Today in Ranger history

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Jim
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Today in Ranger history

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On this date in Ranger History: November 13, 1950

The first cycle of Ranger training was completed at Fort Benning, Georgia and destined for service in Korea. The 1st, 2nd, and 4th Ranger Companies prepared for overseas shipment. The 3rd Ranger Company prepared to assist in training the second cycle, which would consist of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Ranger Companies. These were also regular volunteers, almost all of whom were from the 82nd Airborne Division. The 3rd Ranger Company moved overseas at the end of the second training cycle.

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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On this date in Ranger History: November 15, 1950

The 1st Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) departs Fort Benning enroute to Korea; arriving on December 17, 1950. They were attached to the 2nd Infantry Division. Attached on the basis of one 112-Man Ranger Company per 18,000-man Infantry Division, the Rangers compiled an incredible record. At that time, nowhere in American history was the volunteer spirit better expressed. They were volunteers for the Army, Basic Airborne Training, for the Rangers and combat.

Throughout the winter of 1950 and the spring of 1951, the Rangers went into battle. They were nomadic warriors, attached first to one Regiment then another. They performed "out front work," scouting, patrolling, raids, ambushes, spearheading assaults and as a counterattack force to regain lost positions. At a time when United Nations forces numbered over 500,000 men, there were fewer than 700 Airborne Rangers fighting in front of all American divisions engaged in combat.

The 1st Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) opened with an extraordinary example of land navigation, then executed a daring raid nine miles behind enemy lines where they destroyed an enemy complex. The enemy installation was later identified by a prisoner as teh Headquarters of the 12th North Korean Division. Caught by surprise and unaware of the size of the American force, two North Korean Regiments hastily withdrew from the area.

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Re: Today in Ranger history

Post by fatboy »

Awesome bits of history Sir. Tagged for future posts.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On this date in Ranger History -- November 25, 1950

1st Lt. Ralph Puckett and his men captured Hill 205, a strategic point overlooking the Chong Chon River, Korea. Initially, they had to brace for attack from all sides, as the company of only 51 Rangers strong was over a mile from the nearest friendly unit and vulnerable to being completely surrounded. Fortunately for the Rangers, they had artillery support for parts of the night. Earlier in the evening Lt. Puckett had coordinated a series of increasingly more dangerous fire missions with the artillery, in order to allow the Ranger artillery support to rapidly adjust to new attacks.

At 10 p.m., the Chinese began their attack by firing a mortar salvo against Lt. Puckett and his Rangers. Six waves of Chinese forces assaulted the Hill for the next four and a half hours. Several times, Lt. Puckett was forced to call in artillery fire, "danger close," planing the Rangers within the danger radius of the friendly artillery fire. During the course of the battle, Lt. Puckett was wounded several times, once by grenade fragments and then twice more than a two mortars landed in his fox hole.

After his wounds rendered him barley conscious, and ordering the withdrawal of his forces, two of Puckett's Rangers, Pfc. David L. Pollack and Pfc. Bill G. Walls dragged him down the hill, as they received small arms fire. Lt. Puckett was medically evacuated from the Hill and would be hospitalized for a year for the wounds he suffered that night.

Col. Puckett will celebrate his 90th birthday later this year.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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The Draft Lottery, Dec. 1, 1969

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhLbysRh8XY

Dec. 1, 1969 – The U.S. government held its first draft lottery since World War II in 1942. The Selective Service System of the United States conducted two lotteries to determine the order of call to military service in the Vietnam War for men born from 1944 to 1950. These lotteries occurred during “the draft”—a period of conscription, controlled by the President, from just before World War II to 1973. The lottery numbers assigned in December 1969 were used during calendar year 1970 both to call for induction and to call for physical examination, a preliminary call covering more men.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On this date in Ranger History: December 7, 1944:

2d Rangers while participating in the battle for the Huertgen Forest were ordered to attack and hold Hill 400 for 24 hours, or until duly relieved. On December 7th, Dog and Fox Companies launched an assault on Hill 400 at 7:30 a.m. After a Ranger patrol had reconnoitered the height in the predawn darkness, one company took a position to provide fire support, while the others charged up the slope. Catching the Germans by surprise, the Rangers seized control of the crest and captured 28 prisoners with only slight losses.

