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The Vietnam
War
The U.S. Army's Long
Range Recon Patrols evolved in Germany from NATOs development
of the concept in the late 1950s. This concept was influenced
by the British Special Air Service's (SAS) successful use of
small, independently operating, deep reconnaissance
patrols.
This model was quickly adopted for use in southeast Asia in the Vietnam War (1965-73) with 4-6 man LRRP/LRP teams. These teams were continuously deployed during the longest war in American military history. During this conflict, American volunteers would recon deep within enemy-held territory. Their missions soon expanded to include ambushes, prisoner snatches, and BDAs (bomb damage assessments). Equipped with communications gear, helicopter gunships and artillery, these teams dealt some stunning blows to large-scale NVA/VC units. But their small size and distance from friendly forces also left them vulnerable to enemy attacks. In 1969 the LRRP/LRP companies were redesignated as Ranger companies of the 75th Infantry (Ranger) Regiment, and inherited the lineage of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), and the 475th Infantry. To many of the soldiers who had already been fighting in the jungles, mountains and swampy delta areas of Vietnam, the change meant very little at the time. They just continued performing the same mission they had been for the previous four to five years. There were also Vietnamese Rangers (1960-75) during this conflict, trained and advised by American Rangers. These BDQ (Biet-Dong-Quan), commonly known as ARVN Rangers, fought in larger-sized units. Like the Marauders and the 475th Infantry Regiment in W.W. II, albeit in much smaller teams, these Ranger and predecessor LRRP/LRP units had the mission of working deep within an enemy's areas of operation. The tenacity and excellence of the Ranger tradition was clearly demonstrated by the heroism of these volunteers. A total of four Medals of Honor were bestowed (three posthumously) on men who had fought in these units.
Unit
Histories
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