If he was lying, then he would have fooled me. I always thought Airborne Rangers were special forces. If Airborne Rangers aren't special forces, then who are?
It's actually somewhat complicated, and depends alot on the unit of assignment.
Any Soldier can attend the US Army Ranger School, which is basically an advanced infantry course. For some career fields, such as infantry, it is almost a prerequisite for advancement. Those who graduate from Ranger School earn the right to wear the Ranger tab, designating their successful completion of a course that, even if you finish all tasks, you can still fail if your peers wouldn't want to work with you (aka being peered out). These so-called "tabbed" Soldiers are able to be assigned anywhere in the Army, from the 82nd Airborne to 1st Armor Division. Frequently, they are also graduates of the US Army Basic Airborne Course, which would make them Airborne Rangers. These Soldiers are NOT part of US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), and are not considered to be Special Operations.
There is also the 75th Ranger Regiment, which is assigned to USASOC, and therefore technically are Special Operations. Not all members of this unit are "tabbed", but they are all Airborne qualified and are referred to as Rangers by other members of the Regiment, as in Ranger Smith vs Private Smith.
What the VA Secretary claimed was that he was part of USASOC, when in fact he was tabbed and in the 82nd. The 82nd, while Airborne qualified, is part of Forces Command, not USASOC. It is a highly technical distinction that means worlds to vets. It is also why I will say "I'm a jumpmaster in the 82nd Airborne, and I know people in Special Forces." I will not claim to be SF myself.
