‘Elite’ military units: Army Rangers. I just read a soldier didn't have to go to Ranger School to be a Ranger. Is that true?

Ranger School is just that, a school. It is not part of the elite Ranger Regiment. Those who graduate Ranger School call themselves "Rangers" but to the eyes of the Ranger Regiment, that does not qualify them to serve in the Ranger Regiment. Rangers go through RASP, Ranger Assessment and Selection Program before being assigned as a Ranger within the Ranger Regiment. Though the young Rangers have not gone through Ranger School, their gradation from RASP, subsequent assignment within the Regiment and conducting Special Operations missions is the true meaning of being an Airborne Ranger within our Army. The saying goes, "Ranger school is just a school. The Scroll is a way of life." So when you hear someone say they are a Ranger, the next question should be, "What Ranger Battalion did you serve in?" If they never served in Regiment and one of the Battalions, then they are just "Ranger school qualified" and never conducted special operations missions as a Ranger. I know this may cause heartache to those that call themselves Rangers when they go clubbing on a Friday night or say it to their girlfriends and family, but those are the facts.
Now those that served in Ranger units in Viet Nam are still considered Rangers to all of us. To this day, there are those who attend Ranger school and have never been to jump school. We call them, "leg Rangers."

I don't believe that Roger's Rangers went to Ranger School...

My best advice would be that, unless you are certain or have proof that he is faking, assume he is not. The one thing worse than someone stealing valor, is someone falsely accusing a vet of stolen valor. Don't be that guy or gal.

Thanks to SSG Carlos Madden I can provide you with some help on this.

First off, there were no real ranger units at the start of the of the Vietnam War. The units that started in Korea by COL Puckett were gone. They were only used in that war and when it ended so did that.

So at the start of the of the war there was a need for specialized recon units. These would become the predecessor to the 75th Ranger RGT. They were known as by a few different names. They were either Long Range Recon Patrols (LRRP) or Long Range Patrol (LRP). They were call LURPs. Every Division had a company of them. I was an unit that would trace their lineage to a LURP unit. I was in F co, 51st Infantry, Long Range Surveillance, in OIF I.

This is where the issue of being a Ranger unit comes into play. They really weren't Ranger Units. They were Ranger-ish Units. They all had Ranger Scrolls and most were Ranger qualified. But all of the LRRP units were disbanded and turned into the 75th RGR RGT. So my company was F co 51st but was turned in P co, 75th RGR.

This coin shows the units and the scrolls they used. But the LRRPs were LRRPs. They are usually Ranger Qualified but if they were in a LRP unit they will claim that. It is rare to find LRP vets. It is possible to see a vet that was in a LRP unit and stay there when it become the 75th Ranger RGT.

But a give away of this is the Ranger Tab. No soldiers were given Ranger Tabs for serving in a Ranger unit or LRP unit. That just didn't happen. There was a standing Ranger School at that time and soldiers went. They even had a in country one that I have heard off. But the LRPs would turn into the Recondo School and would go there in addition to Ranger. LRPs or LRS as they call today didn't come back until the late 80's. So if you have a guy claiming to be a LRP anytime from 1970 and beyond until the late 80's he is lying. When the 75th came into all the LRP units were disbanded. Also I have never heard of a LRP or Ranger not being airborne. It was a preq for being in either LRPs or LRS. Even in units that were not Airborne the LRS units were airborne.

If you can send any info or what company he claimed to be from I can pinpoint this more.

Hope this helps - This is what I could come up with.

UNIT MAJOR COMMAND
Co. D, 17th Infantry, (LRP) V Corps Federal Republic of Germany
Co. C, 58th Infantry (LRP) VII Corps Federal Republic of Germany
Co. E, 20th Infantry (LRP) I Field Force Vietnam
Co. F, 51st Infantry (LRP) II Field Force Vietnam
Co. D, 151st Infantry (LRP) II Field Force Vietnam
Co. E, 50th Infantry (LRP) 9th Infantry Division
Co. F, 50th Infantry (LRP) 25th Infantry Division
Co. E, 51st Infantry (LRP) 23rd Infantry Division
Co. E, 52d Infantry (LRP) 1st Cavalry Division
Co. F, 52nd Infantry (LRP) 1st Infantry Division
Co. E, 58th Infantry (LRP) 4th Infantry Division
Co. F, 58th Infantry (LRP) 1O1st Airborne Division
71st Infantry Detachment (LRP) 199th Infantry Brigade
74th Infantry Detachment (LRP) 173rd Airborne Brigade
78th Infantry Detachment (LRP) 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division
79th Infantry Detachment (LRP) 1st Brigade, 5th Mechanized Division

