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US
Army Special Forces : Report
by SOTO Mac : Oct 2001
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Introduction
The
insignia on the right is the
official insignia of The Ghosts,
but it has a basis in fact.
The
above designation is a valid
one within the US Army. The
5th SFG [Airborne] is pretty
much THE most decorated US
Army Special Forces unit,
because it was the primary
US Special Forces presence
in the Vietnam War, from 1965
since the US involvement began
in earnest, all the way until
the end.
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They still exist today, based at
Fort Campbell, Kentucky (along with
the 101st US Army Infantry Division
[AirMobile] and the 160th US Army
Special Operations Aviation's Regiment),
with the primary mission focus of
the Middle East (will be assigned
part of US Central Command in time
of crisis; USCENTCOM was the theatre
command during the Gulf War).
21 Sep 61- 5th Special
Forces Group activated at Fort Bragg,
N.C. 10 Jun 88 - HQ, 5th Special
Forces Group (Airborne) moved from
Ft. Bragg, N.C. to Ft. Campbell,
KY.
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President
Kennedy
In 1961, President Kennedy visited
Fort Bragg. He inspected the 82nd
Airborne Division and other conventional
troops of the XVIII Airborne Corps
and liked what he saw. But what
he liked even more were the Special
Forces. As a student of military
affairs, President Kennedy had developed
an interest in counterinsurgency
- the art and method of defeating
guerrilla movements. As he gazed
at the ranks of Special Forces troops,
he realised he had the ideal vehicle
for carrying out such missions.
With President Kennedy firmly behind
them, new Special Forces groups
sprang up with rapidity. On September
21, 1961, the 5th Group was activated
followed in 1963 by the 8th Group
on April 1, the 6th on May 1, and
the 3rd on December 5.
President Kennedy's interest in
the Special Forces also lead to
the September 21, 1961, adoption
of the green beret as the official
headgear of all Special Forces troops.
Until then, the beret had faced
an uphill fight in its struggle
to achieve official Army recognition.
After his visit to Fort Bragg, the
president told the Pentagon that
he considered the green beret to
be "symbolic of one of the
highest levels of courage and achievement
of the United States military."
Soon, the green beret became synonymous
with Special Forces, so much so
that the two terms became interchangeable.
And, indeed, it was fitting that
the men of the Special Forces finally
had the right to wear their own
headgear because they were now on
the brink of proving just how courageous
and committed they were. Vietnam
was beckoning.
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Vietnam
Nam Dong, Lang Vei, Dak To,
A Shau, Plei Mei - these were just
some of the places Special Forces
troops fought and died for during
their 14-year stay in South Vietnam.
It was a stay that began in June
1956 when the original 16 members
of the 14th Special Forces Operational
Detachment entered Vietnam to train
a cadre of indigenous Vietnamese
Special Forces teams.
Throughout the remainder of the
1950s and early 1960s, the number
of Special Forces military advisors
in Vietnam increased steadily. Their
responsibility was to train South
Vietnamese soldiers in the art of
counterinsurgency and to mould various
native tribes into a credible, anti-Communist
threat. During the early years,
elements from the different Special
Forces groups were involved in advising
the South Vietnamese. But in September
1964, the first step was taken in
making Vietnam the exclusive operational
province of 5th Group when it set
up its provisional headquarters
in Nha Trang. Six months later in
February, Nha Trang became the 5th's
permanent headquarters. From that
point, Vietnam was mainly the 5th's
show until 1971 when it returned
to Fort Bragg.
But fighting in remote areas of
Vietnam - publicity to the contrary
- wasn't the only mission of the
Special Forces. They were also responsible
for training thousands of Vietnam's
ethnic tribesmen in the techniques
of guerrilla warfare. They took
the Montagnards, the Nungs, the
Cao Dei and others and moulded them
into the 60,000-strong Civil Irregular
Defence Group (CIDG). CIDG troops
became the Special Forces' most
valuable ally in battles fought
in faraway corners of Vietnam, out
of reach of conventional back-up
forces. Other missions included
civic-action projects, in which
Special Forces troops built schools,
hospitals and government buildings,
provided medical care to civilians
and dredged canals. This was the
flip side of the vicious battles,
the part of the war designed to
win the hear and minds of a distant
and different people. But although
the Special Forces drew the allegiance
of civilians almost everywhere they
went, the war as a whole was not
as successful.
