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Blue Light: America's First Counter-Terrorism Unit Jack Murphy
Blue Light: America's First Counter-Terrorism Unit Jack Murphy On a dark night in 1977, a dozen Green Berets exited a C-130 aircraft, parachuting into a very different type of war. Aircraft hijackings had become almost commonplace to the point that Johnny Carson would tell jokes about the phenomena on television. But it was no laughing matter for the Department of Defense, who realized after the Israeli raid on Entebbe, that America was woefully unprepared to counter terrorist attacks. This mission would be different. The Special Forces soldiers guided their MC1-1B parachutes towards the ground but their element became separated in the air, some of the Green Berets landing in the trees. The others set down alongside an airfield, landing inside a thick cloud of fog. Their target lay somewhere through the haze, a military C-130 aircraft that had been captured by terrorists. Onboard there were no hostages, but a black box, a classified encryption device that could not be allowed to fall into enemy hands. Airfield seizures were really a Ranger mission, but someone had elected to parachute in an entire Special Forces battalion for the operation. The HALO team was an advanced element, inserted ahead of time to secure the aircraft prior to the main assault force arriving. Despite missing a number of team members at the rally point, the Green Berets knew they were quickly approaching their hit time. They had to take down the aircraft and soon. Armed with suppressed Sten guns, they quietly advanced through the fog. Using the bad weather to their advantage, they were able to slip right between the sentries posted to guard the aircraft. -
1 the Boys of Pointe Du Hoc by Senator Tom Cotton Introduction When Describing Major Military Undertakings, Writers Often Emphas
The Boys of Pointe du Hoc By Senator Tom Cotton Introduction When describing major military undertakings, writers often emphasize their immensity. Shakespeare in Henry V, for example, invites his audience to imagine the king’s massive fleet embarking on its invasion of Normandy in 1415. “You stand upon the rivage and behold,” the chorus intones, “A city on the inconstant billows dancing, / For so appears this fleet majestical.”1 Nearly 600 years later, the British military historian John Keegan described what he beheld as a 10-year-old schoolboy on June 5, 1944, when the night sky pulsed with the noise of prop engines. Its first tremors had taken my parents into the garden, and as the roar grew I followed and stood between them to gaze awestruck at the constellation of red, green and yellow lights, which rode across the heavens and streamed southward across the sea. It seemed as if every aircraft in the world was in flight, as wave followed wave without intermission . [W]e remained transfixed and wordless on the spot where we stood, gripped by a wild surmise of what power, majesty, and menace the great migratory flight could portend.2 Keegan did not know at the time that he was witnessing the Allies’ “great adventure” in Europe, as his nation’s General Bernard Montgomery called it. Somewhat more memorably, General Dwight Eisenhower dubbed it the “Great Crusade.” Operation Overlord had begun, and with it the fight to liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny. Both Keegan and Shakespeare stressed the massive scale of these cross-Channel invasions. -
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR (Retired) RICHARD E
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR (Retired) RICHARD E. MERRITT Command Sergeant Major (CSM) (R) Rick Merritt retired from active duty in the U.S. Army after serving almost 36 years since he entered the military in March of 1984. He and his family returned from South Korea in December 2018 after he served as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL) (for all US Army Forces) advising the Commander, EIGHTH US ARMY for 3 ½ years. His last assignment before retirement was with the US Army Special Operations Command with duty at Hunter Army Airfield, attached to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. His first duty assignment in the Army after becoming an Infantryman was with Company C, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, Illesheim, Germany as a Rifleman and M60 Machine Gunner. CSM (R) Merritt served 25 years in the 75th Ranger Regiment. His initial service started with Company B, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga., as a Squad Automatic Rifleman, Fire Team Leader, Rifle Squad Leader, Weapons Squad Leader, and Rifle Platoon Sergeant. A follow-on assignment included one year with the Ranger Indoctrination Program at the 75th Ranger Regimental Ranger Training Detachment. In 1996, he was assigned to the Jungle Operations Training Battalion as a Senior Instructor and Team Sergeant at the U.S. Army Jungle School, Fort Sherman, Panama. He served there for 17 months and then was assigned to 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA as a Rifle Platoon Sergeant with Company B, the Battalion Intelligence and Operations Sergeant in Headquarters Company and as the First Sergeant of Company C. -
