Really enjoyed reading your take on things, goon175 . One other thing I was curious about is if the way the 75th interacts with other SOF units has changed at all. I would imagine that units opinions of each other has the potential to swing significantly in a wartime environment. So is there a noticeable difference in the dynamic of working with other SOF units?
The Evolution of The 75th Ranger Regiment
- Thread starter JackMurphyRGR
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Wow. If anything all that says to me is "you've got no excuses" lol!
Brill
SOF Support
One of my PSG's was a Grenada vet. 2 out of 4 SL's were over 30, one having relinquished his commission as an infantry Captain to go enlisted and more specifically, go to Regiment. We had one of the guys from Somalia who got out, come back in... he was mid 30's at that point.
I didn't really see any dynamic change while I was there. Regardless of what unit you are in (SOF-wise) it is very much a joint environment these days. Of course everyone has their own individual opinions of certain units they have worked with, some good/some bad, mostly just opinions based on personal experiences. I think most everyone understands that we all need each other for the different skill sets we bring to the table, and at the end of the day, all jokes aside, we are there to get a job done.
In 5 years, there is only one SOF element I never had any contact with, and that was MARSOC. I think that is an excellent example of just how "joint" things are these days.
I would also say, and again my own personal opinion, that some of the most impressive units I had the privilege to be around and serve with were the 160th and PJ's. Those two elements I have not a single bad thing to say about, and they are truly masters of their craft, as far as what I could see. PJ's are some of the most technically competent guys I have ever been around, and the things the 160th can do with rotary wing aircraft is nothing short of amazing.
It is crazy to read about the evolution of the Regiment. I was in from 1996 - 2002 and spent the majority of that time in a patrol base, ambush, traditional raid, or airfield seizure.
We had high-and-tights and didn't dare stray from the RSOP. We ran like scalded dogs for PT.....everyday.
Those of us in the Sniper platoon thought we had found the best kept secret in the Army because we got away with more than the line-doggies did.
We had high-and-tights and didn't dare stray from the RSOP. We ran like scalded dogs for PT.....everyday.
Those of us in the Sniper platoon thought we had found the best kept secret in the Army because we got away with more than the line-doggies did.
Airfield Seizure is another interesting aspect of how things have changed. From what I understand, the traditional AF seizure has pretty much been taken over by the 82nd/173rd. The Ranger Bn's still train on it every training cycle, but for a much different purpose now than in the past.
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Okay, here is part 1. Remember, civilians and non-Rangers will also be reading so this type of intro will be necessary for some people. In part 2 I'll write about how things actually evolved. Sharpshooters welcome, I look forward to hearing the input of the group.
The Evolution of the 75th Ranger Regiment, Post-9/11 (Part 1)
The Ranger Regiment was initially established during the Post-Vietnam War years when the Army was seriously hurting. Rangers were to serve as role models and set the example as Airborne Infantrymen who religiously attained and surpassed standards. Before the War on Terror began, Rangers focuses on mainly Infantry tasks such as ambushes, raids, patrolling skills, with the additional responsibility of airfield seizures.
There was the Regimental Standard Operating Procedures, a Blue Book that when combined with the Ranger Creed dictated pretty much every action a Ranger was to take or prohibited from taking. Load Carrying Equipment had a tie down SOP, how jungle boots were worn had an SOP, how dog tags were taped together had an SOP. Discipline and adherence to the standards was paramount and most of the year Rangers would be training on post with occasional off-site training at NTC or JRX.
Then 9/11 happened.
I arrived at 3/75 just as the battalion was coming back home after jumping into Iraq during the opening salvo of OIF I. Of course it was disappointing to miss out on the invasion but I had some second thoughts when I saw dudes limping around on crutches with two broken ankles. They told me that they had been so loaded down with equipment during the combat jump that the static line hung at waist height.
This was 2003 and we were still being issued LCE's which had to to have pouches and canteens tied down with 550 chord (according to SOP) with the ends burned and melted to keep knots in place. However, no one used the LCE and it was being phased out. The MOLLE rucksack and riflemen's kit was being issued. The rucksack, I shit you not, came with a VHS instructional video on how to put it all together. It also had a plastic frame which was laughable given how hard Rangers are on their equipment. The ruck sat at the bottom of everyone's locker but the combat vest that it came with was used in substitution of the older LCE.
