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 ; Spc. Jonn J. Edmunds and Pfc. Kristofer T. Stonesifer were the first combat casualties in the War on Terror when their MH-60L helicopter crashed at Objective Honda in Pakistan , a temporary staging site used by a company of Rangers from 3rd Battalion . During the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001 , a CIA Jawbreaker team ( small group of CIA SAD ground branch operators ) requested that the 3rd Battalion , 75th Ranger Regiment be inserted into the mountains to establish blocking positions along potential escape routes out of Tora Bora into Pakistan . They would serve as the ' anvil ' whilst Green Berets with the AMF ( Afghan Militia Forces ) would be the ' Hammer , ' with attached Air Force Combat Controllers , the Rangers could direct airstrikes onto enemy concentrations or engage them in ambushes , but this was denied
terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001
September 11 attacks
3rd Ranger Battalion