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SOF History Timeline
SOF History Timeline
A chronological timeline of historical events relating to special operations.
Yearly Event Anniversaries
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec
January
15 January 1946. SOE dissolved by Prime Minister Clement Attlee.
15 January 1951. The Army established the Office of the Chief of
Psychological Warfare (OCPW) as a special staff division under
the Deputy Chief of Staff and supervisory control of the
Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, headed by Brigadier General Robert A. McClure.
22 January 1946. President Truman directs establishment of Central
Intelligence Group, forerunner of CIA.
24 January 1964. MACV-SOG Established. On January 24, 1964 the
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations
Group was established. It was a highly classified,
multi-service U.S. special operations unit that conducted
operations during the Vietnam War in Indochina. It conducted
reconnaissance missions, capture of enemy soldiers, rescued
downed pilots, and rescued POWs throughout Southeast Asia.
Individuals assigned to MACV-SOF came primarily from U.S. Army
Special Forces. However members of the U.S. Navy SEALs, Air
Force, Marine Corps, and CIA were present in the organization
as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Assistance_Command,_Vietnam_%E2%80%93_Studies_and_Observations_Group
https://www.army.mil/article/216498/macv_sog_history
25 January 1974. On this date General Creighton Abrams directed
the activation of the first battalion-sized Ranger unit since
World War II. HQ U.S. Army Forces Command issued General Orders
127 directing the activation of the 1st Ranger
Battalion 75th Infantry with the effective date of
January 31, 1974. The battalion was to be an elite, light, and
very proficient infantry unit.
30 January 1945. Over 500 prisoners of war were rescued at the
Cabanatuan prisoner of war camp during WWII in the Philippines
by a combined force of 6th Ranger Battalion, Alamo
Scouts, and Philippine guerrillas.
https://arsof-history.org/articles/v14n2_cabanatuan_page_1.html
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February
2 - On February 2, 2023, the 193rd Special Operations Wing
received its first MC-130J Commando II. This signal the wing's
transition to a new aircraft and a new mission.
https://sof.news/afsoc/193rd-sow-mc-130j/
6 - Battle of Lang Vei
16 - On February 16, 1945, members of the 503rd Parachute
Regimental Combat Team (PRCT) dropped onto Corregidor in an
effort to recapture the island from the Japanese.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Corregidor_(1945)
21 - On February 21, 2008, Robin Moore, the author of
The Green Berets, died. He attended the Special Forces
Qualification Course and would later deploy to South Vietnam
where he spent time with the 5th Special Forces Group.
24 - On February 23, 1991, SOFDA 525 was inserted by
helicopter at night and moved to a hide site to conduct a recon
mission deep behind enemy lines in Iraq. On the next morning,
the 24th, this 5th SFG(A) team would find itself fighting for
survival against an overwhelming enemy force.
https://sof.news/history/sfoda-525/
24 - On February 24, 2006, the Marine Corps Special
Operations Command (MARSOC) was officially activated at Camp
Lejeune, N.C.
24 - On February 24, 1944, Merrill's Marauders began a
campaign in northern Burma. The mission of the 5307th Composite
Unit (provisional) was to disrupt Japanese supply and
communications lines.
26 - On February 26, 1945, the 503rd Parachute Regimental
Combat Team (PRCT) secured the island fortress of Corregidor
after two weeks of fighting. The 503rd had parachuted onto the
island on February 16th. It was assisted by the 34th Infantry
Regiment, a unit of the 24th Infantry Division that made a
seaborne assault, as well as other smaller units.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Corregidor_(1945)
27 - On February 27, 1944, a five-man team from the OSS
parachuted into Malo Ticevo, Yugoslavia to establish a weather
station. Operation Bunghole consisted of members of the OSS and
USAAF specialists. Yugoslavia was occupied by the Germans at
the time.
https://codenames.info/operation/bunghole-ii/
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March
1 - On March 1, 1961, the 11th Forces Forces Group was activated.
It was a part of the U.S. Army Reserse and had units based in
Eastern United States from Florida to Massachusetts and inland.
It was deactivated in 1995 and some members were rolled into
the 19th and 20th SFG(A)s.
https://www.specialforceshistory.info/groups/11sfga.html
3 - On March 3, 1943 the Morale
Operations Branch of the OSS was formed. It utilized
psychological warfare to sap morale, induce confusion, and sow
distrust within the populations of Axis countries and within
the ranks of their armed forces.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morale_Operations_Branch
https://www.soc.mil/OSS/morale-operations.html
3 - On March 3, 1971, the 5th Special Forces Group departed
South Vietnam. The Green Berets were withdrawn as part of the
U.S. troop reductions in Vietnam.
