RANGER READING LIST
RANGER AUTHORS
WILLIAM O. DARBY
William O. Darby was a career United States Army officer who fought in World War II, where he was killed in action in Italy. He was posthumously promoted to brigadier general. Darby led the famous Darby's Rangers, which evolved into the U.S. Army Rangers.
KEITH NIGHTINGALE
Keith Nightingale was commissioned a 2d Lieutenant in 1965 from Claremont McKenna College. He graduated from Airborne, Jumpmaster, and Ranger Schools and retired as a Colonel in 1993.
STAN MCCHRYSTAL
Stan McChrystal was commissioned into the infantry upon graduating from West Point in 1976, and retired as a General in 2010. During his time in service McChrystal served three tours in the 82nd Airborne Division, was a ODA Commander in 7th Special Forces Group, a mechanized company commander in the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division, and commanded Company A, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 2nd Ranger Battalion, and the 75th Ranger Regiment.
CHUCK HOLTON
Chuck Holton is a freelance conflict reporter who travels to more than a dozen hot zones each year. His experience as a U.S. Army Ranger and extensive travel come out in his writing - both fiction and non-fiction.
TONY MARINELLO
Tony hails from upstate New York and grew up where Robert Rogers developed the famous “Rules of Ranging” which are followed to this day by the 75th Ranger Regiment. After undergraduate studies, where Tony was collegiate hockey player, he attended graduate school at the University of Albany where he competed in the New York State Golden Gloves Boxing circuit.
JEFF STRUECKER
Jeff Struecker was a decorated enlisted soldier and Chaplain. He enlisted in the United States Army as Infantryman at age 18 and retired as a Chaplain more than 22 years later. in 2017, he was inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame.
GREG COKER
CW4 (R) Greg Coker served 22 years in the U.S. Army, 15 years as an AH-6 “Little Bird” attack helicopter instructor pilot who was specially recruited, assessed, and selected in the Army’s only Special Operations Helicopter unit, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He was one of the senior Lead Instructor Pilots and planner responsible for planning and executing special operations missions in support of our nation’s most elite special operations units, 75th Ranger Regiment and 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta.
JOSEPH KAPACZIEWSKI
Kapacziewski enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 2001, straight out of high school. He then went on to complete his training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Throughout his tours he has served as a Rifleman, Grenadier, Squad Automatic Rifleman, Squad Leader, and Platoon Sergeant. Then, on October 3, 2005 in Northern Iraq, just as his team were coming to the end of their tour, Kapacziewski’s convoy was ambushed. An enemy grenade fell through the gunner’s hatch in his Stryker vehicle and exploded.
BILL GOSHEN
Bill Goshen served with F Company, 52d Infantry (LRP), and I Company, 75th Infantry (Ranger), 1st Infantry Division, in the Republic of Vietnam from October 1968 through March 1969. In his book, War Paint, Goshen gives first account of the battle-hardened soldiers.
JAMES ALTIERI
James Altieri joined the Army in late 1941 and was subsequently sent to Northern Ireland where he served as an artillerymen with the 1st Armored Division. While stationed there, he was told that volunteers were wanted to form up a new unit structured much like the British Commandos. Altieri completed the demanding training program and became a Ranger in July 1942.
ROBERT S. RUSH
Robert Sterling Rush, Ph.D. command sergeant major (ret) USA, during a career spanning thirty years, served in leadership positions from squad leader through continental army sergeant major, and included assignments in regular, ranger, light (cohort), and mechanized infantry units.
KARL MONGER
Karl Monger was commissioned a 2d Lieutenant in 1983 from Wichita State University. He served as a platoon leader and company executive officer in the 9th Infantry Division (Motorized), as a company commander and staff officer in the 25th Infantry Division (Light), and as a staff officer in the 1st Ranger Battalion.
JC GLICK
LTC (Ret) JC Glick serves as the National Director of Merging Vets and Players (MVP), a non-profit founded by FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer and former Green Beret and Seattle Seahawk Nate Boyer, established to empower combat veterans and former professional athletes by connecting them after the uniform comes off; providing them with a new team to assist with transition, promote personal development, and show them they are never alone.
FRANK JOHNSON
Frank Johnson enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1968. He served in Vietnam as a member of Company L (Ranger), 101st Airborne Division, where he was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device, the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
RALPH PUCKETT
Ralph Puckett formed, trained, and commanded the Eighth Army Ranger Company in Korea as a second and, later, first lieutenant. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on November 25-26, 1950. Following the Korean War, Puckett served over two years in the U.S. Army Infantry School Ranger Department.
