Army Rangers sought to help launch Las Vegas nonprofit chapter

Calling all Army Rangers.

Now is your chance to live by your motto and “lead the way.”

Two Ranger veterans, Jerry Hocking and John B. Alexander, want you to be the first to step forward and help them form a Las Vegas area base, or chapter, for the national nonprofit U.S. Army Ranger Association.

While they are both members of the local Special Forces Association Chapter 51, they believe there are hundreds of Ranger veterans in Southern Nevada who have earned the gold-and-black uniform “Ranger” tab who can help them establish a “base” to set a course for missions in the Las Vegas community.

The national group’s objectives include preserving the heritage and spirit of Rangers, past, present and future; fostering camaraderie among those who have earned the title; and preserving and protecting Ranger history.

Hocking said local Ranger bases typically are named after a deceased Ranger such as a qualified Army Ranger who lived in the Las Vegas Valley or Nevada.

Each base elects a president and vice president from its membership and will be chartered by the national association, which holds an annual convention.

He said Las Vegas’ Ranger base will determine its monthly meeting frequency and place by vote of its members, who also will decide business matters.

The idea is to enhance “the camaraderie of a shared past,” Hocking said.

“The base will be the contact point for local events such as parades, national holiday participation and a presence at Ranger funerals,” he said.

Those interested in forming a local base should contact Alexander at 702-255-7177 or by email, nonlethal2@aol.com.

Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2.