Ranger Company
The RangerSixth Company Look Sharp, Be Sharp, Stay Sharp by Eugene G. Piasecki VERITAS | 24 Issue 26 “The mission of a ranger company as prescribed by [the] Department of the Army is to infiltrate through enemy lines and attack command posts, artillery, tank parks and key communication centers or facilities.”1 The Korean War era hen the North Korean Peoples’ Army (NKPA) Ranger Flag (left) and invaded South Korea on 25 June 1950 the United the 6th RICA SSI. W States Army realized that its ability to defend and counterattack was extremely limited based on the massive demobilization of forces after World War II. Specialized units like the Rangers, Merrill’s Marauders, and First Special Service Force, trained to “take the war to the enemy” behind the lines by disrupting rear area operations and interdicting lines of supply and communication were deactivated by 1945. In July and August 1950, the Far East Command (FECOM) reacted to the situation in Korea by creating TDA units like the 8th Army Ranger Company and the General Headquarters (GHQ) Raiders from occupation forces already stationed in Japan. In September 1950, Army Chief of Staff General (GEN) J. Lawton Collins, announced his intent to activate and assign one Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) [RICA] to every active U. S. Army and National Guard infantry division.2 The purpose of this article is to describe how one of these, the 6th RICA, MSG Eugene H. Madison was a WWII veteran of performed a deterrent role in Europe rather than a combat both the 101st Airborne assignment in Korea. -
No27 Cover Hi
RAPID REACTION CAPABILITY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION Taking that Last Big Step By MAJ Matthew McCray OCCASIONAL PAPER SERIES NO 27 | DECEMBER 2014 | ISSN 1863-6020 V ABOUT THE AUTHOR MAJ Matthew W. McCray graduated the Special Forces Officer’s Qualification Course in the spring of 2008 and was assigned to 1st Battalion 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) forward deployed in Stuttgart, Germany. He served as a Team Leader in Bravo Company in 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan three times in support of OEF, and served as the Company Executive Officer upon re-deployment. MAJ McCray completed a branch transfer to serve as a Foreign Area Officer (FAO) in the winter of 2010, completing Russian language training at the Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California in the summer of 2012 and his Master of Arts in International Security Studies at the Bundeswehr University, in Munich, Germany in 2014. He has served in the Offices of Defense Cooperation in both Latvia and Uzbekistan, and travelled extensively throughout the former Soviet Union and Europe. MAJ McCray is currently attending the Joint Military Attaché School in Washington, DC and Serbian language training, en route to his next duty assignment as the Assistant Army Attaché in Belgrade, Serbia. Rapid Reaction Capability of the European Union: Taking that Last Big Step By Matthew McCray …the Union must have the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces, the means to decide to use them, and a readiness to do so, in order to respond to international crises. — The St. Malo Declaration, Bilateral Statement of French President Jacques Chirac and the British Prime Minister, 1998 Introduction The formation of an Army of Europe has been discussed almost since the end of World War II, but has yet to be realized. -
BATTLE-SCARRED and DIRTY: US ARMY TACTICAL LEADERSHIP in the MEDITERRANEAN THEATER, 1942-1943 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial
BATTLE-SCARRED AND DIRTY: US ARMY TACTICAL LEADERSHIP IN THE MEDITERRANEAN THEATER, 1942-1943 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Steven Thomas Barry Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2011 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Allan R. Millett, Adviser Dr. John F. Guilmartin Dr. John L. Brooke Copyright by Steven T. Barry 2011 Abstract Throughout the North African and Sicilian campaigns of World War II, the battalion leadership exercised by United States regular army officers provided the essential component that contributed to battlefield success and combat effectiveness despite deficiencies in equipment, organization, mobilization, and inadequate operational leadership. Essentially, without the regular army battalion leaders, US units could not have functioned tactically early in the war. For both Operations TORCH and HUSKY, the US Army did not possess the leadership or staffs at the corps level to consistently coordinate combined arms maneuver with air and sea power. The battalion leadership brought discipline, maturity, experience, and the ability to translate common operational guidance into tactical reality. Many US officers shared the same ―Old Army‖ skill sets in their early career. Across the Army in the 1930s, these officers developed familiarity with the systems and doctrine that would prove crucial in the combined arms operations of the Second World War. The battalion tactical leadership overcame lackluster operational and strategic guidance and other significant handicaps to execute the first Mediterranean Theater of Operations campaigns. Three sets of factors shaped this pivotal group of men. First, all of these officers were shaped by pre-war experiences. -