TONY BROOKS
After enlisting in the U.S. Army in 2003 at the age of 21, Dr. Tony Brooks attended and graduated Infantry and Airborne school followed by the four-week Ranger Indoctrination program, officially checking in to the 2nd Ranger Battalion in Fort Lewis, Washington, in September 2004.
TB STAMPER
During the Vietnam War, Bart Stamper served as an Army LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) with the November Company Rangers, 75th Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Tiger Mountains near Bong Son, Vietnam.
STEPHEN DAVIS
Stephen M. Davis was born and raised in Marion, Indiana. He joined the Army a month after high school graduation and had the honor of serving in the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
JAMES LECHNER
James Lechner served in the US Army for 27 years and participated in eight operational deployments, including Somalia with Task Force Ranger, as well as the Sinai, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to this, Jim has advised the NSC at the White House and served numerous tours at the CIA.
ROBERT BLACK
Robert Black enlisted in the Army in 1949 as an Infantryman and volunteered for Airborne School. When the Korean War broke out, Black was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. Black chaffed at the idea that he might have to sit out the war. “I knew the Korean War and I were made for each other” he wrote, so he volunteered for one of the newly formed Ranger companies.
OLIN LESTER
Olin proudly served as a US Army Ranger, with 1st Ranger Battalion and, for the last twenty years, has served his local community of Charlotte, North Carolina as a Police Officer.
CHARLES HUNTER
A 1929 West Point graduate, by the start of WWII Hunter had gained experience in jungle warfare in both Panama and the Philippines. In late 1943, while running a combat training course at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was called upon to help form a new Long Range Penetration Group, modeled on the British Chindits, for service in Burma. Colonel Hunter arrived in India where he oversaw the training of nearly 3,000 men in jungle warfare and long-range penetration tactics.
MIR BAHMANYAR
Mir Bahmanyar enlisted in the U.S. Army’s 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, where he exercised the Green-to-Gold Option and entered the Reserve Officer Training Corps before being medically discharged. Mir went on to serve on the Board of Directors for the 75th Ranger Regiment Association and was an Associate Historian of the World War Two Ranger Battalions Association.
NATE SELF
Self graduated from West Point in 1998. After becoming an Infantry officer he deployed to Kosovo and was then selected to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment. As a platoon leader in the Rangers, he deployed to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 as part of a Special Operations task force with a mission to kill or capture Taliban and al-Qaeda's top leaders. Self commanded a Quick Reaction Force to rescue a missing Navy SEAL during the Battle of Takur Ghar mountain.
LAWSON MAGRUDER
Magruder's impressive career began in 1969 as a Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, followed by combat service in Vietnam as an infantry rifle platoon leader and later as a company commander in the 82nd Airborne. A 1974 honor graduate of Ranger School, Magruder was hand-selected to be the first commander of Company B, 2nd Battalion (Rangers), 75th Infantry in 1975.
MATT EVERSMANN
Matt Eversmann enlisted in the Army as an Infantryman in December 1987. His assignments included the 10th Mountain Division, 3/75 Ranger Regiment, 75th Ranger Regiment HQ, Cadet Command and the US Army War College. Matt deployed to Mogadishu in 1993 as a member of Task Force Ranger.
JAMES HOPKINS
When War II was declared, James Hopkins left his surgical practice at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and volunteered for military duty in the Army Medical Corps. While serving in the Fiji Islands and seeing the many battle casualties in Guadalcanal, Dr. Hopkins left his plush assignment and volunteered for duty with a forward combat unit in various Soloman Island battles where he served as battalion surgeon with the 148th Regiment, Ohio National Guard. When the call came from the president for experienced combat troops for a dangerous and hazardous mission, he volunteered again and went with the unit that would eventually be known as the Merrill's Marauders.
CHRIS ANTHONY
Chris Anthony’s career spans military, government, Department of Defense, academic research, and education. As CEO of TeamWorx Security, Chris is passionate about entrepreneurship, especially military veteran, and military spouse entrepreneurs.
ETHAN BROWN
Ethan Brown spent eleven years as a United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) specialist, spending most of his career aligned with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC).
OTHER RANGER BOOKS
RANGER HISTORY
ARSOF HISTORY
The US Army Special Operations Command, Office of the Command Historian, has a wealth of information on Ranger action from all eras.