This was a strange time for Ranger battalion. Things were changing and not everyone was pleased. The standards were still being enforced, but these Rangers had been on real life combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Judging a man's discipline by inspecting his haircut or how well his dog tags were taped together just didn't seem as relevant anymore. When an NCO yelled that doing this-or-that is against the RSOP and will get you killed in combat, it just didn't ring true to young Rangers who now wore CIB's on their chest.
As a cherry Private, I got the impression that the Regiment was having something of an identity crisis. We were not counter-terrorist commandos but we were also not toy soldiers who spit polish boots for the parade ground. We were training for combat, but the training was not always reflecting what Rangers were being confronted with on the battlefield. Sometimes it seemed like maintaining a high and tight and a spotlessly clean rifle was the main focus of your day in Ranger battalion.
All of this would soon change.
The Evolution of the 75th Ranger Regiment, Post-9/11 (Part 1)
The Ranger Regiment was initially established during the Post-Vietnam War years when the Army was seriously hurting. Rangers were to serve as role models and set the example as Airborne Infantrymen who religiously attained and surpassed standards. Before the War on Terror began, Rangers focuses on mainly Infantry tasks such as ambushes, raids, patrolling skills, with the additional responsibility of airfield seizures.
There was the Regimental Standard Operating Procedures, a Blue Book that when combined with the Ranger Creed dictated pretty much every action a Ranger was to take or prohibited from taking. Load Carrying Equipment had a tie down SOP, how jungle boots were worn had an SOP, how dog tags were taped together had an SOP. Discipline and adherence to the standards was paramount and most of the year Rangers would be training on post with occasional off-site training at NTC or JRX.
Then 9/11 happened.
I arrived at 3/75 just as the battalion was coming back home after jumping into Iraq during the opening salvo of OIF I. Of course it was disappointing to miss out on the invasion but I had some second thoughts when I saw dudes limping around on crutches with two broken ankles. They told me that they had been so loaded down with equipment during the combat jump that the static line hung at waist height.
This was 2003 and we were still being issued LCE's which had to to have pouches and canteens tied down with 550 chord (according to SOP) with the ends burned and melted to keep knots in place. However, no one used the LCE and it was being phased out. The MOLLE rucksack and riflemen's kit was being issued. The rucksack, I shit you not, came with a VHS instructional video on how to put it all together. It also had a plastic frame which was laughable given how hard Rangers are on their equipment. The ruck sat at the bottom of everyone's locker but the combat vest that it came with was used in substitution of the older LCE.
This was a strange time for Ranger battalion. Things were changing and not everyone was pleased. The standards were still being enforced, but these Rangers had been on real life combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Judging a man's discipline by inspecting his haircut or how well his dog tags were taped together just didn't seem as relevant anymore. When an NCO yelled that doing this-or-that is against the RSOP and will get you killed in combat, it just didn't ring true to young Rangers who now wore CIB's on their chest.
As a cherry Private, I got the impression that the Regiment was having something of an identity crisis. We were not counter-terrorist commandos but we were also not toy soldiers who spit polish boots for the parade ground. We were training for combat, but the training was not always reflecting what Rangers were being confronted with on the battlefield. Sometimes it seemed like maintaining a high and tight and a spotlessly clean rifle was the main focus of your day in Ranger battalion.
All of this would soon change.
Sounds a lot like life in a Marine infantry regiment, "your all hard corps, mean mother-fucking killers! now make sure the barracks are super clean for the BN CO IF he decides to come by, and get your rifles spit shine clean!" 
really interesting, I had no idea the rucksack came with a plastic frame at one time, or with a VHS instructional tape!
I can't imagine being the only guy in the company that doesn't have a combat scroll, CIB, or mustard stain on the jump wings.
I can't imagine being the only guy in the company that doesn't have a combat scroll, CIB, or mustard stain on the jump wings.
I remember the plastic framed ruck's, never got the VHS but those plastic frame rucks...yea.....my back is still hurting lol
First of all, great beginning to your article Jack, outstanding!Sounds a lot like life in a Marine infantry regiment, "your all hard corps, mean mother-fucking killers! now make sure the barracks are super clean for the BN CO IF he decides to come by, and get your rifles spit shine clean!"
