page_title: United States Army Rangers
section_title: Ranger School
hierarchical_section_title: United States Army Rangers / Ranger School
caption_attribution_description: English: A U.S. Army student in his final week of U.S. Army Ranger School, travel a short distance on a dirt path before veering back into the forested swampland of Auxiliary Field Six at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. His platoon hiked nearly eight kilometers through the swamp to reach their objective.
context_page_description: The United States Army Rangers, according to the U.S. military, are limited to those who served in designated U.S. Army Ranger units, past or present. However, the term is often used to include those who are graduates of the U.S. Army Ranger School, even though they did not serve in a Ranger unit.
  The term ranger has been in use unofficially in a military context since the early 17th century. The first military company officially commissioned as rangers were New England soldiers fighting in King Philip's War and from there the term came into common official use in the French and Indian Wars. There have been American military companies officially called Rangers since the American Revolution.
  The 75th Ranger Regiment is an elite airborne light infantry combat formation within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The six battalions of the modern Rangers have been deployed in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and saw action in several conflicts, such as those in Panama and Grenada.
context_section_description: Ranger training began in September 1950 at Fort Benning Georgia "with the formation and training of 17 Airborne Companies by the Ranger Training Command". The first class graduated from Ranger training in November 1950." The United States Army's Infantry School officially established the Ranger Department in December 1951. Under the Ranger Department, the first Ranger School Class was conducted in January–March 1952, with a graduation date of 1 March 1952. Its duration was 59 days. At the time, Ranger training was voluntary.
  In 1966, a panel headed by General Ralph E. Haines, Jr. recommended making Ranger training mandatory for all Regular Army officers upon commissioning. "On 16 August 1966, the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Harold K. Johnson, directed it so." This policy was implemented in July 1967. It was rescinded on 21 June 1972 by General William Westmoreland. Once again, Ranger training was voluntary. In August 1987, the Ranger Department was split from the Infantry School and the Ranger Training Brigade was established, commanded by Brigadier General (R) James Emory Mace.
  The Ranger Companies that made up the Ranger Department became the current training units—the 4th, 5th and 6th Ranger Training Battalions. These units conduct the United States Army's Ranger School at various locations at Fort Benning, Georgia, Camp Frank Merrill, near Dahlonega, Georgia, and Camp James Rudder at Eglin Air Force Base's Auxiliary Field No. 6/Biancur Field, in northwest Florida. As of 2011, the school is 61 days in duration.
  In August 2015, two women graduated from Ranger School; they were the "... first females to successfully complete the notoriously gruelling program".
caption: Ranger students in their final week of U.S. Army Ranger School
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