CPT Robert A. The Department of the Army officially authorized the formation of Company F, 50th Infantry Detachment (LRP) on 20 December, 1967. Other tasks included, but were not limited to, guarding the rice harvests and denying the enemy access to the agriculture rich coastline. In addition, he allowed his troops to carry any weapon that they were comfortable with in the battlefield. Before the companys deactivation we were told that an Indiana National Guard unit D/151 (LRP) was taking our place as we were slated to be part of the nucleus for the formation of the 75th Rangers. Fifteen separate Ranger companies were formed from this reorganization. The year of 1969 saw the company rise in a degree of professionalism to make it one of the most efficient, accurate intelligence gathering sources in the Division. Brigade level LRRP teams encountered similar operational impediments, but they had more trouble securing radio relay aircraft due to their status on unit priority ranking. On a special note, Special Forces and Ranger personnel arriving into the unit were not required to attend Recondo training; however, they were required to help with training. On 20 November 1969, Co D (Ranger), 151st Infantry (Airborne) Stood Down. No one could believe it when just three weeks after returning from Panama the unit was called to active duty. During February 1969, the first month of Company I, fifty-two missions were conducted beginning with six missions on the first day of operation. Ranger team Bass, led by SSG Vodden, (Fido), engaged an estimated enemy platoon in the Spear Valley area resulting in 1 NVA KIA and several more killed by ARA in close support. The Ranger Company appealed to Brian and Steve because it offered better training and equipment. Occasionally, 8 -12 man heavy teams were inserted for special missions. F Company, 75th Rangers, RVN '69-'71, Living History Group from Czech Republic. The men also learned how to set up the radios in the field and how to orient and string the long wire antenna. Twenty-seven days were devoted to company movements with sixty-five days of tactical operations each move necessitating adjustment with novel terrain, unfamiliar aviation resources, and fresh superior commands. The enemy was the 2nd North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong Guerrillas of Communist Military/Political Region 5. 1LT James Smith KIA By the 28th of January the enemy had retired and the half of the company at Song Be returned to Bien Hoa. He then had harrows driven back and forth across the fields, as one report later described it, to scratch and tear and chop those living heads like so many small tree stumps as the harrows went over them., Newsweek magazine for May 15, 1967 reported that over the past decade the Viet Cong have murdered, mutilated and otherwise brutalized tens of thousands of Vietnamese civilians. Even though it was disbanded over 33 years ago, the unit still exists today in the hearts and memories of the 100 or so men who served with it during its short existence. The mission was to recon the area of operations but more specifically, as directed by Capt James, you have to stay in the AO for the duration of the mission. With those instruction these followed. The combined element searched the area for the fallen Ranger and shortly thereafter recovered his body. Several enemy sightings, rocket and mortar firing sites, and suspected enemy camps were spotted. 3. The term Provisional was dropped and the LRRPs became a Detachment instead of a Provisional Detachment. General Weyand authorized the formation of the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol detachment and forty-one officers and enlisted personnel were selected for duty with the unit. Staff Sergeant David Dolby who was previously awarded the Medal of Honor while serving with the First Cavalry Division in 1965, was an advisor to the 44th Ranger Battalion in 1970. They interviewed and screened the records of 130 volunteer soldiers and selected the best 40. $10.00 shipping. (803) 641-9504 Under a service-wide reorganization of the combat elements raised, trained, equipped, and deployed by the United States Army, the Department of the Army instituted the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), which took effect in February, 1969. Our support came in the form of a ground reactionary force and support for helicopter insertion and air fire support. Christopher reported to the G2, was briefed and accepted the mission. For over a year the LRRPs of the 71st watched scores of footbridges, embankment pathways, and other guerrilla traveled avenues across the paddy landscape. Company L has performed in the finest tradition of its progenitors the Merrills Marauders and the pride of each man in knowing the precedence that has been set and the spirit of the 75th Infantry Regiment will insure its perpetuation. During April 1969, Company 0 (RANGER) suffered its first casualties, four (4), which were overcome by large superior forces. No other combat recon units waged reconnaissance and intelligence gathering operations under