2nd Battalion - 75th Ranger Regiment
The 2nd Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry was activated at Fort Lewis on 1 October 1974.
This battalion, which traces its lineage back to the famous "Merrill's Marauders" of Burma in World War II, is in constant training for an aggressive response anywhere in the world. It played key roles in Grenada in 1983, and in Panama in 1989.
During the United States' deployment on October 25, 1983, to Grenada, the mission of the Rangers was to protect the lives of American citizens and restore democracy to the island. During this operation, code-named "URGENT FURY, " the 1st and 2d Ranger Battalions conducted a daring low-level parachute assault (500 feet), seized the airfield at Point Salines, rescued American citizens at the True Blue Medical Campus, and conducted air assault operations to eliminate pockets of resistance.
The 2nd Battallion took part, along with the entire Ranger Regiment in OPERATION "JUST CAUSE", in which U.S. forces restored democracy to Panama. Rangers spearheaded the action by conducting two important operations. The 2d and 3d Ranger Battalions and a Regimental Command and Control Team, conducted a parachute assault onto the airfield at Rio Hato, to neutralize the PDF 6th and! Oh Rifle Companies and seize General Manuel Noriega's beach house. Following the successful completion of these assaults, Rangers conducted follow-on operations in support of Joint Task Force (JTF)-South. The Rangers captured 1,014 Enemy Prisoners of War (EPW), and over 18,000 arms of various types. The Rangers sustained 5 killed and 42 wounded.
