Ranger Regiment: Operation Urgent Fury

Hello again, 36 years ago today, the United States launched Operation Urgent Fury, the American Invasion of Grenada to secure around 600 American Medical Student. This is not a background on the why it occurred. This is just a BRIEF overview of the actions of the 75th Ranger Regiment on D-Day, October 25, 1984.

The overview. Note the date, it is not when it actually happened, but is incredibly significant for another reason: The Bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut. It was a unrelated event.

At the time of the invasion 75th Ranger Regiment was smaller than it is today, consisting of only 1st Battalion (out of Savannah) and 2nd Battalion (stationed in Seattle).

The first and primary target of the Rangers was the capture of the Point Salines International Airport. This would allow for follow on operations, resupply, and additional troops to be landed. Once the airfield was taken, the Rangers would regroup and push to attack the Grenadian army base of Camp Calivigny, while simultaneously pushing forward to the True Blue Campus to secure the Americans there.

The airfield at Point Salines, the target of the Rangers

The plan called for about 350 men of the 1st Battalion in six MC-130 Combat Talon aircraft of the Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing to make an assault landing on the airstrip. Then 2nd Battalion would secure the eastern half of the airfield and regroup to make an overland attack to secure Camp Calivigny, less than eight miles to the east.

This would not be the case. Intelligence reported that local forces had created obstructions on the airfield, prohibiting landing of the aircraft. The Rangers then had to hastily rig their parachutes and set their equipment up for a combat jump. The first Rangers lept from their aircraft at 0531.

They were met with heavy ground fire from ZU-23 Anti Aircraft guns. Don't worry though, because they jumped from a height of 500 feet AGL. From exiting the plane to hitting the ground, the Rangers would only be in the air for 10 to 15 seconds, limiting their exposure to enemy fire. Due to the low height of the jump, most Rangers did not even bother to wear a reserve chute, as by the time it would take to realize you needed it, deploy it, and it caught the air, you'd be a puddle on the ground.

37 Rangers and 3 Air Force CCTs, after falling about one and a half Football fields, were on the ground alone and surrounded by local forces. They fought for 17 minutes until the next pass unloaded more Rangers. Unfortunately, the Rangers would be making the next jumps in early morning light, visible to anyone who would want to take a shot at them.

MC-130 Combat Talon during a daylight pass over Point Salines

It took close to 90 minutes for all the Rangers to hit the ground. Not a single Ranger was killed in the air, however, one did break his leg from the fall. The Rangers cleared the airfield of obstructions, knocking out Anti Aircraft guns, and eliminating resistance. Rangers even hot wired/stole Cuban Bulldozers to clear obstructions, as well as using them as cover to advance across the open terrain (Yes, this is where they got the idea for the Clint Eastwood movie Heartbreak Hill)

A modern Ranger keeping his feet and knees together, pulling a rearward slip, looking towards the horizon. Hes about to hit the ground.

The Rangers did take losses. Sometime during the initial 20 minutes of fighting, Ranger Mark Yamane halted a flatbed truck as it moved down the runway, taking two Cubans prisoner. Local forces then focused their fire on the truck, which Yamane used for cover. He went into the prone, laying down scunion with his M60 machine gun. A Cuban bullet ricocheted off the tarmac, hitting Yamane in the face and killing him. The Rangers, enraged by the loss of their comrade, fought on.

By 1000 hours local, the airfield was clear and open for American business. C-141 Starliners started landing to offload additional troops. Part of the equipment offloaded were gun jeeps, which were used to scout and get forces quickly to True Blue. It was during this attempt that one jeep, Juliet-5, was ambushed. Rangers Randy Cline, Mark Rademacher, Russell Robinson, and Marlin Maynard were killed during the ambush, but not before eliminating a large majority of the ambushing force.

By the end of the day, the Airfield was secured, as was True Blue. Delta Force, in conjunction with the Rangers, carried out helicopter assaults on Fort Rupert and Richmond Hill Prison. Rangers also secured a previously unknown camps in hasty but well executed raids.

On the third day of the Operation, Oct. 27th, the Rangers staged a helicopter assault on the Calivigny base, but found the defenders had fled, most likely saving their own lives. Tragically, a helicopter collision and crash killed three Rangers. They are SPC Grenier, SGT Lannon and SGT Slater. Four other Rangers were badly injured.

The Airborne Rangers in the Sky from Operation Urgent Fury

1/75 - SGT Cline, Randy Eugene - Cloverdale/Belle Union, Indiana - Killed During The Ambush on Juliet-5

• 1/75 - PFC Maynard, Marlin Roy - Altus, Arkansas - Killed During The Ambush on Juliet-5

• 1/75 - SGT Rademacher, Mark Anthony - Aurora, New York - Killed During The Ambush on Juliet-5

• 1/75 - PFC Robinson, Russell Lee - Harpers Ferry, Iowa - Killed During The Ambush on Juliet-5

• 1/75 - SPC Yamane, Mark Okamura - Seattle, Washington - Killed in Initial Assault on Point Salinas

• 2/75 - SPC Grenier, Philip Sebastian - Worcester, Massachusetts - Killed in Helicopter Crash near Calivigny

• 2/75 - SGT Lannon, Kevin Joseph - Dayton, Ohio - Killed in Helicopter Crash near Calivigny
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• 2/75 - SGT Slater, Stephen Eric - Lacey, Washington - Killed in Helicopter Crash near Calivigny

RLTW!