The Evolution of The 75th Ranger Regiment

On the boot issue:
Everyone took spare boots with them, usually 2-3 pairs. We didn't have to buy them ourselves, b/c regiment came up with a "boot menu" that we could order from on their dime. It had all the best COTS boots on the market at the time. I personally got a nice pair of Asolo Fugitive GTX's out of the deal, along with some winter Danner's. When it came to socks, the company ordered a bunch of "darn tough" socks (10 per ranger), and those are approximately 4,000 times more durable than typical army issue socks.

Most guys shifted from using 550 chord for tie downs to using the bailing wire, it had less propensity to snag on your kit, was lower profile, more durable, etc.

As far as the supply chain goes overseas, our supply guys ordering stuff off the internet and having it sent to our APO address ALWAYS moved faster than the Army supply chain orders.

Also, even faster, going down to the local conventional aviation unit and trading them (for example) some hogue pistol grips for a bunch of AVS-6 mounts (cuz they always break, being designed for aviators and all). You walk up in civilian clothes with a pistol and all of a sudden the XO at said unit is real willing to help you out.

The best thing Regiment did was shift to "what works best", whether it be 550 chord or bailing wire, helmet covers or spray paint, Peltors or Sordins, etc. I still believe today that the combat effectiveness increased by atleast 10% when we switched from sordins to peltors. I wouldn't wish those headaches on my worst enemy...
 
Those are all things I'm fuckin glad to hear! Those "luxuries" are implemented with common sense understanding.

You gotta remember, Invasion of Iraq, Invasion of Afghanistan... we got mail... twice our first deployment? We got mail once a month or so our second, and we just didn't get mail period when we invaded iraq. So the only supply was Army supply if any supply at all. Hell, we were mooching off of AF supply for various shit at one point... Wish I still had that flight suit.... and making sure that Ranger Joe's got enough sets of boots and socks to cover the time lapse between shit getting fucked and when you get your gear replaced, is specifically why we used to get so much shit from CIF. The command knew then, and still obviously understands, that Regiment will not always have the ability to rely on a logistics train immediately.
 
Ranger Psych, your words are well taken. I just wasn't sure if you were trying to say that I missed a few things that should be included in the article or what. It sounded like you were trying to justify tie down SOP's to me which isn't necessary. I was a team leader in 3/75, I get it.
 
goon175 said:
The best thing Regiment did was shift to "what works best", whether it be 550 chord or bailing wire, helmet covers or spray paint, Peltors or Sordins, etc. I still believe today that the combat effectiveness increased by atleast 10% when we switched from sordins to peltors. I wouldn't wish those headaches on my worst enemy...
Click to expand...

And IMO this is the stuff that needs to be captured in an SOP. The biggest problem I have with SOPs (besides units not having them, but that's a whole 'nuther issue :mad:) is when they aren't updated. Any SOP should be updated as often as possible so future members don't have to re0invent the wheel.
 
Jack, psych, and goon, quite honestly I for one would be interested if you guys collaborated together and did perhaps a joint article/paper/book/whatever as you all seem to have a rather interesting take on how things have gone when you were in the regiment, and being a consummate reader would like to read about it.
 
My responses weren't intended to be a pissing match, but what I read just felt like you were trying to thrash on Regiment as it existed and operated prior to your arrival. Now I get you're not trying to say that.

There were large transitions in equipment as well as operations between when I first got there to when I left... and Regiment has obviously continued to mutate even further, and for the better. The last thing I would want is for Regiment to get target fixation because that's when you can get flanked...

I got to Aco 3/75 in early '98 and left from HHC in '04 and learned quite a bit about the method to the madness simply because it made it easier for me personally to understand why the fuck we'd be doing shit a specific way, or be doing a specific mission and how it keyed into the larger picture.

Regiment and Higher had specific ideas as to how we'd be utilized... and we were also working under a Clinton military which wasn't exactly the best funded or just supported period, so unfortunately for Rangers in general, we had to look good on two fronts.

We had to conduct our specific tactical taskings in support of strategic objectives like a well oiled machine..... and we had to be the most disciplined unit in the military while looking the part due to our visibility and figurehead status due to being Regiment. That meant spits and starches when "outsiders" could see us, keeping what people could see through/outside the brown fence squared the fuck away, etc. It sucked, but it was necessary then (and still is to some extent now) in order to retain the support from higher and respect from others. With the degraded military support from the civilian leadership, in order to continue to be able to have the resources to maintain our capabilities for war-fighting, we had to play the fuck fuck games on the other side of the coin.

hell, one of our exercises back then was quite literally a pissing match for a templated target between the AF and Army... and we had senators a couple clicks away with a frigging static display of a squad from our company to ask any questions and be able to actually show those politicians specifically what kind of shit we could pull off with little to no notice.

