Ranger News

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, Oct. 14, 2012)undefinedA U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier was killed in action Oct. 12, 2012 during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class Ryan J. Savard, 29, was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, United States Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.  Savard was killed by direct fire from enemy forces while conducting combat operations in Konduz Province, Afghanistan. Savard previously served one deployment to Iraq and this was his fifth deployment to Afghanistan.

Sgt. 1st Class Ryan J. Savard was born on Feb. 27, 1983 in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated in 2001 from Buena High School in Sierra Vista, Ariz.

He first entered the U.S. Army as a Helicopter Repairer on Aug. 29, 2001 and after completion of Initial Entry Training he was assigned to Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 159th Aviation in Gieblstadt, Germany where he served for two years as a UH-60 Repairman. While assigned to the 159th Aviation, Savard deployed once to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In June 2004, Savard attended and graduated from the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School to become a Special Forces weapons sergeant. Upon graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course, Savard was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., where he served as a Special Forces Company Assistant Operations Sergeant and a Special Forces weapons sergeant. In 2008, Savard was assigned to Operations Detachment Group Support Battalion, 3rd SFG (A) where he served as a Senior Special Forces weapons sergeant. While assigned to 3rd SFG (A), Savard deployed three times to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Savard was assigned in May 2010 as a Special Operations Team Member, U.S. Army Special Operations Command. For over two years he performed this duty, deploying twice in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Savard completed numerous military courses while serving in the U.S. Army to include the Warrior Leader Course, Basic Airborne Course, Survival Evasion Resistance Escape High Risk Survival Course, Special Forces Qualification Course, Advanced Leader Course, Special Operations Weapons Sergeant Course, Special Operations Language Training-French, Special Operations Target Interdiction Course, ULLS-A Course, Ranger Course, Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance Target Exploitation Course, Advanced Land Navigation Course, Free Fall Parachutist Course, Senior Leader Course, and the Static Line Jumpmaster Course.

Savard’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (2nd Award), Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal (3rd Award), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (3rd Award), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal (3rd Award), National Defense Service Ribbon, Kosovo Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 4 Bronze Service Stars, Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War On Terrorism Service medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 3, U.S. Army Service Ribbon, U.S. Army Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 2, NATO Medal with Bronze Service Star, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Aviation Badge, Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge, Parachutist Badge, and five Overseas Service Bars.

Savard was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal (3rd Award), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Purple Heart.

Savard is survived by his spouse, Kayla Savard and parents Garett and Marie Savard.

FORT BENNING, Ga. – The Ranger Training Brigade here recently overhauled the graded, combat patrol portion of Ranger School to make it less predictable and force students to adapt to a rapidly changing mission.  Read the rest of the story… at Military.com News.

Ranger Charles “Chuck” F. Waters died yesterday morning at St Francis in Columbus, Georgia.

His remains will be cremated.  The interment ceremony is Monday September 24, 2012 at 1:00 PM at Fort Benning.  The 75th Ranger Regiment will provide firing party and Ranger Training Brigade will provide ushers and support.

On Tuesday morning September 25, 2012 half of Chuck’s ashes will be scattered on Fryar Drop Zone during a parachute jump by a member of the Ranger Training Brigade.

Ranger Water’s was inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 2006; the following is an excerpt from his induction citation:

Ranger Charles Waters had a distinguished military career as both a Soldier and Marine with service in three wars. He joined the Marine Corps at the age of 14 and served in three campaigns in the Pacific theater -- Guadalcanal, New Guinea, and the Bougainville. After being discharged from the Marines, he joined the Army and the 82nd Airborne Division in 1947, until volunteering for the new Airborne Ranger companies at the outbreak of the Korean conflict. In November 1950, after graduating from the first Ranger Training cycle, Ranger Waters, as a member of the 1st Airborne Ranger Company, was sent immediately to war and participated in four major campaigns during his first tour. In 1953, he again volunteered for the newly formed Special Forces and returned to Korea to fight again. After instructor duty at the 101st Airborne’s Recondo School, Ranger Waters was selected to be one of the early advisors to the Vietnamese Army Special Forces and Ranger Units. He served two tours in Vietnam, always performing those duties in a true Ranger manner. Ranger Waters’ diverse and distinguished background began in the beaches and jungles of the Pacific and continues on to this day as he truly is one of America’s unsung heroes. Ranger Waters, in both civilian and military life, is a prime example of the Motto – “Rangers Lead the Way.”

