of light dragoons raised in 1777 as a reconnaissance force derived from European developments in light cavalry during the eighteenth century. Only during a brief period in the winter of 1777-1778 did the Continental Army experiment with the idea of employing them as a shock force.
Light infantry companies added to the regimental organization of each Continental Army infantry regiment in 1778 also had European roots. The American leadership stressed the ideas of Maurice, comte de Saxe and the comte de Guibert, two leading French military theorists, which advocated cross-training every soldier to perform both line or light infantry roles to allow mission flexibility. Light companies normally assembled into provisional battalions at the start of each year's campaign and acted as a special strike force in traditional battlefield roles, not as a reconnaissance element.
The Continental Army's other light troops sprang from a relatively new European concept not the native American ranger tradition. During the Seven Years' War most European armies developed partisan corps (also called frei korps). Originally fielded by the French to counter Austrian irregulars recruited in the Balkans, they filled a unique niche by providing deep security around an army in the field or carried out raids behind enemy lines. The Continental Army authorized several of these formations in 1777 and 1778, primarily as a vehicle to employ European volunteers who could not be inserted into existing regiments without provoking major arguments over rank, or because of language barriers. Light HorseHarry Lee of Virginia (the father of Robert E. Lee) raised the only American-born unit under this concept. Each partisan unit in the Continental Army, however, had a unique organizational structure.
The 1781 reorganization of the Continental Army resolved the issue of light troops by bringing greater centralized control. The light infantry companies continued under their existing practice of forming provisional battalions for each campaign season. The four regiments of light dragoons transformed into combined arms Legionary Corps composed of four mounted and two dismounted troops; the various partisan elements consolidated into two Partisan Corps, each with three mounted and three dismounted troops. The structure of the legionary corps focused on providing close reconnaissance and security patrols for a field army although various operational and manpower problems hampered most of the regiments from achieving complete success.
OnlyElisha Sheldon's 2nd Legionary Corps (a Connecticut unit serving in 1781 in the West Point-Westchester County zone) fully exploited the possibilities of the combined arms structure. The two dismounted troops armed and equipped as light infantry provided a defensive element to protect the camp from enemy surprise attack, and also provided a base of fire around which the mounted elements could maneuver. They also became very adept at employing the mounted troops in a raid designed to provoke a British pursuit which would end with a classic "L-shaped" ambush.
The 1st Partisan Corps under the Frenchman "Colonel Armand" (the marquis de la Rouerie) and the 2nd under Lee both drew assignments in Major General Nathanael Greene's Southern Department. Armand's remained a shell during 1781, but Lee had great success in the Carolinas carrying out those specific missions for which the 3-3 mix of mounted and dismounted troops had been designed. In formal battles it provided unblemished flank security, but it was even better in rear battle by conducting deep raids against British logistical bases. Lee particularly shined when his regulars stiffened the irregular local forces of leaders like Francis Marion ("The Swamp Fox"). The mix of mounted and dismounted men gave it somewhat greater staying power in independent firefights while also allowing rapid forced marches (each light infantryman held on to a dragoon's stirrups).
None of the light units employed by the Continental Army carried out a training role as Rogers' Rangers had during the French and Indian War. In fact, Major General Friedrich von Steuben wrote a separate drill manual for them in late 1780. He and Washington intended it to be the companion to the famous "Blue Book", but operational factors prevented its publication and distribution.
Source: US Army Center of Military History.
Modern history
75th Ranger Regiment Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Congress authorised the raising of ranger units for Indian fighting in the western territories during the War of 1812. In May 1942 during World War II, the 1st Ranger Battalion was sanctioned, recruited and began training in Scotland under the British Commandos. Together with the ensuing 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions they served in North Africa and Italy under William O. Darby until the Battle of Cisterna (January 29, 1944) when most of the 1st and 3rd battalions were captured.
Prior to the 5th Ranger Battalion landing on Dog White Sector, Omaha Beach in WWII, the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the 150 foot cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, a few miles to the west, to destroy a battery of five 155mm guns. Under constant fire during the climb, they found only a small company of Germans on the cliffs and the artillery withdrawn some 500 metres. The guns were later found and destroyed, and the Rangers cut and held the main road for two days before being relieved.
