title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: According to official post-war Iraqi Air Force documents, Iraq lost a total of 38 MiG-23BNs, three MiG-23MS, one MiG-23MF and one MiG-23ML. However, the stated losses for interceptor variants are much lower than the actual number of aircraft lost. For example, the number of pilots known to have been killed while flying MiG-23MS/MFs is twice as high as the official figure for all MiG-23 interceptor variants. In return, Iraqi MiG-23 pilots have claimed around 20 aerial victories, of which seven have been confirmed after cross-examination with data from Iranian sources.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 2 August 1990, the Iraqi Air Force supported the invasion of Kuwait with MiG-23BN and Su-22 aircraft as the main strike assets. A number of Iraqi aircraft and helicopters were shot down by Kuwaiti air defense MIM-23 Hawk SAM sites, among them a MiG-23BN.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Iraqi documents captured after the invasion of Iraq revealed that they possessed 127 MiG-23s, including 38 MiG-23BNs and 21 MiG-23 trainers, at the start of Operation Desert Storm. During the Gulf War, the United States Air Force reported downing eight Iraqi MiG-23s with F-15s. Iraqi documents confirm the total destruction of 43 MiG-23s from all causes, with another 10 damaged and 12 others fleeing to Iran. This left Iraq with just 63 MiG-23s after the war, including 18 MiG-23BNs and 12 trainers.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: The United States stated that the losses of the F-16Cs were caused by 2K12 Kub and S-125 Neva/Pechora surface-to-air missiles rather than enemy aircraft. Also, no Tornado loss is attributed to enemy aircraft as per the Royal Air Force and the Italian Air Force.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 17 January 1993, a USAF F-16C destroyed an Iraqi MiG-23 with an AMRAAM missile. On 9 September 1999, a lone MiG-23 crossed the no-fly zone heading towards a flight of F-14s. One F-14 fired an AIM-54 Phoenix at the MiG but missed and the MiG headed back north. However, the aircraft then crashed while its pilot was attempting to land.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: In 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the entire Iraqi Air Force remained grounded with several airframes found by US and allied forces around the Iraqi air bases in derelict condition after the invasion. The invasion marked the end of Iraqi service for the MiG-23.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Cuban MiG-23MLs and South African Mirage F1 pilots had several encounters during the Cuban intervention in Angola, one of which resulted in severe damage to a Mirage F1.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Libya received a total of 54 MiG-23MS and 15 MiG-23UBs between 1975 and 1978, as well as 35 to 38 MiG-23BNs. These aircraft entered service with the 1040th, 1050th, 1060th and 1070th Squadrons. The 1040th and 1050th Squadrons were staffed by Syrian Air Force personnel.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: One Libyan MiG-23MS was shot down by an Egyptian MiG-21 fighter during and immediately after the Libyan–Egyptian War in 1977 while supporting a strike on the airfield at Mersa Matruh, forcing the remaining MiG to abort the mission. In one skirmish in 1979, two LARAF MiG-23MS engaged two EAF MiG-21MF which had been upgraded to carry Western air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-9P3 Sidewinder. The Libyan pilots made the mistake of trying to outmaneuver the more nimble Egyptian MiG-21s, and one MiG-23MS was shot down by Maj. Sal Mohammad with an AIM-9P3 Sidewinder missile, while the other used its superior speed to escape.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 18 July 1980, the wreckage of an LARAF MiG-23MS was found on the northern side of the Sila massif, in the middle of the Italian region of Calabria. The deceased pilot, Captain Ezzedin Fadhel Khalil, was found still strapped to his ejection seat.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: In August 1981, Libyan MiG-23MS fighters were involved in the standoff with the US Navy which led to the first Gulf of Sidra incident, although they were not involved in any actual combats on this occasion.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: In the mid-1980s, newer versions of the MiG-23 entered service with the Libyan Air Force. Around 20 MiG-23MFs were received in 1984 to re-equip the 1060th Squadron. 48 MiG-23MLDs were also ordered in the same period. Two Squadrons, the 1023rd and 1024th, were created to operate these aircraft.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Libyan MiG-23s were employed during the Chadian–Libyan conflict performing different roles, starting in 1981. During the first years of their involvement, both the MiG-23MS and MiG-23BN variants were used, almost exclusively for ground attack. Later in the war, some combat air patrols were flown too, with the more advanced MiG-23MF and MiG-23MLD variants being used as well. On 5 January 1987, a Libyan MiG-23 was shot down and few months later, on 5 September 1987, Chadian forces performed a land raid against Maaten al-Sarra Air Base in Libya, destroying several Libyan aircraft on the ground, among them, three MiG-23s. On 8 October 1987, a MiG-23BN was shot down by ground fire, with its pilot being recovered by a helicopter.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: MiG-23 interceptors were also used by Libya during the action in the Gulf of Sidra in 1986. Although they were flown aggressively, with their pilots sometimes trying to get into a firing position behind the American fighters (with little success), neither the MiG-23s nor their opponents opened fire against each other.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Two Libyan MiG-23MF fighters were shot down by U.S. Navy F-14As in the Second Gulf of Sidra incident in 1989.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: In the 2011 Libyan civil war, Libyan Air Force MiG-23s were used to bomb rebel positions. On 15 March 2011, a rebel website reported that opposition forces started using a captured MiG-23 and a helicopter to sink 2 loyalist ships and bomb some tank positions.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 19 March 2011, a MiG-23BN of the Free Libyan Air Force was shot down over Benghazi by its own air defenses, which mistook it for a loyalist aircraft. The pilot was killed after he ejected too late.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 26 March 2011, five MiG-23s together with two Mi-35 helicopters were destroyed by the French Air Force while parked at Misrata airport, early reports misidentified the fixed wing aircraft as G-2 Galebs.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 9 April, a rebel MiG-23 was intercepted over Benghazi by NATO aircraft and escorted back to its base for violating the UN no-fly zone.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: A limited number of MiG-23's which survived the 2011 Libyan civil war and NATO bombings were involved in air strikes between the opposing Libyan House of Representatives and the rival General National Congress during the Second Libyan Civil War with both parties controlling a limited number of aircraft.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 23 March 2015, a New General National Congress operated MiG-23UB was shot down while bombing Al Watiya airbase, controlled by the Libyan House of Representative probably with an Igla-S MANPADS. Both pilots were killed.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: At the beginning of 2016, Libyan House of Representatives forces controlled three airworthy MiG-23s among other aircraft, two MiG-23MLA and one MiG-23UB.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: They were all lost on three occasions with a first MiG-23MLA, serial 6472, lost near Benina airbase on 4 January, after an airstrike, the second MiG-23MLA, serial 6132, lost on 8 February while conducting air strikes against Islamic State near Derna and the MiG-23UB, serial 7834, lost on 12 February 2016 while operating west of Benghazi, claimed shot down by the Islamic State with the official government attributing the loss to anti aircraft artillery. In all the occasions the aircrews ejected while the cause of the first two crashes remained debated between hostile fire and mechanical causes.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 28 February 2016, a MiG-23MLA serial 6453 was restored to flying status after several years, becoming the only MiG-23 in service with the Libyan Air Force as of March 2016, performing missions against enemy positions and vehicles since March 2016.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: In the following weeks, both the Libyan National Army Air Force and the opposing Libyan Dawn Air Force, restored a number of MiG-23BN, MiG-23ML and MiG-23UB to flying status and they were recorded while flying over Libyan skies and striking enemy positions.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 6 December 2019, a Libyan National Army (LNA) MiG-23MLD was shot down by forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA). In the ongoing Libyan Civil War both parties are pushing back to service stored airframes after repairs with foreign assistance. The jet, serial 26144, was restored using the wings of two different airframes and became flyable again in August 2019, after around 20 years of storage. The jet was hit over the Yarmouk frontline in southern Tripoli and crashed in Al Zawiya city and the pilot, Amer Jagem was detained after ejecting. A video emerged showing the aircraft diving for attack with soldiers on the ground firing a Strela-2M MANPADS in response. The LNA reported they lost a MiG-23 due to technical fault, denying it crashed due to enemy fire.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Egypt became one of the first export customers when it bought in 1974 eight MiG-23MS interceptors, eight MiG-23BN strikers and four MIG-23UB trainers, concentrating them into a single squadron based at Mersa Matruh. By 1975 all Egyptian MiG-23s had been withdrawn from active duty and placed in storage due to the Egyptian foreign policy shifting towards the West and thus losing USSR support.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Starting in 1978 China purchased from Egypt two MiG-23MS interceptors, two MiG-23BNs, two MiG-23UBs, ten MiG-21MFs, and ten KSR-2 (AS-5 Kelt) air-to-surface missiles in exchange for Shenyang J-6 jets, spare parts and technical support for the Egyptian fleet of Soviet-supplied MiG-17 and MiG-21s. The Chinese used the aircraft as the basis for their J-9 project, which never ventured beyond the research phase.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Some time later the remaining six MiG-23MS examples and six MiG-23BNs, as well as 16 MiG-21MFs, two Sukhoi Su-20 Fitters, two MiG-21Us, two Mil Mi-8 Hips and ten KSR-2s were purchased for the Foreign Technology Division, a special department of the USAF, responsible for evaluating adversary technologies. These were exchanged for weapons and spares support, including AIM-9J/P Sidewinder missiles, which were installed on remaining Egyptian MiG-21s.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: MiG-23s supplied by the Soviet Union to Mengistu Haile Mariam's Derg were heavily used by the Ethiopian Air Force against the array of rebel guerillas fighting the government during the Ethiopian Civil War. According to a 1990 Human Rights Watch report, the attacks, often using napalm or phosphorus and cluster munitions, were not only aimed at the rebels, but against civilian populations (in both Eritrea and Ethiopia) and humanitarian convoys in a deliberate fashion.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Ethiopian MiG-23s were used in ground attack and strike missions during the border war with Eritrea from May 1998 to June 2000, even striking targets at the airport in the Eritrean capital city, Asmara on several occasions. Three Ethiopian MiG-23BNs were claimed shot down by Eritrean MiG-29s.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 29 November 2020, an Ethiopian Air Force MiG-23 reportedly crashed during the Tigray conflict near Abiy Addi, 50 kilometers west of Mekelle. Unreliable images of the pilot were circulating after being captured by the Tigray People's Liberation Front who claimed they shot it down, showing the pilot with his Zsh-7 flying helmet (originally intended for Su-27 and MiG-29), a flight suit, a MiG-23 English manual and the crash site with charred metal parts.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: On 26 May, the Indian forces started air strikes during the Kargil War. Flying from the Indian airfields of Srinagar, Avantipur and Adampur, MiG-23BN, joined the other Indian strike aircraft, MiG-21s, MiG-27s, Jaguars and Mirage 2000 in striking the enemy positions.