Major given hero’s farewell at West Point funeral

WEST POINT (from  Mid Hudson News) – Major Thomas Kennedy, a native of New City, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 8, was eulogized as a patriot who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his country. Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno also attended the moving ceremony.

A 2000 graduate of West Point, the 35-year-old Kennedy was buried at the Post Cemetery after a funeral at the Cadet Chapel on Friday.

Congresswoman Nan Hayworth attended the funeral and burial. She called Kennedy's death “a terrible sacrifice” and said the county should take pause about staying in Afghanistan.

“We need to think very, very hard about how long we continue, and how we continue, this mission in Afghanistan,” she said. “It has to be based on crucial strategic priorities and Major Kennedy’s death gives us pause yet again that what are we accomplishing there because every life that we lose is precious.”

State Senator William Larkin, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army, said the service was “one of the most moving ceremonies” he has ever attended.

Additional Information

Major Kennedy was killed in action August 8, 2012 in Kunar Province in Afghanistan. Kennedy was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Ft. Carson, Colorado.

He was raised in New City, NY, and attended Clarkstown schools as well as Don Bosco Preparatory School in Ramsey, NJ, and the Salisbury Preparatory School in Connecticut. He was commissioned to the Army on May 27, 2000 after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point. During his time as a cadet at West Point, Major Kennedy was a member of the Army hockey team.  Major Kennedy served in Iraq from February 2003-2004 and again in Iraq from August 2005-2006. Upon his return, Major Kennedy was selected to become a Tactical Officer at West Point, during which he also earned a Master's degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. Upon returning to West Point, Major Kennedy volunteered as an Officer Representative for the hockey team and served as the President of the Army Hockey Association.

Major Kennedy earned dozens of awards and service medals, including Bronze Star Medal (2), Purple Heart and Bronze Star Posthumous, Meritorious Service Medal (2), Army Commendation Medal (3), Army Achievement Medal (3), Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/Bronze Service Star, Iraq Campaign Medal w/Bronze Service Star (4), Combat Action Badge, Air Assault Badge, Parachutist Badge and Ranger Tab.

He is survived by his wife Kami Joyce Kennedy, son Brody Thomas, daughter Margaret Mae.

Read More Tributes

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20120817/NEWS01/120817007/Army-Maj-Thomas-E-Kennedy-mourned-one-finest-funeral-today?odyssey=nav%7Chead

http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/595594/community-pays-tribute-to-west-point-grad-maj--thomas-kennedy/

FORT BENNING, Ga. (Courtesy USASOC News Service, July 3, 2012) – The Discovery Channel is scheduled to release a one-hour documentary that follows a class through the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Assessment and Selection Program. The program is titled 'Hell and Back, Special Ops Ranger.

The episode premieres July 8 at 9 p.m. on the Discovery Channel. Check your local listing for more information.

This is an unprecedented glimpse of initial training that every enlisted Soldier must successfully complete before he is assigned to one of the four Ranger Battalions.

Quick Facts:

• Every volunteer Soldier must complete RASP 1 for duty with the 75th Ranger Regiment.
• 114 Soldiers started Class 5-12; 91 Rangers graduated.
• RASP tests Soldiers physically and mentally from marksmanship and demolitions to Ranger First Responder and close quarter combat drills.
• RASP is run by the Regimental Special Troops Battalion at Fort Benning, Ga.

About the 75th Ranger Regiment

The 75th Ranger Regiment is the Army’s premier direct action raid force. It is capable of planning, executing and commanding and controlling large and complex joint special operations throughout the range of combat missions.

