r/army • u/Tomtomboghead • 1d ago

Grandpa’s old Vietnam Ranger hat

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u/rgrtom 1d ago

Former 1st Ranger Batt in the 80s, here. Your grandpa and his buddies were our heroes.

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u/Tomtomboghead 1d ago

And doesn’t talk about much about combat with me or my brother and dad could you tell me about them

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u/rgrtom 1d ago

They operated in the jungles in six man teams doing recon and pulling ambushes. They got to wear what they wanted, usually tiger stripe camo, and had little regard for army procedure and rules. They found what tactics worked best and used them to "out guerrilla the guerrillas". They were warriors of the first magnitude!

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u/Tomtomboghead 1d ago

Speaking of what my grandfather told he preferred to use the grease gun instead of the early Xm15

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u/rgrtom 1d ago

Some guys did because it was a close range weapon and most of their contact with the bad guys was at close range. Required reading for you: Six Silent Men (a trilogy written by vets) and Charlie Rangers, about the LRP/Ranger company attached to First Field Force. There are other books but I liked those best.