circumstances more difficult than those with the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam. Maj. Gen. Julian J. Ewell assumed command of the 9th Infantry Division in February 1968. Rangers were actively involved in warfare and unable to write of their comrades achievements This responsibility for writing documentation for medals was left to the Division G2 for their attached unit. On 29 June the entire company made a raid to locate an enemy aid station. Company C (Airborne Ranger), 75th Infantry commenced final stand-down on 15 October 1971 and was reduced to zero strength by 24 October. To the south were Cam Ranh Bay, coastal water ways, rice fields and triple canopy jungles. Christopher was a Ranger whose military occupation was, Reconnaissance Intelligence Specialist. The extended nature of 4th Infantry Division Operations required LRRP teams to maneuver at far greater distances from supporting units than most other LRRP units in Vietnam. (Vietnam) On 1 February 1969, as part of the U.S. Army Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), all U.S. Army Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) units were reorganized as the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger). Final Salute at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C. Company K (RANGER), 75TH Infantry (Airborne), is entitled to the following: Counteroffensive, Phase VI Tet 69 Counteroffensive, Sanctuary Counteroffensive Counteroffensive Phase VII, RVN Cross of Gallantry with Palm; RVN Civil Actions Medal, Traditional Designation: K Ranger; Motto: Sua Sponte(Of their own Accord), (424) 408-9894 L Co, 75th Infantry Regiment - Rangers, Vietnam Classic Round Sticker. $3.90 shipping. F/51 LRPs first commander was Major William C. Maus, who started the company in September of 1967. Our teams were distributed thusly: At the start, CPT Bjork, was informed that his Lurps would have to stand inspections and wear helmets in the field during LRP operations by Division Staff Officers above him. However, the deployment of teams to initiate contacts, set ambushes, and conduct Sniper operations was amplified. The Rangers employed ARA and artillery as they moved into the enemy held areas. Generally speaking, 2 Ranger teams would be out in the field, 2 teams would be on READY ALERT to back up teams out on patrol or to become a REACTIONARY FORCE as needed, and 2 teams would be in a stand down mode to resupply and prepare for their next assigned mission. The team quickly returned suppressive fires and pulled the wounded man into the hastily established perimeter and became deeply engaged in a fire fight with the undetermined sized enemy force. This afforded the Rangers better control and the ability to mass forces quickly and strike more rapidly. 10 Teams were employed in support of 3d Bde from 15 to 30 Oct. The 3rd Infantry Division LRRP Detachment had its roots in the provisional V Corps LRRP Co. formed for the Wintershield II operation and the Divisions Battle Group (Battalion) level LRRP units. 1LT Robert Suchke Feb. to July 1971, PSG Donald Brickle Three days before Christmas on the morning of the Bob Hope Show, three Ranger teams were inserted South of the Saigon River; there they discovered the enemy and their rocket cache. The team engaged and trapped 3 NVA in a reinforced culvert on Rt 547 in the FB Veghel area. While in Vietnam, E Company earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer embroidered Vietnam 18 June 68 20 January 69. The following day Operation BINH TAY I, the invasion of Cambodias Ratanaktri Province, was initiated. Distinctive Insignia: The shield of the coat of arms RANGER Designation: Rationale The rationale for selecting the 75th Infantry as the parent unit for all Department of the Army authorized Ranger units is/was as follows: (1) Similarity of missions between those missions performed by Merrills Marauders and the 75th Infantry, Ranger Companies in the republic of Vietnam and those of the 75th Ranger Regiment Operations deep in enemy territory. Unit: L CO, 75TH INFANTRY, 101ST ABN DIV, USARV CASUALTY DATA Start Tour: 08/11/1969 Incident Date: 10/26/1969 Casualty Date: 10/26/1969 Age at Loss: 21 Location: Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam . Due to poor weather and a lack of cover, there were a limited amount of Long Range Patrol missions conducted during the first three months of the year. Non-airborne and airborne personnel were required to attend training. On 25 June one platoon from the First ARVN Divisions Reconnaissance Company was made OPCON to the LRRP company. The missions now became more as hunter-killer teams than the true reconnaissance teams. The unit employed artillery and ARA on all enemy positions and drove them from the area as they pushed on to their objective. Ranger Team Cubs, led by SGT Georgia Peach Duran, which was on radio relay for the platoon conducting the ambush on Rt 548, made contact with a large enemy force in reinforced bunkers. More than two dozen Ranger Advisors received the Army Distinguished Service Cross or the Navy Cross, the second highest valor