For example, these operations include special reconnaissance, direct action raids, offensive infantry operations, forcible entry operations, and partnering with host nation forces.

The Regiment is also trained, resourced and equipped to provide an agile, responsive infantry force that can respond to emergency contingency plans in uncertain and sensitive environments.

The 75th Ranger Regiment has been continuously deployed in the War on Terror since October 2001.

Supreme Court rejects Stolen Valor Act, suggests rewrite

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer (Army Times)

Military fakers scored a major victory at the U.S. Supreme Court when the justices struck down the Stolen Valor Act, the 2006 law that made it a federal crime to lie about receiving military medals.

The court’s 6-3 majority ruled June 28 that the broadly written law making false claims of military honors illegal under any circumstances violated the First Amendment right to free speech. Read more…

Col. Kyle E. Lear, a soldier who has spent half his Army career at Fort Benning, is the new commander of the Ranger Training Brigade.

Lear assumed command of the brigade today from Col. John King II during a ceremony at Victory Pond. The brigade trains elite soldiers into leaders during a grueling nine-week course. They can execute diverse missions in a variety of challenges on difficult terrain.

The new commander said he’s thrilled to be back at Fort Benning. “I was absolutely thrilled when I learned we had been selected to come back to the RTB,” said Lear who formerly served with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning and its staff. “We are extremely blessed. We are very happy to be back with the Fort Benning community.”

In his new job, Lear said there won’t be any changes in the brigade that will continue to produce the best small unit combat leaders the Army can produce.

“The quality of this unit has got to be the noncommisisoned officers,” Lear said. “They are the heart and soul of the Ranger Training Brigade.”

While the budgets of the Army and other joint forces are under scrutiny for possible cuts, Lear said he thinks the Army values the mission of the Ranger School. “I know we will have the resources we need to continue to produce the best small unit leaders,” he said.

COL Lear’s Biography

COL Kyle E. Lear is a 1989 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Geography. After completing the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course and the Ranger Course, COL Lear was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division at Fort Ord, California. There, he served as a rifle platoon leader and the battalion support platoon leader from February 1990 to February 1992. COL Lear then moved to Fort Lewis, Washington and served as a rifle platoon leader with 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment until October 1993.

After graduating from the Infantry Officer’s Advanced Course, COL Lear attended the Bradley Leader’s Course and reported to Korea in July 1994, where he served as the S-3 Air of the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry until April 1995. COL Lear took command of A/1-506 IN (AASLT) in April 1995 and commanded until April 1996. He then departed Korea for 3d Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, GA and served as the Assistant S-3 from May 1996 until March 1998.

COL Lear commanded B Company, 3d Ranger Battalion, from March 1998 until September 1999. Following command, COL Lear served on the 75th Ranger Regiment Staff in the Operations Section, as a Regimental Liaison Officer and as the Regiment’s Air Operations Officer from October 1999 until June of 2000. He attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas June 2000 to May 2001, and then PCSed to Alaska in summer of 2001. COL Lear served as the United States Army Alaska (USARAK) G3 Assistant Operations Officer, from June 2001 to May 2002. COL Lear then served as the Operations Officer, 1st Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment from May 2002 until June 2003, and then as the Battalion and Task Force Executive Officer from June 2003 to July 2004. COL Lear then rejoined the 75th Ranger Regiment, where he served as the Regimental Strategic Plans and Requirements Officer (RS8) from August 2004 to April 2007. COL Lear took command of the 5th Ranger Training Battalion at Dahlonega, Ga., in July 2007, and commanded it until July 2009. Following his battalion command, COL Lear was assigned as the Deputy Commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy. On 25 March 2011, he was assigned as the Brigade Commander.

COL Lear’s civilian education consists of: a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Science and Arts degree in General Administration from Central Michigan University.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (4 OLC), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (5 OLC), Army Achievement Medal (4 OLC), National Defense Service Medal (2), Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (4), NATO Medal, Air Assault Badge, Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation for the 173rd’s actions during OEF X.