3 - On March 3, 2023, COL (Ret.) Paris Davis (Special
Forces) recieved the Medal
of Honor in a ceremony at the White House for his actions in
Vietnam in June 1965. Although wounded, he refused medical
evacuation to remain on the battlefield and rescue fellow
soldiers.
https://sof.news/vietnam/paris-davis-moh/
4 – March 4, 2002 was a deadly day for
American troops on a mountaintop in Afghanistan. Several men
lost their lives. Two earned the nation’s highest honor – the
Medal of Honor. Navy Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Britt
Slabinski and Air Force Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman.
https://sof.news/afsoc/john-chapman-medal-of-honor/
5 - On March 5, 1966, Barry Sadler's "The Ballad of the
Green Berets" made #1 on the music charts, a hit song by
favored by music fans at the heiight of the Vietnam War.
https://specialforcestraining.info/balladgreenberets.htm
9-12 - During March 9-12, 1966, the A Sahu Valley Special
Forces camp was attacked by a large North Vietnamese force. One
Green Beret,
Bennie Adkins, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his
heroic actions during the four-day fight.
16 - On March 16, 1967, Operation Bright Light was
initiated. During the Vietnam War when a down pilot, Hatchet
Force, or Recon Team was in trouble a MACV-SOG Brightlight team
was formed and inserted into the fight to find, locate, assist,
and exfiltrate the entity in trouble.
http://specialoperations.org/operation_brightlight.html
19 - On March 19, 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) began.
Special operations forces played a big role in the invasion of
Iraq. JSOTF-W conducted CTBM in the West and UW in the South.
Elements of the 10th SFG(A) linked up with Kurdish forces in
northern Iraq.
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Reading%20Room/Joint_Staff/09-F-1449_Operation_Iraqi_Freedom_OIF_History_Brief.pdf
19 - On March 19, 2003, attack helicopters of the 160th SOAR
struck Iraqi targets along the southern and western borders.
The MH-60 "Black Hawk" Direct Action Penetrators (DAPs) and
AH-6M "Killer Egg" attack helicopters eliminated over 70 Iraqi
observations posts, crippling the enemy's ability to
effectively gauge the size and scope of the incoming ground
assault.
https://www.national-security.info/weapons/aircraft/MH-6X-mission-enhanced-little-birds.jpg
21 - On March 21, 1967, SFC Charles Hosking Jr., U.S. Army
Special Forces, lost his life after he took the blast of a hand
grenade to save the lives of his fellow Americans and members
of the Vietnamese CIDG Reaction Force. He was awarded the Medal
of Honor for his bravery.
24 - On March 24, 1961, the 12th Special Forces Group
(Airborne) was activated.
25 - On 25 March 2011, the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation
Command (Airborne) was provisionally activated as a new HQs
under USASOC to provide the Commanding General with an element
that serves both as a command and staff entity to advocate
aviation issues for USASOC. It was created out of the need to
separate the combat role of Army Special Operations Aviation
(ARSOA) from the resourcing responsibilities.
29 - On March 29, 1911. The United States Army adopted the M1911. This is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States military for over 75 years, from 1911 to 1986.
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April
April 1938 – SIS (MI6) creates Section D.
1 - The fight for Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom
began in the beginning of April 2003. An Army University Press
film describes the battle for the capital city.
"Objective: Baghdad", August 14, 2020, YouTube, 50 minutes.
https://sof.news/video/fight-for-baghdad/
12 April 1963: The 8th Special Forces Group was established at Fort Gulick, Panama Canal Zone. The primary mission of the Group was counterinsurgency training for the armies of Latin America.
https://www.specialforceshistory.info/groups/8sfga.html
9 – 1987. On this day the Special Forces
Branch was established. While the first Special Forces unit was
formed on June 11, 1952, the official branch was not
established until 35 years later.
13 April 1991. Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq begins.
13 April 1987. President Reagan approved the establishment of the US Special Operations Command
(USSOCOM).
14 April 1965. The Joint
Chiefs of Staff order the deployment of the 173rd Airborne
Brigade from Okinawa to South Vietnam. They were the first
major conventional U.S. Army ground combat unit committed to
the war. After six years of continuous combat, paratroopers of
the 173d suffered 1,744 KIA's and 9,027 WIA's. They had 13 MoH
recipients, the most of any conventional unit (per capita) of
the war, second only the 5th SFG who had 16.