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Medals
of Honour
By the time the 5th left Southeast
Asia, its soldiers had won 16 of
the 17 Medals of Honor awarded to
the Special Forces in Vietnam, plus
one Distinguished Service Medal,
90 Distinguished Service Crosses,
814 Silver Stars, 13,234 Bronze
Stars, 235 Legions of Merit, 46
Distinguished Flying Crosses, 232
Soldier's Medals, 4,891 Air Medals,
6,908 Army Commendation Medals and
2,658 Purple Hearts. It was a brilliant
record, one that was built solely
on blood and sacrifice.
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SPARTAN
The years immediately following
Vietnam were lean ones for the Special
Forces. The 3rd, 6th and 8th Special
Forces groups were inactivated,
and there was a general de-emphasis
of special operations as the Army
concentrated once more on conventional
warfare, turning its gaze from the
jungles of Asia to the well-worn
tank paths of Europe.
To prevent a further emasculation
of their capabilities, Special Forces
leaders adopted a program called
SPARTAN - Special Proficiency at
Rugged Training and Nation-building.
SPARTAN was designed to demonstrate
the multiplicity of talents Special
Forces troops possessed, showing
that they were not outmoded simply
because the war was over.
Under the aegis of SPARTAN, the
5th and 7th groups worked with Indian
tribes in Florida, Arizona and Montana
to build roads and medical facilities,
and provided free medical treatment
to impoverished citizens of Hoke
and Anson counties in North Carolina.
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Special
Forces Recognised
But however noble SPARTAN was,
it was not entirely what Special
Forces were designed for. They were
designed to train and fight unconventional
warfare, and as President Ronald
W. Reagan took office in 1981, they
got that chance once again. With
the advent of the Reagan presidency,
defence policy received a renewed
emphasis. Special Forces in particular
were among the beneficiaries of
this new attention. The need for
Special Forces capabilities had
become apparent with the rise of
insurgencies as far away as Africa
and Asia, and as close to home as
Central America. To meet the challenges
of a changing world, the Army injected
a revitalised esprit into the Special
Forces.
The Special Forces qualification
course was made longer and tougher
to see that only the highest-caliber
soldiers joined ranks with the Green
Berets. In June 1983, the Army authorised
a uniform tab for wear on the left
shoulder solely by Special Forces
troops. The Army established on
October 1, 1984, a separate career
field for Special Forces. The warrant
officer career field soon followed
and, on April 9, 1987, the Army
Chief of Staff established a separate
branch of the Army for Special Forces
officers.
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U.S.
Army Special Forces Creed
I am an American
Special Forces soldier. A professional!
I will do all that my nation requires
of me.
I am a volunteer,
knowing well the hazards of my profession.
I serve with the
memory of those who have gone before
me: Roger's Rangers, Francis Marion,
Mosby's Rangers, the first Special
Service Forces and Ranger Battalions
of World War II, The Airborne Ranger
Companies of Korea. I pledge to
uphold the honour and integrity
of all I am - in all I do.
I am a professional
soldier. I will teach and fight
wherever my nation requires. I will
strive always, to excel in every
art and artifice of war.
I know that I will
be called upon to perform tasks
in isolation, far from familiar
faces and voices, with the help
and guidance of my God.
I will keep my mind
and body clean, alert and strong,
for this is my debt to those who
depend upon me.
I will not fail
those with whom I serve. I will
not bring shame upon myself or the
forces.
I will maintain
myself, my arms, and my equipment
in an immaculate state as befits
a Special Forces soldier.
I will never surrender
though I be the last. If I am taken,
I pray that I may have the strength
to spit upon my enemy.
My goal is to succeed
in any mission - and live to succeed
again.
I am a member of
my nation's chosen soldiery. God
grant that I may not be found wanting,
that I will not fail this sacred
trust.
