TRAINING
  In L Co 75th Infantry Rangers as in all military units, training was the
most important activity we did besides actually going to the field on a live
mission. Some Commanders have said, "Training is everything and everything
is training." In order to be on a Ranger team, each individual had to be
highly trained in his particular skills and responsibilities and the whole
team of six men had to train together to know Company and Team Standard
Operating Procedures (SOP's) as well as know how each other functioned under
stress.  The best individual training course available for RECON units was
MAC-V RECONDO School at Nha Trang, RVN. RECONDO training and what went on at
that school is covered in a separate section.

  Every member of L Company, as a minimum, was Airborne qualified. Even
though we did not use a parachute to infiltrate enemy territory, the
Airborne Spirit was alive in each of us. We had each been measured when we
had "stood in the door" to face our fears. We passed that test to become a
member of the Airborne brotherhood. Volunteering to be a Ranger in Vietnam
in the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), was yet another measure of
courage and commitment.

   MISSION PROFILE
  In order to properly train, one needs to understand the mission.
  L Co Rangers operated "Out Front" in the Division Recon Zone in small
teams of four to six men. The Recon Zone extended from the forward line in
the Infantry Brigade's area of responsibility all the way to the Laotian
border and included area's like the Roung Roung and Ashau Valley's and the
Khe Sanh Plains. Usually Ranger Teams operated well outside the fire fan of
artillery and had to rely on close air support if enemy contact was made.
Reconnaissance was the primary mission of all teams, however there were some
radio relay, wiretap, POW snatch, and larger combat patrol missions.
Occasionally there were short fuse, 'thrown together missions' that we got
tasked to do, but they were not the norm. Recon was the 'bread and butter'
mission. Plan the mission, rehearse, infiltrate the AO, locate and observe
the enemy without being detected, report that information, exfiltrate safely
and debrief was the ideal way it was done.
  Missions were planned at Company, Squadron and Division level. If Division
needed info on a particular forward area, Rangers got the mission. Planning
was conducted in detail in the Company TOC (tactical operations center). The
mission box (four to six grid squares) was assigned to the appropriate team
and the team members started their prep. The Team was assigned a code name.
Overflight or aerial recon of the box was usually attempted, although not
always carried out due to bad weather or other considerations. Rucksacks,
load bearing equipment (LBE) and weapons were prepared. Weapons were test
fired and muzzles taped to keep out mud and rain. Loads were checked for
noise and security. Radios were waterproofed, tested and call signs and code
words issued. Each man had a code name to not give away his real name over
the radio. Movement techniques, hand and arm signals, enemy contact drills,
RON procedures, Map Information and other mission critical tasks were
rehearsed over and over until the team leader was satisfied. Just before
infiltration, each team member camouflaged his face and hands and checked
his equipment one last time. Then the team was taken by truck to the waiting
Huey, usually at Scabbard Pad.
  Infiltration was by helicopter. We trained in loading the aircraft,
getting out quickly and moving off the LZ. Infiltration was also done by
helicopter rappelling into areas not suitable for landing.
Rappelling took practice and required confidence, so a nearby rappelling
tower was much in use as well as a 2/17th Air Cav UH-1H 'Huey' when
available.
   Once on the ground, the team needed to get to a concealed area in the
jungle as fast as possible. Many LZ's had watchers or ambushes set for
landing helicopters. A crucial period was the moment of insertion into the
enemy's back yard. Training previously conducted in movement techniques,
observation, land navigation, map reading, noise and light discipline and
stealth all paid off once the team was clear of the infiltration LZ. Teams
usually did not move great distances and 500 to 1000 meters in a day was
about average. Carrying 80 to 120 pounds of gear, you did not 'bust ass
through the woods.' Each Ranger team member moved slowly and deliberately to
not make a sound. Listening halts were conducted frequently to detect
possible NVA presence. Regular Sitreps (Situation Reports) were called in to
the Ranger Company TOC, but the spoken voice of the Ranger Radio operator
(RTO) was just a whisper. If an NVA element was observed, it was reported
ASAP. When possible, a Pink Team, consisting of a Cobra AH1G helicopter
gunship and a Loach OH-6A armed scoutbird  helicopter, would be launched to
attack the enemy. Sometimes, a Ranger Team had to watch silently from their
concealed position, as a hundred or more NVA soldiers would pass by never
knowing they had been observed. Weather, especially in the Ashau Valley,
sometimes prevented helicopters from flying to take advantage of reported
targets or NVA troop movements. The Ranger team would necessarily have to
avoid contact to insure its own survival. If conditions permitted, a team
could call in an airstrike on a much larger unit and later be safely
extracted without being compromised. If detected by the enemy, the team
would initiate an immediate action drill that it had previously rehearsed.
Training here meant the difference in life or death. Proper training became
instinctive reaction when faced with a life threatening situation. Everyone
on a team had to do his job exactly right to survive an enemy contact.
   The overnight halt, also referred to as RON (remain over night), was
another key activity that included night security procedures, radio watch,
chow and maintenance on equipment and individuals. Each team had its own SOP
for RON procedures: like no person stands after dark, heads to the inside in
a circle (to pass the radio handset) and others. The RON was important in
order to rest, eat, clean weapons and prepare for another day. Teams would
often use a buttonhook maneuver to move into a RON site to watch their back
trail in the event they were followed.  One or more claymore mines on a
shortened wire were usually employed for added security.
   On the planned day of exfiltration, the team tried to arrive at the PZ
early to observe for enemy activity. Extractions were often conducted at
first light while infiltrations were done at first light, last light and
even in the middle of the day so to not set a pattern. Exfils could be as
simple as climbing aboard a huey for an anticipated ride back to Camp Eagle
or a ladder extraction or STABO extraction using the special harness each
Ranger carried as LBE.
   Once back at Eagle, the mission was not over until each team member had
been debriefed and a record made of all observations, routes, water sources,
trails and signs of enemy activities. This report was put in a folder to be
filed in the TOC. The next time a team was assigned a box near  this AO, it
would be studied thoroughly.
   Training was geared to make each Ranger thoroughly skilled and prepared
to accomplish the missions assigned to L Company.
    All individuals who volunteered to become a member of L Company Rangers
were screened and tested. The training/testing phase lasted about two weeks.
Training consisted of Physical Conditioning (PT), NVA Weapons, NVA Tactics,
mines and booby traps, call for Close Air Support, Call for  Indirect Fire,
First Aid,  Marksmanship, Combat Firing Techniques, Helicopter Rappelling
and STABO Extraction, use of explosives, use of terrain, movement
techniques, map reading, use of compass, camouflage, hand and arm signals,
survival and more. Practical and written tests were given to each candidate
to test his knowledge. Those who passed were taken on a training patrol to
make sure they were ready for the real thing. Even after a soldier was
assigned to a team, he was on probation until the team accepted him. Only
after successfully participating in a live mission with a team, was a
candidate was considered a Ranger. However, if the Ranger Team leader was
not pleased with a candidate, he would not be accepted and was sent back to
his original unit. Rangers also trained other U.S. units such as the Recon
Platoons of several Infantry Battalions plus the Hoc Bao and 1st ARVN
Division Recon Company.
   In many line units, replacements (FNG's) were just added to squads to
fill the gaps of those who had left by normal DEROS or were casualties of
combat. These replacements either caught on quickly and made it or became
casualties themselves. Training, mistakenly, was considered a luxury in
those units. In L Company Rangers, training made the difference. We knew
that what you practiced in training, you would instinctively do in combat.

Robert K. Suchke