Second, I find the above comment and Jack's article in line with my attitude about 75th in the mid 90's as an outsider looking in. I had zero interest in trying to go to the Ranger Battalion while I was in, even though I was airborne, because of my perception of what life in the 75th was like. I often stated, "If I had wanted to be a Marine, I would have joined the Marine Corp." Not saying this right or a good attitude, but it was my attitude and perception at the time. In 2010, when I met some Rangers at RSLC and they talked about life in the 75th, I became very interested in trying to get into 75th, and was activly seeking to re-enlist with an option for RASP. I wonder if the drawdown and focus on dog and pony in the rest of the Army will change the 75th back to how it was in the 90's?
Reed
Ironic since when I was in JROTC back 2000 we had two Rangers from 2nd BN come by to speak with us, when I told em I was going Marines after high school they made comments like "programmed" and "robots" and such lol! Despite the drawdown I think all SOF units will be in a state of positive flux due to continual global requirements despite the drawdown, and the fact that policy makers have found the light footprint strategy of using SOF to engage hostile terrorist/insurgent forces works better than a big, conventional military build up. Personally I just hope when the crazy rush to draw down the numbers is over with they relax a bit and those of us wanting to return to the military and go SOF have a legitimate shot.
You make it sound like the blue book was a bad thing. Every get beaned by equipment on a jump or have an E-tool do the ninja star into the DZ right next to you? Tiedowns have a purpose, and with ALICE gear it was necessary to tie everything down because of the ALICE clips propensity for failure. The downfalls of ALICE gear were workarounds for the best thing we had at the time. The Airborne SOP has a purpose in keeping you safe as well as the guys who were on the passes before your bird. All those SOP's were lessons learned from the last conflicts we had been in. Large part of them being from SF/MACV/LRRP experience. Once we started getting MAV's and molle vests and the like, SOP's got adjusted from where shit went specifically because part of the whole idea in that system is to be able to put things where it's most efficient to use. Some things were still SOP for placement but "higher" started to realize that
The largest problem was equipment overlap more than anything. The "problem" if there was really one, is best described like this. We picked up equipment that was either individual or squad issue from SOCOM sources, yet still had to deal with CIF for a large portion of our equipment. As such, we were issued all the stuff that a regular Infantryman should be issued as per Big Army, yet we had all our johnny highspeed shit we were issued otherwise. I can remember going down to the Supply hangar at Lawson and getting a metric shitton of stuff that was a one-time "here ya go you'll need this" issue, signing for stuff from company supply, but still having to deal with CIF for uniforms and other portions of our equipment. Having to deal with CIF meant having to deal with turning stuff in outside of the unit, statements of charges, and general stupidity as per "big army".
It's also key to remember that failure to adhere to SOP's is what has continually gotten Rangers shot the fuck up, more often by our own people than not. It got Rangers lit up in Panama, It got Rangers lit up in Afghanistan.
Ranger Psych makes some great points, and its also not like we don't still have SOP's, I just think they are all so much based on common sense now that guys don't find it an annoyance.
The CIF issue is still an issue. We get an issue from CIF, from the Battalion S-4 warehouse, from the company, from RIF's, as well as stuff that is ordered overseas. It always results in Ranger getting hemmed the fuck up when they go to clear the unit or army at CIF.
The CIF issue is still an issue. We get an issue from CIF, from the Battalion S-4 warehouse, from the company, from RIF's, as well as stuff that is ordered overseas. It always results in Ranger getting hemmed the fuck up when they go to clear the unit or army at CIF.
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I don't think that the Blue Book or unit SOP's were a bad thing. I chose a few key points to focus on which would highlight how much things changed in the Regiment. When I first got there the specific knot used on each tie down was inspectable. This is the right way to bring up new Rangers of course but the emphasis changed drastically as the years went by. I agree that deviating from hard learned SOP's and getting away from the basics is something that came back to bite us in the ass more than once or twice. Love it or hate it, we went from everyone having LCE's and Rucks that looked exactly the same to chest rigs and plate carriers that were all arranged completely by personal preference (at least under the supervision of a Team Leader) and looked very different from one another.