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THE
GREEN BERETS
THE GREEN BERETS - The Special
Forces A-Team / The Building Block
of Special Forces Groups
The Special Forces Operational
Detachment-A, or A-Team, is the
fundamental building block for all
Special Forces Groups. There are
six A detachments in each Special
Forces company. A captain leads
the 12-man team. Second in command
is a warrant officer. Two non-commissioned
officers, or NCOs, trained in each
of the five SF functional areas:
weapons, engineering and demolitions,
medicine, communications, and operations
and intelligence comprise the remainder
of the team. All team members are
SF qualified and cross-trained in
different skills as well as being
multi-lingual.
Capabilities of the highly-versatile
A-team include: plan and conduct
SF operations separately or as part
of a larger force; infiltrate and
exfiltrate specified operational
areas by air, land, or sea; conduct
operations in remote areas and hostile
environments for extended periods
of time with a minimum of external
direction and support; develop,
organise, equip, train and advise
or direct indigenous forces up to
battalion size in special operations;
train, advise and assist other U.S.
and allied forces and agencies;
plan and conduct unilateral SF operations;
perform other special operations
as directed by higher authority.
In the SF company, one of the
six A-teams is trained in combat
diving and one is trained in military
free-fall parachuting. Both are
used as methods of infiltration.
The detachment can serve as a manpower
pool from which SF commanders organise
tailored SF teams to perform specific
missions. In general, A-teams are
equipped with high-powered communications
systems such as tactical satellite
communications, burst transmission
devices, high-frequency radios,
and global positioning systems.
Medical kits include, among other
things, field surgical kits, laboratory
and dental instruments and supplies,
sterilizers, resuscitator-aspirators,
water-testing kits, and veterinary
equipment. Other key equipment includes
individual and perimeter defence
weapons as well as night-vision
devices, and electric and non-electric
demolitions. Equipment distribution
is geared to conform to specific
missions.
For underwater or waterborne infiltration,
SCUBA (self-contained underwater
breathing apparatus) teams are equipped
with open-circuit twin-80s SCUBA
tanks, closed-circuit Dragger (rebreather)
Lar-V, Zodiac boat and Klepper kayaks.
Military free-fall parachuting teams
use ram-air parachutes and oxygen
systems.
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5th
Special Forces Group (Airborne)
The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) derives its lineage from the unit of
World War II fame -- The First Special
Service Forces. "The Devils
Brigade" -- a combined Canadian-American
Force, constituted 5 July 1942 in
the Army of the United States as
Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment,
1st Battalion, Third Regiment,1st
Special Service Force. The Headquarters
and Headquarters Detachment, 1st
Battalion, Third Regiment, 1st Special
Service Force was first activated
and trained at Fort William Henry
Harrison, Montana.
The unit participated in the Italian
campaign and saw additional action
in France. The unit was disbanded
in France on 6 February 1945. The
unit was reconstituted in the Regular
Army, on 15 April 1960, and was
designated as Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 5th Special Forces Group
(Airborne), 1st Special Forces.
On 21 September 1961 at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, the 5th Special
Forces Group (Airborne) was officially
activated. One year after the 5th
Group was organised, elements of
the 5th Special Forces Group began
serving temporary duty tours in
the Republic of Vietnam. Full deployment
of the Group was completed in February
1965. Although young in years of
existence, from its operational
base at NHA Trang, the Group deployed
throughout the four military regions
of South Vietnam. Its operational
detachments established and manned
camps at 270 different locations
which trained and led indigenous
forces of the civilian irregular
defence groups, as well as regular
units of the Armed Forces of the
Republic of Vietnam. Despite being
one of the smallest units engaged
in the Vietnam conflict, the Group
colours fly twenty campaign streamers,
and its soldiers are among the most
highly decorated in the history
of our nation. Seventeen Medals
of Honour were awarded, 8 posthumously.
The Group was awarded the Presidential
Unit Citation (Army) Vietnam 1966-1968,
The Meritorious Unit Commendation
(Army) Vietnam 1968; Republic of
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with
Palm, Vietnam 1964-1969; and Republic
of Vietnam Civil Action Honour Medal,
1st Class, Vietnam 1968-1970. Other
teams and elements received numerous
other unit citations including,
Naval Presidential Unit Citation,
valorous unit awards and numerous
Vietnamese unit awards. On 5 March
1971, the colours of the 5th Special
Forces Group were returned to Fort
Bragg, North Carolina by a 94-man
contingent led by Col. (now Maj.
