United States Army Rangers

United States Army Rangers
Active	17th century – present
Country	United States of America
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Type	Light infantry
Role	Special operations
Garrison/HQ	Fort Moore, Georgia Fort Lewis, Washington Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia
Motto(s)	Sua Sponte (Of Their Own Accord): 75th Ranger Regiment Rangers Lead the Way: Army Ranger-qualified soldiers
Engagements	World War II Korean War Vietnam War Operation Eagle Claw United States invasion of Grenada United States Invasion of Panama Gulf War Operation Gothic Serpent Kosovo War Iraq War War in Afghanistan Operation Inherent Resolve
Insignia
NATO Map Symbol (1998)
NATO Map Symbol (2017)

The United States Army Rangers are elite U.S. Army personnel who have served in any unit which has held the official designation of "Ranger".^[1][2] The term is commonly used to include graduates of the Ranger School, even if they have never served in a "Ranger" unit; the vast majority of Ranger school graduates never serve in Ranger units and are considered "Ranger qualified".^[1][3]

In a broader and less formal sense, the term "ranger" has been used, officially and unofficially, in North America since the 17th century, to describe specialized light infantry in small, independent units—usually companies. The first units to be officially designated Rangers were companies recruited in the New England Colonies to fight against Native Americans in King Philip's War. Following that time, the term became more common in official usage, during the French and Indian Wars of the 18th century. The U.S. military has had "Ranger" companies since the American Revolutionary War. British Army units designated as "Rangers" have often also had historical links of some kind to British North America.

The 75th Ranger Regiment is an elite airborne light infantry combat formation within the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). The six battalions of the modern Rangers have been deployed in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan and Iraq. The Ranger Regiment traces its lineage to three of six battalions raised in World War II, and to the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)—known as "Merrill's Marauders", and then reflagged as the 475th Infantry, then later as the 75th Infantry.

The Ranger Training Brigade (RTB)—headquartered at Fort Moore—is an organization under the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and is separate from the 75th Ranger Regiment. It has been in service in various forms since World War II. The Ranger Training Brigade administers Ranger School, the satisfactory completion of which is required to become Ranger qualified and to wear the Ranger Tab.