One addendum: I do think that the Blue Book held us down in some regards. For a long time Rangers couldn't go out and buy appropriate mountain boots for instance because the Blue Book only allowed you to wear your jungles.
One addendum: I do think that the Blue Book held us down in some regards. For a long time Rangers couldn't go out and buy appropriate mountain boots for instance because the Blue Book only allowed you to wear your jungles.
It's the same way supply wise within every branch I think friends, at least for infantry units. Had the same issues before my last tour in Afghan, was being sent over a combat replacement to another unit. Got a CIF issue, then a CIF re-issue of some things like diff carrier plates, etc. Next got plate carrier, drag bag, frog gear, and some other things from BN supply, THEN had to get some other things on the list made/ordered. Ended up not using about 2/3 of the stuff I took over, and all the BN supply stuff got returned only to be chunked in the trash since it was all used up/messed up over there.
The knot was inspectable for a combination of attention to detail considering RIP vs RASP, as well as the fact that a booger knot won't hold as well as a square knot with 2 half hitches properly melted down so they WILL.NOT.COME.LOOSE.
After all, it's a real bitch if you're X position and Y pouch frapped the fuck in/departed your gear in movement. Ranger school is a classic example of showing you how shitty things can get if you have retards being retards... and there's always going to be the dumb private.
Personally purchased equipment is great but it comes down to the fact that if you're in-country, the Army supply chain is what is going to be supporting you right then and there. Blow your boot out? Sarn't Tracy in the company is going to be making a supply request to HQ, and you'll be getting pushed Army boots. Having feet used to army boots, even if they aint broken in, is still better than being used to cush civvie boots and then being fucked because you ain't getting resupplied with them.
That, and you aint out $xxx of your own if they fail/wear out/etc. I personally tried to prevent personal purchases specifically because I saw how much shit broke/wore out.
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Damn dude, you seem pretty fired up about this. I wasn't making judgements, just pointing out how things changed. Whether we like the changes or not, they still happen. If I was to make a judgement here, some things needed to change. Ranger battalion went to war and needed to adapt which it did fairly well. Yeah, I had long hair and wore Merrill Sawtooth boots that I bought on the commercial market. It wasn't the end of the world or anything.
I'm not fired up, I'm making a point that lots of people fail to understand about working in the military environment. I had long hair, high and tights, facial hair, clean shaved... We had high and tights when I got there, 670-1 haircuts when I left. Overseas we adjusted grooming due to operational and locational requirements or necessity. Haircuts and beards, or lack thereof neither help nor hinder the soldier overseas specifically because it's not like you're going to just magically fit in with durka and his bros... that's like expecting that Joe cracker ass whitey is just going to show up in a Detroit 'hood and be "down" with Jamal and his homies. They know you're different and from elsewhere and it's not going to help significantly with interface... if that local can't get past that you don't have a beard, then it's not like there was going to be a positive interface in the first place.
The Regiment has continually been in a state of transition. The only reason it seems to be some sort of large transformation is because there's this decade-plus long war that is causing transition at a rate 3 times as fast now as compared to during the somewhat stable global environment that we had in the 90's. While there was different things going on, we still didn't have anything "big" going on. This happens in any establishment across the board, civilian or military. If there's not an outside force causing a business or entity to adapt, you're just going to get good at things and not change things that work according to lessons you have learned.
Even pre 9-11, We were still getting new equipment and armor systems, adjusting mission types depending on what intel was showing across the globe. Changing tactics and techniques... The key thing ABOUT Regiment as a whole is that it's a highly motivated, well trained, and highly capable unit that can adapt to new missions. The strongest thing about Regiment is specifically the fact that Rangers can flow from a generally non-aggressive state of paranoia to full blown kill everything within 2km from our grid location at the flip of a selector switch.
Lots of guys didn't understand that 98% of what we did as far as training pre-9/11 actually had factual reference regarding different templates of locations we'd have to do some party crashing at. Even our training deployments OCONUS were for a reason beyond getting to use locations and resources beyond our stateside capabilities. Regiment has and always will be part of the "oh-shit plan" for the nation if something goes down that is beyond what the talking heads at the State Department can handle.