title: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

text: Sudan received extensive military aid, including 12 MiG-23MS and one MiG-23UB from former enemy Libya starting in 1987. They quickly entered service fighting against the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SPLA) in 1988 during the Second Sudanese Civil War. A number of these jets were lost either to ground fire or crashed. By 1990 Libya withdrew its military advisors from Sudan and the remaining four MiG-23 jets were placed in storage. Starting from 2010, Sudan started to refurbish its MiG-23 jets locally with the help of Russia, Byelorussian and Ethiopian technicians with pictures of freshly painted and refurbished jets circling online. One crash-landed and caught fire during flight testing in 2016.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as Army Rangers, is the U.S. Army's premier light infantry unit and special operations force within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The regiment is headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgia and is composed of a regimental headquarters company, a military intelligence battalion, a special troops battalion, and three Ranger battalions.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The 75th Ranger Regiment primarily handles direct action raids in hostile or sensitive environments, often killing or capturing high-value targets. Other missions include airfield seizure, special reconnaissance, personnel recovery, clandestine insertion, and site exploitation. The regiment can deploy one Ranger battalion within eighteen hours of alert notification.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The 75th Ranger Regiment is one of the U.S. military's most extensively used units. On December 17, 2021, it marked 7,000 consecutive days of combat operations.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: American Ranger history predates the American Revolutionary War. Captain Benjamin Church formed Church's Rangers, which fought hostile Native American tribes during King Philip's War. In 1756, Robert Rogers recruited nine Ranger companies to fight in the French and Indian War. They were known as "Rogers' Rangers". The 75th Regiment's history dates back these rifle companies organized by Rogers, which made long-range attacks against French forces and their Indian allies, and were instrumental in capturing Fort Detroit.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: During the American Revolutionary War, Rogers served as a Loyalist officer on the side of the Crown and many of his former Rangers served on both sides. One, John Stark, commanded the 1st New Hampshire Regiment, which gained fame at the Battles of Bunker Hill and Bennington. Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys in Vermont were also designated as a ranger unit. In 1775, the Continental Congress later formed eight companies of expert riflemen to fight in the Revolutionary War. In 1777, this force commanded by Daniel Morgan, was known as The Corps of Rangers. Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox", organized another famous Revolutionary War Ranger element known as "Marion's Partisans". Perhaps the most famous Ranger unit in the Revolutionary War was Butler's Rangers, from upstate New York.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: During the War of 1812, companies of United States Rangers were raised from among the frontier settlers as part of the regular army. Throughout the war, they patrolled the frontier from Ohio to Western Illinois on horseback and by boat. Rangers participated in many skirmishes and battles with the British and their American Indian allies.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Soon after the United States entered World War II in 1941, General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, envisioned an elite unit of fifty men selected voluntarily from the 34th Infantry Division. To create and lead this new unit, Marshall picked Major William Orlando Darby, who was serving as General Russell P. Hartle's aide in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he was frustrated with his lack of hands-on experience. On 8 June 1942, Darby—now known as the founder of the modern Rangers—was put in charge of the First Ranger Battalion under General Hartle.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 19 August 1942, fifty Rangers fought alongside Canadian and British Commandos in the ill-fated Dieppe Raid on the coast of occupied France. Three Rangers were killed and several captured. The first American soldier killed in Europe in World War II, Ranger Lieutenant E. V. Loustalot, was part of this raid. During the mission, Loustalot took command after the British captain leading the assault was killed. While attempting to reach a machine gun nest at the top of a cliff, he was wounded three times by enemy fire and killed.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In November 1942, the entire 1st Ranger Battalion entered combat for the first time when they landed at Arzew, Algeria during Operation Torch. The First were split into two groups in hopes of assaulting Vichy-French batteries and fortifications before the 1st Infantry Division would land on the beach. The operation was successful, and the unit sustained minimal casualties.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 11 February 1943, the Rangers moved to raid an Italian encampment at Sened Station. Moving at night, the Rangers slipped to within of the Italian outpost and began their attack. It took the battalion only 20 minutes to overtake the garrison and achieve their objective. Seventy five Italians were killed and eleven were taken prisoner. Darby, along with four other officers and nine enlisted, was awarded the Silver Star Medal for this action. The battalion itself gained the nickname the "Black Death" by the Italians.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: At the time, the Italians still held the pass at Djebel El Ank, located at the far east edge of El Guettar. The Rangers linked up with engineers elements of the 26th Infantry, First Infantry Division, to attack the area in preparation for the Battle of El Guettar. The First Rangers orders were to move overland, on foot to outflank the enemy's position. In eight hours of fighting, the Americans captured the objective; the First Rangers took 200 prisoners.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: With the success of the First Ranger Battalion during the Tunisian campaign, Darby requested that the Rangers be expanded to a full Regiment. The request was granted. The Third and Fourth Ranger Battalions were authorized shortly after and were trained and led by veteran officers and NCOs from the First Battalion. After getting the "green light" to expand, Darby ran into a problem: the Rangers only took volunteers. Darby, knowing that the best man for the job was not always a volunteer, sought out men around Oran. Although he was still limited in that he could only accept volunteers, he began to find ways around this. For instance, he began to give speeches, put up posters, and encourage his officers to scout around for eligible candidates. By June 1943, the three Ranger battalions were fully operational. 1st Rangers were still under Colonel Darby; the 3rd Rangers under Major Herman Dammer, and the 4th Rangers commanded by Major Roy Murray.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: 1st and 4th Ranger Battalions were paired together and placed with General Terry Allen's 1st Division to spearhead the American landings of the Sicily campaign. Landing outside Gela, the Rangers took the town just after midnight, starting off the Battle of Gela. They held Gela, enduring 50 hours of constant attack by enemy artillery, tank, and air forces.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Following their success, the two Ranger battalions were then ordered to take the town of Butera, a fortress suspended on the high edge of the cliff at Butera beach. After almost withdrawing from the battle, and requesting artillery to level the city, a platoon of Rangers volunteered to breach its defenses. Two privates, John See and John Constantine, sneaked in behind enemy lines and tricked the Italians and Germans into surrendering the city.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Meanwhile, the 3rd Ranger Battalion headed out into the area of Agrigento, where they marched through Campobello, Naro, and Favara, successfully occupying each town. The 3rd then took the town of Porto Empedocle.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Colonel Darby was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and was promoted by General George Patton; however, Darby, wanting to be closer to his men, turned down this promotion.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: After a break for Christmas 1943, the Rangers were put together for a joint effort to occupy the town of Cisterna before the main infantry division moved in. On the night of 30 January 1944, the 1st and 3rd battalions moved into the town, passing many German soldiers who did not appear to notice the Rangers slip by. The 4th Ranger Battalion, which approached the town from the opposite end, met opposition almost immediately on the road. During the night, the 1st and 3rd Ranger battalions separated by about , and when daylight caught the 1st Ranger Battalion out in an open field, the Germans began their ambush. Surrounded and unable to escape, the two Ranger battalions fought on until they exhausted their ammunition and resources. The 4th Ranger Battalion pushed to save their comrades but were forced to withdraw. After five hours of fighting, the Rangers surrendered to the German armor and mechanized infantry. The two battalions sustained 12 killed, 36 wounded, and 743 captured—only eight were able to escape. The 4th Battalion suffered 30 killed and 58 wounded.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: This marked the end of the three Ranger battalions. The remaining 400 Rangers were scattered around the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and the 137 original Rangers were sent home. 1st and 3rd Battalions were disbanded on 15 August 1944 while 4th Battalion was disbanded on 24 October 1944 at Camp Butner, North Carolina.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The 2nd Ranger Battalion and 5th Ranger Battalion were trained at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, on 1 April 1943. They first saw action 6 June 1944, during Operation Overlord. During D-day 2nd Rangers companies D, E, and F, were ordered to take a strategic German outpost at Pointe du Hoc. This coastal cliff was supposed to have several 155 mm artillery cannons aimed down at the beach. Once they arrived at the bottom of the cliff, they had an enormous climb to make up rope ladders while receiving a barrage of machinegun fire from the Germans above. The 2nd Rangers took the area even with the intense German resistance but the guns were not in sight. A patrol scouting the area found the 155 mm coastal guns a mile away; the patrol party quickly disabled the guns and resistance in the area. In an interview, Leonard Lomell and Jack Kuhn explained the events that took place that day:


