INJURIES AND ILLNESSES INCURRED BY AN ARMY RANGER UNIT DURING OPERATION-JUST-CAUSE

Detailed knowledge of anticipated casualties is essential for the medi cal officer preparing to support a mission. To accurately describe the injuries inflicted upon the 2/75th Ranger Battalion involved in Opera tion Just Cause, 471 (75.5%) Rangers were personally interviewed, The average Ranger was 23 years old, an E-4 with 3 years of active duty se rvice, and in a good to excellent fitness category, The majority went into battle with little sleep or food, Injuries forced 9.5% out of com bat, and limited another 9.9%, The overall unit casualty rate was 35%, with 217 Rangers suffering 281 injuries. Most of the injuries were mu sculoskeletal (sprains) and non-surgical, with 90% occurring during th e insertion. The lower extremity, particularly the ankle, was the most frequently injured area, It is hoped that this study will assist thos e who are planning to support future, similar nighttime parachute oper ations.