The Original Airborne Rangers: The Legend of "The Buffalo Rangers"

FORT MOORE, GA, UNITED STATES

02.29.2024

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Jorden Weir  

The 75th Ranger Regiment

Before the Ranger Creed existed …

Before the first Ranger Charter was ever thought of …

There existed Rangers: Rough men who stood up when their country needed them, who volunteered for the most dangerous missions, and who met their enemies eagerly and with ill-intent.

This is the story of one such group of men, the legendary Buffalo Rangers, the U.S. Army's first and only all-black Ranger Company.

“These gentlemen led the way,” said Capt. Tyree Meadows, a Ranger with the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Military Intelligence Battalion, “Not only for integration for the Ranger Regiment, but also for the Army.”

2nd Ranger Company was only activated for 11 months, from 1950-1951, yet from their first combat action near Tanyang in early January 1951 to the first airborne operation in Ranger History, Operation TOMAHAWK, the effects of their audacity, valor, and heroism in the midst of hellish wartime conditions have rippled across the years and played a pivotal role in shaping the identity of the 75th Ranger Regiment for all time.

“These were some hard dudes,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Moore, an operations NCO with the 75th Ranger Regiment. “Take their skin color out of the equation, and what they did is still the kind of stuff they’d make movies about."

After rigorous training at Fort Benning, Ga., in Dec. 1950, the second of four newly created Ranger Infantry companies boarded a train to San Francisco, enroute to war. It was on this train that they adopted the nickname "Buffaloes," after a city-born Ranger's misidentification of longhorn steers as buffalo.

It ended up being an apt nickname.

“They were dark-skinned, they had curly hair," said Maj. Brian Davis, a Ranger with the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Military Intelligence Battalion, “But not only that, think of the characteristics of a buffalo. They were tough, and they were always willing to fight.”

The Buffalo Rangers entered the fight on Dec. 29, 1950, joining the 32nd Infantry Regiment’s defensive line near Tanyang. It was here that they lived up to their namesake.

Facing frostbite, combat losses, and being vastly underequipped, the Rangers pressed on with fury, uncompromising determination, and a relentless refusal to be defeated by any challenge.

For Moore, it is an iron-clad testament to the Ranger Identity, believing that the Buffalo Rangers carried the idea that, “I will not quit. Period. I'm just not going to quit. That's not us. That's just not in our DNA. That’s not our culture. That’s not the cloth we're cut from. It does not matter."
He went to say, "They could have just laid down and said, ‘hey man, I'm done. My feet are bleeding … I'm frostbit. We don’t know when a resupply is coming. We don't even have cold weather gear. Let’s just give up’ … but they didn't.”

The Battles of Changnim-ni, Tanyang, Andong, and Majori-ri continued to test their resolve time and again, reducing the Buffaloes to 63 combat-effective Rangers by the end of January 1951.

But time and again, the men of 2nd Ranger Company proved that no wartime challenge was stronger than they were.

“It’s our culture,” said Moore. “Against all odds, give me what you need to give me, bare minimum, and Ranger is gonna find a way!”

The pinnacle of their valor came during Operation TOMAHAWK.

The objective was simple, to parachute in and seize an area deep in enemy territory near Munsan-ni.

Like most wartime operations go, it was far easier said than done.

But difficulty and danger aside, they jumped.

Into battle. And into history, becoming the first Rangers ever to jump into combat.

TOMAHAWK saw 2nd Ranger Company as the lead element with 187th Regimental Combat Team “Rakkasans” behind them, and 4th Rangers in trail on that day, going into Munsan-ni. Despite the dangerous combat jump and the subsequent battle for ground, the Rangers' valor shone though, contributing to the success of the mission.

“One Buffalo Ranger, 1st Sgt. Lawrence West, was a maniac during Operation TOMAHAWK,” said Timothy McCoy, a historian for the 2nd Ranger Company. “[After landing on the ground] West went hunting for enemy soldiers all by himself, until the company reassembled.”

