The
United States Army Rangers are an elite
military formation of the
United States Army, that serve in designated U.S. Army Ranger units or are graduates from the
U.S. Army Ranger School. The term
ranger has been in use unofficially in a military context since the early 17th century. The first military company officially commissioned as rangers were English soldiers fighting in
King Philip's War (1676) and from there the term came into common official use in the
French and Indian Wars. There have been American military companies officially called
Rangers since the
American Revolution.