award. These units were the catalyst for the 78th Infantry Detachment (LRP) (ABN). Ho Chi Minh was a founding member of this body. This was the last communication anyone had with team Kansas. General Williamson tasked the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 503rd Infantry to ask for Volunteers to form the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) detachment. An NVA force of 4,000 enemy troops surrounded their Ranger team for eighteen hours before the Rangers were able to be extracted from a hot PZ. The company was formed at Bien Hoa, where we were stationed, somewhat permanently. When 1SG Allen Whitcomb reported in, 1SG Whitcomb became the new Company First Sergeant. The PAPA Company Rangers continued patrolling the DMZ, Khe Sahn area, the Citadel, Rockpile, and the Tri-Border Area until they began stand down procedures on 23 July 1971. In the fall of 1966, the 9th Infantry Division formed a division Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) Platoon after division commander, Maj. Gen. George S. Eckhardt flew to Vietnam on an orientation tour of the combat theater. On 13 June Ranger Team Ohio, led by 1LT Currahee Grange, made a raid northeast of FSB Shock for the 1st Bde. This move was a permanent change of station (PCS). The remaining enlisted personnel had the duties of platoon sergeant, Tactical Operations Center (TOC), supply and administration. Other soldiers liked the new area better, noting the relative absence of booby traps and mine contraptions that had caused such high casualties during plantation patrols. VII Corps LRRP Company (Airborne) (circa 1961 - 1965) . Hawkeye Teams were raised by MG Peers to hunt down and kill an elusive enemy wherever he could be found. The team suffered one US KIA and broke contact with two enemy KIA (probable). Patrolling was on a regular schedule by then with all 12 to 18 teams in the field at all times. LRRP was given a TO&E personnel strength of 60 plus, but, its real strength was closer to half that while its address was D Troop (LRRP), 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry. (Airborne) was on active Jump Status, but some Brigade LRPs actually received jump pay. On 13 January 69, Ranger teams combined with the Marines and Navy as security and cordon, labeled Operation Russell Beach, during operations at Bantangan Peninsula which was known as a VC stronghold approximately 15 miles from Quang Ngai City. During this period the men of the company found it does get cold in Vietnam. General Hay took measures to upgrade ranger-style warfare within the division by expanding the first patrols into a long-range detachment authorized 118 reconnaissance personnel. By 1963 the war expanded as main force North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units began invading the South, launching battalion and regimental-size attacks against ARVN units. C4, AR 601210 Enlistment Options, RATIONALE FOR THE SELECTION OF THE 75th INFANTRY MERRILLS MARAUDERS, AS THE PARENT UNIT FOR ALL DA AUTHORIZED LAP/RANGER UNITS. During the ensuing fight Sgt Reynolds was mortally wounded and several other Rangers suffered wounds of less serious nature. The motto of the Company was Sua Sponte meaning of their own accord. Modern Rangers of the 75th Ranger Regiment continue the tradition of being the premier fighting element of the active army. A group from the 54th Recon Company, 2nd Regiment, 1st ARVN Division received training at Company L and joint operations were employed in the ARVN recon zone. Operating deep in enemy territory, Ranger patrols engaged enemy units while conducting raids, ambushes and surveillance missions. In doing so they killed four enemy who had approached their parameter. On Oct 15 the Company was detached from the 2/17 Cavalry and attached to 3d Bde of the 101st Abn Div and moved from Camp Eagle to Camp Evans. As night approached the Rangers led combined elements to a safe PZ. During this period the Company also conducted close in security type ambush missions and downed aircraft security. COMPANY F, 58TH INFANTRY CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT World War I Aisne-Marne St. Mihiel Meuse-Argonne Champagne 1918 Lorraine 1918 World War II-AP Aleutian Islands Vietnam To Be Determined 1968 SUPPLEMENT TO COMPANY F, 58TH INFANTRY UNIT HISTORY THE YEAR AT A GLANCE. These patrols typically consisted of a patrol leader, radio operator, asst. In March 1967, the Cav Divs LRRP was renamed, Headquarters and Headquarters 1st Cav Div LRRP Detachment. During the next eight months the company successfully completed 124 long rage patrol missions. Super 8 movies from field missions of the LRRPs of K Company, 75th Infantry early in 1970. This unit ultimately became Company A (Airborne Ranger), 75th Infantry. The 75th Infantry absorbed the personnel and equipment of the 50th Infantry detachment (LRP) on 1 February 1969. On 1 February 1969, the department of the Army reorganized the 75th Infantry as the parent regiment for long-range patrol companies under the combat arms regimental system. a. 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