Early colonial Rangers depended upon Native Americans to be their
teachers, copying the patterns of war practiced for millennia by North
American Indians. John Lovewell and John Gorham were two of the most
famous Rangers of the 18th century, whose father and grandfather had
served under Colonel Benjamin Church, the father of American ranging.
Major Robert Rogers gave his name to the group known as Rogers’ Rangers
of the French and Indian Wars, and created the first set of written
rules and orders for Rangers, known as Robert Rogers' 28 "Rules of
Ranging". This manual is still provided to all new Army Rangers upon
graduation from training, including George Spillmann. Knowlton’s
Rangers, organized by General George Washington to assist in gathering
intelligence for the American cause, is the originating group for modern
Military Intelligence. The Swamp Fox Francis Marion fought against the
British army in South Carolina, and is credited as a father of
guerrilla warfare. He, too, is proudly named in the group of early Army Rangers.
Today’s Army Rangers pledge never to fail their comrades, keeping themselves mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight. Today’s Ranger, like George Spillmann, sets an example for others to follow, and fights with all his might. And, today’s Ranger still pledges: “never to leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy…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.” The Army Rangers have earned collectively 6 Presidential Unit Citations, 9 Valorous Unit Awards, and 4 Meritorious Unit commendations.
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| George Spillmann |
Today’s Army Rangers pledge never to fail their comrades, keeping themselves mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight. Today’s Ranger, like George Spillmann, sets an example for others to follow, and fights with all his might. And, today’s Ranger still pledges: “never to leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy…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.” The Army Rangers have earned collectively 6 Presidential Unit Citations, 9 Valorous Unit Awards, and 4 Meritorious Unit commendations.
