World War II era 3rd Ranger Battalion heritage. The unit was then redesignated from 3rd Battalion, 75th Infantry Regiment 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Reformation as the 75th Ranger Regiment On 20 December 1989, the 75th Ranger Regiment was committed to Operation Just Cause, in Panama. Along with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Companies A and B of the 3rd Battalion conducted an airfield seizure of the Rio Hato Airfield, and Company C participated along with the 1st Ranger Battalion to seize the airfield at Torrijos/ Tocumen Airport, and subsequent combat operations contributed significantly to the United States victory in Panama. Deployment to Somalia In August 1993, elements of Company B of the 3rd Ranger Battalion and the battalion headquarters deployed to Somalia as part of Task Force Ranger. On 3 October 1993, exactly nine years from the activation of the battalion, they performed a daring daylight assault which became a protracted gunfight with hundreds of Somali militia. By the end of the battle, two Black Hawk helicopters had crashed within the city and the force was extracted under heavy fire with assistance from units of the American QRF, Malaysian Army, and Pakistani Army. American forces suffered 19 KIA, 5 MIA (later confirmed KIA and included in the 19 KIA listed), and one 160th SOAR pilot captured as a POW (who was released several weeks later). Though the force achieved its objectives in capturing high value targets and inflicted enormous casualties on the enemy (estimates ranged from 500-1,000+ killed and thousands injured), the political backlash was too great and caused their withdrawal from Somalia. War on Terror Spearhead and raid in Objective Rhino After the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the 3rd Ranger Battalion deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. On 19 October 2001, during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, 200 Rangers of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment spearheaded ground forces by conducting an airborne assault to seize Objective Rhino. The Rangers parachuted onto the airstrip from 4 Air Force Special Operations MC-130 Combat Talon Aircraft from 800 feet above ground level Before the Rangers landed, American bombers and AC-130 Gunships bombarded the airstrip reportedly killing 11 Taliban fighters and 9 Taliban fighters escaped. After the Rangers landed, a single remaining Taliban guard appeared but was shot and killed by several Rangers. The Rangers established blocking positions. Other Rangers cleared a compound opening locked steel doors with