OF THEIR OWN ACCORD

It was our second reunion in four years and the second one in Reno where fellow Ranger Mark Lisi and his spouse Cindy live. Mark is a tremendous connector who has been instrumental in reuniting our fellow Rangers through the years. He set the condition for special gatherings in his wonderful city. Each time, our numbers have grown as we reconnect after decades apart. And each time, Fred Kleibacker and I have marveled at what our friends have done with their lives over the past 50 years. Not all stayed in the Army; many got out after their enlistment. All went on to live lives of significance, lives of service to others.

Fred and I dialogued at the recent gathering about a range of topics with three always surfacing to the forefront: how our company and its Rangers fulfilled the vision of then Chief of Staff of the Army General Creighton Abrams when he directed the formation of the two Ranger battalions in 1974; the immense recruiting challenges currently faced by our military; and the intangible benefits of military service shared by our brothers.

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Here is the backdrop for the book: When the U.S. military emerged from the dark days of the Vietnam War in 1973, the Army’s senior leadership made key decisions to transform the Army. There were many rapid changes that occurred over the next decade: the change from a conscripted to a volunteer force; formalization and upgrading of NCO schooling; the transformation of how the Army trained; and the modernization of five key weapons systems. Another key decision was the formation of modern Ranger battalions that had been inactivated after World War II.

In late 1973, General Abrams wanted to repair an Army that had been overstretched with its standards frayed from long years of war, societal ills, and budget constraints. General Abrams, looking for a way to repair the institution, harkened back to the exploits of World War II Rangers. He wanted the Army to have the same high standards developed by William O. Darby, the first commander of the 1st Ranger Battalion who valiantly led it during the African and Italian campaigns and James Earl Rudder the commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion that scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on D Day.

In late 1973, General Abrams directed the establishment of modern-day Ranger Battalions. First would be the 1st Ranger Battalion, activated on January 31, 1974, stationed on the east coast at Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Georgia. It would be followed by the 2nd Ranger Battalion, which was activated on October 1, 1974, on the west coast at Fort Lewis, Washington near the city of Tacoma. General Abrams issued clear guidance. It has become known as the Abrams Charter: “The battalion is to be an elite, light, and the most proficient infantry battalion in the world. A battalion that can do things with its hands and weapons better than anyone. The battalion will contain no “hoodlums or brigands” and if the battalion is formed from such persons, it will be disbanded. Wherever the battalion goes, it must be apparent that it is the best.”

General Abrams expressly wanted the Ranger battalions to be the standard bearers for the rest of the Army. The formation of the battalions was the tool he used to affect the restoration of values and standards in the Army. This restoration would be key to the Army emerging from its post-Vietnam period of decline. The values and standards established in the Ranger Battalions would be spread to the rest of the Army with the assignments of its veterans to units throughout the force. Proudly, as you will read in this book, the initial plank holders in Bravo Company went the extra mile in fulfilling General Abrams Charter.

I was blessed to be selected by Lieutenant Colonel A. J. “Bo” Baker to be the first commander of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry. I, along with the other officers and senior noncommissioned officers of the battalion, were volunteers who were handpicked by LTC Baker for duty in the battalion. We each came from a wide variety of organizations in the Army. What was common to each of us was that we were “triple volunteers” having volunteered for airborne training, Ranger training, and service in the battalion. We each brought varying talents and experiences to the unit, but we each were physically fit, willing to learn, and highly motivated.

A brief description of the Ranger battalion’s organization, and missions is needed for the reader to fully understand what the individual Rangers and their leaders endured in the early years of the 2nd Ranger Battalion:

The battalion consisted of 636 officers and soldiers. It was organized into a headquarters company and three Ranger companies, each commanded by a captain. The headquarters company consisted of the battalion commander and his staff and the support elements of the battalion (communications, medical, logistics, and food service). Each Ranger company had a headquarters section with the company commander, company executive officer, an artillery fire support officer, a first sergeant, and communications section, three rifle platoons led by a lieutenant with over forty soldiers each, and a weapons platoon with two 60mm mortars and three 90mm recoilless rifles.

The typical missions the battalion would be given once it was combat ready were direct-action operations, raids, personnel, and special equipment recovery in addition to conventional or special light-infantry operations. It would be inserted into the objective area by parachute, helicopter, fixed wing aircraft, or watercraft.

Bravo Company was activated on October 1, 1974, and leaders and soldiers started to arrive at Fort Lewis shortly thereafter. In January 1975, the leaders went to cadre training at Fort Benning for a month to be updated on the latest doctrine, tactics, and techniques being taught at the Infantry School. In late March, Bravo Company and the other Ranger companies started seven months of progressive training from squad, to platoon, to company level. As the commander of Bravo Company, I had responsibility, with assistance from my platoon leaders and platoon sergeants, to develop the training program for the unit. A building block approach was taken with key tasks with specific standards developed for each level of training.

Training over the next seven months was very intensive and physically demanding. Many weeks were spent in the field improving our fieldcraft and technical and tactical prowess. The tasks were continually being reinforced as new soldiers arrived weekly.

My challenge as the commander was to establish a foundation of trust and teamwork within the company. I had to create an environment by my personal example for winning, consistent behaviors to be inculcated throughout the unit. I was confident I could do so because I had the full support of my battalion commander and his staff; had combat experience as a platoon leader in Vietnam; and had commanded an airborne rifle company in the 82nd Airborne Division. I had also recently attended the Infantry Officers Career Course which was focused on company command and battalion staff officer duties. It also helped that we had experienced combat veteran senior noncommissioned officers in our platoons.

The ensuing months of training were extremely exciting and fulfilling. With incredible support from LTC Bo Baker and his staff, Bravo Company was transformed into a competent, confident team prepared to be integrated into the battalion operations. Our skill was on full display in December 1975 during the battalion’s certification exercise. During the challenging exercise, Bravo Rangers excelled on every mission and were recognized as the best company by the evaluation team.

This is a book of success stories. It is about Bravo Ranger “Plank Holders” who participated in the first year of training and were positively impacted by their time in the company and Army and went on to make a difference in our world throughout their lives. It is titled, Of Their Own Accord: A Company of Army Rangers Changing Lives in Changing Times. It refers to the 75th Ranger Regiment motto, “Sua Sponte” which is Latin for “of their own accord.” The motto speaks to Rangers’ ability to accomplish tasks with little to no prompting and to recognize that a Ranger volunteers three times: for the U.S. Army, Airborne School, and service in the 75th Ranger Regiment.

The chapters in this book are fifteen constant themes that came from 70 hours of zoom interviews with 40 Bravo Rangers. They are the intangible, not tangible, benefits derived from their service to our Nation. Common to all has been the value of Service to something greater than self which has continued long after their uniforms were last hung up.

Each chapter will be led off by me. I will share with you my definition of the behavior or theme and what I was trying to instill in our Rangers 50 years ago when I had the honor of being their commander.

In each chapter, we will focus on specific Rangers who reinforced the theme with their compelling stories. To learn more about these leaders, you will find their pictures in each chapter and short biographies after the Epilogue.

The intent of this book is not to recount war stories (of which we have more than a few), but to share the positive impact our time together many decades ago had in shaping how we lived our lives in the future. Our purpose is threefold:

Inspire young men and women to join the greatest military in the world.

Inspire the major influencers (parents, relatives, friends, veterans, educators, pastors) for America’s youth to encourage them to serve.

Pass on a memoir from our fellow Rangers to their family members.

A special thanks to our “Band of Brothers” who inspired us and so many others through the years to “Be All We Can Be!” Rangers Lead the Way!

— LTG Lawson W. Magruder III, U.S. Army Retired