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Meanwhile, the rest of the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions spearheaded the attack on the beach at Omaha. An apocryphal story tells of when General Norman Cota, leading the 29th Infantry Division, met with Major Max F. Schneider, commanding the 5th Ranger Battalion. When Schneider was asked his unit by Cota, someone yelled out "5th Rangers!", to which Cota replied, "Well then Goddammit, Rangers, lead the way!" This drive cut the German line allowing the conventional army to move in. The phrase "Rangers lead the way" later became the motto of the regiment.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions worked on special operation tasks in the Normandy Campaign. The two battalions fought in many battles such as Battle for Brest and the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest. The 2nd Rangers were responsible for capturing Le Conquet Peninsula, where they disabled a 280 mm gun and took many German prisoners. The 2nd Ranger Battalion also went on to take several tactical German positions, cutting the German line in the Rhineland. In Saar west of Zerf, the 5th Battalion took an overlooking German position cutting of all supply routes to German forces.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The 6th Ranger Battalion was stationed in the Pacific, and served mostly in the Philippines and New Guinea. All operations completed by the 6th Battalion were done in company- or platoon-size behind enemy lines. They were the first soldiers to hit the Philippines, three days before the army would launch the first invasion. The 6th Ranger Battalion conducted long-range reconnaissance, operating miles past the front line.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: At Cabanatuan, on the island of Luzon in January 1945, a company of the 6th Ranger Battalion executed the Raid at Cabanatuan. The Rangers penetrated behind enemy lines, including crawling a mile () across an open field on their stomachs. During their final assault the Rangers destroyed a garrison of Japanese soldiers twice their size and rescued 500 POWs.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The 6th Ranger Battalion's final mission was to secure a drop zone for 11th Airborne Division paratroopers into enemy territory. They linked up with the 37th Infantry Division and ended the war in the Philippines.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In August 1944, after five months of fighting in China Burma India Theater with the Japanese Army, Merrill's Marauders (5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)) were consolidated into then 475th Infantry, afterwards the 75th Infantry Regiment. As a special force group led by Brigadier General Frank Merrill, to commemorate its companion Chinese Expeditionary Force (Burma), Merrill's Marauders put the sun from the National emblem of the Republic of China and the Star from Burma's flag on its badge. The lightning bolt signifies the swiftness of their strikes. Merrill's Marauders would later become part of the regiment's lineage.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The outbreak of hostilities in Korea in June 1950 again signaled the need for Rangers. Fifteen Ranger companies were formed during the Korean War, drawing their lineages from the World War II era Ranger battalions. The Rangers went to battle throughout the winter of 1950 and the spring of 1951. They were nomadic warriors, attached first to one Regiment and then to another. They performed "out front" work—scouting, patrolling, raids, ambushes, spearheading assaults, and as counterattack forces to regain lost positions. In all six airborne Ranger companies, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th, averaging 125 soldiers in each company served during the conflict. Two other companies, the 10th and 11th, were scheduled for Korea but were deactivated in Japan. During the course of the Korean War, 100 Rangers were killed in action and 296 were wounded in action.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The history of Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP—pronounced "Lurp"), LRP, and Ranger units deployed during the Cold War in Europe and Vietnam is based on three time periods: 1) LRRP from late 1965 to 20 December 1967; 2) LRP from late December 1967 through January 1969; and 3) Ranger from 1 February 1969, to 1972 when the Vietnam War drew down and the U.S. Vietnam Ranger units were deactivated. Despite sharing a similar name, these Ranger units under the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) drew their lineages not from the World War II/Korean War era Ranger battalions but from 5307 Composite Unit, also known as Merrill's Marauders. In 1974, their colors and lineage were passed to newly formed Ranger Battalions based in the United States.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The first period above began in Vietnam in November 1966 with the creation of a provisional LRRP Detachment by the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile); followed by the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division; the 1st Infantry Division; and the 25th Infantry Division in June 1966. General William C. Westmoreland, commander of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), ordered the creation of provisional LRRPs in all Infantry brigades and divisions on 8 July 1966. By the winter of 1966 the 4th and 9th Infantry Divisions had operational LRRP units, and in January 1967 the 196th Light Infantry Brigade had the same. The 101st Airborne Division "main body," while still at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, converted its divisional Recondo School into a provisional LRRP unit in the summer of 1967, before the division deployed to Vietnam. This provisional company arrived in Vietnam in late November 1967.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The second period began in late June 1967, when the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Earle G. Wheeler, authorized the formation of two long-range patrol companies for I and II Field Forces. Company E (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol), 20th Infantry (Airborne) was activated on 25 September 1967 and assigned to I Field Force and stationed at Phan Rang. The nucleus of this unit came from the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division LRRP Platoon, along with soldiers from the replacement stream. Company F (Long Range Patrol), 51st Infantry (Airborne) was activated on 25 September 1967 and assigned to II Field Force stationed at Bien Hoa. Its nucleus came from the LRRP platoon of the 173d Airborne Brigade, along with soldiers from the replacement stream. Each of the two Field Force LRP companies had a strength of 230 men, and was commanded by a major. In an apparent response to division commanders' tactical requirements, and bolstered by the combat effectiveness of the provisional LRRP units, in the winter of 1967 the Army authorized separate company designations for Long Range Patrol (LRP) units in divisions and detachments in separate brigades. The divisional LRP companies were authorized 118 men and the brigade detachments 61 men. The wholesale renaming of existing divisional LRP units occurred on 20 December 1967 in the 1st Cavalry, 1st Infantry, 4th Infantry, 9th Infantry, 23d (Americal), and 25th Infantry Divisions. LRP detachments were created in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade on 10 January 1968, in the 173d Airborne Brigade on 5 February 1968, and in the 3d Brigade 82d Airborne Division and 1st Brigade 5th Mechanized Division on 15 December 1968.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 1 February 1969, the final period of the existence of these units began when the Department of the Army redesignated the LRP companies and detachments as lettered Ranger companies of the 75th Infantry Regiment under the Combined Arms Regimental System (CARS). The "re-flagged" Ranger companies were: "A" V Corps Rangers, Fort Hood, Texas; "B" VII Corps Rangers, Fort Lewis, Washington; "C" I Field Forces, Vietnam; "D" II Field Forces, Vietnam; "E" 9th Infantry Division, Vietnam; F 25th Infantry Division, Vietnam; "G" 23rd Infantry Division, Vietnam; "H" 1st Cavalry Division, Vietnam; "I" 1st Infantry Division, Vietnam; "K" 4th Infantry Division, Vietnam; "L" 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam; "M" 199th Light Infantry Brigade, Vietnam; "N" 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vietnam; "O" 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Vietnam; "P" 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Vietnam; "D/151" Indiana National Guard; and "F/425 " Michigan National Guard. The third period ended when the Ranger companies were inactivated as their parent units were withdrawn from the war between November 1969 (starting with Company O, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division) to 15 August 1972 (ending with Company H, 1st Cavalry Division). On 9 June 1972, H Company (Ranger) lost SGT Elvis Weldon Osborne Jr. and CPL Jeffrey Alan Maurer to enemy action. Three other US soldiers were killed by non-hostile action that day, but SGT Osborne and CPL Maurer were the last US Army infantrymen killed on the ground, as well as the last Rangers killed in the Vietnam War.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In January 1974, General Creighton Abrams, Army Chief of Staff, directed the formation of a Ranger battalion. General Kenneth C. Leuer was charged with activating, organizing, training and leading the first battalion sized Ranger unit since World War II. Though the Vietnam War era Ranger companies of the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger), which drew their lineages from Merrill's Marauders, had all been deactivated (or soon would be), they passed their lineages and colors to these new battalions. The 1st Battalion, which carried its legacy from Merrill's Marauders via Company C, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) was activated and parachuted into Fort Stewart, Georgia, on 1 July 1974. The 2nd Battalion, which drew lineage from Company H, 75th Infantry (Ranger), followed shortly afterward with activation at Fort Lewis, Washington on 1 October 1974. The 3rd Battalion and Headquarters Company were activated and received their colors on 3 October 1984 from Company F, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) at Fort Benning, Georgia. On 3 February 1986, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the 75th were consolidated with active and inactive units which carried the lineages of the World War II era: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Battalions. The regiment as a whole was concurrently redesignated as the 75th Ranger Regiment.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The modern Ranger battalions were first called upon in 1980 when elements of 1st Ranger Battalion participated in Operation Eagle Claw, the Iranian hostage-rescue mission. In October 1983, 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions spearheaded Operation Urgent Fury, conducting a dangerous low-level parachute assault to seize Point Salines Airfield and rescue American citizens at True Blue Medical Campus in Grenada.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The entire 75th Ranger Regiment participated in Operation Just Cause, which lasted from December 1989 to January 1990. Rangers spearheaded the action by conducting two important operations. Simultaneous parachute assaults were conducted onto Torrijos/Tocumen International Airport, Rio Hato Airfield, and General Manuel Noriega's beach house to neutralize Panamanian Defense Forces. The Rangers captured more than 1,014 prisoners of war and more than 18,000 weapons.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Elements of Company B, and 1st Platoon Company A, 1st Ranger Battalion, deployed to Saudi Arabia from 12 February 1991 to 15 April 1991 for Operation Desert Storm. They conducted raids and provided a quick reaction force in cooperation with allied forces. In December 1991, 1/75 and the Regimental headquarters deployed to Kuwait in a show of force called Operation Iris Gold. The Rangers performed an airborne assault onto Ali Al Salem airfield, near Kuwait City, conducted a foot march through devastation (including mine fields) left from the ground campaign, conducted a live fire exercise, and left on foot.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In August 1993, elements of 3rd Ranger Battalion deployed to Somalia to help United Nations forces attempting to bring order to the chaotic and starving nation. On 3 October 1993, the Rangers conducted a daylight raid with Delta Force. They captured the high-value targets but the ensuing Battle of Mogadishu ended in chaos as the American forces were trapped for hours inside the city by Somalian militias, due to a series of planning and command errors, resulting in the death of several American soldiers. Rangers held improvised positions for nearly 18 hours, killing between 500 and 1,000 Somalis before American QRF, Pakistani, and Malaysian troops with armor rescued them and the American troops could retreat. The mission was seen as a pyrrhic victory


