Fort Johnson, Louisiana. (January 2, 2024): Since before the Civil War, America has relied on the Army Rangers to tackle its most dangerous assignments. In this photo by Sergeant Paul Won, Rangers assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment conduct a live fire training exercise to hone their marksmanship skills. The 75th Ranger Regiment is the U.S. Army's premier special operations direct action raiding force that trains relentlessly  to be ready to deploy anywhere in the world at a moment's notice.

The 75th Rangers conduct direct action raids in hostile environments, often killing or capturing high-value targets. Other missions include seizing airfields, doing special reconnaissance, recovering personnel, and clandestine insertions. They are an all-volunteer force with an intensive screening and selection process that ensures only the very best can wear the Ranger tab. To even be considered for the unit, candidates must pass the infamous Ranger Fitness Test which consists of a minimum of fifty-eight push-ups, sixty-nine sit-ups, six pull-ups, and a five-mile run in 40 minutes or less.

But that is only the beginning.

Ranger candidates must also pass a Water Survival Assessment and 12-mile foot march with a 35lb rucksack in under 3 hours. The 62-day Ranger course is divided into three phases, Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), mountainous terrain, and swamp training in the Florida panhandle. Throughout this grueling ordeal, students plan and execute daily patrolling missions, conduct ambushes, and stealthily perform reconnaissance of “enemy” targets. The typical workday for a prospective Ranger is 20 hours of constant training while existing on meals-ready-to-eat and very little sleep. Ranger students carry up to ninety pounds of weapons and equipment while patrolling over two hundred miles throughout the course. All Ranger candidates must be airborne qualified.

If they survive, these newly minted Rangers wear the distinctive tan beret, a throw-back to the leather caps worn by the original Rangers of lore. Donning the tan beret distinguishes the wearer as a proven warrior.