U.S.

Army Rangers

1. INTRODUCTION:

a. Attention Getter: Who here would say the Marines are the most
intense or skilled regiments in our military? How about the Navy Seals?
Army?

b. Central Idea: What most don’t know is that our Army has a Special
Forces branch that has one of the most elite infantry units.

c. Credibility Statement: As of right now, two of my close friends are

fighting in Afghanistan, and another friend has earned two Purple
Hearts, all three in this unit. I also have been interested in joining this
Regiment for the past three years.

d. Preview: That unit is the U.S. Army Ranger Regiment. I will first inform
what the Rangers are and where they stand in our military. Then I will explain the training
they go through to become a specialized fighter. Finally, I will discuss their missions and
abilities in warfare.

2. BODY:

I. Rangers: The U.S. Army Rangers is an American Special Operations Force and
an elite, highly trained light infantry unit. The current Rangers are the 75th
Ranger Regiment. They are trained to perform in any type of climate, from the
Arctic to jungles to the desert to the mountains.

a. Rangers are more than just physically strong, Rangers are smart, tough,
courageous, and disciplined. Rangers are self-starters, adventurers, and hard
chargers. They internalize the mentality of a "more elite Soldier", as the
Ranger Creed states and as their intense mission requirements demand.

b. Pat Tillman: An ex-NFL player who played for the Arizona Cardinals. Was
an Army Ranger who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004
c. Turned down an almost $4 million contract to become a Ranger.

II .Training: Not everyone who goes to the US Army's Ranger School is intended to
become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment. The Ranger badge is a highly desired
feather in the cap of many an Army soldier, and many seek it, even those not in the
infantry. Conversely, not all soldiers in the 75th Ranger Regiment are graduates of the
Ranger School, although it is absolutely required for any leadership position within the
regiment.
a. Qualified in their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)
b. Have graduated from Airborne School
 c. Nine weeks of Basic Combat Training, a visit to Advanced Infantry
Training and then the four-week Ranger Indoctrination Program.
d. Ranger School
a. Fort Benning - This phase consists of a physical evaluation
(roughly twice as demanding as the standards for Basic
Training), combat water testing, land navigation testing,
demolitions training and an airborne refresher, and a
combination of rugged runs, obstacle course work and route
marching. Combat exercises include basic squad-level
operations.

b. Mountaineering Phase - As suggested by the name, this

phase focuses on mountaineering skills at Yonah Mountain,
Tennessee. The combat exercises focus on platoon operations
against a conventional opposition force.

c. Florida Phase – Phase 3 includes training for operations in

swamps and rain forests. There are further small unit combat
exercises.

d. Physical Demands for Graduating – Graduating from Ranger

school demands standing up to severe physical stress. Rangers
train 20 hours a day, get few meals and average 3.5 hours of
sleep a day.

e. Leadership for Graduating – Rangers are rotated through various

leadership positions, and graded on how well they perform in
each. Fellow students can also flunk them.

III. Missions and abilities in war: WWII is when the modern Rangers came into action.
a. Rangers have been the first to the war in both WWII and the
Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
b. Missions Types Rangers perform:
i. Direct Action
I. Direct action missions are designed to seize, destroy, or capture
enemy facilities or materials
ii. Airfield Seizure
I. The Ranger Regiment is the Nation’s premier choice for forced
entry operations, not SEALs. Mostly because of their ability to
conduct airborne operations into hostile territory.
iii. Special Reconnaissance
I. Intelligence gathering
iv. Personnel Recovery
I. Rangers are trained to evacuate or rescue civilians and prisoners
of war, or capture designated enemy personnel in hostile terrain
or enemy held territory
 a. Jessica Lynch (Private First Class) was captured and
taken to an Iraq hospital. A week later, a raid consisting
of the Rangers went in to get Private Lynch back.

3. CONCLUSION:

a. In conclusion, next time you hear about the Army as the weakest
branch of our military, you’ll know that our Army has one of the
most advanced and skilled regiments in the World. Each day, a life
could be rescued, a terrorist taken out, and all together, our country
protected, all because of the Rangers.