Gen. Retired) Michael D. Healy,
thereby terminating their official
Vietnam service. The 5th Special
Forces Group (Airborne) remained
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina until
10 June 1988, when the Group colours
were cased at a ceremony marking
its departure from Fort Bragg. The
colours were officially uncased
by Maj. Gen. Teddy G. Allen, Commander
of the 101st Airborne Division (Air
Assault) and Fort Campbell, Col.
(now Maj. Gen.) Harley C. Davis,
Commander of the 5th Special Forces
Group (Airborne), and Command Sgt.
Maj. Joseph Dennison on 16 June
1988 at its new home at Fort Campbell,
Kentucky. The 5th Special Forces
Group (Airborne) added to its rich
combat history during Operations
Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
In August 1990 the Group was called
upon to conduct theatre operations
in Southwest Asia in response to
the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. During
this crisis the Army's First Special
Operations Task Force, (ARSOTF),
consisting of elements of the 5th
Special Forces Group (Airborne)
comprising 106 special operations
teams performing a myriad of missions
that spanned the scope of operations:
support to coalition warfare; conducting
foreign internal defence missions
with Saudi Arabian Land Forces,
performing special reconnaissance,
border surveillance, direct action,
combat search and rescue missions;
and advising and assisting a pan-Arab
equivalent force larger than six
U.S. Divisions, as well as conducting
civil-military operations training
and liaison with the Kuwaitis. In
the words of the Centcom Commander,
Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkpf, "Special
Forces were the eyes and ears on
the ground." The border surveillance
mission assigned the 5th Special
Forces was among the most vital
in providing "ground truth"
to the American and Pan Arab Forces.
A new chapter in coalition warfare
was written while new military relationships
were forged which continue their
importance today.
In August 1992, a full four months
prior to the deployment of major
U.S. Forces, the 5th Special Forces
Group (Airborne) were conducting
operations in the country of Somalia,
again, providing "ground truth."
On 11 June 1993 Gen. Wayne A. Downing,
Commander in Chief of the U.S. Special
Operations Command, presented the
Valorous Unit Award to the 5th Special
Forces Group (Airborne) for service
during Operation Desert Storm 17January
1991 to 28 February 1991. Today,
5th Special Forces Group teams are
deploying throughout Southwest Asia
and Africa. Over the past two years,
teams have trained in over 14 countries
to include: Oman, United Arab Emirates,
Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Ethiopia
and Somalia. The soldiers of the
5th Special Forces Group continue
to live the Special Forces motto:
To liberate the oppressed. DE OPPRESSO
LIBER...a Latin phrase that means
To Free the Oppressed.
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Missions
Special Forces soldiers are trained
to perform the following missions:
Unconventional Warfare (UW):
A broad spectrum of military and
paramilitary operations conducted
in enemy-held, enemy-controlled
or politically sensitive territory.
UW includes, but is not limited
to, the interrelated fields of guerilla
warfare, evasion and escape, subversion,
sabotage, and other operations of
a low visibility, covert or clandestine
nature. Conduct a broad spectrum
of military and paramilitary operations.
Long-duration, indirect activities
including guerrilla warfare and
other offensive, low visibility,
or clandestine operations. Mostly
conducted by indigenous forces organised,
trained, equipped, supported, and
directed in varying degrees by special
operations forces.
Direct Action (DA):
Either overt or covert action against
an enemy force. Seize, damage, or
destroy a target; capture or recover
personnel or material in support
of strategic/operational objectives
or conventional forces. Short-duration,
small-scale offensive actions. May
require raids, ambushes, direct
assault tactics; emplace mines and
other munitions; conduct stand-off
attacks by firing from air, ground,
or maritime platforms; designate
or illuminate targets for precision-guided
munitions; support for cover and
deception operations; or conduct
independent sabotage normally inside
enemy-held territory.
Special Reconnaissance (SR):
Special Forces teams are infiltrated
behind enemy lines to provide the
theatre commander with intelligence
on the enemy or to gather information
on the terrain, local populace,
etc. of an area. Verify, through
observation or other collection
methods, information concerning
enemy capabilities, intentions,
and activities in support of strategic/operational
objectives or conventional forces.