21 April 1989. Col James N. “Nick” Rowe
was assassinated in the Manila, Philippines. He was an American
prisoner of war that escaped captivity during the Vietnam War
after being held for five years. He helped establish the US
Army Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training
program at Fort Bragg. He was killed by a unit of the New
People’s Army in the Philippines.
24 – Operation Eagle Claw
25 – ANZAC Day
28 April 1965. U.S. invasion of the Dominican Republic.
30 – Operation NIMROD
30 April 1972 – MACV-SOG Disbanded.
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May
May 1940. British Security Coordination office established in New York.
May 5, 1941. First successful SOE infiltration into France; George Begue sets up circuit and
meets follow-on agents.
17 May 1944. Battle of Myitkyina Begins.
In the spring of 1944 the Allies were on the offensive in the
liberation of Burma. The 5307th Composite Unit, a
reinforced U.S. Army regiment known as “Merrills Marauders”,
had circled and began attacking Myitkyina. The Japanese
defenders were caught completely by surprise. While GALAHAD’s
3d BN feinted toward the north, the 1st Bn seized
the Irrawaddy ferry terminal at Pamati on the right, a Chinese
regiment overran the airstrip and probed toward Myitkyina
itself, but was repulsed.
19 May 2002. 50 Green Berets, from the 10th Group, commanded by Lt. Col.
Robert M. Waltemeyer, land at Tbilisi, Georgia, a former Soviet
republic. The SF Soldiers trained 2,000 elite
Georgian troops as part of a counterterrorism effort that sent
thousands of allied and partner nation troops to Afghanistan.
20 May 1960. The 7th Special Forces Group was
activated. It was reorganized from the 77th Special Forces Group.
29 May 1997.
“On this day in U.S. Army SF history, 29 May 1997, Green Berets
pave the way for U.S. marines and the evac of thousands of
civilians in Operation Noble Obelisk.
In April 1997, ODA 334 (3rd SFG) deployed to Freetown, Sierra
Leone, for Joint Combined Exchange Training. Their mission was
to train and promote a professional, apolitical military, one
supportive of the elected government. On 25 May 1997, rebel
forces and military members toppled the government. Once
shooting erupted at their training site, U.S. Green Berets
manned security positions inside their compound, communicated
with SOCEUR and EUCOM, and established intermittent contact
with the military.
The next day, the detachment moved to Freetown, 20 miles away.
The SF Soldiers had to pass through two rebel roadblocks and
near an army post, but the rapport with their former trainees
enabled the Americans to proceed to the safety of the Embassy.
In Freetown, the detachment commander divided his team to
secure the two Embassy compounds, and team members performed
advance force operations, including reconnoitering the
helicopter landing zone on the coast. They also defused a tense
situation during a meeting of senior ambassadors and rebel
forces at the British High Commission residence. All of these
activities required movement through a town riven by looting
and indiscriminate gunfire.
On 29 May, team members conducted an early morning patrol
through rebel-held areas to secure the landing zone for the
marines from the 22nd MEU. They established sniper positions,
security and coordinated with the Nigerians before the marine
helicopters arrived. The next day, the NEO began, and after
escorting official U.S. personnel to the landing zone, SF
Soldiers served as a buffer by establishing two blocking
positions between the U.S. marines and the marauding rebels.
They succeeded in turning back rebel forces to reach the
landing zone. The NEO evacuations ran from 30 May through 03
June, and a total of 2509 people (including 454 U.S.) were
evacuated.”
https://sof.news/history/operation-noble-obelisk/
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June
June 1, 1983. The US Army Institute for
Military Assistance was renamed the US Army John F. Kennedy
Special Warfare Center and School.
June 4, 1944. Jedburgh teams jump into France to link up with French resistance. Lucien was one of
them.
June 6, 1944. D-day.
On this day in U.S. SOF history.......07 June 2006: Special Operations Forces,
commanded by Lt. Gen. Stan McChrystal, led the hunt ending in
the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in
Iraq. Zarqawi (Aḥmad Faḍīl an-Nazāl al-Ḫalāyla), was a Jordanian
jihadist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan.
He became known after going to Iraq and being responsible for a
series of bombings, beheadings, and attacks during the Iraq
War, reportedly "turning an insurgency against US troops" in
Iraq "into a Shia-Sunni civil war". He was sometimes known as
"Shaykh of the slaughterers". MUD
June 13, 1942. OSS replaces COI, placed under JCS.