After World War II, the Rangers were disbanded. However, the training regime was kept in place, though only senior NCOs and officers were able to attend training. With the outbreak of war in Korea, the Rangers were reactivated, and formed into Ranger Companies. The Chief of Staff assigned the Ranger Training Program to Colonel John Gibson Van Houten. Members of the 505th Airborne Regiment and the 80th AA Battalion reported in, and together they would become the 2nd Ranger Company, the only all-black Ranger unit to serve in Korea. During the course of the war the Rangers patrolled, probed, scouted, destroyed, attacked and ambushed the enemy. The 1st Rangers destroyed the 12th North Korean Division in a daring night raid. The 2nd and 4th Rangers made an airborne assault near Munsan-Ni where Life Magazine reported that Allied troops were now patrolling above the 38th Parallel. The 2nd Rangers plugged a crucial gap made by the retreating allied forces, the 5th Rangers helped stop the Chinese 5th Phase Offensive. After the Korean War the Rangers were disbanded.
In February of 1969, under a new Combat Arms Reorganization System, U.S. Army Rangers were reformed in Vietnam as the 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment (Airborne). Thirteen companies of Rangers (only 12 of which were in Vietnam) were raised from units that had been performing long range missions in Vietnam since 1966 as LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) and LRP (Long Range Patrol) companies. These new Rangers were given a unit history somewhat curiously traced to Merrill's Marauders. In Vietnam, the Rangers were organized as independent companies (C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, and P) and each company was attached to a major American combat unit. Rangers in Vietnam conducted long range, covert reconnaissance into denied areas. They collected intelligence on these missions, planned and directed air strikes on previously unidentified targets, acted as force multipliers to conventional operations, carried out bomb damage assessment in enemy controlled areas, executed hunter-killer missions at night and in daylight by set ambush or by hasty ambush and surprise, and specially trained and equipped Ranger snipers killed individual enemy soldiers with well placed rifle shots from concealed positions.
In addition, Rangers attempted recovery of friendly POW’s, captured enemy personnel for search and interrogation, employed wire taps on communication lines used by the enemy in his established base areas and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and Rangers mined enemy trails and motor vehicle transportation routes.
After Vietnam, division and brigade commanders saw that the Army needed an elite light infantry unit capable of rapid deployment, so in 1974 Gen. Abrams created the 1st Ranger Battalion. Eight months later the 2nd Ranger Battalion was formed and in 1984 the 3rd Ranger Battalion plus HQ. In 1986 the 75th Ranger Regiment was formed and their lineage formally authorized.
The 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Battalions are Ranger Training Battalions and not organized as units of the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Ranger elements participated on several operations, including the 1979 aborted attempt to rescue the hostages held in Teheran (Operation Eagle Claw), and Operation Urgent Fury on Grenada in 1982.
Lineage
Organised 3 October 1943 in the Army of the United States in the China-Burma-India Theatre of Operations as the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)
Consolidated 10 August 1944 with the 475th Infantry Regiment (constituted 25 May 1944 in the Army of the United States) and consolidated unit designated as the 475th Infantry Regiment
Reorganized 1 July 1984 with Headquarters at Fort Benning, Georgia
Consolidated 3 February 1986 with the former 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, 2d Infantry Battalion, and 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Infantry Battalions (see ANNEXES 1-6) and consolidated unit redesignated as the 75th Ranger Regiment; concurrently withdrawn from the Combat Arms Regimental System and re-organised under the United States Army Regimental System
ANNEX 1
Constituted 27 May 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 1st Ranger Battalion
Activated 19 June 1942 in Northern Ireland
Redesignated 1 August 1943 as the 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion
Disbanded 15 August 1944
Reconstituted 1 September 1948 in the Army of the United States as the 1st Infantry Battalion and activated in the Canal Zone
Inactivated 4 January 1950 in the Canal Zone
After 4 January 1950 organic elements underwent changes as follows:
Company A redesignated 25 October 1950 as the 1st Ranger Infantry Company and allotted to the Regular Army; activated 28 October 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea
Company B redesignated 2 November 1950 as the 5th Ranger Infantry Company and allotted to the Regular Army; activated 20 November 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea
Battalion redesignated 24 November 1952 as the 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion and allotted to the Regular Army (former organic elements concurrently redesignated)
Consolidated 15 April 1960 with the 1st Special Service Force (activated 9 July 1942), the 2d Infantry Battalion (see ANNEX 2), and the 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Infantry Battalions (see ANNEXES 3, 4, 5, and 6) to form the 1st Special Forces, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System
Former 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, 2d Infantry Battalion, and 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Infantry Battalions withdrawn 3 February 1986, consolidated with the 75th Infantry, and consolidated unit redesignated as the 75th Ranger Regiment (remainder of the 1st Special Forces - hereafter separate lineage)
ANNEX 2
Constituted 11 March 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 2d Ranger Battalion
Activated 1 April 1943 at Camp Forrest, Tennessee
Redesignated 1 August 1943 as the 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion
Inactivated 23 October 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia
Redesignated 29 July 1949 as the 2d Infantry Battalion (Companies E and F concurrently disbanded)
Activated 15 September 1949 in the Canal Zone
Inactivated 4 January 1950 in the Canal Zone
After 4 January 1950 organic elements underwent changes as follows:
Company A redesignated 25 October 1950 as the 2d Ranger Infantry Company and allotted to the Regular Army; activated 28 October 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea