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In 1984, the 75th Ranger Regiment established a Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment (RRD). On 24 November 2000, the detachment deployed with a command-and-control element to Kosovo for Task Force Falcon. By 2005, the unit—enlarged and renamed the Regimental Reconnaissance Company (RRC)—had become an elite special operations force and a member of Joint Special Operations Command. In 2006, the Regimental Reconnaissance Company was moved into the new Regimental Special Troops Battalion.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Several years into the War on Terror, the 75th Ranger Regiment created a Regimental Special Troops Battalion (RSTB) to help switch from short-term "contingency missions" to continuous combat operations. Activated on 17 July 2006, the RSTB conducts sustainment, intelligence, reconnaissance and maintenance missions that were previously accomplished by small detachments assigned to the Regimental Headquarters and then attached within each of the three Ranger battalions. The battalion consists of the Ranger Reconnaissance Company, the Ranger Communications Company (RCC), the Ranger Military Intelligence Company (RMIC), and the Ranger Selection and Training Company (RST&C). The RSTB draws its lineage from Company N, 75th Infantry Regiment (back to Merrill's Marauders) and Company B, 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: While the Ranger Regiment has traditionally been considered an elite light infantry force, its operations in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to 2012 demonstrated its ability to conduct a full range of special operations missions.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: By 2012, the 75th Ranger Regiment was conducting sustained combat operations in multiple countries, deploying from multiple locations in the United States—an unprecedented task for the regiment. Rangers conducted combat operations with almost every deployed special operations, conventional, and coalition force in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Ranger Regiment executed a wide range of operations, including airborne and air assaults into Afghanistan and Iraq, mounted infiltrations behind enemy lines, complex urban raids on high-value targets (HVTs), and rescue operations. Ranger battalion operational tempo while deployed was high. During one Afghanistan deployment, the 1st Ranger Battalion conducted more than 900 missions, captured nearly 1,700 enemy combatants (including 386 high-value targets), and killed more than 400 fighters.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: "Army Times" reported that in December 2016, the first female officer completed RASP, making the 75th Ranger Regiment the first special operations unit to have a female soldier graduate its selection course.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: After the events of 11 September 2001, Rangers were called into action for the War on Terror. On 19 October 2001, 200 Rangers of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment spearheaded ground forces by conducting an airborne assault to seize Objective Rhino during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the opening battle of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan. Spc. Jonn J. Edmunds and Pfc. Kristofer T. Stonesifer became the first combat casualties in the War on Terror when their MH-60L helicopter crashed at Objective Honda in Pakistan, a temporary staging site used by a company of Rangers from 3rd Battalion. Ranger protection force teams were part of Task Force Sword, a black SOF unit whose primary objective was capturing or killing senior leaders and HVTs with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. A squadron of Delta Force operatives, supported by Rangers from TF Sword, conducted an operation outside Kandahar at a location known as Objective Gecko; they missed the mission's target but killed some 30 Taliban fighters in a heavy firefight.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In November 2001, the 75th Ranger Regiment carried out its second combat parachute drop into Afghanistan: a platoon-sized Ranger security element, including the Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment Team 3 conducted the missions: Objective Wolverine, Raptor and Operation Relentless Strike. During the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001, a CIA Jawbreaker team (a small group of CIA SAD ground branch operators) requested that the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment be inserted into the mountains to block escape routes from Tora Bora to Pakistan. They would serve as an "anvil" while Special Forces with the Afghan Militia Forces would be the "hammer". With the attached Air Force Combat Controllers, the Rangers could have directed airstrikes onto enemy concentrations or engaged them in ambushes, but their requests to do so were denied.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In March 2002, 35 Rangers from 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment had been assigned as QRF for all Task Force operations, but only half of the platoon was available for the Battle of Takur Ghar. In the final days of Operation Anaconda, a mixed force of Rangers travelling in Blackhawk helicopters backed up operators from DEVGRU who intercepted a convoy of al-Qaeda fighters traveling in three SUVs via three MH-47Es. A firefight left 16 al-Qaeda fighters dead and two seriously wounded and captured. On 18 August, Rangers and other coalition special forces joined the 82nd Airborne Division in Operation Mountain Sweep, carrying out five combat air assault missions in the area around the villages of Dormat and Narizah, south of Khowst and Gardez. The force found an anti-aircraft gun, two 82mm mortars, recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, machine guns, small arms and ammunition for all of them; they also detained 10 people. Later in 2002, TF 11 was replaced by a small JSOC element manned by SEALs and Rangers.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In 2003, after Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was arrested in a joint CIA-ISI operation in Pakistan, Rangers and 82nd Airborne Division troops helped transport him to a U.S. black site prison. After the troops secured an improvised desert strip in a dry river bed near the Pakistani border, an MC-130 Combat Talon plane landed and lowered its ramp, whereupon SEALs from DEVGRU drove Desert Patrol Vehicles carrying the detainee up the ramp into the back of the plane, which taxied and lifted off.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In summer 2005, during Operation Red Wings, a Ranger patrol retrieved HM2 Marcus Luttrell five days after he went missing.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In July 2006, in Helmand Province, two MH-47Es from 160th SOAR attempted to insert a combined strike element of DEVGRU, Rangers, and Afghan commandos so they could attack a compound. With some troops on the ground, a large insurgent force ambushed them; both helicopters were struck by small arms fire. One MH-47E pilot put his aircraft in the line of fire to protect the assault team disembarking from the other MH-47E, but was struck by an RPG and crash-landed without serious injury. The Ranger commander and an attached Australian commando organized an all-round defense while the other MH-47E held back the advancing insurgents until its Miniguns ran out of ammunition. An AC-130 Spectre joined the battle and kept the downed crew and passengers safe until a British Immediate Response Team helicopter recovered them. The AC-130 then destroyed the MH-47E wreck, denying it to the Taliban. Also that year, a six-man RRD (Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment) team from the 75th Ranger Regiment attached to the JSOC Task Force inserted into the Hindu Kush mountain range after intelligence indicated that an insurgent chief, Haqqani, would be entering Afghanistan from Pakistan. After establishing an OP almost 4,000 meters above sea level, the RRD team waited and watched for their target. Insurgents arrived and began to fire on the Ranger team, whose attached JTAC called in an orbiting B-1B strategic bomber. The airplane killed an estimated 100 insurgents, but not Haqqani.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In 2007, after a CIA source reported seeing Bin Laden in Tora Bora, many theater ISR assets were sent the area. The initial plan based around a small helicopter assault force soon expanded to include Special Forces ODAs and a Ranger element to provide a cordon for the SEALs. Eventually, the operation was launched under the cover of Air Force bombing, but after fruitless searching through the mountains, no sign of Bin Laden was found.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In June 2009, Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban. Over the five years that he was held by the Taliban and Haqqani Network, Rangers and DEVGRU "spun up" operations to rescue him, but each resulted in a "dry hole."


