The U.S. Army Ranger Creed is a set of principles and beliefs that guide and define what it means to be a ranger in the U.S. Army.
The ranger creed was first written in 1974 by CSM Neal R. Gentry; rangers often recited and memorized it as a symbol of their loyalty and commitment of rangers to their ranger buddies and unit.
The ranger creed is a way of life for the rangers; it guides their way of life and conducts while in the Army. Like the NCO creed, the ranger creed is always memorized and recited.
What are the Army Rangers Creed words?
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger, my country expects me to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight, and I will shoulder more than my share of the task, whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress, and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle, for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.
Rangers Creed: Personal Life Experience as an Army Ranger
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I’ll always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high spirit of the core of my ranger regiment.
This is the first stanza of the Ranger Creed, the motto of the 75th Ranger Regiment, a code that all rangers live by and one that I still strive to live by.
From your first day as a ranger, you’re expected to memorize it, but it takes time to take it to heart.
- What does it mean to volunteer?
- What does it mean to serve?
I didn’t know when I enlisted. But, honestly, I joined the Army out of boredom. Why not? I didn’t want to go to college. I wasn’t doing anything better, and I heard the food was pretty good. Trust me, I didn’t want to go through the hardship and endure all the toil you associate with when you consider joining the Army, but I felt I would be better.
Volunteering to become a Ranger
To be a ranger, you have to volunteer three times:
- First, you’ve got to volunteer to be in the Army.
- Second, you must volunteer as a paratrooper and go through airborne school.
- Third, you must volunteer for a ranger indoctrination program if you’re an enlisted soldier or RIP.
You could tell that some guys in RIP wanted to be there so they could impress people and tell people how cool they were. Unfortunately, these guys missed the boat. They didn’t make it through. Likewise, you will miss the boat if you want to be there for personal glorification.
Challenging oneself as a Ranger
You don’t know what you’re signing up for when volunteering to be a ranger. But you know it will suck and is intended to physically and mentally break you. It’s intended to weed out the weak. But that’s also why I volunteered. I wanted to know what was within me and how to respond to such a challenge.
You can live a comfortable life. You can never challenge yourself, but that’s not living, and you will never develop yourself fully. So how often do you challenge yourself, and what do you think your limits are? Acknowledging that a ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept that, as a ranger, my country expects me to move further, faster, and harder than any other soldier.
The first day in a Ranger Battalion
When you graduate, RIP; you can’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. All right, I made it. I’m a ranger now. And then, after about three seconds, you arrive in your new platoon, and they put you back in your place, and you’re wondering what the heck you just got yourself into again.
My first day in the ranger battalion is everybody’s first day in the ranger battalion. All six new guys were led into the laundry room, where they turned down all the dryers and turned on all the hot water sinks until it reached sauna temperature.
Then we alternated between different exercises until each muscle group failed, passed failure, and stopped just long enough to recite the stances of the created range. Then back to carrying your buddy up and down the stairs and more exercises. We even squeezed in some time for some medical training, giving I.V.s to each other to prevent heat stroke.
This is every day for your first few months. You’re asked to do impossible tasks and then punished for failing. It doesn’t seem fair, but you better get over it. Sorry. You better never even mention the word fair. Instead, focus on overcoming. Then, you can simulate the stress of combat in a training environment.
But if you can give your buddy an IV while your hand is shaking and you’re suffering from heat exhaustion yourself, that would be great. Someone’s screaming at you; you could be a valuable team member when bullets fly past your face.
Challenging oneself as an Army Ranger
It’s easy to gripe about how the task at hand is ridiculous. It seems unnecessary. You’ve done it a thousand times before, or you feel like you’re your team leader’s clown, just there for his entertainment.
And even though those things might seem true, just because you don’t understand the task’s meaning doesn’t mean there isn’t one. As teenagers, I’m sure you’ve felt this way. You are confident. You know everything. I’ve been there. For example, your homework, chores, and curfews may all seem pointless sometimes, but do you still try?
