It was US Army, Major General Robert A. McClure’s vision to create the Special Forces which resurected the WW II organization the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) that with their behind the scenes work helped to win the war. Lietenant Colonel Russell W. Volckmann built the plan for the Special Forces and Colonel Aaron Bank executed it.
The first Special Forces unit in the Army was formed on 11 June 1952, when the 10th Special Forces Group was activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. A major expansion of Special Forces occurred during the 1960s, with a total of eighteen groups organized in the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard. As a result of renewed emphasis on special operations in the 1980s, the Special Forces Branch was established as a basic branch of the Army effective 9 April 1987, by General Orders No 35 dated 19 June 1987.
Known to many as “The Silent Professionals,” over the years the Special Forces evolved to becoming the premier force of the US military
GHTime Code(s): nc nc nc Posted 11 months, 2 weeks ago at 6:29 am. Add a comment
We lost another hero on 05 APR 2012 – He was a true patriot and one of the elite – The US Army’s Special Forces. I can’t really recall the first time I met Jack, but he was always glad to see me and thanked me for what I was doing for the Special Forces and for the US Army.
The true surprise came a few years ago in the US Mail – it was from the Freedom Team Salute – I was surprised to receive it. When I opened and read the letter it began:
” Dear John Michael.
CSM Jack Bonner has nominated you for the Freedom Team Salute for your support and promotion of the US Army… “
The next time I saw Jack, I asked him why he nominated me… He replied “Why are you doing what you’re doing for the Special Forces and the US Army?” I told him I believed in the value of what the Special Forces and US Army has done and continues to do for the US and the free world. – Jack said, “That’s reason enough to nominate you…”
Enclosed was an Army Star lapel pin along with a decal … I proudly wear the pin as a reminder of the man who thought enough to honor me. It was great to know him.
I wear the pin proudly. Jack, I ‘ll miss you … Thank you for your service! Thank you for your friendship.
GHTime Code(s): nc Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 3:14 am. Add a comment
It WAS October 12, 1961 when a visit by then President John F. Kennedy to Fort Bragg, North Carolina that would turn the tide and raise the awareness of these elite Soldiers of the US Army and award them officially their badge of honor – “The Green Beret”
Continue Reading…
GHTime Code(s): nc nc nc nc Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 7:12 am. Add a comment
Written by someone who has been there, the following is a “guest” posting from a dear friend:
During the past decade since the attacks of September 11, 2001, we have been a nation at war. In Afghanistan, our enemy has been the Taliban, Al Qaida and countless foreign fighters whose only goal has been to kill Americans, in great numbers.
It has–and continues to be–a long war. Against an amorphous, enduring enemy.
The centerpiece of that war has been a single, elusive icon of terror who personally directed the mass killings of innocent people around the world.
From the first day, we fought back. And we continue to fight.
We have lost friends, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers. We have heard the sound of Taps echo and linger in the distance. Many courageous men and women have returned with grievous wounds—sometimes invisible to the naked eye.
Despite the many obstacles, dangers and threats, we continue to fight.
In a long war, the sacrifice is often spread across generations.
Many of those operators who raided that compound 30 miles outside Islamabad were likely too young to drive when the 9/11 attacks occurred.
And yet, these volunteers most certainly remembered that fateful day, and were thinking about it as they were being transported into Pakistan via Special Operations helicopters in the dead of night. The images were likely decisive in their decision to take their oath– to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Fueled by adrenalin, a healthy dose of fear, and a supreme confidence in their equipment and training, warriors like these know well that things can and likely will go wrong. That’s why they rehearse. Whether they are on their target or supporting from afar, it’s why they look after one another, and will never leave a fallen comrade behind.
They are the best living definition of a team. Because they operate as a single unit toward a common, understood objective. They never quit. When the conditions change, they adapt. They can communicate intuitively, with silent hand and arm signals through the green glow of night vision goggles, or single syllable transmissions spoken into a whisper mike. They often follow orders delivered a continent away. They are brothers–closer to one another than their own immediate families.
When they are in pursuit of a target, political boundaries are irrelevant. Moving as a synchronized team, they act decisively and selflessly, and inform their hosts later.
Mission first.
Fortunately, these operators are ours.
It is these remarkable men who are deployed forward in a land they do not seek to permanently occupy, and who, in the most desperate circumstances, continue to fight — for all of us.
