A Story of Valor & Fortitude
THE LOST RANGER IS THE STORY OF UNITED STATES ARMY STAFF SERGEANT HERBERT STANTON HULL IN THE 5TH RANGER INFANTRY BATTALION DURING WORLD WAR II.
The Lost Ranger: A Soldier's Story
The U.S. Army Ranger Creed states: “I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy.” What if the enemy is time? Staff Sergeant (S/Sgt) Herbert Hull was in the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion in World War II. He was wounded in France in 1944, and then he was physically lost to the unit with whom he had spilled blood in battle. He was lost administratively to the official records of the unit compiled through the war and beyond. He then tragically died as a young father of four and police officer ten years after the war. When he died, all detailed knowledge of his service died with him. He was lost to history for nearly seventy years, he became a lost Ranger. Take a journey to rediscover this lost veteran and learn about one of the most elite units of World War II.
The Lost Ranger: A Soldier’s Story goes beyond this single veteran. It is also about the infantry training required as a member of the 35th Infantry Division and how men became Rangers in the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion during World War II. It is a story of valor and fortitude. It is a complete analysis of the history of the battalion from 1943 until September 1944. This is the story of S/Sgt Hull’s service. He survived the bloody June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach. He was wounded by a landmine while assaulting a fort at Brest, France on September 2, 1944. The fighting was so severe that seventy-five percent of the unit became casualties where the collective memory of the unit was decimated. After lying on the battlefield for hours he was found by his fellow Rangers only to become lost.
After exhaustive research, collaboration with historians and authors in the United States and Europe, and through interviews with Ranger veterans and their families, this story details this specialized unit, where they went, what they did, and why they did it. This tells the story of one final mission for several of the remaining veterans of the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion to “not leave a fallen comrade behind”. More importantly, it examines how S/Sgt Hull was restored to history and brought home to a family who never really knew him. “Rangers Lead the Way!”
This book is a wonderful example of what an author can accomplish by good research. Starting with a short note from his mother, and his grandfather's discharge papers and uniform, through diligent research, Mehlo has produced a marvel of detail and a complete, thoroughly engrossing story. The book is a must for anyone interested in the World War II Rangers or D-Day, or in the training that Infantry units were exposed to in their development into the fighting units that won the war.
Major General (r) John C. Raaen, Jr.
Author of Intact: A First-Hand Account
of the D-Day Invasion From a 5th Rangers Company Commander
A remarkable work. Loaded with maps, photographs and detail. This book is a treasure of information, a tribute to a man, an elite American fighting force and a precious gift to American Military History. For those who want to learn how it was for brave Rangers in World War II, the answer is here.
Colonel (r) Robert W. Black
Author of "The Battalion, The Ranger Force. Ranger Dawn and other works"
It was a great honor and privilege to collaborate with Noel in creating this important piece of American History. It gave me the opportunity to provide a first hand account of the lives, struggles, hardships, and victories those in the US Army Rangers experienced. This book documents the life of a hero who was never recognized for his deeds until recently; a man I was proudly able to call comrade and friend.
Randall Ching
5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, veteran