There may be a meaning that you’re not seeing. I will never fail my comrades. I’ll always be mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight. I will shoulder more than my share of the task, whatever it may be, at 100 percent and then some.
The importance of teamwork as an Army Ranger
Think of the Rangers as a team. Everybody depends on each other. As a Ranger, my biggest fear was never physical harm. It was letting down the person next to you that was the biggest fear.
Everything you do, your entire motivation, becomes the people around you. Hardship can expose our selfish tendencies. But when you volunteer to be a ranger, you have to put aside your wants and desires for the greater needs of the group.
It’s easy to volunteer when things benefit you, but will you still volunteer to go above and beyond your actual job when you’re tired, hurt, or when there’s no direct benefit to you? What about if you receive no credit for doing so? You can tell a lot about someone by who their friends are.
True friendship involves putting others before yourself. I can see that you’re hurting, range buddy. So please give me some of that ammunition to carry.
I have learned that the human relationships in our lives give our lives the greatest meaning. Who do you choose to surround yourself with? Which people you call friends would carry some of the weight if you asked them? Which of them would offer without your asking? And what if the decisions you made weren’t all about you? Generally, I will show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier.
What does being a leader in the Ranger Regiment mean?
My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress, and care of equipment shall set an example for others to follow. But, despite all this special training you’ve received, how does this fully prepare me for combat? It doesn’t, and it won’t. You’ll never feel quite ready.
I didn’t feel ready when it was time to go to Afghanistan. Before, I wanted to complain about how much training there was. Now I’m thinking, What was I thinking? Please give me more. And however unprepared I felt, I never feared for our safety. Instead, I trusted the leaders in my life to guide us and all of us to accomplish each mission safely.
So what does it mean to be a leader in the ranger regiment? It means, above all, leading by example. It means everyone is held to the same standards. Hypocrisy will get you no respect in the Rangers. It’s easy to do the right thing when it benefits you. The truth is, you always know right from wrong, and doing the right thing is not always easy, but it’s required if you want to be a ranger.
So what is leadership to you? And would you still do the right thing if no one was looking? Energetically, I will meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the battlefield, for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a ranger word.
I’ll never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy, and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country. In RIP, you spend a lot of time memorizing these words to memorize the range of creeds, but you need help to understand what it means to live the creed. But you arrive in a ranger battalion, and you will see people living and breathing this range of creed.
It guides their lives, and this helps them learn how to internalize it as well. The high moral standards of the rangers set them apart as much as their level of training. Living up to such high standards 24 hours a day can be challenging. Many good men who have made a single mistake find themselves leaving their beloved homes and saying hello to the regular Army.
Selflessness as an Army Ranger
Being a ranger is hard, but so is life. You have to earn the privilege of belonging every day as a ranger. And with every passing day, you learn to live by the creed. You’ll also have to make your way through life, failing all along the way. And if you want to be loved and respected, you’ll have to earn them from the people in your life.
There is a man who lost his leg below the knee and refused to quit and refused to leave the Army, making every effort he could to stay in. And he is still an army ranger to this day. So readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight under the ranger objective and complete the mission. However, I will be the lone survivor.
Life takes courage, and it doesn’t get easier once you become a sergeant, graduate, and become an adult; it gets harder. You will have more responsibility placed upon you. But, again, it takes courage to do the right thing.
And if you stand by your principles, you should know that you’ll probably be standing alone at some point. So let me leave you with this question. What creed do you live your life by? Are you aware of the principles that guide your life? Has this been something you’ve ever even thought about? So if you could pick a creed for the world to live by, what would it be? Thank you.
Rangers Creed Questions and Answers
The Army Ranger Creed is a set of guiding principles that embody the values and standards of the U.S. Army Rangers.
The Ranger motto is “Rangers lead the way!” which is the last line of the Ranger Creed.
Army Rangers may say a variety of things to each other depending on the situation and context. They can use military jargon, acronyms, or any specific commands to communicate effectively during operations.
While it is not required to memorize the Ranger Creed, it is encouraged and expected that Rangers understand and internalize its principles and values.
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