Hill 400 was the predominate hill in the area of the Huertgen Forest, approximately one kilometer east of the village center of Bergstein, Germany. From the heights of Hill 400, it would give anyone a commanding view over the entire forest area. It was a strategically important vantage point and German Artillery station during the battle of the Huertgen Forest.

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Re: Today in Ranger history

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Jim wrote:On this date in Ranger History: December 7, 1944:

(Snipped for brevity)
After a Ranger patrol had reconnoitered the height in the predawn darkness, one company took a position to provide fire support, while the others charged up the slope. Catching the Germans by surprise, the Rangers seized control of the crest and captured 28 prisoners with only slight losses.

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I wonder what the definition of slight losses was in 1944 compared to current times? Either way, stories like this are what should be taught in school so that students learn what it took to make our country,and more importantly what it will take to keep it.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On this date in Ranger History: Dec. 8, 1944:
As the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest continued, the men of 2d Ranger Battalion encountered heavy fighting. The Rangers had taken Hill 400 on Dec. 7th with relative ease, in terms of intense combat, holding it would be another thing. Dog, Easy and Fox Companies endured five counter attacks over a two day period. The Germans wanted Castle Hill (Hill 400) with a desperation that caused them to spend their men and material extravagantly. The Germans attacked with ground forces, mortars, artillery and armored cars. Wave after wave the Rangers endured to hold Castle Hill.

At 1606 hours on Dec. 7th, LT Len Lomell sent the following message: "Counterattacks on hill all afternoon; very heavy artillery; only 25 able bodied men left: help needed badly; are surrounded." At 0850 on the morning of Dec. 8th, 2d Ranger Battalion received a report from Dog Company that there were only 10 men left.

With the asset of the American Artillery, the Rangers held Hill 400, for 56 hours despite all that had been thrown at them. As the men came down from the bloodied slopes of Hill 400, a thick snowfall began to lay a peaceful mantle of white over the torn and ruptured earth. The Rangers had captured the difficult objective and held onto it until ordered down. Approximately 450 Germans were found dead with 64 prisoners taken. The price was high -- 23 Rangers were dead, 86 wounded, 20 injured and four missing in action.

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Re: Today in Ranger history

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We recognize December 13th as the birthday of the National Guard. On this date in 1636, the first militia regiments in North America were organized in Massachusetts. Based upon an order of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's General Court, the colony's militia was organized into three permanent regiments to better defend the colony. Today, the descendants of these first regiments - the 181st Infantry, the 182nd Infantry, the 101st Field Artillery, and the 101st Engineer Battalion of the Massachusetts Army National Guard – share the distinction of being the oldest units in the U.S. military. December 13, 1636, thus marks the beginning of the organized militia, and the birth of the National Guard's oldest organized units is symbolic of the founding of all the state, territory, and District of Columbia militias that collectively make up today's National Guard.


http://www.nationalguard.mil/About-the- ... -We-Began/
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On December 19, 1967, the 11th Infantry Brigade arrives in Vietnam as part of an emergency deployment. In February 1969, it will join the Americal Division in south I Corps, making it the Army’s largest division with more than 20,000 men.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On December 20, 1861, in a sharp action near Dranesville, Virginia, Brigadier General Edward O.C. Ord’s brigade of Pennsylvania Volunteer infantry, supported by cavalry and artillery, clashes with Rebel cavalry led by Brigadier General J.E.B. Stuart. The Federals drive off the Rebels and inflict nearly 200 casualties.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On December 21, 1864, after marching 300 miles in just over a month and leaving a trail of destruction, Major General William Tecumseh Sherman’s army reaches Savannah, Georgia. The city falls after Confederates withdraw.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On December 22, 1944, the attacking Germans surround Bastogne; the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the other U.S. units man the perimeter in freezing weather. Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, acting commander of the 101st, replies to a German demand to surrender with the exclamation “Nuts!” Although their supplies are scarce and bad weather prevents aerial resupply, the defenders are determined to hold.
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On this date in Ranger History: January 1, 1969

The 75th Infantry is reorganized into fifteen separate Ranger Companies to serve in the Vietnam War into what would ultimately become the Ranger Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP) Companies. With the growing United States involvement in the Vietnam War, Rangers were again called to serve their country. The 75th Infantry was reorganized once more on January 1, 1969, as a parent Regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System. Fifteen separate Ranger companies were formed from this reorganization. Thirteen served proudly in Vietnam until inactivation on August 15, 1974.