June 14 – the Army’s birthday
On this day in
U.S. Army SF history, 17 June 1983, The Department of the Army
authorized a Special Forces tab for wear by qualified soldiers.
The tab bore the same colors as those used for Special Forces
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia. The Special Forces Tab is one of four
permanent individual skill/marksmanship tabs authorized for
wear by the U.S. Army.”
https://www.soc.mil/USASFC/Sleeve.html
June 22, 1955. “On this date
in U.S. Army SF history (according to some sources)....22 June
1955 – The first authorized appearance of the Green Beret took
place. Another more detailed description from Richard Hayse is
provided below:
"The Green Beret was originally designed in 1953 by SF Major
Herbert Brucker, a veteran of the OSS. Later that year, First
Lieutenant Roger Pezelle adopted it as the unofficial headgear
for his A-team, Operational Detachment FA32. They wore it
whenever they went to the field for prolonged exercises. Soon
it spread throughout all of SF, although the Army refused to
authorize its official use. Finally, in 1961, President John F.
Kennedy planned to visit Fort Bragg. He sent word to the
Special Warfare Center commander, Brigadier General William P.
Yarborough, for all SF Soldiers to wear their berets for the
event. President Kennedy felt that since they had a special
mission, SF should have something to set them apart from the
rest. Even before the presidential request, however, the
Department of the Army had acquiesced and teletyped a message
to the center authorizing the beret as a part of the SF
uniform.
When President Kennedy came to Fort Bragg Oct. 12, 1961,
General Yarborough wore his Green Beret to greet the
commander-in-chief. The president remarked, “Those are nice.
How do you like the Green Beret?” General Yarborough replied,
“They’re fine, Sir. We’ve wanted them a long time.”
A message from President Kennedy to General Yarborough later
that day stated, “My congratulations to you personally for your
part in the presentation today … The challenge of this old but
new form of operations is a real one, and I know that you and
the members of your command will carry on for us and the free
world in a manner that is both worthy and inspiring. I am sure
that the Green Beret will be a mark of distinction in the
trying times ahead.”
In an April 1962 White House memorandum for the U.S. Army,
President Kennedy showed his continued support for SF, calling
the Green Beret “a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a
mark of distinction in the fight for freedom.”
---Mud"
June 27 – PTSD Awareness Day.
June 28 2005 – Operation Red Wings.
June 29, 1990. On this day the 3rd Special Forces Group (A) was reactivated to cover Special
Forces operations in EUCOM’s African region.
June 30, 1972. 8th SFG (A) redesignated as the 3rd Bn 7th Special Forces Group, Panama.
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July
July 1940. General Headquarters Auxiliary Units created for UK Home Defence.
July 4 – Independence Day, Rescue at Entebbe
July 4 1968 - On this day in U.S. history.....04 July 1968:
“The Green Berets,” a film loosely based on a book by Robin
Moore, was released starring John Wayne as a colonel in Vietnam
and David Janssen as a newspaper correspondent who questioned
the war’s wisdom. Much of the film was shot in the summer of 1967 (before the Tet Offensive).
Thematically, The Green Berets is strongly anti-communist and
pro-Saigon. It was released at the height of American
involvement in the Vietnam War, the same year as the Tet
offensive against the largest cities in South Vietnam. John
Wayne, concerned by the anti-war atmosphere in the United
States, wanted to make this film to present the pro-military
position. He requested and obtained full military cooperation
and materiel from President Johnson. To please the Pentagon,
who were attempting to prosecute Robin Moore for revealing
classified information, Wayne bought Moore out for $35,000 and
5% of undefined profits of the film. The film was a critical failure, but succeeded financially.
---Mud
July 8, 1961. The 20th Special Forces Group (A) was activated in Birmingham, Alabama.
July 9, 1941. First Special Service Force officially activated.
https://armyhistory.org/first-special-service-force/
July 9, 1961. “Teams of Green Berets began organizing and training tribesmen in the Central
Highlands of Vietnam into the Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG).
The CIDG program was devised by the CIA in early 1961 to
counter expanding Viet Cong influence in South Vietnam's
Central Highlands. Beginning in the village of Buon Enao, small
A Teams from the U.S. Army Special Forces moved into villages
and set up Area Development Centers. Focusing on local defense
and civic action, the Special Forces teams did the majority of
the training.
