In 1983, Army Rangers were in Grenada on a mission when they attacked a Cuban airfield. The Rangers and the engineers began fighting, which led to an interesting chain of events.

Operation Urgent Fury

The United States sent troops to Grenada when a coup threatened American lives. In total, 2,000 troops were sent by President Ronald Reagan. The Ranger's mission was to take the airfield at Point Salines.

However, things didn't quite go according to plan. First, there weren't enough aircraft for all the Rangers to jump. Then while they were in the air, plans changed.

Air-land became an option, so the commander had the Rangers take off their parachutes. But, about 20 minutes from the landing site, they learned that plan was unsafe.

They hurried back into their chutes and into a situation where they needed to jump without anyone inspecting their gear. The jumps were taken at 500 feet from the ground, making the fall only 17 seconds.

The jump was a success, and they went right into battle. The airfield not only had Grenadian troops but 500 Cuban engineers. The engineers fired upon the Rangers.

Resourceful Rangers

The 1st and 2nd battalions, 75th Ranger Regiment, were fighting on the ground when they saw a few bulldozers. A couple of the Rangers were adept at hotwiring, so they started them up.

The Rangers used the bulldozers as cover to move on the Cuban engineers and Grenadian troops. The Rangers captured the airfield in one day, and 100 Cubans and 150 defenders surrendered.

That evening a counterattack was launched, but it did not work. Nevertheless, the Rangers completed their mission, successfully capturing Point Salines.

The Ranger lost five soldiers in the battle, and six were injured. Rangers of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment also were lost when in an attack on a prison holding political prisoners.