Rangers lead the way in deeds done.

This thought crossed my mind last Monday - D-Day in 1945 - as I stood in from the headquarters building of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment earlier this week and listened to five Rangers talk about their recent ascent of Mount McKinley.

These elite Soldiers - Staff Sgt. Ray Davis, Staff Sgt. Keith Pierce, Sgt. Kyle Cresto, Staff Sgt. Austin McCall and Staff Sgt. Joseph Lachnit III - successfully summited McKinley to honor the memory of 11 fellow Rangers who have fallen during Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.

"The men we've lost must be remembered, and if climbing Denali will bring attention to what they gave for their country," Lachnit said.

The highest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet, Mount McKinley is also known by its Athabascan name, Denali, or "The Great One."

Dubbed the "Climb For The Fallen," the five Rangers - better known as Team Ranger - made their climb in time to honor their fallen comrades on Memorial Day.

"We climbed to honor these 11 Rangers, to showcase what we can do and to inspire future generations of Rangers," Lachnit explained.

Team Ranger succeeded.

At McKinley's summit, the five Rangers planted a 2/75 banner bearing the nametags of the 11 heroes.

"We were not coming down until we got there," Pierce commented quietly.

"We did this for the right reasons; to honor those who have fallen."

For one Ranger, the climb had an extra meaning.

"My dear friend and brother, Sgt. Joel Clarkson, was killed in Afghanistan," Ray said.

To honor him, Ray wore Clarkson's dog tags to the summit and left them there before descending.

"I climb for him and every Ranger of the past."

This was no sport climb.

All five team members have climbing experience and had worked hard since early in the year to prepare for the climb.

Lachnit noted they had trained on Mount Rainier but that Mount McKinley was a lot bigger and colder.

During their ascent, temperatures plunged to 20 below zero with high winds.

Near the 17,000-foot mark, the team helped in the rescue of two other climbers from another, four man team.  Two other climbers had already died.

As the Rangers recounted the rescue of the other team's climbers, I was reminded of the Rangers who had scaled the 150-foot cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and saved the lives of thousands of American and allied Soldiers during the hard fight against crack German units on the shores of Normandy, France 65 years ago last Monday.

"It felt good to be there, to reach the summit, to honor the Rangers whose names are on the banner," Pierce recalled.

The past and the present coalesced - Rangers have led and continue to lead the way in deeds done.