English: Seated are representatives of the 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), the first and only all-black Ranger unit in the history of the United States Army. (seated l to r--Donald Allen, Paul Lyles, Richard Briscoe, standing l to r--Eugene Coleman, Winston Jackson and Herculano Dias. Nearly sixty years have passed since the Korean War slipped into the realm of history and now here we share an important untold story of the Korean War. The 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) was the first and only all-black Ranger unit in the history of the United States Army. Its 10-month lifespan included selection, training, and seven months of combat deployment in Korea, after which the unit was deactivated. This elite, all-volunteer unit, were drawn from the 3rd Battalion of the 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment and the 80th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Battalion. After experiencing the normal travails of boot camp at Fort Benning, which segregation and racism only made worse, the all-black Rangers set out to join the Korean War in late 1950. On January 7, 1951, the Rangers found themselves defending a critical railroad running through Tanyang Pass, which Communist guerillas tried to infiltrate. The nighttime action triggered the Rangers' inaugural combat. Additional combats with the North Korean and Communist Chinese forces erupted near Majori-ri and Chechon. But the event that propelled the 2nd Rangers into the record books was their airborne assault near Munsan-Ni on March 23, 1951-the first in Ranger history. Once on the ground, they executed an heroic attack and defense of Hill 581. The fighting-often conducted at close quarters and occasionally with the bayonet-demonstrated the courage of these tough American Soldiers. Throughout their deployment in Korea, the 2nd Rangers served with honor and achieved a magnificent combat record.