–John Fenzel, May 2, 2011
John is a dear friend, a patriot who wears the uniform and author of the outstanding book “The Lazarus Covenant”
GHTime Code(s): nc Posted 2 years ago at 11:39 pm. Add a comment
It’s that time of year to send well wishes to those family and friends. Have you seen the unique and distinctive Christmas cards available at two of my favorite museums? Each of the notecards is blank on the inside and has a description and history of the unit on the back of the card.
If you’re looking for the Airborne and Special Operations Christmas Cards, a great selection is available at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, NC
Airborne and Special Operations Museum
Likewise the 82d Airborne Division Museum on Fort Bragg, NC carries a great selection Christmas Cards of the 82d and its outstanding Parachute Infantry Regiments .
82d Airborne Division Christmas Cards
OR you can contact John Michael for that “SPECIAL REQUEST” for a unit of your choice. (Please make sure that you specify the unit you have interest.)
Posted 2 years, 6 months ago at 1:27 pm. 1 comment
Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan by Doug Stanton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I couldn’t put this book down, the author presents a great understanding of “Why we fight now…” and how the US Army Special Forces is so great at what they do.
Thank you to all who gave the ultimate sacrifice and those who continue to give all they do.
This book is a MUST READ!
‘Tis a shame that Amb Bremmer, didn’t let them do their job in Iraq. We’d be out of there long ago.
BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON - Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan
View all my reviews >>
Posted 2 years, 10 months ago at 11:03 pm. Add a comment
Or for those who cannot read Russian Cyrillic -
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Continue Reading…
GHTime Code(s): 9e526 93777 8a132 Posted 3 years, 4 months ago at 10:03 pm. 4 comments
‘Green Berets’ Author Moore Dies at 82
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Robin Moore, a nonfiction author best known for writing “The French Connection” and “The Green Berets,” has died after a long illness. He was 82.
Moore died Thursday night at a hospital in southwestern Kentucky.
Born Robert L. Moore Jr. on Oct. 31, 1925, in Massachusetts, he wrote several books under the name Robin Moore.
“The French Connection,” published in 1969, was about a New York drug bust. It inspired a movie that won five Academy Awards in 1971, including best picture.
“The Green Berets,” published in 1965, was made into a movie starring John Wayne in 1968. Moore also co-wrote “The Ballad of the Green Berets,” which became the signature song of the Special Forces unit.
Moore spent time in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) to write the book, and his connection with the Green Berets endured after the book was written. In 2005 he and his wife, Helen, moved to Hopkinsville, which borders Fort Campbell, the sprawling Army post that is headquarters to a Green Beret group.
Maj. Gen. Gary L. Harrell, deputy commander of the Army’s Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, called Moore a “devoted advocate” for the Special Forces and said his writings became textbooks for the Army’s unconventional forces.
“They were both educational and inspirational and introduced the world to the Green Berets.” Harrell said in a statement posted Friday on an Army Special Forces Web site. “He will be missed.”
Posted 5 years, 3 months ago at 10:48 pm. Add a comment
Here’s a tribute to those who’s final honors that I photographed at Arlington National Cemetery during 2007 – it’s because of their service, that I can do what I do … many people in the United States take those things for granted and go on their merry way — oblivious to the sacrifices that those who serve and have served have made for me and for them.
Among others, a special Thank you to —
COL Robert Friedman USA Ret
SGM Joseph Mancuso USA Ret
SGT William E. Skivington, Jr USA KIA
COL Daniel Patrick Gallagher USA Ret
TEC4 Anthony De Angelis USA Ret
SGM Robert Hede USA Ret
COL Robert Costa USA Ret
CW3 Donald R. Sistare USA Ret
COL Albert A. DeProspero USA Ret
LTC Williams S. Martin
Posted 5 years, 4 months ago at 11:13 pm. 3 comments
If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll recall that I’ve recently sent out a mailing of over 300 solicitations / invites for personalized notecards, Christmas cards and the JFK meets BG Wm P. Yarborough.
The phone rang this morning and a voice at the other end asked if I could produce a different version of the collage with the description of what appears on the back of the card appearing where it could be read….
This is my initial and latest take on it
Just an FYI, the response from the mailing has been “minimal” but encouraging — perhaps they’re also accounting for the beginning of the growing red dots on the map — (see the earlier post about Clustr Maps)
Posted 5 years, 5 months ago at 11:30 pm. Add a comment