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 8 October 2010, a troop from DEVGRU and two squads of Rangers tried to rescue Linda Norgrove, who was being held by the Taliban in compounds in the Korangal Valley. The rescue mission failed when a DEVGRU operator accidentally killed Norgrove with a grenade.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: For actions between 14 and 16 November 2010, Charlie Company 1/75th, received the Valorous Unit Award for extraordinary heroism, combat achievement, and conspicuous gallantry.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: With ISAF's surge in Afghanistan at its peak in summer 2011, 1/75th (and Bravo Company in particular) received the Meritorious Unit Citation for actions during Operation Enduring Freedom between 15 May – 28 August 2011. These included conducting continuous combat operations, including time-sensitive raids and deliberate movement-to-contact operations in enemy-held terrain beyond reach of friendly forces in places like Khost, Paktika and Nangarhar Province. Two Rangers from the battalion were killed during this time. On 20 July, Delta Force supported by Rangers and Afghan SOF elements were inserted by the 160th SOAR into the mountainous region of Sar Rowzah District, Paktika Province. They were immediately engaged by insurgents who were heavily armed with DShK HMGs and RPGs; during that night's fighting, about 30 insurgents were killed. As the sun rose, dozens of remaining insurgents who had been hiding in bunkers and caves became visible, and armed UAVs, AH-6s, and MH-60 DAPs flew in close air support, as did ground attack aircraft. Fighting continued into a second day as bunkers and fighting positions were systematically cleared, some using then-recently issued Mk14 Antistructural Grenades. An estimated 80 to 100 Haqqani and foreign fighters were killed in the two-day battle.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 6 August, a platoon of U.S. Army Rangers began taking fire while trying to capture a senior Taliban leader in the Tangi Valley in Wardak province. A CH-47 helicopter carrying 38 American and Afghan servicemen was dispatched to help, but was shot down by the Taliban. All 38 aboard died in the deadliest single incident for Americans in the Afghanistan campaign.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, all three Ranger Battalions were assigned to a new Task Force whose goals were to seize key locations, conduct long-range special reconnaissance, and capture HVTs. On 24 March 2003, 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment conducted a combat drop onto H-1 Air Base, securing the site as a staging area for operations in western Iraq. A company of Rangers and Royal Marines from 45 Commando flew into Iraq from Jordan to secure H-2 and H-3 airbases after they were captured by US, British and Australian SOF. On 26 March, B Company, 2/75th supported DEVGRU operators in the Objective Beaver raid on a suspected chemical and biological weapons site north of Haditha; they engaged numerous gunmen but found no chemical or biological weapons. On 1 April 2003, 290 Rangers from 1/75th and 2/75th helped rescue Private 1st Class Jessica Lynch; also that day, Delta Force and 3/75th captured the Haditha Dam and held it for five days.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: After the invasion, the main 75th Ranger element deployed to Iraq carried out operations in northern Iraq and was based out of Mosul or Tikrit, supported by a small element of Delta Force operators. The DEVGRU squadron were supported by a reinforced Ranger platoon as was the Delta Force squadron, all part of the overall effort by JSOC in Iraq. On 18 June 2003, Delta Force operators and Rangers flew from Mosul via helicopter to chase a vehicle convoy of Ba'ath Party Iraqis who were fleeing over the border into Syria; JSOC suspected that Saddam Hussein was part of the convoy so the convoy was destroyed by an AC-130 Spectre. The operators then conducted a heliborne assault into a nearby compound that proved to be a Ba'athist safe house for ferrying former regime elements across the border. The operators came under fire from Syrian border guards, leading to a firefight that left several Syrians dead and 17 captured. Hussein was not in the convoy, but several of his cousins were.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 23 July 2005, in Baghdad, Rangers acted as a back-up force for the British Special Boat Service during Operation Marlborough.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 1 January 2006, Rangers raided a remote farmhouse outside Baghdad, capturing several gunmen without a fight and rescuing British freelance journalist Phillip Sands, who had been kidnapped a week earlier.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In Ramadi, the Rangers switched to riskier daylight raids after insurgents learned to move out of the city at night.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In November 2006, a new secret directive sanctioned by President Bush allowed U.S. forces in Iraq to kill or capture Iranian nationals if they were targeting coalition forces. The directive reflected Hezbollah's success in the 2006 Lebanon War and Iran's defiance on its nuclear issue; the new mission was known by its acronym CII (Counter Iranian Influence). The CII missions were given to Task Force 17, a new command based around the headquarters of an Army Special Forces group. To support TF 17, Rangers from B Company 2/75th flew into Sadr City to hunt a Shia Special Groups leader, leading to a fierce street battle; the Rangers conducted a fighting withdrawal that was likened to "Mogadishu Mile." More than 45 insurgents were killed with no Ranger losses; when the Iraqi government was made aware of the operation, permission to conduct operations in Sadr City was immediately withdrawn, limiting the Task Force's targeting.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In June 2008, Rangers eliminated perhaps their highest-profile target yet: Abu Khalaf, deputy leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. A reinforced platoon of Rangers assaulted the target house, codenamed Objective Crescent Lake. As the Ranger assault element placed their explosive breaching charges, two sentries on the roof of the house armed with AK-47 assault rifles approached them, who were then killed by an attached 4-man sniper team from the Ranger battalion's sniper platoon. The assault element breached the house and methodically cleared each room; in one room, Rangers arrested a man and a woman. When the man reached under his clothing, the Rangers shot him, then the woman as she leapt on his body. The man was found to be wearing a suicide-bomb vest filled with ball bearings. Meawhile, Khalaf ran to the road with a pistol and was shot dead by the Ranger snipers. The Rangers also discovered a plan for a chemical weapon attack on a coalition base.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: By this time, the Rangers had sent an additional platoon to Iraq to help conduct a day-night raiding cycle, and conducted up to 100 missions in one three-month deployment.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: After January 2009, the new Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) required JSOC and Ranger operations to seek Iraqi judicial permission for each mission.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On the night of 18 April 2010, ISOF troops, supported by U.S. troops, raided a terrorist safe house near Tikrit in Iraq, the ISOF killed Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the two leaders of ISI; 16 others were also arrested. A US UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter supporting the mission crashed, killing a Ranger NCO from 3/75th and wounding the aircrew.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In March 2006, DEVGRU operators and a Ranger element are alleged to have attacked an al-Qaeda training camp in North Waziristan in Pakistan. In an operation reportedly named Operation Vigilant Harvest, they were flown across the Afghan-Pakistani border and killed as many as 30 terrorists, including the Chechen camp commandant Imam Asad. The operation has been credited to the Pakistani Special Service Group.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 1 May 2011, a Ranger element was assigned to support Operation Neptune Spear, aimed at killing or capturing Osama bin Laden. The Ranger element and additional SEALs in MH-47E Chinooks served as QRF; the Ranger element would also protect the FARP north of Abbottabad. Following the successful completion of the operation, a Ranger team transported the bin Laden's body to the aircraft carrier for burial at sea.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In November 2015, the U.S. military sent a company of Rangers to southeastern Afghanistan, as part of the post-ISAF phase of the war in Afghanistan, to help Afghan counter-terrorism forces destroy an al-Qaeda training camp in a "fierce fight" that lasted for several days.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On the evening of 26 April 2017, 50 Rangers from 3/75th joined 40 Afghan commandos in a joint US-Afghan raid on the headquarters of Abdul Hasib, the emir of ISIS-K, in a village in Achin District, Nangarhar Province. The force was flown into Mohmand Valley and within minutes were engaged in a heavy, close-quarter firefight with ISIL-KP militants. AC-130 gunships, Apache helicopters, F-16 fighters, and drones were called in. In the 3-hour firefight, two Rangers died (one each from C and D Companies, possibly from friendly fire) and one was wounded, while 35 ISIL-KP militants (including Abdul Hasib and an unspecified number of ISIL-KP leaders) were killed.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In March 2017, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, "CNN" reported that about 100 Rangers in Strykers and armored Humvees deployed in and around Manbij, Syria, to protect the 11th MEU, which was providing artillery and other support to U.S.-backed forces in the battle to liberate Raqqa from ISIL, rather than the typical mission of training, advising and assisting local forces. U.S. officials took the unusual step of publicly talking about the Ranger deployment and where they are located to protect against them inadvertently coming under fire from forces fighting in the region or Turkish, Russian, or Syrian government forces.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 22 May 2017, the Ranger Regiment Military Intelligence Battalion was established to specialize in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber, and electronic warfare operations. Based at Fort Benning, it consists of the Military Intelligence Company (MICO), Cyber Electro Magnetic Activities company (CEMA), and Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC). It draws its lineage from Company P, 75th Infantry (back to Merrill's Marauders) and Company B, 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: On 26 October 2019, the Rangers, Delta Force, and the 160th SOAR killed ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Every volunteer for the Regiment, from new recruit to officer and any senior leader selected to command in the Regiment, will go through the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) to assess their ability and provide the basic skills required to be an effective member of the 75th Ranger Regiment.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: For new soldiers, RASP is conducted after applicants complete their basic Military Occupational Specialty course and graduate from the Army's Parachutists Course (Airborne School). For soldiers, both enlisted and officer, who have completed their first tour of duty and meet the recruiting qualifications, a RASP date will be scheduled upon application and conditional acceptance to the 75th Ranger Regiment.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: RASP includes two levels of training: RASP 1 for junior non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers (pay grades E-1 through E-5) and RASP 2 for senior non-commissioned officers, officers, and warrant officers. Candidates train in physical fitness, marksmanship, small unit tactics, medical proficiency, and mobility. Training is fast-paced and intense, ensuring Ranger candidates can handle continued training and worldwide operations upon reaching their assigned Ranger unit. Throughout the course, candidates are screened to ensure that only the best soldiers are chosen for the Ranger Regiment. All candidates must meet the course requirements in order to serve in the Ranger Regiment. Upon completion of RASP, candidates will don the tan beret and 75th Ranger Regiment Scroll.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Ranger Assessment & Selection Program 1 (RASP 1) is an 8-week selection course for junior non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers (pay grades E-1 through E-5) that is broken down into two phases. Ranger candidates endure a grueling test of physical and mental endurance, road marches with rucksacks, land navigation, leadership skills, and weapons training—performed under continuous food and sleep deprivation. Graduates have the advanced skills all Rangers are required to know to start their career with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Phase 1 focuses more on the critical events and skill level 1 tasks and Phase 2 focuses on training in marksmanship, breaching, mobility, and physical fitness.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Ranger Assessment & Selection Program 2 (RASP 2) is a 21-day selection course for senior non-commissioned officers, officers, and warrant officers. Candidates' physical and mental capabilities are tested as they learn the special tactics, techniques and procedures of the Regiment, as well as learning the expectations of leading and developing young Rangers.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: To maintain readiness, Rangers train constantly. Rangers focus on the "Big 5": marksmanship, physical training, medical training, small unit tactics, and mobility.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Throughout their time in the Ranger Regiment, Rangers may attend many types of special schools and training. Depending on occupation and job requirements, members of the 75th Ranger Regiment enjoy unparalleled access to countless military schools, including Jumpmaster, Sniper, Pathfinder, Military Freefall, Scuba, Survival-Evasion-Resistance-Escape (SERE), Special Operations Combat Medic and others. Before serving as a leader in the Regiment, Rangers are also expected to attend and graduate Ranger School. Members of the regiment may also get joint training and non-traditional military and civilian schooling.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Rangers are trained in "do-it-yourself" emergency medicine. Based on the premise that 90% of deaths from wounds are suffered before reaching medical facilities and that there are not enough medics and doctors to go around, the regiment began to train Rangers to give themselves immediate, preliminary treatment. A 2011 study found a 3 percent death rate from potentially survivable causes in the 75th Regiment between October 2001 and April 2010. That compares with a 24 percent rate in a previously reported set of U.S. military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, which included troops who didn't have Ranger-style training.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: As a U.S. Army Special Operations Command unit, the Rangers maintain more stringent standards for their personnel. If at any point a Ranger is deemed to be failing to meet these standards he may be relieved and removed from the regiment. This is commonly referred to as being RFSed, short for "Released For Standards". A Ranger can be RFS'd for virtually any reason, ranging from lack of motivation to disciplinary problems. Similarly, a Ranger physically incapable of performing his mission through prolonged illness or injury can also be removed from the regiment through a process referred to as RFM or "Relieved For Medical reasons".