Another unit, Provincial Reconnaissance Units (PRUs), fell
under the Phoenix Program and was set up later. The PRUs became
probably the most controversial element of Phoenix. They were
special paramilitary forces that were originally developed in
1964 by the government of South Vietnam and the CIA. Initially,
they were known as Counter-Terror Teams.
Eventually numbering over 4,000 and operating in all of South
Vietnam's 44 provinces, the PRUs were commanded by US military
officers and senior NCOs until November 1969, after which they
were transitioned to CIA advisers. ---Mud”
July 11, 1941. Creation of COI.
July 20, 1942. First Special Service Force officially activated.
http://www.firstspecialserviceforce.net/history.html
July 22, 1940. SOE Charter approved, formed from Section D, MI(R), and EH.
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August
August 6, 1756. On this day General Howe authorized Robert Rogers to raise a battalion of Rangers for
service with the British Army.
August 6, 2011. A U.S. Chinook helicopter,
call sign Extortion 17, was shot down by the Taliban resulting
in 38 deaths (30 Americans and 8 Afghans). There were no
survivors. Of the U.S. fatalities were Navy SEALs who were part
of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU). Five
U.S. Army helicopter crewmen also perished. One U.S. military working dog
also died in the crash.
August 10, 1944. Lt. John “Jack” Singlaub parachuted behind
German lines (Jedburgh teams) to work with the French
Resistance fighters or Maquis groups that had swelled the
resistance ranks after the D-Day invasion.
August 22. USASOC Facebook Post.
August 22, 2020 marks the 65th
anniversary of the Department of the Army approving the Special
Forces (SF) Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI). The SSI, or ‘unit
patch,’ with the arrowhead shape and
three lightning flashes, was designed by Captain John W. Frye,
77th SF Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The arrowhead shape
honored Native Americans and was similar to the SSI worn by the
WWII Canadian-American First Special Service Force, the lineage
unit of SF. The SSI’s dagger represents the unconventional
nature of SF operations, and the three lightning flashes, the
ability to strike by air, water or land. In November 1958, the
airborne tab was added to the SSI. The SF SSI remains a highly
recognizable symbol of SF history and lineage. For more
information on the history of SF insignia please visit:
http://spr.ly/6184GmmCM
August 23, 1968. On this day in U.S. Army SF history.......23 August 1968: Worst
Day in Special Forces history. A large force hit a MAC-V SOG
FOB and mission launch site on Marble
Mountain in Da Nang. The attacking NVA numbered at least 100
and were armed with AKs, grenades, satchel charges, and RPG-2
launchers (or B-40s as they were called in Vietnam).
Most of the attacking NVA died in the three-hour attack, but they
killed over two dozen Americans and over 40 Montagnards who
manned the Recon Teams or the Hatchet Force alongside
Americans.
The
best accounting of the attack to date is in the book On The
Ground: The Secret War in Vietnam by John S. “Tilt” Meyer,
himself a SOG veteran. The fact of August 23rd is that SF was
small in 1968. Some of the killed were first-term troops;
others had been around a very long time, like Secor and Norris.
But almost every man in SF personally knew someone who’d bought
it beneath Marble Mountain.
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September
17 Sep 1969. On September 17, 1969, Melvin Morris, a Green
Beret that was part of the IV Mobile Strike Force, was in a
fierce firefight. His heroic actions that day in Vietnam would
be recognized years later when he received the Medal of Honor.
https://sof.news/vietnam/melvin-morris-sf-moh/
20 September 1945. Executive Order 9621 abolishes the OSS.
21 September 1961. The 5th SFG(A) activated at Ft. Bragg.
23 September 1961. On this day Special
Forces Operational Detachment – Korea was formed. “Det-K” began
with a series of TDY assignments from 1st SFG(A) in
Okinawa. By November 1961 they became “FA 40th Detachment”, under the operational control of the Korea
Military Assistance Group. It was redesignated on 16 October
2005 as the 39th Special forces Operational Detachment (Airborne).
On Sept. 24, 1943, the 7th Amphibious Force Special Service Unit #1, a top-secret scout unit in the Pacific made up of American and Australian military and natives from Papua New Guinea and other
Pacific islands, began the reconnaissance of Cape Gloucester.
Inserting themselves from a PT boat, a small element of nine
men paddled ashore and concealed their rubber boat in a small inlet. They
remained on the island for 11 days during which they avoided
the Japanese and pinpointed enemy guns that were later
eliminated by U.S. bombers.
Started in July 1943, the 7th Amphibious Scouts trained in jungle survival,
unarmed combat, reconnaissance, and shoreline sketching.