I'm glad to see the new tools that are being used across the board. There's stuff in use now that would have been fantastic to have then, and it's a testament to both the military understanding a need and the civilian community being able to come up with something that will fill that need. One such example being the SEEK II. That thing has to bring a whole "Aha, Bitch!" factor to operations... catch some dude doing somewhat shady shit at one point and you can actually KNOW that it's the same cat you caught before, at the next objective the next province over... since it's not like you can't just hop the next Hadji truck outa town if your cover gets blown. Now you can know for sure that this dude's shady rather than having to go off spidey sense.
The biggest thing across the board is to not abandon the basics but to refine them. Woods patrolling may not be something currently used, or individual camouflage... but ignoring those skills will prove to be a mistake because the entire planet isn't desert, and it seems there's quite a bit of terrorism going on in woods and jungles. Expect to go there eventually if it rises beyond what the locals can handle on their own. Just because we rarely seem to have to do boat infiltrations, doesn't mean one day you're going to have to row up shit river to go wreck shit. Specific environments breed specific techniques and failure to understand that what works well in one part of the globe will get you killed quicker than shit elsewhere is huge.
That's why Regiment did things the way they did. We didn't have one specific place to focus on like we do now, we had an entire planet we had to worry about flying to and past experience with short term operations which fueled the planning and standards of tactics, techniques, and procedures. Abandoning those core essentials is something that will work up to the point that the battlefield shifts elsewhere.
The Regiment has continually been in a state of transition. The only reason it seems to be some sort of large transformation is because there's this decade-plus long war that is causing transition at a rate 3 times as fast now as compared to during the somewhat stable global environment that we had in the 90's. While there was different things going on, we still didn't have anything "big" going on. This happens in any establishment across the board, civilian or military. If there's not an outside force causing a business or entity to adapt, you're just going to get good at things and not change things that work according to lessons you have learned.
Even pre 9-11, We were still getting new equipment and armor systems, adjusting mission types depending on what intel was showing across the globe. Changing tactics and techniques... The key thing ABOUT Regiment as a whole is that it's a highly motivated, well trained, and highly capable unit that can adapt to new missions. The strongest thing about Regiment is specifically the fact that Rangers can flow from a generally non-aggressive state of paranoia to full blown kill everything within 2km from our grid location at the flip of a selector switch.
Lots of guys didn't understand that 98% of what we did as far as training pre-9/11 actually had factual reference regarding different templates of locations we'd have to do some party crashing at. Even our training deployments OCONUS were for a reason beyond getting to use locations and resources beyond our stateside capabilities. Regiment has and always will be part of the "oh-shit plan" for the nation if something goes down that is beyond what the talking heads at the State Department can handle.
I'm glad to see the new tools that are being used across the board. There's stuff in use now that would have been fantastic to have then, and it's a testament to both the military understanding a need and the civilian community being able to come up with something that will fill that need. One such example being the SEEK II. That thing has to bring a whole "Aha, Bitch!" factor to operations... catch some dude doing somewhat shady shit at one point and you can actually KNOW that it's the same cat you caught before, at the next objective the next province over... since it's not like you can't just hop the next Hadji truck outa town if your cover gets blown. Now you can know for sure that this dude's shady rather than having to go off spidey sense.
The biggest thing across the board is to not abandon the basics but to refine them. Woods patrolling may not be something currently used, or individual camouflage... but ignoring those skills will prove to be a mistake because the entire planet isn't desert, and it seems there's quite a bit of terrorism going on in woods and jungles. Expect to go there eventually if it rises beyond what the locals can handle on their own. Just because we rarely seem to have to do boat infiltrations, doesn't mean one day you're going to have to row up shit river to go wreck shit. Specific environments breed specific techniques and failure to understand that what works well in one part of the globe will get you killed quicker than shit elsewhere is huge.
That's why Regiment did things the way they did. We didn't have one specific place to focus on like we do now, we had an entire planet we had to worry about flying to and past experience with short term operations which fueled the planning and standards of tactics, techniques, and procedures. Abandoning those core essentials is something that will work up to the point that the battlefield shifts elsewhere.
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