Courtesy The Bayonet (By Vince Little).  The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning welcomed a new leader last Wednesday.

After formally receiving his second star, Maj. Gen. H.R. McMaster succeeded Maj. Gen. Robert Brown during a change of command ceremony at the National Infantry Museum’s Soldier Field. McMaster takes over as the installation’s 53rd commanding general and third to lead the MCoE.

He arrives from Afghanistan, where he was commander of Combined Joint Interagency Task Force-Shafafiyat, part of the International Security Assistance Force. Brown will be promoted to lieutenant general and assume the role of commanding general at I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., this summer.

 “The Army is so adept at leader development that they’ve picked the perfect team with H.R.,” said Lt. Gen. David Halverson, the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s deputy commanding general and chief of staff. “You are going to take this great command to next-highest level. Your passion, warfighting skills, vision and intellect will give you the skills you need to handle the diverse, complex issues that we face. We have great trust and confidence in what you are going to do.”

McMaster is a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and taught history there from 1994 to 1996. He also holds a Master of Arts and Doctorate in American History from the University of North Carolina.

He has served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, working as an adviser and on the staffs of Lt. Gen. John Abizaid at Central Command and Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq. The Silver Star and Purple Heart recipient led E Troop, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, while significantly outnumbered in a tank battle during the Gulf War.

“It’s a great privilege to join the team here at the Maneuver Center and Fort Benning undefined it’s exciting,” the new commanding general said. “You can’t help but draw energy from our Soldiers, our leaders and our great civilians who are really at the heart of developing our Army’s combat effectiveness for the fights of today and the fights of tomorrow.”

McMaster is the author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam, as well as articles on history and national security in various newspapers, magazines and professional journals.

He said his top priorities include maintaining the momentum begun by Brown on initiatives such as Brigade Combat Team 2020, “Squad: Foundation of the Decisive Force,” and the human dimension of combat as it relates to leader development and the cognitive domain.

“The potential here at Fort Benning is unbelievable. It’s already being realized based on the two schools collocating,” he said. “It all happens here. … This is the perfect place for our Army to bring all that combat experience together and institutionalize those changes to make us even better.

“We have to adapt faster than our enemies undefined the way to do that is to have a good bridge between our operating and deployed forces and our institutional Army. Fort Benning is where that bridge is the strongest. … It’s also one of those places that connects our Army to the American people. I’m just blown away by how great this community is.”

Brown, meanwhile, became the MCoE commander in November 2010. He was responsible for managing the historic Infantry-Armor consolidation here and ensuring all Base Realignment and Closure objectives were met by last September’s deadline.

Halverson lauded Brown’s energy, spirit and commitment to excellence.

“Bob is all about teamwork,” Halverson said. “In this whole transformation of bringing the Maneuver Center of Excellence together, he understood about the unique aspect of teams and what it’s all about, what each unique person brings to the thing. … It’s about forming this team that met the challenges of a nation at war and how we transform for 2020. You can feel the energy that he brought to this community because that is what a good commander brings. … He brought an unbelievable presence to Fort Benning.”

Brown said he was proud to be a part of that group undefined both at the Maneuver Center and in the Chattahoochee Valley. Before leading the audience in a rendition of God Bless America, the outgoing commander praised the selection of McMaster, saying he couldn’t have “handpicked” a more suitable successor.

“He’s a heckuva warrior and incredible scholar,” Brown said. “This is an amazing new command team

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta announced today that the President has made the following nomination:  Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Caravalho Jr. for appointment to the rank of major general. Caravalho is currently serving as commanding general, Northern Regional Medical Command, Fort Belvoir, Va.

WASHINGTON - Army leaders have begun to study the prospect of sending female soldiers to the service’s prestigious Ranger school - another step in the effort to broaden opportunities for women in the military.  Read more...

Related reading:

Combat jobs open to female soldiers this week (May 15)

Women in combat: Army to open 14K jobs, 6 MOSs (May 2)