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The 75th Ranger Regiment has been credited with numerous campaigns from World War II onwards. In World War II, they participated in 16 major campaigns, spearheading the campaigns in Morocco, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, and Leyte. During the Vietnam War, they received campaign participation streamers for every campaign in the war. The regiment received streamers with arrowheads (denoting conflicts they spearheaded) for Grenada and Panama. To date, the Rangers have earned six Presidential Unit Citations, nine Valorous Unit Awards, and four Meritorious Unit Commendation, the most recent of which were earned in Vietnam and Haditha, Iraq, respectively.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Sua Sponte, Latin for "Of their own accord" is the 75th Ranger Regiment's Regimental motto. Contemporary rangers are triple-volunteers: for the U.S. Army, for Airborne School, and for service in the 75th Ranger Regiment.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: The motto "Rangers lead the way!" dates from 6 June 1944, during the Normandy Landings on Dog White sector of Omaha Beach. Then Brigadier General Norman Cota (assistant CO of the 29th ID) calmly walked towards Maj. Max Schneider (CO of the 5th Ranger Battalion) while under heavy machine gun fire and asked "What outfit is this?" Someone yelled "5th Rangers!" To this, Cota replied "Well then Goddammit, Rangers! Lead the way!"


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Organizations define the term "Ranger" in different ways. For example, the annual "United States Army Best Ranger Competition," hosted by the Ranger Training Brigade, can be won by pairs of participants from the 75th Ranger Regiment, or by ranger-qualified entrants from other units in the U.S. military. For an individual to be inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Association's "Ranger Hall of Fame," they "must have served in a Ranger unit in combat or be a successful graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School." The Ranger Association further clarifies the type of unit: "A Ranger unit is defined as those Army units recognized in Ranger lineage or history." Acceptance into the U.S. Army Ranger Association is limited to "Rangers that have earned the U.S. Army Ranger tab, WWII Rangers, Korean War Rangers, Vietnam War Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol members and Rangers, and all Rangers that participated in Operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, Desert Storm, Restore Hope, Enduring Freedom, as well as those who have served honorably for at least one year in a recognized Ranger unit."


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: There is some dispute over the use of the word "Ranger." According to John Lock, The problems of the Ranger Tab and indeed Ranger history is in large part caused by the lack of a clear-cut definition of who is a Ranger. The Ranger Department, the Infantry School, and Department of the Army have in the past carelessly accepted the definition of a Ranger unit to include the use of terms 'Ranger-type' and 'Units like Rangers,' and 'Special Mission Units.' In his book "Raiders or Elite Infantry", David Hogan of the Center of Military History writes that 'By the time of the formation of LRRP units..., Ranger had become a term of legendary connotations but no precise meaning.' For the want of a definition of who and what is a Ranger, integrity was lost. As a result of Grenada, circumstances have changed. Since 1983, men have had the opportunity to earn and wear an authorized Ranger unit scroll or an authorized Ranger Tab or both. But there is a need for a firm definition of who and what constitutes a RANGER. Without that definition, we face the likelihood of future controversy.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: In June 2001, Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki gave the order to issue black berets to regular soldiers. At the time, black berets were being worn exclusively by the Ranger Regiment. This created discontent within the 75th Ranger Regiment and even led to retired Rangers going on nationwide road marches to Washington, D.C. to protest against the decision. Because there was not a Presidential authorization to the regiment for exclusive wear of the black beret, they switched to wearing a tan beret to preserve a unique appearance, tan being reflective of the buckskin worn by the men of Robert Rogers' Rangers during the French and Indian War. A memorandum for the purpose of changing the Ranger beret from black to tan was sent and approved in March 2002. Press releases were issued and articles were published all over the nation about this change in headgear after it was formally announced by the Regimental Commander, Colonel P. K. Keen. In a private ceremony, past and present Rangers donned the tan beret on 26 July 2002. The Army G-1 released a memorandum in October 2017 stating the following: WEAR OF THE TAN BERET OUTSIDE OF RANGER REGIMENT. The memo from the Army G-1 expands authorization for wear of the Tan Beret in the following assignments: Headquarters elements of Combatant Commands, The Joint Staff, Department of the Army Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command Joint Task Force, Theater Special Operations Command, and Joint Special Operations Command. The Tan Beret is authorized for Ranger-qualified Soldiers in the above listed assignments if they previously served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and departed on honorable terms. This was formalized in DA Pam 670–1 in January 2021.


title: 75th Ranger Regiment

text: Note: The above list accounts for 20 Colonels, missing are the first two. Assignment dates are based on various biographies and may not all line up properly. Specific dates are based on reports of changes of command.


title: Titane

text: Titane (, "Titanium") is a 2021 body horror drama film written and directed by Julia Ducournau. The French-Belgian co-production stars Agathe Rousselle in her feature film debut as Alexia, a woman who, after being injured in a car accident as a child, has a titanium plate fitted into her head. Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier and Laïs Salameh also star.


title: Titane

text: The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 13 July 2021, where Ducournau became the second female director to win the Palme d'Or, the festival's top award, as well as the first female filmmaker to win solo. It received critical acclaim and was selected as the French entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, but did not make the shortlist. At the 47th César Awards, it was nominated for four awards, including Best Director for Ducournau and Most Promising Actress for Rousselle. At the 75th British Academy Film Awards, Ducournau received a nomination for Best Director. At the 11th Magritte Awards, "Titane" received five nominations and won two awards, including Best Foreign Film.


title: Titane

text: A little girl named Alexia annoys her father during a drive. As she removes her seatbelt, her father turns around to scold her, causing a car crash. Alexia suffers a skull injury and has a titanium plate fitted into her head. When she gets out of the hospital, she shuns her parents and embraces their car passionately.


title: Titane

text: Years later, Alexia, now an adult with a large scar on the side of her head, works as a showgirl at a motor show. One night, after a show, a male fan follows Alexia in the showroom's parking lot, declares his love to her, and forcibly kisses her; she then brutally murders him using her large metal hairpin. As she returns to the showroom to shower, Alexia finds that the car she modeled with earlier has turned on by itself. She enters it naked, has sex with the car, and climaxes.


title: Titane

text: It is revealed that Alexia is a serial killer who has murdered several men and women in the past few months. She still lives with her parents, who seem unaware of her connection with the crimes and with whom she has a distant relationship.


title: Titane

text: Alexia attends a house party, where she starts to have sex with her coworker Justine. However, motor oil begins secreting from her vagina. She takes a pregnancy test, which returns a positive result, and tries to perform an abortion on the spot, using her hairpin, but fails. She comes out of the bathroom and murders Justine and the other guests, but one woman manages to escape. Alexia returns home and tries to burn a bloodied blanket, which sets the house on fire. She locks her parents in their bedroom and leaves.


title: Titane

text: Now wanted for murder, Alexia alters her appearance to pretend to be Adrien Legrand, a young boy who had disappeared ten years before, at age seven, by cutting her hair, taping down her breasts and pregnant belly, and breaking her own nose. She then goes to the police claiming that she's Adrien, where his father, Vincent, a fire captain, accepts Alexia as his missing son and refuses to do a DNA test.


title: Titane

text: Vincent takes Alexia to the station where he lives and works, and introduces her to his men. The firefighters are puzzled by the mute, androgynous, and apparently traumatized "Adrien", but they refrain from questioning the captain's behavior. Alexia becomes an apprentice at the station, under Vincent's supervision. As Vincent gives more responsibility to his "son" over the other experienced firefighters, one firefighter confronts Vincent about "Adrien's" identity. However, Vincent immediately shuts him down and tells him to never speak of his son.


title: Titane

text: Vincent tries to preserve his strength by injecting steroids into his aging body, but he finds that he seems to be building an immunity to them. Alexia is increasingly disturbed by his possessiveness and considers escaping from the fire station. However, after Vincent experiences arrhythmia from injecting a large dose of steroids, Alexia decides to stay with him.


title: Titane

text: Vincent's long-estranged ex-wife comes to see her "son", and ends up discovering a now-heavily pregnant Alexia without her body taped down. She nevertheless keeps the secret for herself, not wishing to interfere with her ex-husband's delusion, and begs Alexia to take care of him. Vincent eventually acknowledges his delusion, telling Alexia that "whoever you are, you are my son." When he inadvertently uncovers her breasts, he is shocked but continues caring for her.


title: Titane

text: At a party at the fire station, the firefighters urge "Adrien" to dance to the music. Alexia breaks out her showgirl choreography, confusing everyone. Vincent, disappointed, walks out of the crowd. After the party, Alexia has sex with a fire truck.


title: Titane

text: Alexia's body gradually breaks down, as the skin of her stomach tears to reveal new metal plates. When her pregnancy comes to term, Alexia reveals her real name to Vincent, briefly attempting to seduce him and then begging for his help. Vincent helps Alexia give birth, the titanium side of her skull splitting open on her final push, killing her. The newborn's body appears with patches of titanium on its body. Vincent says repeatedly to the baby, "I'm here."


title: Titane

text: In September 2019, it was announced that Vincent Lindon and Agathe Rousselle had joined the cast of the film, with Julia Ducournau directing the film from a screenplay she wrote. Neon distributed the film in the United States.


title: Titane

text: Production was initially set to begin in April 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Principal photography eventually began in September 2020.


title: Titane

text: "Titane" had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 13 July 2021, where it received the Palme d'Or, the festival's top award. The film also screened at New York, London and Toronto.


title: Titane

text: Altitude Film Distribution and Film4 jointly acquired distribution rights for the film in the UK and Ireland in June 2021, prior to the film's Cannes premiere. It was released in France by Diaphana Distribution on 14 July 2021, in Belgium by O'Brother Distribution on 28 July 2021, and in the United States by Neon on 1 October 2021.


title: Titane

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 89% based on 239 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Thrillingly provocative and original, "Titane" reaffirms writer-director Julia Ducournau's delightfully disturbing vision." On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 74 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."