These units were functional for the period of May 1965 through December 1967 in country. On February 1, 1969 the units were reorganized into the following - All Ranger under the 75th Infantry (later became 75th Ranger)

UNIT MAJOR COMMAND PERIOD OF SERVICE
Co A (Ranger),75th Infantry Ft Benning / Ft Hood 1 Feb. 1969 - 15 Oct. 1974
Co B (Ranger),75th Infantry Ft Carson / Ft Lewis 1 Feb. 1969 - 15 Oct. 1974
Co C (Ranger),75th Infantry I Field Force Vietnam 1 Feb. 1969 - 25 Oct. 1971
Co D (Ranger),151st Infantry II Field Force Vietnam 1 Feb. 1969 - 20 Nov. 1969
Co D (Ranger),75th Infantry II Field Force Vietnam 20 Nov. 1969 - 10 Apr. 1970
Co E (Ranger),75th Infantry 9th Infantry Division 1 Feb. 1969 - 12 Oct. 1970
Co F (Ranger),75th Infantry 25th Infantry Division 1 Feb. 1969 - 15 Mar 1971
Co G (Ranger),75th Infantry 23rd Infantry Division 1 Feb. 1969 - 1 Oct. 1971
Co H (Ranger),75th Infantry 1st Cavalry Division 1 Feb. 1969 - 15 Aug. 1972
Co I (Ranger),75th Infantry 1st Infantry Division 1 Feb. 1969 - 7 Apr. 1970
Co K (Ranger),75th Infantry 4th Infantry Division 1 Feb. 1969 - 10 Dec. 1970
Co L (Ranger),75th Infantry 1O1st Airmobile Division 1 Feb. 1969 - 25 Dec. 1971
Co M (Ranger),75th Infantry 199th Infantry Brigade 1 Feb. 1969 - 12 Oct. 1970
Co N (Ranger),75th Infantry 173rd Airborne Brigade 1 Feb. 1969 - 25 Aug. 1971
Co 0 (Ranger),75th Infantry 3rd Brigade,82nd Abn. 1 Feb. 1969 - Division 20 Nov. 1969
Co P (Ranger),75th Infantry 1st Brigade, 5th Mech. 1 Feb. 1969 - Division 31 Aug. 1971

So if he was in one of the units after Feb. 1 of '69 he would be considered a Ranger without ever being tabbed. However all the leadership came from one of two schools Ranger or Recondo (Nha Trang or from Panama). In '67 the the Recondo school at Ft. Campbell converted to a provisional LRRP unit and deployed to Vietnam.

There were also the clandestine SR teams - Project Delta (Nha Trang), Omega (Nha Trang, and later at Ban Me Thout) and Sigma (Tu Duc). These guys also had Rangers -

It is possible that this gentleman was a LRRP and did not attend Ranger School, but if so should not be wearing the Ranger Tab.
There are also "legs" in the Ranger Regiment, but not very many.
This one does not smell quite right, but I think it is more of a situation where he affiliates with the modern Rangers, but was not one himself.

I am reminded of when Jesse Ventura was called out for claiming to be a SEAL. He was a member of Underwater Demolitions Team (UDT) 12, which at the time was a different entity, later absorbed by the SEALs. In his case, he went to BUD/S like the SEALs, but was not on a team.

SGT (Join to see) Interesting... Yes, absolutely.

Rangers in the US Army Trace their lineage to the The American Revolution - Rogers Rangers - and long before the Army started Ranger School. Modern Day Ranger units trace their roots to Merrill's Marauders and the WWII (D-Day) Ranger Battalions (Darby's and Rudder's Rangers). When I attended Ranger school their tag line was "from Normandy to Grenada Rangers Lead the Way."

1. The United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented toward small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". It is open to soldiers (commissioned officer, warrant officer, or enlisted), sailors, airmen, and Marines in the US Armed Forces, as well as allied military students.

Ranger training began in 1950 and has undergone multiple changes to its training regimen. A Desert Phase was employed for about a decade between the 1980s and 1990s. Its removal left the three phases used in the 21st century: (1) Darby, (2) Mountains, and (3) Florida.

2. The US Army Ranger Association says the following are eligible to be in this midst:

Who is eligible for membership?
We welcome as Regular Members all Rangers that have earned the U.S. Army Ranger tab, WWII Rangers, Korean War Rangers, Vietnam War Rangers, all Rangers that participated in Operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, Desert Storm, Restore Hope, Enduring Freedom, and all Rangers who have served honorably for at least one year in a recognized Ranger unit. In addition, we welcome certain qualified individuals as Associate Members; and close family as Affiliate Members.

