U.S. Army Rangers


 * This article is about the military unit. For the shotgun, see Ranger (Shotgun).

The United States Army Rangers or simply Army Rangers are specialized, elite American light infantry special operations forces capable of conducting direct action operations. They are based in Fort Benning, Georgia.

US Army Rangers draw strongly on the heritage, traditions and ethos of Rogers' Rangers but have no lineage back to that unit. The current US Army Rangers, the 75th Ranger Regiment, were originally raised for the Korean War. The modern rangers can only trace their lineage directly back to the Korean War and to the ranger training course which has existed continuously since World War II. They are a light infantry unit that can deploy rapidly and are trained to be extremely flexible in the special missions they are assigned, specializing in airborne assaults (both by helicopter or parachute).

American light infantry units called rangers were raised for, and disbanded after, the French and Indian Wars, the American Revolution (for both sides), the American Civil War (for both sides) and World War II.

History
Scotland under the British Commandos; 80 percent of the original rangers came from the 34th Infantry Division. Together with the ensuing 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions they fought in North Africa and Italy commanded by William O. Darby until the Battle of Cisterna (January 29, 1944) when most of the rangers of the 1st and 3rd battalions were captured.

Before the 5th Ranger Battalion landing on Dog White Sector, Omaha Beach, during the Invasion of Normandy, the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the 150-foot (46 m) cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, a few miles to the west, to destroy a five-gun battery of captured French Canon de 155 mm GPF guns. Under constant fire during the climb, they encountered only a small company of Germans on the cliffs and the artillery withdrawn some 500 meters. The guns were later found and destroyed, and the Rangers cut and held the main road for two days before being relieved.

Pacific theater
Meanwhile two separate Ranger units fought the war in the Pacific Theater. The 98th Field Artillery Battalion was formed on 16 December 1940 and activated at Fort Lewis on January 1941. On 26 September 1944, they were converted from field artillery to light infantry and became 6th Ranger Battalion. 6th Ranger Battalion led the invasion of the Philippines and performed the daring Raid at Cabanatuan. They played an important role until they were deactivated on 30 December 1945, in Japan.

After the first Quebec Conference, the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional) was formed with Frank Merrill as the commander, leading them to be nicknamed Merrill's Marauders. They began training in India on 31 October 1943. Composed of the famous six color-coded combat teams that would become part of modern Ranger heraldry, they fought against the Japanese during the Burma Campaign. In February 1944, the Marauders began a 1,000-mile (1,600 km) march over the Himalayan mountain range and through the Burmese jungle to strike behind the Japanese lines. By March, they had managed to cut off Japanese forces in Maingkwan and cut their supplies lines in the Hukawng Valley. On 17 May, the Marauders and Chinese forces captured the Myitkyina airfield, the only all-weather airfield in Burma. The Marauders proved themselves a truly exceptional unit and have the very rare distinction of having every member of the unit receive the Bronze Star.

After World War II, the Rangers were disbanded; however, the ranger training regime was kept in place, though only senior NCOs and officers were allowed the training.

The Modern Rangers

 * Main article: 75th Ranger Regiment (United States)

After the Vietnam conflict, division and brigade commanders determined that the U.S. Army needed elite, rapidly deployable light infantry, so in 1974 General Creighton Abrams constituted the 1st Ranger Battalion; eight months later, the 2nd Ranger Battalion was constituted, and in 1984 the 3rd Ranger Battalion and their regimental headquarters were created. In 1986, the 75th Ranger Regiment was formed and their military lineage formally authorized. The 75th Ranger Regiment, comprising three battalions, is the premier light-infantry of the U.S. Army. It is a flexible, highly trained and rapid light infantry specialized to be employed against many conventional and special operations targets.

The 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Battalions were re-activated as the Ranger Training Brigade, the cadre of instructors of the contemporary Ranger School; moreover, because they are parts of a TRADOC school, the 4th, 5th, and 6th battalions are not formally included to the active strength of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

The Rangers have participated in the following operations: the 1980 rescue attempt of American hostages, Tehran, Iran in (Operation Eagle Claw); the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions in Operation Urgent Fury on Grenada in 1983; all three Ranger battalions, plus HQ elements, for the U.S. invasion of Panama (Operation Just Cause) in 1989; a company from 1st Battalion was deployed in the First Persian Gulf War (Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield) in 1991; Bravo Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion was the base unit of "Task Force Ranger" in Operation Gothic Serpent, in Somalia in 1993, concurrent with Operation Restore Hope; soldiers from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Ranger Battalions deployed to Haiti in 1994 (before operation's cancellation; recalled 5 miles (8.0 km) from the Haitian coast); and the 3rd Ranger Battalion led the attack in Afghanistan, in 2001; the entire Ranger Regiment is on deployment since the start of the current Iraq War, in 2003.

Call of Duty 2


The US Army Rangers are the only American soldiers we see in Call of Duty 2 on singleplayer and multiplayer. In the American campaign, the playable character is a member of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Dog Company: corporal Bill Taylor.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2


The US Army Rangers are one of the factions in the multiplayer. They also are one of the two main campaigns' faction, with a few missions beginning in Afghanistan before the Rangers are transferred back to the States to stop a Russian invasion. The Rangers campaign is lived through the eyes of Joseph Allen (only during the first three missions) and James Ramirez, members of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. There are also key characters like Sgt. Foley and Cpl. Dunn. The Rangers are under the command of General Shepherd (who also leads the Task Force 141). The Rangers, as any other regular Army Soldiers, wear Army Combat Uniforms and Improved Outer Tactical Vests (which are strangely colored in olive drab instead of the normal ACU pattern)

Weapons Used

 * ACR
 * M4A1
 * SCAR-H
 * M16A4
 * M14 EBR
 * M240
 * AT4
 * Javelin
 * Stinger
 * M9
 * .44 Magnum (Used only by Shepherd)
 * Desert Eagle
 * MP5k