Reconnaissance and surveillance
actions conducted at strategic or
operational levels to complement
national and theater-level collection
efforts. Collect meteorological,
hydrographic, geographic, and demographic
data; provide target acquisition,
area assessment, and post-strike
reconnaissance data.
Foreign Internal Defence (FID):
FID operations are designed to
help friendly developing nations
by working with host country military
and police forces to improve their
technical skills, understanding
of human rights issues, and to help
with humanitarian and civic action
projects. FID missions assist another
government in any action program
taken to free and protect its society
from subversion, lawlessness, and
insurgency. U.S. Government interagency
activity to foster internal development
of economic, social, political,
and military segments of a nations
structure. Train, advise, and assist
host-nation military and paramilitary
forces.
Counter terrorism (CT):
Offensive measures taken to prevent,
deter, and respond to terrorism.
Pre-empt or resolve terrorist incidents.
Interagency activity using highly
specialised capabilities.
Coalition Warfare/Support:
Ensures the ability of a wide variety
of foreign troops to work together
effectively, in a wide variety of
military exercises or operations
such as Operation Desert Storm.
Draws upon the SOF soldier's maturity,
military skills, language skills
and cultural awareness.
Humanitarian and Civic Action (HCA):
SOF soldiers' diversified military
skills, language capabilities and
cultural training make them a natural
choice for supporting humanitarian
and civic action Operations.
OTHER INDIVIDUAL MISSIONS
Besides the individual skills of
operations and intelligence, communications,
medical aid, engineering and weapons,
each Special Forces soldier is taught
to train, advise, and assist host-nation
military or paramilitary forces.
Special Forces soldiers are highly
skilled operators, trainers, and
teachers. Area-oriented, these soldiers
are specially trained in their area's
native language and culture.
OTHER SPECIAL OPERATIONS MISSIONS
In addition to the above specialised
missions, the various Special Operations
Commands must: Prepare assigned
forces to carry out special operations
missions as required and, if directed
by the president or secretary of
defence, plan for and conduct special
operations. Develop doctrine, tactics,
techniques and procedures for special
operations forces. Conduct specialised
courses of instruction for all special
operations forces. Train assigned
forces and ensure inter-operability
of equipment and forces. Monitor
the preparedness of special operations
forces assigned to other unified
commands. Develop and acquire unique
special operations forces equipment,
material, supplies and services.
Consolidate and submit program and
budget proposals for Major Force
Program II. Monitor the promotion,
assignments, retention, training
and professional development of
all special operations forces personnel.
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THE
SPECIAL FORCES CREST
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Emblazoned
on the distinctive black and
silver crest worn by Special
Forces soldiers is the Special
Forces motto: De Oppresso Liber,
a Latin phrase that means To
Free the Oppressed. Two crossed
arrows symbolise the Special
Forces' role in unconventional
warfare. A fighting knife is
attached over the arrows, which
reflect the qualities of a Special
Forces soldier - straight and
true. The knife, a silent deadly
weapon, was used by the American
Indian. |
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THE
SPECIAL FORCES PATCH
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The
gold and teal Special Forces
patch is worn by members of
Special Forces units around
the world. The arrowhead shape
represents the craft and stealth
of the Indians, America's first
warriors. An upturned dagger
represents the unconventional
warfare missions of Special
Forces. Three lightning bolts
represent blinding speed and
strength, and the three methods
of infiltration - land, sea
and air. The gold represents
constancy and inspiration, and
the background of teal blue
represents the Special Forces'
encompassing of all branch assignments. |
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SPECIAL
FORCES BRANCH INSIGNIA
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The
Special Forces officer branch
inherited its insignia - two
crossed arrows - from the Indian
scouts, several of whom earned
Medals of Honour while serving
U.S. Forces in almost every
major campaign. Crossed arrows
were a symbol of peace to the
U.S. Scouts, which were inactivated
in 1939. However, the crossed
arrows served the 1st Special
Service Force through World
War II, and some Special Forces
officers at Fort Bragg began
wearing them unofficially on
their collars in the Sixties.
In April 1987 a separate branch
of the Army was created for
Special Forces officers, who
then formally adopted the crossed
arrows as their official branch
insignia. |
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© 2001 GhostRecon.net. Privacy
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