Recognizing That I Volunteered As a Ranger
Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive DSpace Repository Theses and Dissertations 1. Thesis and Dissertation Collection, all items 2019-12 RECOGNIZING THAT I VOLUNTEERED AS A RANGER Cercy, Bryan C. Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/64120 Downloaded from NPS Archive: Calhoun NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS RECOGNIZING THAT I VOLUNTEERED AS A RANGER by Bryan C. Cercy December 2019 Thesis Advisor: Kalev I. Sepp Second Reader: Robert E. Burks Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Form Approved OMB REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED (Leave blank) December 2019 Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS RECOGNIZING THAT I VOLUNTEERED AS A RANGER 6. AUTHOR(S) Bryan C. Cercy 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT Monterey, CA 93943-5000 NUMBER 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND 10. -
LTC Troy P. Thomas Enlisted in the Infantry in 1991, Attended Basic
LTC Troy P. Thomas enlisted in the Infantry in 1991, attended basic training, airborne school, and the Ranger Indoctrination Program at Fort Benning, GA and was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion. As an enlisted Soldier and a Non-Commissioned Officer, he served in both the 2nd Ranger Battalion and 75th Ranger Regimental Headquarter. As a Sergeant First Class, LTC Thomas’ final enlisted job was starting the Army Combatives School at Fort Benning, GA. LTC Thomas was commissioned in the Infantry in 2001 following graduation from Officer Candidate School. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Resource Management from Troy University and a Master Degree in Military Arts and Science from the Air Command and Staff College. LTC Thomas served as a mortar platoon leader, rifle platoon leader, company executive officer, and reconnaissance platoon leader in 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, GA. While assigned to the 1st Ranger Battalion, he deployed six times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a captain, he served as a Squadron deputy operations officer and Assassin Troop Commander for 3-1 Cav, 3rd HBCT, 3rd IN DIV, Fort Benning, GA, where he deployed to Iraq in support of “the Surge” – Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007. He also served as the Brigade Deputy Operations Officer for the Ranger Training Brigade, and served at the Aide-de-Camp for the Commanding General, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning, GA. Immediately following ILE, he was assigned as the Chief of Current Operations for the 101st Airborne Division, and deployed to RC- East, Afghanistan in 2013. -
CPL JAMES SLAGLE 2ND RANGER BATTALION ARMY RANGER WWII MEMORIAL BRIDGE - DESIGNATION Act of Jun
CPL JAMES SLAGLE 2ND RANGER BATTALION ARMY RANGER WWII MEMORIAL BRIDGE - DESIGNATION Act of Jun. 28, 2019, P.L. 215, No. 25 Cl. 87 An Act Designating a bridge on that portion of State Route 3033 over Redbank Creek in Brookville Borough, Jefferson County, as the CPL James Slagle 2nd Ranger Battalion Army Ranger WWII Memorial Bridge. The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows: Section 1. CPL James Slagle 2nd Ranger Battalion Army Ranger WWII Memorial Bridge. (a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: (1) CPL James Slagle, a graduate of Brookville Area High School, served as a United States Army Ranger in the 2nd Ranger Battalion during World War II. (2) On June 6, 1944, CPL Slagle's unit stormed the shores of Normandy as part of the D-Day operation. (3) When his unit landed on Omaha Beach, CPL Slagle was hit seven times by German machine gun fire and laid in the surf most of the day until he was dragged to higher ground by another soldier. (4) After spending 18 months in Army hospitals recovering from his wounds, CPL Slagle returned home to Brookville. (5) CPL Slagle was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and served as commander of Post 204. (6) CPL Slagle became best known as Brookville's "Flag Man" and founder of the Main Street Flag Association, an organization that purchased and maintained United States flags along Brookville's Main Street. (b) Designation.--The bridge located on State Route 3033 over Redbank Creek in Brookville Borough, Jefferson County, is designated the CPL James Slagle 2nd Ranger Battalion Army Ranger WWII Memorial Bridge. -