(source: USSOCOM Facebook, Sep 23, 2020)
On this day in U.S. Army SF history........25 Sep 1961
–Department of the Army Message 578636, designated the Green
Beret as the official and exclusive headgear of the Army
Special Forces.
During World War II, US Army Special Forces (SOF) personnel
wore a variety of headgear during their operations as members
of special operations units. Those who served with the Office
of Strategic Services (OSS) in Europe often adopted whatever
headgear their French or Belgian Resistance compatriots wore.
This was often a beret, since many of the OSS teams served in
France. The beret, worn in a variety of styles and colors,
showed even up on OSS personnel in the Far East. Many of the
first members of the US Army 10th Special Forces Group
(Airborne), formed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in June 1952,
were veterans of the OSS. Berets of various types and colors
began being worn unofficially as early as 1954 on the unit's
field exercises in Germany and at Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall,
North Carolina. The color green was favored because it was
reminiscent of the World War II British Commando-type beret
that had been adopted by the Commandos on 24 October 1942.
After testing in 1955, the 77th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
at Fort Bragg specified, still unofficially, that its soldiers
wear a beret of Canadian Army design in rifle green. Special
Forces personnel in Europe in the 10th Special Forces Group (A)
simultaneously adopted a green beret, even wearing it publicly
with the Army class A uniform, despite the lack of official
approval. Special Forces troopers first wore the green beret
publicly at Fort Bragg during a retirement parade in 1955. In
1957, however, the Fort Bragg post commander banned the wearing
of the beret. This ban was reversed on 25 September 1961 by DA
Message 578636, which authorized the green beret as the
official Army headgear to be worn by Special Forces. The first
official wearing of the newly authorized green beret was at a
Special Forces demonstration staged for President John F.
Kennedy at Fort Bragg on 12 October 1961. President Kennedy was
instrumental in the approval by DA of the green beret for US
Special Forces. Currently, all Special Forces-qualified
soldiers wear the green beret with the authorized flash of
their Special Forces Group.
September 26, 1972. GSG 9 of the German Federal Police was founded.
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October
1 October 2012. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) activated at Fort Bragg.
3 October 1993 – Operation Gothic Serpent, Battle of Mogadishu
4 October 2017. Four soldiers of 3rd SFGA die in ambush in Niger.
7 October 2001 – The U.S. involvement in the Afghan conflict
began on this date, shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
9 October 1967. Che Guevara executed in Bolivia. 8th SFGA trained
the counter-guerrila force that tracked down Che's small
guerrilla group.
https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/cuba-intelligence/2020-10-09/che-guevara-cia-mountains-bolivia
10 October 1951. On this day in U.S. Army
history . . . The Ranger Course was conceived during the Korean
War and was known as Ranger Training Command. “The Ranger
Training Command was inactivated on this day in 1951 and became
the Ranger Department, a branch of the Infantry School at Fort
Benning, Ga. Its purpose was, and still is, to develop combat
skills of selected officers and enlisted men by requiring them
to perform effectively as small unit leaders in a realistic
tactical environment, under mental and physical stress
approaching that found in actual combat.”
12 October 1961. Brigadier General William
P. Yarborough, as commander of the Special Warfare Center, Fort
Bragg, NC, met with President Kennedy to visit Fort Bragg. The
meeting resulted in increased funding for Special Forces and
the authorization of the Green Beret for wear as the official
headgear of Special Forces.
The President further showed his unfailing support for Special
Forces in publishing an official White House Memorandum to the
US Army dated April 11, 1962, which stated in part that “The
Green Beret is again becoming a symbol of excellence, a badge
of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom."
12 October 1966. 46th Special Forces Company activated in Thailand.
15 October 1984. On this day 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group was activated on
Torii Station, Okinawa, Japan, under the command of Lt. Col.
James L. Estep. 1st SFG(A) had previously been
stations on the island from 1957 until being inactivated in
1974 as part of an Army reduction in Special Forces strength.
15 October 2017. Iraqi Security Forces
(ISF) and IRGC proxies attack the Kurdish city of Kirkuk.
16 October 2006. The Psychological Operations branch was established on this day.
16 October 1981. 160th Special Operations Air Regiment is established.
16 October 1991. 2nd Battalion, 3rd SFGA is activated with HQs company, 2 SF
companies, and a forward support company.