Best part, the air force missed 3 times when they tried doing their thing. :D

Anyways, I'd focus more on how the battlefield differed from past experiences and the rapid adaptations required to be able to meet the obstacles. SOP's and differences in equipment is driven by what the battlefield requires from us, as well as basically what the commercial market has to offer and even today Regiment could go right back to ALICE gear or hell shit from Korea and WWII and still be able to kick fucking ass... equipment is handy but it's the human factor that wins or loses. We never did any shit back in 98-2001 regarding interfaces with local nationals... and we still didn't do much interface at least in the intial invasions of either Afghanistan or Iraq... that's the transition from invade to continued occupation with follow on operations that had basically been avoided with previous combat operations Regiment had undertaken.

Examples being Grenada, and Panama. Go in, accomplish mission, GTFO. Hell, even Somalia was intended to do just that. Same with Iran, but that obviously had complications due to not having the capabilities to accomplish something that far reaching. I have no doubt if that shit needed to happen today a JTF would swoop the fuck in and rock it while looking good. Especially with the shit we pulled off in both recent invasions.
 
Thanks for providing all of that background. Ultimately all of that goes to informing how the article will turn out and now it will have a better perspective to it when it is finished. That's the whole reason why I posted the draft so I appreciate your input. No, I wasn't trying to thrash the Regiment pre-9/11 but it was a different world back then. Really what I am trying to express with the article is how things changed. The Regiment did advance forward, I really believe that but of course this doesn't mean that everything that came before was all fucked up. They were like that for a reason. With the 75th there usually is a method to the madness one way or the other.

I agree that how the kit evolved is superficial compared to the tactics and the overall unit culture. Showing how the culture shifted will be more difficult so maybe the equipment aspect is the 25 meter target and I will move on from there.
 
I honestly think the first part of 75th's transition was actually pre-9/11. I PCS'd (yes, I was a tabless import-one of the very few who did not get RFS'd) to 2/75 in the summer of 1999. When I got there I endured much of what any new private deals with and it didn't let up until most guys realized I was not a fucked up cherry college kid. Considering I came from a mech unit, I was much more laid back than most guys, especially once I got my shit and shortly thereafter pinned on Corporal (and SGT a few months later). I am sure Anger 2/75 heard some horror stories about what a dick I was as a TL, but most of that didn't compare to how other, younger TLs and tabbed SP4s treated guys. Anyway....

Most of the changes that took place after I ETS'd in late 2002, haircuts, boots, gear, etc., were a lot of the things many of us bitched and complained about when we were in. During our first trip to OEF, most guys issued desert boots were shredded after a 90 day trip. Hell, by the time we were ready to leave some dudes were wearing their old jungles. The molle ruck and accompanying components were a mess. Yes there was a VHS that came with it. If memory serves, B co. 2/75 initially T&E'd them around 98 or 99 and rejected the design as you could not carry as much shit as you could in a ruck, and most of us had already transitioned to the rack by then. Very few guys (minus wpns squad dudes) used the LBE. Since big Army decided everyone was getting the molle ruck (with the attachable pouches so it could hold more crap) and vest in 2001, the CoC made us use it but relented upon our 2002 trip to A'stan.

Guys have always complained about certain aspects of SOPs and other shit, but Pace hit the nail on the head. A lot of the things such as tie downs and whatnot serve a purpose and while guys can argue the whole spit shine garrison thing, one would be hard pressed to find a Ranger during my time frame that spent more time worrying about his starch and spits than his gear and training for whatever comes up. I had the "pleasure" of serving under Clinton and then Bush, in a leg unit and in the 75th. At 2/75 guys wanted to go anywhere they would send us. Hell, after we got back from the first trip, a lot of us said to hell with it and ETS'd as we figured America would do what it always does and bring everyone home. Thanks to that mentality I watched the invasion of Iraq from the couch, at which time most of 2/75 was on their second 6+ month deployment to A'stan.
 
RustyShackleford said:
A lot of the things such as tie downs and whatnot serve a purpose and while guys can argue the whole spit shine garrison thing, one would be hard pressed to find a Ranger during my time frame that spent more time worrying about his starch and spits than his gear and training for whatever comes up.
Click to expand...

First duty upon becoming a live-in Ranger girlfriend, learn to do spits and starches (this all went away with ACU's). Second, learn to properly pack a packing list. This allowed RP to focus on what he needed to do at work. ;)

Even I had to take part in the knot tying classes he's do in Alaska so I could fix any that I saw, or help attach new gear.
 
Just re-read everything and I would like to add my thoughts from the civilian reading it. I think part of your difficulty in the way you come across in explaining the differences pre and post 9/11 is you weren't there for them. You've got at least 2 guys in the thread who were and they have different views on things. You do come across as a bit condescending when talking about the RSOPs before you arrived, and the reasoning for them. To you it may have been "old school and obsolete" and it may have changed when you got there, but it changed in part because they were real world combat testing it. Before, they were using what HAD been combat tested. It seems like you are just brushing off the lessons learned because you do not have the first hand knowledge.

