RANGERS

The 75th Ranger Regiment describes itself as America’s premier raid force, with the missions of direct action, special reconnaissance, and forced entry operations such as airfield seizures.  However, the Ranger mission in Syria has taken a very different turn, one in which the Regiment is deployed as a political force to build rapport with allies […]

On May 21, 1979, Special Forces had one its true legends take from it prematurely. Arthur “Bull” Simons died at the age of 60 and was buried in Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida. He was one of the best SF commanders to have ever served but never made it to General Officer rank because he lacked […]

Kris “Tanto” Paronto stepped into world’s spotlight during the horrific attack on an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya on September 11th, 2012.  The events of that terrible night have since become so politicized, it can be easy to lose sight of the heroism, the sacrifice, and the patriotism Tanto and his team displayed, bucking […]

A US Navy SEAL was killed and two other special-operations troops were wounded while advising and assisting a Somali-led mission about 40 miles west of the country’s capital earlier this month. The SEAL, 38-year-old Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, was the first American to die in combat in Somalia since 1993. The mission […]

Before the days of Salomon, Merrell, Oakley (all of which I own and love) and the endless list of boot options available to soldiers (at least in the SOF community), and the “after market” desert boots available to all, there was one venerable, unchallenged boot for the grunt. Few items conjure a nostalgia like seeing […]

Note: This is part of a series. You can read parts one, two, three, and four, here. The late ’70s and ’80s was a time of expansion and experimentation as U.S. SOF units digested the lessons of Vietnam and reveled in the Reagan presidency, which meant increased funding for all of the U.S. military, and especially special […]

Tampa Bay is playing host to the Special Operations community this week as SOFIC is the hub of all things for the SOF world. And the area of operations for the for SOF is the globe these days. One organization being highlighted this week in the US Army Rangers who will celebrate their 75th anniversary […]

Growing up in 3rd Ranger Battalion, the Big Four were constantly stressed and evaluated throughout all phases of training. These skills were how the Regiment plied their trade and were the backbone of the unit’s training and mission execution. If you couldn’t keep up physically you got smoked until you thought your eyes were going to […]

The oldest surviving member of the famed Merrill’s Marauders has passed away at the age of 100. Major General (retired) Milton Pitcher died on Easter Sunday at his home in Virginia. During World War II he served as a communications officer in the famed unit during their battles in the Chinese/Burma theater against the Japanese. […]

“It was silk everywhere and it was just marvelous to see,” Sergeant Paul Redgate said, describing 4th Ranger Company’s combat jump at Musan-Ni. In was March of 1951, the coldest winter that anyone could remember in Korea. Some American units were decimated by the freezing temperatures alone. Exiting the C-119 airplane, Redgate parachuted to the […]

Precision high-angle shooting is an art form in its own right. High-angle shooting is described as when the rifle is sighted-in (zeroed) on a level or nearly level range, and then it is fired either in an up-hill or down-hill direction, such as from a mountain top or tall building onto a target below. This […]

In response to the recent allegations made by three Navy SEAL whistleblowers to CBS News and information provided to SOFREP by our own sources, many readers chimed in to opine that the US military had been issuing amphetamines to boost the performance of soldiers in combat.  We had never found any reputable sources who could […]