Company B redesignated 2 November 1950 as the 6th Ranger Infantry Company and allotted to the Regular Army; activated 20 November 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 December 1951 in Germany
Company C redesignated 27 February 1951 as the 14th Ranger Infantry Company, allotted to the Regular Army, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 27 October 1951 at Camp Carson, Colorado
Company D redesignated 27 February 1951 as the 15th Ranger Infantry Company, allotted to the Regular Army, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 5 November 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia
Company E reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 9th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 5 January 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 5 November 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia
Company F reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 10th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 5 January 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 15 September 1951 in Japan
Battalion redesignated 24 November 1952 as the 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion and allotted to the Regular Army (former organic elements concurrently redesignated)
Redesignated 14 June 1955 as the 2d Infantry Battalion
Activated 1 July 1955 in Iceland
Inactivated 11 March 1960 at Fort Hamilton, New York
ANNEX 3
Constituted 21 July 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 3d Ranger Battalion; concurrently consolidated with the 3d Ranger Battalion (Provisional) (organized 21 May 1943 in North Africa) and consolidated unit designated as the 3d Ranger Battalion
Redesignated 1 August 1943 as the 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion
Disbanded 15 August 1944
After 15 August 1944 organic elements underwent changes as follows:
Company A reconstituted 25 October 1950 in the Regular Army as the 3d Ranger Infantry Company; activated 28 October 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea
Company B reconstituted 2 November 1950 in the Regular Army as the 7th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 20 November 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 5 November 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia
Company C reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 11th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 5 January 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 21 September 1951 in Japan
Company D reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 12th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 1 February 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 27 October 1951 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana
Company E reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 13th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 1 February 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 15 October 1951 at Camp Pickett, Virginia
Battalion reconstituted 24 November 1952 in the Regular Army as the 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion (former organic elements concurrently redesignated)
ANNEX 4
Constituted 21 July 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 4th Ranger Battalion; concurrenly consolidated with the 4th Ranger Battalion (Provisional) (organized 29 May 1943 in North Africa) and consolidated unit designated as the 4th Ranger Battalion
Redesignated 1 August 1943 at the 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion
Disbanded 24 October 1944 at Camp Butner, North Carolina
After 24 October 1944 organic elements underwent changes as follows:
Company A reconstituted 25 October 1950 in the Regular Army as the 4th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 28 October 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea
Company B reconstituted 2 November 1950 in the Regular Army as the 8th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 20 November 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea
Battalion reconstituted 24 November 1952 in the Regular Army as the 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion (former organic elements concurrently redesignated)
ANNEX 5
Constituted 21 July 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 5th Ranger Battalion
Redesignated 1 August 1943 as the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion
Activated 1 September 1943 at Camp Forrest, Tennessee
Inactivated 22 October 1945 at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts
ANNEX 6
Constituted 16 December 1940 in the Regular Army as the 98th Field Artillery Battalion
Activated 20 January 1941 at Fort Lewis, Washington
Converted and redesignated 26 September 1944 as the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1969
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1969-1970
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for PACIFIC AREA
Mottos
Ranger motto: Rangers Lead the Way!
On 6 June 1944, during the assault landing on Dog White sector of Omaha Beach as part of the invasion of Normandy, General Norman Cota (assistant CO of the 29th ID) while under heavy machine gun fire, calmly walked towards Maj. Max Schneider, CO of the 5th Ranger Battalion and asked “What outfit is this?”, someone yelled "5th Rangers!". To this, Cota replied “Well, Goddamn it then, Rangers, lead the way!”. From this, the Ranger motto ("Rangers lead the way!") was born.
Rangers lead the way is often abbreviated RLTW among Rangers.
Regimental motto: Sua Sponte
Sua Sponte, Latin for "Of their own accord" is the 75th Ranger Regiment's regimental motto. Modern Rangers are four-time volunteers: for the U.S. Army, Airborne School, Ranger School, and service in the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Becoming a Ranger
To become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, prospective Rangers must begin with the nine weeks of Basic Combat Training (BCT). Upon completion of basic training the soldier will then attend Advanced Individual Training (AIT) to obtain a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). This training varies in length, depending on the selected MOS. Next, the soldier must complete Airborne School. Upon graduation of Airborne School, the soldier will be sent to the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP), for grades E-4 and below, and the Ranger Orientation Program (ROP), for grades E-5 and above. Upon graduation of RIP/ROP, the new Rangers will be assigned to either one of the three Ranger Battalions or the 75th Regimental Headquarters, where they are now authorised to wear the Ranger tan beret [link] and the Ranger Scroll [link].
