The Lrrps (Pronounced Lurps) were formed early in the war as officers needed them for their particular line unit,  to survey the immediate areas of the bases and collect information on enemy movement numbers and which units within that area.  They were basically line infantry or grunts sent out in small teams of 5-6 men in a light team or 5-12 men in a heavy team for 4-5 day reconnaissance missions.  All men in the Lrrps were volunteers,  Each man needed to carry enough food, water and ammunition for the mission as there would be no re-supply once out.  The basic essentials weighted up to 80-100 pounds which is what each man would be expected to carry out with him.  Over the next couple of years this was refined, teams went out in 4-6 man teams and each man was cross-trained in every other team members job, i.e. team leader was not normally the highest ranking individual in the team as men filled in due to losses or men finishing tours, plus if any important member was lost i.e. radio-men or team leader any other member of the team could take over without losses to the unit cohesion.  As men went into missions they were constantly assessed and those with leadership potential were sent to Nha Trang for Recondo training in advanced guerrilla warfare tactics.  In 1967 the recon units were given the lineage of Rogers Rangers and in 1969 this changed again and they were given the linage of Merril’s Marauders or 75^th Infantry and each unit was then changed to a particular company and attached to a Line Infantry Unit and were there after officially known as Rangers until they all left in 1972.   H Company 75^th Infantry was formally known as E Company 52^nd Infantry attached to the Air Cavalry Division & who originally started in An Khe until it moved to camp Evans in I Corp and in 1969 moved down to Phuoc Vinh in III Corp around Saigon.   The Recon units didn’t just perform recon missions they often multi tasked and went on Hunter Killer missions to specifically ambush the VC/NVA in their own territory.  They also went on rescue missions to retrieve downed pilots and helicopter crews and even other squads if they got into trouble by providing their own reaction force as sometimes the Line Infantry couldn’t provide a quick enough reaction.   Another mission was bomb damaged assessment after the large Arc Light missions or B52 bombing missions to see what results had been achieved if any.  But mainly the mission was Recon which involved sneaking around the jungle checking trails finding caches of rice and weapons.  The art was to not to be seen and to not give the enemy any indication that they had been in the area at all.  i.e. covering your own tracks, taking all rubbish out with you.  Generally the idea was you never sought action, if you could you avoided it at all times because the team was often out numbered and out gunned.  Lurps were the EYES and EARS of the division.

First it was just LRRP (experimental) then Hq, 1st Cav Div LRRP, then Co E 52nd Infantry & On the 1^st of February 1969, Company E, 52^nd Infantry (LRP), ceased to exist, and like the mythical phoenix rising out of the ashes, Company H (Ranger), 75^th Infantry (Airborne), was born.  Ranger companies C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O and P were signed to brigade, divisional, and field force Lurp companies serving in Vietnam.  Company E 52^d Infantry  (LRP), was to be deactivated and immediately replaced by newly activated H Company, 75^th Infantry (Ranger), which would be attached to the 1^st Cav Division.  The official headgear of the 75^th Rangers was the Black Beret which indicated that the company was a special unit.  A red, white and black scroll was approved for wear as a combat patch with the words Airborne and Ranger taking the centre of the scroll while the company designation and 75^th Infantry formed the two ends of the insignia.

The H-75th scroll is the only Ranger unit scroll with the word "ranger" above the word "airborne".  Mike Brennan designed it, the reason being that all of the men serving in the unit were rangers, maybe not stateside tab rangers, but rangers never the less, but all of the men were not airborne qualified, thus "ranger" goes over "airborne"