Photography by John Michael

"Preserving the memories so others will remember"™

De Oppresso Liber…

A few weeks ago, I was whisked down to Fort Bragg for a ceremony that is rare and another that occurs several times a year. It always invigorates me when I see these events to know that there are soldiers who are ready, willing and able to defend the freedoms that many in the United States take for granted.

Most of us are too busy trying to figure out what movie we’re going to see, where we’re going to have dinner or planning that vacation. Too few are aware of the sacrifice and dedication of those who have volunteered to abide by a simple creed of “DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY” that in 1962 General Douglas MacArthur included in his speech delivered at West Point, NY at the US Military Academy.

There are also misconceptions and misperceptions that abound out there and frankly, until I was informed and educated by my core advisory / mentor group (which continues to grow mind you.) I truly had some similar ideas about how the military does things and protects our freedoms. Those ideas have been put aside as I became more knowledgeable and spent many hours with the soldiers understanding just what they go through on a day-to-day basis, while probing and tapping into my network.

Recently, I was asked to join a group ’cause it’s “less intense than Special Forces” which prompted this focus. I sensed that the person suggesting that I join didn’t really understand what the US Army Special Forces is all about. Yes, they are soldiers who will take up arms and eliminate threats. BUT and there’s a DIFFERENCE – A BIG DIFFERENCE!

They are not the “commandos” that many people think they are. Yes they have special skills that are imparted and honed, which is why they are “SPECIAL FORCES” – these may include additional language skills, medical training, psychological skills, etc. for their mission is “To Free the Oppressed” = De Oppresso Liber. NOT through force, but by working with the people and winning their acceptance to help them help themselves. The SF are “force multipliers” teams of 5 or up to 10 may be inserted in to initiate and successfully complete this “unconventional warfare” = Teaching the people how to defend themselves from oppression. Transferring the skills that the SF soldier spends weeks and weeks aquiring and learning to utilize -honing them over the years.

The SF motto, from what I have researched is drawn from a quote by St. Augustine’s Confessions which includes:

“The turbulent have to be corrected,
The faint-hearted cheered up,
The weak supported;
The Gospel’s opponents need to be refuted,
Its insidious enemies guarded against;
The unlearned need to be taught,
The indolent stirred up,
The argumentative checked;
The proud must be put in their place,
The desperate set on their feet,
Those engaged in quarrels reconciled;
The needy have to be helped,
The oppressed to be liberated,
The good to be encouraged,
The bad to be tolerated;
All must be loved,”

And this is what they do … Not Commandos, but Special Forces. Just like President John F. Kennedy’s reaction to the display of their skills on 12 OCT 1961 “They truly are Special…”