That being said, your view is not bad, but if your goal is to show the changes made, you may want to get first hand info from those that predate you. If you stop teaching the "old" way of doing things, what happens when you get the old gear because that is all that can be found? Like RP said, what happens when you cannot get the boots you like and are forced to use basic issue stuff. First in units aren't going to have the supply line you did/do. It's one of the changes that you haven't seen, but others here have and are just trying to point out.

Like I said, this is just my .02 from a civilians take on your article, take it for what it's worth.
 
medicchick said:
First duty upon becoming a live-in Ranger girlfriend, learn to do spits and starches (this all went away with ACU's). Second, learn to properly pack a packing list. This allowed RP to focus on what he needed to do at work. ;)
Click to expand...

Did a double-take on above section. I must need new glasses. :nerd:

Getting old sux.
 
lindy said:
Did a double-take on above section. I must need new glasses. :nerd:

Getting old sux.
Click to expand...

Say what you want but 90% of guys didn't do them themselves anyway, it was off to the cleaners to pay to have them done or roll dice with the post laundry. There are better things to do (like drink, fuck, fight) than run an iron in your barracks room. She's better at it anyway (the starches) so I think it'd be pretty stupid to not take advantage of it when she volunteers to do it after watching me run an iron like a monkey fucking a football. She'd iron up my uniform while I sat with a chew in and polished my boots.

Packing list, I didn't have a barracks room nor a locker to stow my shit at (hence using the office for my 2 uniforms and 2 sets of boots and locking my aidbag/MICH/MAV to the medsov) so everything was at home. If we had to pack stuff, once I got the packing list I'd fax it home then go with the NCO's to make sure our new medics had their gear packed to standard... halfway through that evolution MC would show up with my C/D/Ruck in the pickup truck and a deficiency list that basically consisted of what I kept on-hand with the limited space I could use at the aid station or hangar. I'd take them and put them where we were storing our off-post bags at, then she'd leave, hit up the commisary for BBQ shit and we'd have an aid station cookout with follow-on halo tournament at the house that evening.

Method to the madness and priorities of work ;)
 
Medicchick, I think you are looking a little too deeply. I appreciate your input but this is the exact reason why I started this thread, to get second opinions from those who were in the 75th before and after me.
 
Regardless of what the unit was considered since inception, or what command it was placed under - the way I see the 75th:

75th from 1974 - 2003 was nothing more than an elite and highly disciplined infantry unit.
75th from late 2003 - present is a special operations force of the U.S. Army.

Period.

The 75th has been cyclical since 9/11.. shit gets immature and SOPs lack common sense.. guys get treated like shit in garrison, and then treated like rock stars on deployment, and then back to being treated like children. Fucking stupid.. no wonder we have the absolute worst attrition of any SOF unit.

Then CSM Birch came on and started running shit, he brought his common sense approach of not doing shit if it doesn't pass the common sense test. Things got amazingly better. Then left and shit went cyclical again and the gayness returned. Its up and down. Until the pre 9/11 dinosaurs, no offense Psych ;), start retiring and the post 9/11 breed of Rangers take up senior leadership positions.. things will be continously gay and the dinosaur Rangers will finally have a chance to revert the 75th back to how they like it once the deployments come to an end (which they will). And all of post 9/11 combat hardened Ranger SLs and PSGs will simply leave. And everything the 75th has done in the past decade will leave with them.
 
That's what I was trying to get at. Ranger Battalion did change whether the old guard liked it or not. I would argue that for the most part it changed for the better. If you hear about the reindeer games that used to go on pre-9/11, and even in the years immediately after, it is hard to take the 75th as a serious Special Operations unit at that time. There really were Rangers who thought that Regiment was all about high and tights and saw that as a defining element of the unit's culture. No one is trying to take anything away from pre-9/11 Rangers but it was a whole different ballgame once we started going on regular rotations overseas.
 
CSM Birch who is a pre-9/11 dinosaur who lived at our MSS and patrolled with my squad in Afghanistan post 9/11 since as the 3/75 CSM he wanted to stay out of the mind numbing zone at Bagram... was predated by CSM Connell a few years prior with about the same professional pedigree and previous experience. We had a speed bump in the middle thanks to a slug that snuck in the selection process, but he got the boot... and it was a glorious day with virgins throwing themselves at the gates, steak and lobster served at the chow hall, and a 4 day for everyone in celebration of the ogre having slain itself.

Until every battalion has it's barracks area in the middle of the woods with a single unmarked road leading to it and no visibility from any normally traveled road... you will always have the garrison gremlin that seems to be the biggest bitch amongst every Ranger since Regiment came along.
 

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