Ranger companies, consisting of highly motivated volunteers, served with distinction in Vietnam from the Mekong Delta to the Demilitarized Zone. Assigned to independent brigade, division, and field force units, they conducted long-range reconnaissance and exploitation operations into enemy-held and denied areas, providing valuable combat intelligence.

The companies assumed the assets of the long-range patrol units, some of which had been in existence in Vietnam since 1967. They served until the withdrawal of American troops. An Indiana National Guard Unit, Company D, 151st Infantry (Ranger), also experienced combat
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Re: Today in Ranger history

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On this day in 1777, George Washington wins the Battle of Princeton. It was the Americans’ second stunning victory in only 9 days!

Washington and his men were in a bit of a bind when night fell on January 2, 1777. British troops, led by Charles Cornwallis, had returned to Trenton to recover the ground that they’d lost during the battle of December 26. The British had attacked the Americans three times, near Assunpink Creek, but they had been repelled each time. It was getting dark, and Cornwallis decided to retire for the night. He allegedly remarked that he had “the Old Fox safe” and would “bag him” in the morning.

I guess Washington didn’t get the memo?! He and his army snuck away during the night, leaving behind a small contingent of men who kept the campfires burning and otherwise maintained the appearance of an occupied American camp. The British did not realize Washington was gone until it was too late.

In the past, such a disappearance would have meant that the Americans were retreating. Not this time! Instead, Washington and his men disappeared down back roads, and they made a wide sweep across the New Jersey countryside. Their goal? Princeton, where Cornwallis had left some of his troops behind. At daybreak on January 3, some of those men were preparing to leave and join Cornwallis at Trenton. Instead, imagine their surprise when they saw the Americans coming!

An American officer, Henry Knox, later wrote: “They could not possibly suppose it was our army, for that they took for granted was cooped up near Trenton. . . . I believe they were as much astonished as if an army had dropped perpendicularly upon them.”

British troops were already marching toward Princeton when they saw a portion of the American force approaching. The two sides met in William Clark’s orchard. The fighting was intense, and the British were fighting well. British Captain William Hale later remembered that “we kept possession of the orchard for twenty minutes, turning one of their own guns upon them.” The Americans were also fighting courageously, but they began to break when some of their officers were killed. One of these officers, General Hugh Mercer, was struck down with the butt of a musket. As British soldiers gathered around him, one demanded: “Call for Quarters, you damned rebel.” Mercer refused! Instead, he lunged at them with his sword, yelling: “I am no rebel.” Mercer was bayoneted multiple times and left for dead on the field (see picture).

Fortunately, at that critical moment, more American reinforcements began to arrive.

Perhaps most importantly, Washington himself arrived, and he took charge of the situation. He shouted to the soldiers: “Parade with us, my brave fellows! There is but a handful of the enemy, and we will have them directly.” His presence on the battlefield inspired the men. One soldier later wrote: “I shall never forget what I felt at Princeton on his account, when I saw him brave all the dangers of the field and his important life hanging as it were by a single hair with a thousand deaths flying around him. Believe me, I thought not of myself.”

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I really do not think we can overestimate the importance of Washington’s leadership at critical moments in our history.

Before long, the British were retreating, quickly. Washington took off after them on his horse, yelling: “It’s a fine fox chase, my boys!” The remaining troops in Princeton itself also ended up surrendering or retreating.

Yes! I suppose there was a fox hunt on January 3, as Cornwallis anticipated. And perhaps you could say that a fox got bagged. But that fox wasn’t Washington.
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