Rangers Through the Fire: The Evolution of America’s Elite Infantry (1942–Today)
Modern war films show elite soldiers operating behind enemy lines. But those tactics didn’t start in Afghanistan or Iraq. The roots go back to U.S. Army Rangers in World War II
Each post builds the story forward in time.
By the early 1980s, the modern Ranger force had spent nearly a decade preparing for combat. The battalions formed after Vietnam trained constantly for airborne assaults, airfield seizures, and rapid deployment missions. When the United States finally called upon the Rangers again, it would be in two dramatic Cold War …
By the early 1990s, the modern Ranger force had firmly established itself as one of the U.S. Army’s premier rapid-deployment units. The 75th Ranger Regiment had proven its capabilities during airborne assaults in Grenada and Panama, demonstrating that elite light infantry could seize critical objectives quickly and decisively. But the …
The attacks of September 11, 2001 changed the mission of the U.S. military overnight. Within weeks, American forces began preparing for a campaign in Afghanistan aimed at dismantling al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban regime that had provided them sanctuary. Among the first ground combat units sent into the war were …