18 October 1965. SF Captain Larry Thorne is killed in Vietnam.
19 October 2001. Two SF detachments infiltrate into
northern Afghanistan to link up with the Northern Alliance. First two U.S. Army teams
inserted into Afghanistan to work with Northern Alliance
Forces, ODA 555 (5th Special Forces Group). These are the first
American military "boots on the ground," after the 9/11
attacks.
The first of several SF
elements infiltrated Afghanistan. Eleven members of ODA 555,
onboard MH-47 Chinook helicopters, arrived late in the evening
at the Astaneh camp in Panjshir Valley and received their
initial briefing. Within a few days, ODA 555 would link up with
NA’s General Bismullah near Bagram. That same night, the 12 men
of ODA 595 infiltrated the Darya Suf Valley on MH-47s to join
General Dostum’s forces in Dehi, some 60 miles south of Mazar-e
Sharif. Not long after the team split into two sections, one
accompanying Dostum to his headquarters, the other remaining at
Dehi. Mud”
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19 October 1994.
“On this day in U.S. Army SF history.......19 Oct 1994 –
Honorary Special Forces LTC Martha "Maggie" Raye died.
During the Vietnam War, she was made an honorary Green Beret
because she visited United States Army Special Forces in
Vietnam, and she helped out when things got bad in Special
Forces A-Camps. Because of those actions, she came to be known
affectionately by the Green Berets as "Colonel Maggie." She
continued her relationship with the Green Berets for the rest
of her life. She built a guest house for Green Berets on the
grounds of her home in Los Angeles and made many trips to Fort
Bragg and other Special Forces Posts throughout her life. In
1988, the Special Forces Association Convention held in
Fayetteville, NC carried the theme of "Honoring COL Maggie".
Maggie died of pneumonia on October 19, 1994, after a long
history of cardiovascular disease. Martha Raye was 78 years of
age, and residing in Los Angeles at the time of her death.
On November 2, 1993, Martha Raye was awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, by President Bill Clinton, for her service to her country.
The patriotism she showed in her tours during World War II, the
Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam Conflict earned her the
nickname "Colonel Maggie."
Because of her work with the USO during World War II and
subsequent wars, special consideration was given to bury her in
Arlington National Cemetery upon her death. At her request, she
was ultimately buried with full military honors in Fort Bragg,
North Carolina.
Martha has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
One for motion pictures and one for television.
Credit: http://www.war-veterans.org/Maggie.htm
. Mud”
------------
19 October 1965.
“On this day in U.S. Army SF history......19 Oct 1965 – ODA
A217, 5th Special Forces Group (A) fought in the Battle of Plei
Me, Vietnam. The Siege of Plei Me (Vietnamese: Bao vây Plei Me) (19–25
October 1965) was the beginning phase of the first major
confrontation between soldiers of the communist North
Vietnamese Army (PAVN) and the U.S. army during the Vietnam
War. The lifting of the siege by South Vietnamese forces and
American air power was followed by the pursuit of the
retreating North Vietnamese from 28 October until 12 November,
setting the stage for the Battle of Ia Drang. Plei Me was an
isolated U.S. Army Special Forces and Civilian Irregular
Defense Group (CIDG) camp in the Central Highlands of South
Vietnam defended mostly by Montagnard tribesmen. ---Mud”
19 October 2001. “3rd Ranger Battalion conduct an airborne operation in
Afghanistan to seize Objective Rhino; part of a highly
publicized U.S. effort to show that the United States could put
boots on the ground anywhere in the world whenever it wanted. A
slick video montage of the operation was created by an Army
PSYOPS team that was broadcast on news networks across the
world, depicting grainy footage of 119 Rangers loading on and
exiting military aircraft onto an obscure desert objective. It
has become known as the “first American boots on the ground” in
the War in Afghanistan, although other American forces were
already in-country at the time.” (SOFREP).
26 October 2020. US Navy SEALs rescued Philip Walton, a US
citizen living in Niger who was kidnapped.
29 October 1963. On this day Captain James “Nick” Rowe was
captured by the Viet Cong. He was a Special Forces officer and
one of only 34 American prisoners of war to escape captivity
during the Vietnam War. He would later help establish the
Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) program taught
to high-risk military personnel.
29 October 1963. Green Beret Captain Humbert R. Versace is
captured by the Viet Cong. He was held as a prisoner of war
until September 26, 1965 in the Republic of Vietnam – the day
of his death while in captivity. He was serving as a S-2
Advisor while assigned to the Military Assistance Advisory
Group. In 2002 he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President
George W. Bush for his actions during captivity.
31 October 2020. U.S. special operations forces rescued an
American held hostage by armed gunmen in Northern Nigeria.