title: Titane

text: Nicholas Barber from BBC gave the film four out of five stars and called it "the most shocking film of 2021." In his review for "Variety", Peter Debruge called the film, "a cross between David Cronenberg’s "Crash" and the uterine horrors of Takashi Miike’s "Gozu,"" and praised Ducournau for her handling of the film's themes. In "The Observer", Mark Kermode also compared the film to "Crash" whilst praising its cinematography and emotional depth, and listed it as one of the best films of 2021. Clarisse Loughrey in "The Independent" praised Rousselle and Lindon's performances and Ducournau's direction. In NME, Lou Thomas gave the film five out of five stars and called it a "masterpiece". In a more negative review, Peter Bradshaw, writing for "The Guardian", gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and compared it unfavorably to Ducournau's previous film, stating; "...everything is so labored and crudely directed, without the style and sympathy of "Raw"." Jude Dry in "IndieWire" was also critical of the film, calling it a "deeply misogynist movie with a healthy side of transphobia".


title: Titane

text: "Titane" had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 13 July 2021. During the beginning of the closing ceremony, jury president Spike Lee was told in French to reveal the "first prize", but misinterpreted the phrase to mean "first place". As a result, he prematurely revealed that the film had won the Palme d'Or. Ducournau is the second female director to win the award after Jane Campion in 1993 for "The Piano", the first to win not jointly with another director (Campion had won jointly alongside Chen Kaige, who won for "Farewell My Concubine"), and the fourth woman overall to win after Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux won in 2013 for their performances in "Blue is the Warmest Colour.


title: Titane

text: At the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, the film won the . On 12 October 2021, it was selected as the French entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, but did not make the shortlist. At the 47th César Awards, it was nominated for four awards, including Best Director for Ducournau and Most Promising Actress for Rousselle. At the 75th British Academy Film Awards, Ducournau received a nomination for Best Director. At the 11th Magritte Awards, "Titane" received five nominations and won two awards, including Best Foreign Film.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: Avatar is an American media franchise created by James Cameron, which consists of a planned series of epic science fiction films produced by Lightstorm Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Studios, as well as associated merchandise, video games and theme park attractions. The "Avatar" franchise is one of the most expensive franchises ever undertaken, with the combined budget of the first film and its four sequels estimated at $1 billion.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: The first installment, "Avatar", was released on December 18, 2009, and is the highest grossing film of all-time. The second installment, "", was released on December 16, 2022. The planned sequel series was announced by 20th Century Fox on December 11, 2009, one week before "Avatar" was released to theaters. 20th Century Fox had confirmed the series on January 15, 2010.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: Like the original film, the four sequels have "fully encapsulated" standalone plots that "come to their own conclusions". The four films have an overarching meta-narrative that connects them to create a large interconnected saga. Cameron described the sequels as "a natural extension of all the themes, and the characters, and the spiritual undercurrents" of the first film.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: The story focuses on an epic conflict on Pandora, an inhabited Earth-sized moon of Polyphemus, one of three gas giants orbiting Alpha Centauri A. On Pandora, human colonists and the sentient humanoid indigenous inhabitants of Pandora, the Na'vi, engage in a war over the planet's resources and the latter's continued existence. The film's title refers to the remotely controlled, genetically engineered human-Na'vi bodies used by the film's human characters to interact with the natives.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: Set over a decade after the events of the first film, "The Way of Water" focuses on the return of the RDA, which prompts Jake’s family to explore the water regions of Pandora in an effort to keep one another safe and face down a familiar threat. Cameron said in an interview that while the first film was about the “awe and wonder”, the sequel focuses more on the characters. The film was originally planned for a December 2014 release, but was delayed several times and released on December 16, 2022. Production began in August 2017. It wrapped in September 2020.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: A third film is planned for December 20, 2024. Interviews in mid 2010 suggested that the third film would explore more of the Alpha Centauri system, but the script was not completed until late 2015. "Avatar 3" started shooting simultaneously with "Avatar: The Way of Water" in New Zealand on September 25, 2017; filming was completed in late-December 2020. While two additional sequels are planned, their release is dependent on the success of the second and third films.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: A fourth film is planned for December 18, 2026, with Shane Salerno co-writing it. Jon Landau said that, due to a six-year time skip in the first act, a third of "Avatar 4" has already been filmed to account for the aging of the child actors, and it was announced at the D23 Expo on September 9, 2022, that principal photography had officially begun for "Avatar 4".


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: A fifth film has been announced and is scheduled for December 22, 2028, and has not started to be filmed but has started pre-production.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: In 2022, Cameron indicated that he has plans for a sixth and seventh film and would make them if there was demand.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: The first film grossed $2.9 billion worldwide and is currently the highest-grossing film in history. The film was well received critically and received many awards.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: "" was scored by James Horner and released on December 15, 2009, by Atlantic Records and Fox Music. Simon Franglen's score for "Avatar: The Way of Water" released on December 15, 2022, by Hollywood Records.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: Following the release of "Avatar", Cameron initially planned to write a novel based on the film, "telling the story of the movie, but [going] into much more depth about all the stories that we didn't have time to deal with."


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: In 2013, this plan was superseded by the announcement of four new novels set within the ""Avatar" expanded universe", to be written by Steven Gould. The books were due to be published by Penguin Random House, although since 2017, there has been no update on the planned book series.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: On January 22, 2022, the official twitter account of Avatar announced that a new book exploring the world and lore of Pandora called "The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration" will be released April 26, 2022, published by DK Books.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: On May 6, 2017, Dark Horse Comics published a Free Comic Book Day one-shot entitled "FCBD 2017: James Cameron's Avatar / Briggs Land", which included a short story set in the world of "Avatar" entitled "Brothers".


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: From January to August 2019, Dark Horse published a six-issue miniseries called "Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path".


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: "Tsu'tey's Path" was collected in trade paperback format on November 27, 2019, with "Brothers" included as supplementary material.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: "Toruk – The First Flight" is an original stage production by the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil which ran between December 2015 and June 2019. Inspired by "Avatar", the story is set in Pandora's past, involving a prophecy concerning a threat to the Tree of Souls and a quest for totems from different tribes. Audience members could download an app in order to participate in show effects. On January 18, 2016, it was announced via the Toruk Facebook page that filming for a DVD release had been completed and was undergoing editing.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: "Avatar The Exhibition" is a touring exhibition based on the first film. It opened in Chengdu, China on May 1, 2021, and closed on December 31, 2021. It is currently touring Asia with future stops planned around the globe.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: In 2011, Cameron, Lightstorm, and Fox entered an exclusive licensing agreement with the Walt Disney Company to feature "Avatar"-themed attractions at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide, including a themed land for Disney's Animal Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The area, known as Pandora – The World of "Avatar", opened on May 27, 2017.


title: Avatar (franchise)

text: The themed land is set generations after the events of the films and features two attractions; "Avatar" Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: John Drew Barrymore (born John Blyth Barrymore Jr.; June 4, 1932 – November 29, 2004) was an American film actor and member of the Barrymore family of actors, which included his father, John Barrymore, and his father's siblings, Lionel and Ethel. He was the father of four children, including actor John Blyth Barrymore and actress Drew Barrymore. Diana Barrymore was his half-sister from his father's second marriage.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: Barrymore was born in Los Angeles to John Barrymore (born John Blyth) and silent film actress Dolores Costello. His parents separated when he was 18 months old, and he rarely saw his father afterward. Educated at private schools, he made his film debut at 17, billed as John Barrymore Jr. One of the schools he attended was the Hollywood Professional School. His mother attempted to dissuade him from entering acting, sending him to St. John’s Military Academy. In 1945, at age 13, Barrymore and his cousin Dirk Drew Davenport enlisted in the United States Navy to fight in World War II, posing as 17 year olds. As both were tall for their age, the military did not discover until several weeks later that the boys were below the minimum enlistment age and they were subsequently sent home.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: Barrymore's film career began with a small role in "The Sundowners" (1950), a Western with Robert Preston. As he was a minor he needed his mother's permission. His fee was $7,500. He was promoted to leading man in just his second movie, the Western "High Lonesome" (1950), written and directed by Alan Le May, who also wrote Barrymore's next film, "Quebec" (1951). He starred in "The Big Night" (1951), written and directed by Joseph Losey, and was in "Thunderbirds" (1952) with John Derek at Republic. In 1953, he was briefly jailed for failing to appear on three old traffic charges.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: Barrymore's films were not particularly successful. He moved into television, guest-starring on shows like "Schlitz Playhouse" and "The 20th Century-Fox Hour ". He did some TV movies, including "The Reluctant Redeemer" (1954) and "The Adventures of Lt. Contee" (1955), and appeared in several episodes of "Matinee Theatre". In 1957 he directed an episode of "Matinee Theatre", "One for All". "Television gives me the chance to do what movies didn't", he said. In 1955, Barrymore was sued by Lanny Budd Productions for not making a series of movies in Europe. Barrymore counter-sued.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: Barrymore returned to features with supporting parts in "While the City Sleeps" (1956), for director Fritz Lang, and "The Shadow on the Window" (1957). In 1957, he appeared in a production of "Romeo and Juliet" at the Pasadena Playhouse with Margaret O'Brien. He guest starred in "Playhouse 90" (the original production of "The Miracle Worker"), "Climax!", "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" and "Wagon Train".


