Ten Things You Didn't Know About the 75th Ranger Regiment (Part 1)

Introduction:

While the history of the Rangers, the 75th Ranger Regiment and our legacy stretches back to the early days of our Nation's founding, little is known about the Quiet Professionals of the special operations community. Our identity was forged on the frontiers of the New World, molded during our Nation's civil wars, tested on the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and the beaches of the Pacific, and finally proven through the audacity, mental grit and chaos in the wars of containment in Vietnam and Korea. The 75th Ranger Regiment was formally stood up on October 3rd, 1984. It has fought in every major conflict since then and has been continuously deployed since October 2001 following that grim September morning in New York City, Washington, D.C., and the fields of Pennsylvania.

Rangers of every generation live a life shrouded in secrecy and full of sacrifice but our persona is one that seeks to embody the examples provided by the American people and their spirit of service, humility and innovation. As servants of the American people, we offer this list of Ten Things as a glimpse into our world and invite you to interact with your elite, direct action, raid force.

1. Everyone is a Ranger first:

Across the Special Operations community, there is a gap between operators and enablers, alpha teams and bravo teams, direct action and support. This distinction does not exist in the 75th Ranger Regiment. Everyone is a Ranger first. Radio operators, infantrymen, medics, and even our multimedia illustrators are vetted through the same rigorous selection course. Once selected, they are held to the same standards physically, tactically, academically, and to our universal code of conduct, guided by the Ranger Creed. Bestowing this honor, and often tremendous responsibility, on the shoulders of the men and women of the 75th Ranger Regiment is what divides us from our peers and allows Rangers to Lead the Way.

2. Deployed since September 11, 2001:

After the events of September 11, the 75th Ranger Regiment was one of the first units alerted to respond to the attacks. Within 30 days of September 11th, 2001, 3rd Ranger Battalion and the Regimental Headquarters deployed to a forward operations base a few hours outside Afghanistan. On the evening of October 19th, 2001, 199 Rangers conducted a combat jump into southern Afghanistan to seize Objective Rhino while other special operations elements simultaneously seized Objective Gecko in the hunt for Mullah Omar.

The 75th Ranger Regiment began rotating 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Rifle Battalions, into Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terrorism. For more than 18 years, the Regiment has remained committed to the fight in Afghanistan. Rangers took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, then settled in for nearly seven years of fighting an insurgency of violent extremism. During 2010-2011, the Regiment surged to Afghanistan with five rifle companies deployed continuously for nearly 24 months. In 2016, Rangers deployed to Syria and defeated the caliphate of the radical Islamic group ISIS.

As the mission grew, members of the Regimental Staff, Regimental Special Troops Battalion, and the Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion joined in the fight; requiring one-third of the Regiment, to be deployed 365 days a year. This yearly commitment makes the 75th Ranger Regiment the only single unit in the U.S. Army to be continuously deployed since the beginning of the war. Many senior leaders in the Regiment have double digit deployments with years, not months, in time away from home. Rangers were deployed throughout the world during yet another holiday season.

The 75th Ranger Regiment's role will always be prepared to hunt down the enemies of our country and protect our nation from future attacks.

3. 75th Ranger Regiment v. Ranger School:

People often confuse the 75th Ranger Regiment with the U.S. Army Ranger Course. Let us take a moment to explain the difference.

The 75th Ranger Regiment is a special operations unit with the mission to plan and conduct joint special military operations in support of national policies and objectives. The Regiment's higher headquarters is the U.S. Army Special Operations Command located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Regiment is the U.S. Army's largest, joint special operations force. All members of the 75th Ranger Regiment have passed the Ranger Assessment Selection Program 1, 2, or both.

The U.S. Army Ranger Course, located at Fort Benning, Georgia, is the Army's premier leadership school, and falls under Training and Doctrine Command located at Fort Eustis, Virginia, and is open to all members of the military, regardless of whether they have served in the 75th Ranger Regiment or completed RASP.