Philip Walton, age 27, had been kidnapped in Niger several days
earlier. He was a Christian missionary who worked in Niger. No
military personnel were injured during the operation. Several
of the gunmen were killed. The rescue is credited to Naval
Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU).
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November
8 November 1962. HQ US Army Special Forces Command – Vietnam established.
13 November 2001. Kabul falls to the Northern Alliance. Green Berets would enter the city the next
day. The Northern Alliance were also advised and assisted by other
SOF elements such as the 49th Public Affairs Detachment (ABN)
out of Bragg, Psychological Operations, and 1st Battalion 87th
Infantry Regiment out of Ft. Drum, NY. The initial operation
name was Operation Stronghold Freedom and these U.S. service
members made up the Joint Special Operations Task Force-North
(JSOTF-N).
November 21, 1970. Operation Ivory Coast was conducted on 21 November 1970, a
joint operation led by Air Force General LeRoy J. Manor and
Army Colonel Arthur D. “Bull” Simons who infiltrated 56 U.S.
Army Special Forces Soldiers by helicopter at the Sơn Tây
prisoner-of-war camp, located 23 miles (37 km) west of Hanoi,
North Vietnam.
The objective was to rescue 61 American prisoners of war
assessed to be at the camp. Unfortunately, the prisoners were
moved to another camp shortly before the mission. However, the
message of love and commitment to recovering American prisoners
of war was profound.
24 November 1963. Camp Hiep Hoa, Republic
of South Vietnam, was overrun by the Viet Cong. It was the
first CIDG camp to be overrun during the Vietnam War. SF
Soldier, Isaac Camacho, one of four missing Americans, later
became the first American to escape from a Vietcong POW Camp.
In the battle, an estimated 500 Viet Cong fighters took the
Hiep Hoa Special Forces Camp, resulting in four American
personnel MIA. South Vietnamese commando units and the American
Green Berets resisted but were overwhelmed.
28 November 1943. Alamo Scouts Activated.
On this day the U.S. 6th Army Alamo Scouts were
activated in New Guinea. The 6th Army Special
Reconnaissance Unit was in the Pacific Theater of Operations
during World War II. The unit is known for its role in
liberating American prisoners of war (POWs) from the Japanese
Cabanatuan POW camp near Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
in January 1945. A movie called the Great Raid was produced
about this action.
28 November 1970. First combat HALO jump, CCN, MACV-SOG. On the night of 28th of November 1970, through the black skies
of Laos a C-130 blackbird flew at 17,000 ft. On the ramp stood
SFC Cliff Newman of MACV SOG Reconnaissance Team Florida
waiting for the signal from his jumpmaster, MSG Frank Norbury,
a dedicated HALO pioneer, who got out of bed battling malaria
to be a part of this mission. With a green light from the pilot
and a signal from his jumpmaster, Cliff Newman shuffled to the
edge of the ramp and leaped into the darkness becoming the
first soldier in military history to make a combat HALO
Insertion. Both men, Newman and Norbury, also left their marks
playing vital roles in the 10th SFG(A)'s early HALO program in
the late 60's.
(Trained by Billy Waugh, CCN Recon Team Florida was made up of
Team leader, or One- Zero, SFC Melvin Hill, SFC Sammy
Hernandez, SSG Cliff Newman, two Montagnards and an ARVN Army
officer). (Special Operations Association, Facebook post, Nov
28, 2020.)
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December
December 1941. First successful OSS infiltration into Europe (Corsica).
5 December 1944. The combined U.S.-Canadian First Special Service Force (FSSF) paraded one
final time at their Villeneuve-Loubert camp, near the town of
Menton, in southeastern France on December 5, 1944. The 1st
Special Forces Regiment and all U.S. Army SF groups trace their
“official” lineage to the FSSF. Commemoration of Menton Day is
an occasion when U.S. SF honors its lineal connection to the FSSF.
December 6, 1941. Camp X (STS 103) opens in Canada.
December 7, 1941. Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.
20 December 1989. On this date in Ranger History: December 20, 1989: The entire 75th Ranger Regiment participated in Operation Just
Cause (Panama). Rangers spearheaded the action by conducting
two important operations. Simultaneous parachute assaults were
conducted onto Torrijos/Tocumen International Airport, Rio Hato
Airfield and General Manuel Noriega's beach house, to
neutralize Panamanian Defense Forces. The Rangers captured
1,014 Enemy Prisoners of War, and more than 18,000 arms of various types.
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