Fort Moore, Georgia. (April 14, 2024): U.S. Army Rangers want to know who the best of the best is. In this photo by Specialist Justin Yarborough, 1st Lieutenant. Collin Johnson, assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment, climbs across a rope to hit the Ranger tab on day three of the Best Ranger Competition. For three days, teams of Rangers are pitted against each other as they compete for this coveted title. Army Rangers are one of the world’s premier direct action special forces.
During the French and Indian War, Ranger units recruited tough frontiersmen to help battle native tribes and their European allies. These groups of expert woodsmen and sharpshooters were used for scouting missions and direct raids to harass the enemy.
In World War II, six Ranger battalions were formed that modeled the British Special Air Services. They were made famous during the bitter fighting on D-Day when they scaled the cliffs at Omaha Beach to destroy German gun emplacements. After the invasion, the Rangers adopted the slogan “Rangers lead the way.”
Since World War II, the Rangers fought in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Today, the 75th Ranger Regiment primarily conducts direct action raids in hostile environments to kill or capture high-value targets. Their other missions include seizing airfields, recovering personnel, and conducting special reconnaissance.
To become a Ranger, candidates must pass a 62-day course in small unit tactics and leadership that is one of the most challenging in the world. The goal is to develop warfighting skills for close quarter combat and direct fire battles. The course has three training phases: Benning, Mountain, and Swamp. The Benning and Mountain Phases are held in Georgia while the Swamp Phase is conducted in the coastal regions of North Florida.
The course teaches soldiers to be combat leaders while enduring great physical and psychological fatigue. Students plan and execute daily patrols, spring ambushes, perform reconnaissance, and conduct raids against dispersed targets. Students train up to twenty hours a day while operating on little food or sleep. Ranger students will march over two hundred miles wearing up to ninety pounds of gear throughout the course. Unsurprisingly, Ranger School has a high attrition rate.
As the tip of the America’s spear, the Army’s 75th Rangers can deploy anywhere in the world with eighteen hours’ notice.