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: In 1958, he changed his middle name to Drew, although he had previously been credited in past works as Blyth. He had a supporting part in "High School Confidential!" (1958) at MGM, and the lead in "Never Love a Stranger" and MGM's interracial drama, "Night of the Quarter Moon" (1959) with Julie London. In December 1958, he was sentenced to three weekends in prison after a drunken public fight with his wife in a parking lot. In January 1959, his ex-wife sued for non payment of alimony. In March 1959, he was arrested for suspected hit-and-run drunk driving. In October 1959, he quit the touring company of "Look Homeward, Angel" after a week and a half of rehearsals.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: Barrymore journeyed to Italy to star in "The Cossacks" (1960) with Edmund Purdom. The actor stayed in Italy for the next few years, with lead or main cast roles including appearances in "The Night They Killed Rasputin" (1960, playing Felix Yusupov), "The Pharaohs' Woman" (1961), "The Centurion" (1961), "The Trojan Horse" (1961, playing Ulysses), "Pontius Pilate" (1961, playing both Judas and Jesus), "Invasion 1700" (1962) and "Rome Against Rome" (1964).


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: During his five years in Europe, Barrymore appeared in the UK film "The Christine Keeler Story" (1963, filmed in Denmark) as Stephen Ward.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: Barrymore returned to Los Angeles. He announced he made 16 films abroad, but "I'm not going to do anything bad any more. I feel I'm straightened out and down the block. Somewhere around the block I lost half my ego, so I don't work for applause." He also said he had started to write scripts. He guest starred on episodes of various television series, including "Gunsmoke", "Rawhide", "The Wild Wild West", "Run for Your Life", "Jericho", and "Dundee and the Culhane", and appeared in the 1967 television film "Winchester '73".


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: Barrymore's antisocial and erratic behavior continued to obstruct his professional progress. In the 1960s, he was occasionally incarcerated for drug use, public drunkenness, and spousal abuse. In 1964, he went to prison for possession of marijuana.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: In 1966, Barrymore was signed to play a guest role as Lazarus in the "" episode "The Alternative Factor". However, he failed to show up (replaced at the last minute by Robert Brown), resulting in a SAG suspension of six months.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: After the SAG suspension was served to Barrymore in 1967, he sporadically worked on-screen, sometimes with a few years between appearances.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: In 1967, he was imprisoned for possession of drugs following a car crash. In 1969, he was again arrested for possession of drugs after another car accident.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: Barrymore eventually withdrew from acting, with his final two appearances being a 1974 episode of "Kung Fu" and an uncredited role in the 1976 film "Baby Blue Marine". Barrymore suffered from the same addiction problems that had destroyed his father. Although he continued to appear occasionally onscreen, he became reclusive, disappearing into the wilderness to live a mystical existence that has also been described as derelict. He was estranged from his family, including his children, and his lifestyle continued to worsen as his physical and mental health deteriorated.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: In 2003, his daughter Drew moved him near her home, despite their estrangement. She paid his medical bills until his death from cancer the following year at age 72. She spread his ashes at Joshua Tree National Park, John's favorite place. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to television.


title: John Drew Barrymore

text: All of Barrymore's marriages ended in divorce. His first marriage was to actress Cara Williams in 1952; they had one child, John Blyth Barrymore (b. 1954), before they divorced in 1959. A year later, in 1960, Barrymore married Gabriella Palazzoli. Their daughter, Blyth Dolores Barrymore, was born that same year. Their marriage lasted 10 years before ending in divorce in 1970.


title: Meaning of life

text: The meaning of life, or the answer to the question: "What is the meaning of life?", pertains to the significance of living or existence in general. Many other related questions include: "Why are we here?", "What is life all about?", or "What is the purpose of existence?" There have been many proposed answers to these questions from many different cultural and ideological backgrounds. The search for life's meaning has produced much philosophical, scientific, theological, and metaphysical speculation throughout history. Different people and cultures believe different things for the answer to this question.


title: Meaning of life

text: The meaning of life can be derived from philosophical and religious contemplation of, and scientific inquiries about existence, social ties, consciousness, and happiness. Many other issues are also involved, such as symbolic meaning, ontology, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, the existence of one or multiple gods, conceptions of God, the soul, and the afterlife. Scientific contributions focus primarily on describing related empirical facts about the universe, exploring the context and parameters concerning the "how" of life. Science also studies and can provide recommendations for the pursuit of well-being and a related conception of morality. An alternative, humanistic approach poses the question, "What is the meaning of "my" life?"


title: Meaning of life

text: These questions have resulted in a wide range of competing answers and explications, from scientific theories, to philosophical, theological, and spiritual explanations...


title: Meaning of life

text: Many members of the scientific community and philosophy of science communities think that science can provide the relevant context, and set of parameters necessary for dealing with topics related to the meaning of life. In their view, science can offer a wide range of insights on topics ranging from the science of happiness to death anxiety. Scientific inquiry facilitates this through nomological investigation into various aspects of life and reality, such as the Big Bang, the origin of life, and evolution, and by studying the objective factors which correlate with the subjective experience of meaning and happiness.


title: Meaning of life

text: Researchers in positive psychology study empirical factors that lead to life satisfaction, full engagement in activities, making a fuller contribution by utilizing one's personal strengths, and meaning based on investing in something larger than the self. Large-data studies of flow experiences have consistently suggested that humans experience meaning and fulfillment when mastering challenging tasks and that the experience comes from the way tasks are approached and performed rather than the particular choice of task. For example, flow experiences can be obtained by prisoners in concentration camps with minimal facilities, and occur only slightly more often in billionaires. A classic example is of two workers on an apparently boring production line in a factory. One treats the work as a tedious chore while the other turns it into a game to see how fast she can make each unit and achieves flow in the process.


title: Meaning of life

text: Neuroscience describes reward, pleasure, and motivation in terms of neurotransmitter activity, especially in the limbic system and the ventral tegmental area in particular. If one believes that the meaning of life is to maximize pleasure and to ease general life, then this allows normative predictions about how to act to achieve this. Likewise, some ethical naturalists advocate a science of morality—the empirical pursuit of flourishing for all conscious creatures.


title: Meaning of life

text: Experimental philosophy and neuroethics research collects data about human ethical decisions in controlled scenarios such as trolley problems. It has shown that many types of ethical judgment are universal across cultures, suggesting that they may be innate, whilst others are culture-specific. The findings show actual human ethical reasoning to be at odds with most philosophical theories, for example consistently showing distinctions between action by cause and action by omission which would be absent from utility-based theories. Cognitive science has theorized about differences between conservative and liberal ethics and how they may be based on different metaphors from family life such as strong fathers vs nurturing mother models.


title: Meaning of life

text: Neurotheology is a controversial field which tries to find neural correlates and mechanisms of religious experience. Some researchers have suggested that the human brain has innate mechanisms for such experiences and that living without using them for their evolved purposes may be a cause of imbalance. Studies have reported conflicting results on correlating happiness with religious belief and it is difficult to find unbiased meta-analyses.


title: Meaning of life

text: Sociology examines value at a social level using theoretical constructs such as value theory, norms, anomie, etc. One value system suggested by social psychologists, broadly called Terror Management Theory, states that human meaning is derived from a fundamental fear of death, and values are selected when they allow us to escape the mental reminder of death.


title: Meaning of life

text: Alongside this, there are a number of theories about the way in which humans evaluate the positive and negative aspects of their existence and thus the value and meaning they place on their lives. For example, depressive realism posits an exaggerated positivity in all except those experiencing depressive disorders who see life as it truly is, and David Benatar theorises that more weight is generally given to positive experiences, providing bias towards an over-optimistic view of life.


title: Meaning of life

text: Emerging research shows that meaning in life predicts better physical health outcomes. Greater meaning has been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, reduced risk of heart attack among individuals with coronary heart disease, reduced risk of stroke, and increased longevity in both American and Japanese samples. In 2014, the British National Health Service began recommending a five-step plan for mental well-being based on meaningful lives, whose steps are:


title: Meaning of life

text: The exact mechanisms of abiogenesis are unknown: notable hypotheses include the RNA world hypothesis (RNA-based replicators) and the iron-sulfur world hypothesis (metabolism without genetics). The process by which different lifeforms have developed throughout history via genetic mutation and natural selection is explained by evolution. At the end of the 20th century, based upon insight gleaned from the gene-centered view of evolution, biologists George C. Williams, Richard Dawkins, and David Haig, among others, concluded that if there is a primary function to life, it is the replication of DNA and the survival of one's genes. Responding to an interview question from Richard Dawkins about "what it is all for", James Watson stated "I don't think we're "for" anything. We're just the products of evolution."


title: Meaning of life

text: Though scientists have intensively studied life on Earth, defining life in unequivocal terms is still a challenge. Physically, one may say that life "feeds on negative entropy" which refers to the process by which living entities decrease their internal entropy at the expense of some form of energy taken in from the environment. Biologists generally agree that lifeforms are self-organizing systems which regulate their internal environments as to maintain this organized state, metabolism serves to provide energy, and reproduction causes life to continue over a span of multiple generations. Typically, organisms are responsive to stimuli and genetic information changes from generation to generation, resulting in adaptation through evolution; this optimizes the chances of survival for the individual organism and its descendants respectively.


title: Meaning of life

text: Non-cellular replicating agents, notably viruses, are generally not considered to be organisms because they are incapable of independent reproduction or metabolism. This classification is problematic, though, since some parasites and endosymbionts are also incapable of independent life. Astrobiology studies the possibility of different forms of life on other worlds, including replicating structures made from materials other than DNA.


title: Meaning of life

text: Though the Big Bang theory was met with much skepticism when first introduced, it has become well-supported by several independent observations. However, current physics can only describe the early universe from 10 seconds after the Big Bang (where zero time corresponds to infinite temperature); a theory of quantum gravity would be required to understand events before that time. Nevertheless, many physicists have speculated about what would have preceded this limit, and how the universe came into being. For example, one interpretation is that the Big Bang occurred coincidentally, and when considering the anthropic principle, it is sometimes interpreted as implying the existence of a multiverse.


title: Meaning of life

text: The ultimate fate of the universe, and implicitly humanity, is hypothesized as one in which biological life will eventually become unsustainable, such as through a Big Freeze, Big Rip, or Big Crunch.