Final career development requires that all members of the 75th Ranger Regiment attend and pass Ranger School and earn their Ranger Tab. A Ranger cannot become a leader within the 75th Ranger Regiment if he hasn't successfully completed and graduated from Ranger School.
The unofficial motto of Ranger students from the Regiment is "With a tab, or on a slab" — that they will return to the regiment either with their Ranger Tab or dead. This may be a variation of the Spartan mothers' directive to their soldier sons, to return "With your shield, or upon it."
Upon successful completion of all 3 phases of Ranger School, the new Ranger is awarded the Ranger Tab and returns to his unit, a fully qualified and operationally deployable Ranger. The three phases take place at Fort Benning, Camp Frank D. Merril in Dahlonega, Georgia, and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
Rangers in the Ranger Regiment believe that the term "Army Ranger" is reserved solely for someone who serves within the 75th Ranger Regiment. A popular phrase within the Ranger Regiment regarding this issue is: "The tab is a school, the scroll is a way of life" (the scroll being the insignia of the 75th Ranger Regiment). A person who passes Ranger School is considered Ranger Qualified as he has passed Ranger School.
Rangers assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment wear the tan beret; soldiers who are Special Forces qualified and assigned to Special Forces manning positions within the US Special Operations Command wear the Green Beret. Paratroopers, soldiers who are both Airborne qualified and assigned to an active parachutist position; wear the Maroon Airborne Beret.
The Rangers adopted the tan beret when the decision was made by Army Chief of Staff General Shinseki to issue black berets to regular soldiers in June 2001, in order to make them appear elite. This created a lot of discontent within the 75th Ranger Regiment and even led to ex-Rangers going on nationwide roadmarches to Washington DC to protest against the decision. Because there wasn't a Presidential authorisation to the Regiment for exclusive wear of the black beret, they switched to wearing a tan beret to preserve a unique appearance, tan being reflective of the buckskin worn by the men of Robert Rogers.
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 my Ranger Regiment.
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 farther, 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.
William Orlando Darby - led Darby's Rangers which later evolved into the U.S. Army Rangers
Robert A. Baum - Decorated CSM served with the 1st Ranger BN in Vietnam earning many decorations for valor as well as in the Contras in South and Central America and the Sudan, eventually becoming Command Sergeant Major for Special Operations in the Pacific Theatre until 1995
Robert Law - Ranger/Patroller during the Vietnam War who received the Medal of Honor posthumously.[link]
Frank Merrill - led the 5307th CUP (Composite Unit [Provisional]) aka Merrill's Marauders during the Second World War. This unit was the founding parent organization for the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 75th Infantry (Ranger). The modern 75th Ranger Regiment drew its original lineage and history from the 5307th until 1986 when the lineage of other Ranger units including Darby's Ranger were officially authorized to the 75th Ranger Regiment. Previously held by U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets).
Robert Pruden - Ranger/Patroller during the Vietnam War who received the Medal of Honor post-humously.[link]
Lazlo Rabel - Ranger/Patroller during the Vietnam War who received the Medal of Honor post-humously.[link]
Phil Stern aka Snapdragon - world famous Hollywood and Jazz photographer who joined Darby's Rangers as official photographer during the Second World War.[link][link]
Pat Tillman - professional American football player who, with brother, Kevin Tillman, joined the Rangers in response to 9/11.
Dallas G. Wittgenfeld served with Co D 151st Airborne Rangers and Co D 75th Airborne Rangers 1969-70 in Vietnam is AKA Thunder Chicken; the World's only skydiving professional clown and who flys a hot air balloon and Americas largest Flag Parachute during his feature programmes at airshows, festivals, and Veterans patriotic programmes across America.
Bahmanyar, Mir. Shadow Warriors: A History of the U.S. Army Rangers. Osprey Publishing, 2005. This book lists the lineage and history of the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Bahmanyar, Mir. U.S. Army Ranger 1983-2002. Osprey Publishing, 2003.
Bryant, Russ. To Be a U.S. Army Ranger. Motorbooks International, 2002.
Bryant, Russ. Weapons of the U.S. Army Rangers. Zenith Press, 2005.
Bryant, Russ. 75th Rangers. Zenith Press, 2005.
Grenier, John, The First Way of War: American War Making on the Frontier, 1607-1814, Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0521845661. Extensive discussion of American colonial rangers.
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