The 75th Ranger Regiment requires that its leaders attend the U.S. Army Ranger Course, but it is not a pre-requisite to join the 75th Ranger Regiment, or participate in the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program. All infantry and artillery military occupational specialties must complete the course before they assume a leadership role in the Regiment. The 75th Ranger Regiment Rangers in other military occupational specialties may attend the U.S. Army Ranger Course when they are ready.

4. Becoming a Ranger (Ranger Assessment and Selection Program):

In order to become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment a Soldier must attend and pass Ranger Assessment and Selection Program 1 or 2.

Soldiers in the rank of Private to Sergeant attend RASP 1, an eight-week course broken into two phases, located at Fort Benning, Georgia. Phase 1 consists of critical skills testing (Ranger Fitness Test, Ranger standards and history tests, 12-mile ruck march), land navigation training, Ranger first responder medical training, special operations combatives program, and a field training exercise located at Cole Range. Phase 2 is designed to prepare incoming Rangers for service within the 75th Ranger Regiment through extensive rifle and pistol marksmanship as well as demolitions training. RASP 1 culminates with a graduation ceremony where the newest members of the Regiment don their Tan Berets and Ranger Scrolls. After graduation, Rangers will attend the Basic Airborne Course if not already airborne qualified before transferring to a Ranger Battalion.

 

Soldiers in the rank of Sergeant (Promotable) to Master Sergeant, all Warrant Officers, and Officers in the rank of Second Lieutenant to Captain, will attend RASP 2, a three-week course located at Fort Benning, Georgia. The first week of RASP 2 consists of critical event testing and a field training exercise located at Cole Range. Week two is advanced marksmanship, fast rope insertion and extraction system training and an airborne operation. During week three, all candidates will attend a board. Regimental non-commissioned officers will attend and graduate RASP 2 before serving as Platoon Sergeants or First Sergeants. This means that for most Senior Regimental NCO's they will have graduated RASP 1 once and RASP 2 twice.

The Ranger Regiment prides itself on holding all members to the same standard regardless of age, gender, or Military Occupation Specialty. Not only do our members pass an assessment and selection but they are recertified for future Ranger service by attending and graduating from the progressing Ranger Assessment and Selection Programs.

5. The Regimental Recruiting Detachment:

The 75th Ranger Regiment Recruiting Detachment is comprised of 10 active duty Rangers, attracts, identifies, informs, and recruits highly qualified Soldiers to serve within the 75th Ranger Regiment. Our mission aligns with our Regimental Commander's top priority: win the war for talent. We have eight liaison non-commissioned officers located at six Army installations across the United States. Our NCOs serve at Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Gordon, Georgia; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Lee, Virginia; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and Fort Huachuca, Arizona to assist interested volunteers to join the Regiment.

How to Apply to Serve in the Regiment?

If you're a civilian, contact us at 75th_Ranger_Recruiting on Instagram and Facebook, and we will direct you to a U.S. Army Recruiter in your area for an Option 40 Contract (directs your initial entry training pipeline to the 75th Ranger Regiment). If Option 40 contracts are unavailable at the time of your enlistment, you can ask your drill sergeant, airborne instructor "Black Hat," or one of our NCOs for a volunteer statement during One Station Unit Training, Advanced Individual Training, or the Basic Airborne Course.

If you've already enlisted in the U.S. Army, send your service record brief to our official mail box at 75recruit@socom.mil from your military email address.

If you're an Officer or Warrant Officer, contact us at 75officerrecruit@socom.mil or visit our official website www.75thrangerregiment.org for application instructions.

The Ideal Candidate

Rangers come from various backgrounds and levels of military experience, but most Rangers share several values. Generally, Rangers are self-motivated, enjoy challenges, and desire to belong to causes larger than themselves. There is no precise formula to create an ideal candidate, but the Recruiting Detachment recommends pursuing leadership opportunities early and often, seeking out challenging assignments at operational units, and attending military schooling focused on developing skills relevant to your branch or military occupational specialty.

Don't count yourself out! The Regiment will train, develop, and assess you!

Stay tuned for the next five things you didn't know about the 75th Ranger Regiment...