Front Matter
Barry_Battalion Commanders at War 3/14/13 11:13 AM Page vii © University Press of Kansas. All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission of the Press. 1 Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1. West Point Evolution 11 A New Approach in the Classroom 14 Forging Cadets into Soldiers: Tactical Training 17 Into the Gym and onto the Fields 22 Role Models 25 2. Forging Leaders beyond the Hudson 31 Regular Army Training 33 The Civilian Conservation Corps and New Deal Impacts 38 The Thomason Act Diversifies 44 The Next Step: Army Service Schools 45 The Army General Headquarters Maneuvers 51 3. Wading in with torch 63 The Western Task Force Arrives in Morocco 66 Mixed Results: Elite Units at Oran 68 Waters at the torch Landings 73 The Big Red One at Oran 77 The Training of One Division: 1st Armored Division 80 The Eastern Assault Force at Algiers 85 4. The Race for Tunisia 90 Battalion Leadership in the Fight for Chouigui Pass 95 Medjez El Bab: Indicators of Weak Leadership 100 Barry_Battalion Commanders at War 3/26/13 2:16 PM Page viii © University Press of Kansas. All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission of the Press. viii Contents The Struggle to Coordinate at Longstop Hill 103 Evaluating Armored Warfare Data 106 5. A Long February in the Tunisian Passes 116 Marooned Infantrymen: The 168th Committed by the II Corps 118 Hightower, Leadership Traits, and Defeat at Faid Pass 119 Alger, Overwhelming Numbers, and the Defeat at Sidi Bou Zid 130 Stopping the Bleeding at Kasserine 139 6. -
Download Print Version (PDF)
BEYOND THE BEACH The 2nd Rangers Fight Through Europe by Robert W. Jones, Jr. 16 Veritas nder the cover of a sunken road near a cemetery, two During World War II Camp Nathan Bedford companies of Rangers waited to begin the assault. U Forrest, located near Tullahoma, Tennessee, grew The bitter cold of the winter morning clung to them like from a small National Guard training site to one of a blanket. The Rangers faced a daunting task, assault the Army’s largest training bases. The camp was a across the open snow-covered field, protected by dug in major training area for infantry, artillery, engineer, German positions, and then climb the steep slopes of Hill and signal units. It also became a temporary camp for 400. The “Castle Hill” seemed impossible; several other troops during maneuvers, including Major General units had already tried and failed. It was 7 December George S. Patton’s 2nd Armored Division, “Hell 1944 and the 2nd Ranger Battalion, like the 5th Rangers, on Wheels,” and the Tennessee Maneuvers in 1944. had been fighting in Europe since 6 June 1944.1 Camp Forrest was also the birthplace of the 2nd and The exploits of the Rangers at Pointe du Hoc and 5th Ranger Battalions. Omaha Beach at Normandy are well known. Few people realize that the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions fought in Europe until May 1945 (“V-E Day”). While their combat units throughout the United States assembled there history began on D-Day, the two battalions fought to form the new unit. The well-publicized exploits of across France, in the Hürtgen Forest, and then through Lieutenant Colonel William O. -
Letter Reso 1..6
*LRB09512772GRL38149r* SR0300 LRB095 12772 GRL 38149 r 1 SENATE RESOLUTION 2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to 3 learn of the death of General Wayne Downing of Peoria Heights, 4 who passed away on July 18, 2007; and 5 WHEREAS, Wayne Downing was born in Peoria on May 10, 1940; 6 his parents were Eileen M. Weiland and F. Wayne "Bud" Downing; 7 and 8 WHEREAS, Wayne Downing graduated from St. Cecilia School in 9 1954; his father was a World War II veteran who was killed in 10 action in Germany in 1945; after graduating from Spalding High 11 School in Peoria, he was granted a competitive appointment to 12 the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he 13 graduated in June 1962 with a Bachelor's of Science degree; he 14 was commissioned a second lieutenant following the 15 commencement speech delivered by President John F. Kennedy; he 16 later earned a Master's of Business Administration degree from 17 Tulane University; and 18 WHEREAS, Wayne Downing began his 34-year career in the U.S. 19 Army by leading soldiers in his first assignment as a platoon 20 leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd 21 Airborne Brigade in Okinawa; he then served two years with the 22 famous 173rd in Vietnam from 1964 to 1966; he served a third -2-SR0300LRB095 12772 GRL 38149 r 1 year in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry Division before moving 2 on to many assignments in infantry, armor, special operations, 3 and joint units; he later served in the 1st Ranger Battalion in 4 1975 and 1976 and commanded the 2nd Ranger