3. Modern Day Ranger School is run by TRADOC, not the Ranger Regiment, and is Ranger based small unit Leaders Course (finest and hardest we offer) that trains not only Soldiers for the Ranger Regiment but all Officers and NCOs for the rest of the Army. Every class roughly 60% non-Regiment troops (like me) who attend Ranger school and return to their units. Most classes have a ton of Infantry 2LTs, then some EN, AR, FA, etc., then some NCOs from those branches, and some Army and Joint special operators, a few allied troops, then the rest are young Soldiers from the Ranger Regiment who have earned the right to attend.

4. Today, a Soldier enlists in the Army as an 11X, with an option 40 contract, has the opportunity to attend Infantry OSUT, then Airborne School, the RASP (Ranger Assessment Selection Program). Others can be selected at OSUT based on merit. Upon completion of RASP, they earn their tan Beret and designated Army Rangers and assigned to one of 3 Ranger Battalions in the Regiment. Ranger Battalions are simply highly selective, highly resourced, and highly trained Light Infantry Battalions employed by USSOC for very specific and important/key missions. Eventually these young Soldiers earn the right to attend Ranger School.

So yes, in years past, and today a Soldier can be a Ranger, whether or not they attend the school. The school and Ranger are two separate and distinct things. Benning considers more to be Rangers, as does the Army, than the Regiment does.

Interesting discussion.

I'm a Squid, so what do I know...maybe this guy was legit. Still, it sounds to me like very probably a story about a guy who was "somewhere" once with "someone", and in later years, decided that "entitled" him to wear their insignia. I served in the 82nd and 101st's "AO", went outside the "wire" with Infantry types, got trained while attached to the 1/5 FA, and even picked up a Group Three guy once while on convoy...but that doesn't mean I rate an Airborne unit's shoulder patch, crossed rifles, the Order of St. Barbara, or a Green Beret either.

As to the article, I can feel some of the guy's pain...I spent two tours at sea, earning not only the OOD Underway/ CICWO/ TAO/UI quals available to me, but completed the PQS for the SWO board as well. When it came my time at bat, the good folks at NAVPERS decided you had to be 1100 series to be "pinned" with the water wings, and wouldn't approve my re-designation from 1305. Oh well...I get the fun of explaining to other squids how an O-4 with the MSM doesn't have a pin all the time. Still, if I had been a Soldier, hadn't passed Ranger School, I don't think any act of "fiat" could get me to wear the tab.

Things would be a lot less confusing if we'd all just take pride in the very real accomplishments we earned and not those earned by others.

You don't get a Ranger tab without going to Ranger School. You can be assigned to a Ranger Batt and not be a Ranger (support roles). Definitely sounds suspicious, contact Stolen Valor and have those guys look into it...

During the early years of the Vietnam era the only Rangers in any of the services(my class had both Marine Corps and Air Force(!) attendees) were Ranger school graduates. As the various reconnaissance units were formed they were known as LRRPs and only in the later years, as described in earlier posts, were their units designated as 75th Infantry(Ranger) units. During the periods I was in country(36 months between 1966 and 1970) I never heard LRRPs referred to as Rangers. The Projects did not refer to themselves as LRRPs or Rangers. The was, I believe, a LRRP company in C Co down in III Corps.

As to the Air Medal; I can only speak for the units i served with but in the Cav in 66-67 25 combat assaults qualified non air crew(Snuffies, Grunts, us) for the award of the Air Medal. In 5th Group the requirements varied but generally required air time equivalent to that required for air crew(If I recall insertions and extractions were counted based on flight time, no bonus for STABO). In '69-'70 the Americal Division's requirements for non air crew was 25 air assaults as it was in the Cav. In both the Cav and Americal only one Air Medal per tour could be awarded for CA's. In the Cav, qualifying for the Air Medal happened quickly, we sometimes did multiple CA's in a day. In the Americal it took months.

So a LRRP could have been awarded an Air Medal. And he is eligible to belong to the Ranger Association. And the LRRP companies usually had tabs(Not the Black and Gold) and since they change fro 51st, 52d and just letters to various companies of the 75th so he may possibly wear more than one tab on his vest or whatever.

In the end it's not the vest that will tell you if he's legit, it's the stories. The great recon teams never heard a shot fired at them, wasn't their job. But every recon guy has one story about running and most of those do involve shooting at one end of the run or the other.