Their encounters with the enemy, capture of prisoners, and coordination with other units underscored their demand in the broader conflict. Their commitment to duty and their fellow soldiers during battles in Korea reflects a legacy befitting of the Ranger name and lineage.

“They were the original Airborne Rangers,” said Lt. Col. Ross Daly, the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Operations Officer.

But even though they had set a higher standard of combat excellence for future Rangers to follow, for the men of 2nd Ranger Company, the most important mission was always the next one.

With Munsan-ni behind them, the Buffalo Rangers went about their business. Namely, the business of patrolling, of seeking out, engaging with, and destroying the enemy.

And business was good.

Following TOMAHAWK, the 2nd Rangers linked up with the 1st Cavalry Division and provided security for Task Force GROWDEN. They faced tough terrain and fierce resistance, exemplified by the audacious assault on Hill 581.

Hill 581, a pivotal battleground during the Korean War, witnessed a dramatic chapter in the valorous history of the 2nd Ranger Company. In the spring of 1951, they were tasked with securing the strategic vantage point overlooking the Korean landscape. The terrain was rugged, and the enemy, deeply entrenched, presented a formidable opposition.

Prior to news of the operation, four Ranger officers and 11 enlisted men had gone to Japan for R&R, leaving the available strength of the company down to 3 officers and about eighty enlisted Rangers. Without support from a heavy weapons company or a forward observer, The Rangers formed into two platoons, a mortar squad, and the command section.

The ascent of Hill 581 was met with intense enemy fire. The Rangers maneuvered through the difficult terrain, showcasing exceptional skill and tactical prowess. They faced a reinforced battalion of regular Chinese troops. Using artillery to keep the Chinese from overrunning their positions, they fought hard and held their ground until the company became low on ammunition and grenades, and eventually had to withdraw from the hilltop.

The withdraw was only temporary, however, as Jim Queen, a Ranger with 2nd Ranger Company, recalled the location of additional ammunition that they, themselves, had buried two weeks earlier on that very hill, reportedly knowing that they’d eventually be back at some point.

The Rangers re-armed and then went right back up to reclaim the hilltop.

“They took the Hill again,” said Sgt. Zechariah Horn, 75th Ranger Regimental Intelligence NCO. “The Chinese tried to counterattack again, [and] the 2nd Ranger company had to call artillery on their own position because there were so many enemies. But through Ranger grit, they held their ground.”

The successful capture of Hill 581 demonstrated the indomitable spirit of the 2nd Ranger Company, building a foundation for what would become the Ranger Creed.

“I feel like their actions helped enable what words are in the Ranger Creed today,” said Daly. “You know, they volunteered for a dangerous and hazardous mission. They knew that they had to be better than the Soldiers to their left and right.”

It remains etched in history as a testament to the extraordinary bravery and skill exhibited by the 2nd Ranger Company during the Korean War. Their triumph further solidified their legacy as an elite force capable of overcoming daunting odds in the pursuit of victory.

Eventually transitioning to a role in training black replacements, the 2nd Rangers provided essential instruction to fill the gaps in basic soldiering skills. By late April 1951, they concluded their combat operations in Korea.

For Meadows, the actions of 2nd Ranger Company during their short existence were a major pivot-point, one that he credits for his career.

“I think [the Buffalo Rangers] set the foundation for leaders like me,” said Meadows. “I think of myself in that same legacy today. If it wasn’t for their sacrifices, for what they did … It’s not lost on me, being a black infantry officer in the Ranger Regiment, that without them I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

The 75th Ranger Regiment has a motto.

It represents the Ranger way of life as both a proud declaration of intent and a solemn responsibility to the Army and the nation.

As it was in WWII, and as it remains to this day, so too was it during one short year in Korea for the Buffalo Rangers, the original Airborne Rangers.

Rangers Lead The Way.

• Date Taken: 02.29.2024
• Date Posted: 02.29.2024 18:19
• Story ID: 465045
• Location: FORT MOORE, GA, US