SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION THE GREEN BERETS CHAPTER …

SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29 JAN, 2017

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SFA Chapter 29Bill Thompson Receives CGM

Bill Thompson was recently awarded his Congressional Gold Medal by Chapter 29 members Roy Williams and Mark Nutsch, and SF officer Mark Gambino.

The attached photo was taken when Roy, Mark and Will went to visit Bill Bill to inform him of the awarding of the CGM.

Bill has bounced back from health issues he experienced last August and was in good spirits, greeting Roy, Mark and Will with verve and gusto.

The CGM, the Congressional Gold Medal, was recently awarded to the entire OSS by a much belated, and deserved, act of Congress. 2017 is the 75th anniversary of the OSS.

The decision by Congress to award the CGM to the OSS was passed last 30 November and a ceremony was held at the White House on 1 December.

Bill fought as an OSS Jedburgh in WW II, serving on Team NOVOCAINE in France and

later on Team ALPACA in Japanese occupied China. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, the French Croix de Guerre and was "Mentioned in Dispatches" by the British.

William Tyler Thompson, a longtime Chapter 29 member, celebrated his 95th birthday on 27 August of 2016.

The OSS was quietly assembled in 1942 by Army Maj. Gen. William J. Donovan. “Wild Bill” would be proud.

From left to right: Will Gambino, Bill Thompson, Mark Nutsch, Roy Williams.


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Catherine Bank, RIPCatherine Bank, widow of Aaron Bank, passed on On

Christmas Eve at 2130hrs. She was 96. Catherine was born on

July 3, 1920, in Luxembourg, and suffered through the German

occupation of her country, during World War II. After the war,

she was an interpreter for the U.S. Air Force and played a part

in the Nazi War Trials. She met Colonel Aaron Bank at that

time. They married on August 4, 1948, and moved to the U.S.

Aaron Bank is one of the key founders, and is widely

considered the father, of U.S. Army Special Forces and was the

first SF commander when he

took command of 10th Special Forces

Group upon its activation in June of 1952. And Catherine was

with him through all of that.

Catherine enjoyed her life as an Army officer’s wife. COL Bank

retired in 1958 and the family moved to San Clemente,

California, where she relished being a mother and wife and also

worked as a translator for former-President Nixon, when the

need arose. She was a loving mother and grandmother. She

suffered blindness and Alzheimer’s in her final years.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in

her name to the Alzheimer’s-Orange County at 2515

McCabe Way, Suite 200 Irvine, CA 92614

(www.alzoc.org), the Wounded Warrior Project at

8880 Rio San Diego Drive, Suite 900 San Diego, CA

92108 (www.woundedwarriorproject.org) or the San

Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter at 221 Avenida

Fabricante San Clemente, CA 92672.

Wedding day, 1948.

http://www.alzoc.org/

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

http://www.alzoc.org/

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/


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Veterans Day ParadeFifteen chapter members showed up

to march in the annual Veterans Days Parade in Leavenworth, Kansas, on 11 November of this year (2016).

Guys started showing up and assembling at about 0900hrs. This gave us time to chat and catch up as everyone assembled. By the time the parade started at 1030hrs everyone was warmed up and ready to march.

The weather was outstanding, barely a chill and sunny. It is always good to stretch the legs and wear the green beret with SF brothers.

It is difficult for many chapter members to attend the parade, due to work, family, etc, but some consider it to be too old school for them, a tradition from an

older Army, and not their cup of tea.

But, parades have existed, since the dawn of man and military, to recognize and commemorate not just past battles and glories, but the extreme commitment required for men and women, young and old, to march off to war, to stand and defend their families and homes, and those ideals and liberties that they hold dear. That is why we march

in parades. Don’t knock it until you try it.

After the parade we all adjourned to Grinder’s High Noon Saloon for lunch and lies, sharing stories and information, introductions and reintroductions. Much fun and calories were had by all.


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Chapter 29 Christmas Party

New Saturday Meeting Place Perkins Restaurant at 87th St and

Highway 69 in Lenexa is the new Chapter 29

Saturday meeting place.

Meetings are the first Saturday of

most months, as per the chapter

schedule, and start at 0900hrs in the

meeting room in the back of the

restaurant.

The purpose of these meetings is to

discuss chapter business, see and meet

friends and new members, share SF

rumors and information pertaining to

current operations and units, and to remind

ourselves that we really do and did the things

that we do. Hoo-ah.

The Chapter 29 Christmas Party was held

on 10 December, 2016, at Luigi’s Italian

Restaurant in Leavenworth, Kansas. Around

sixty chapters members, wives and guests

attended.

The party was proceeded by a meet and

greet cocktail, to allow everyone to assemble,

but everyone was seated and ready to eat at

1100hrs.

Sam Ratcliffe acted as the DZSO/Master of

Ceremonies by opening the event, making

announcements and introductions and

propagating the festive mood of the event.

These editors did not acquire photos, nor

did other chapter members, but the

assembled group was fine and glorious

pageantry of Special Forces men and women.

Many stories were told, and retold, and

many news and insights were shared, in terms

of SF politics,

funding, and also

some rumors of

JCETs to the

North Pole and

teaching CQB to

elves.


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CALENDAR

TBD Jan - Chapter BOD

meeting, Delta Systems,1700. 7 Jan - Chapter breakfast

meeting, Perkins, Lenexa.6 Feb - Chapter BOD meeting,

Delta Systems,1700.

11 Feb - Chapter breakfast meeting, Perkins, Lenexa.

6 Mar - Chapter BOD meeting,

Delta Systems,1700.

TBD - Annual KC SOF Formal, will be in March or April.

Annual SFA National Convention - 12 to 18 June, 2017,

at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

Newsletter Submissions: Submit ideas, info or articles for this newsletter to the editors at [email protected]

Chapter OfficersTERRY “BULL” BUCKLER

Chapter President“MAD MIKE” NEER

Vice PresidentSAM “RICO” RATCLIFFE

Vice President-OpsROY “ROGUE” WILLIAMS

TreasurerJIM “SPIKE” SPEICHER

SecretaryJEFF FORKER

Membership and Newsletter Editor

Christmas Ruck

Weekly Podcast One of our editors, Jeff Forker, hosts a weekly podcast that focuses on veterans issues, but sometimes issues having to do with Special Forces and other elements of the military. Past shows have been about equine therapy, veterans courts, the importance of exercise, assault rifles, tactical shooting, sailing therapy, the VA, Stolen Valor, military cinema, music therapy, veteran hunts, injuries, pain killers, fitness strategies, politics, books, nutrition, veteran entrepreneurs, sports for vets, kids of vets, meditation, others. The purpose of the show is to be a platform for veterans to talk about their issues, businesses, organizations and passions. If you would like to come on the podcast, be a guest on the show, or have some ideas for the show, contact Jeff Forker.

The Annual Christmas Ruck was held on 17 December. We met at 1400hrs at the Liberty Memorial, then did a 5 mile route to the Union Station, then the Power & Light District, then Hospital Hill, then Crowne Center, then returned to the Liberty Memorial. Only 9 of the confirmed 42 ruckers showed up, (including a 5th grader named Lola) due to the single-digit temperatures and sideways snow flurries. But all had a great

time and many stories were told to the others who met us at Grinders afterward for food and good cheer.

5 of our 9 ruckers. Lola is the girl in blue.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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SFA HQ Damage and Repairs Attached are photos of the damaged Special

Forces Association National Head Quarters at Ft. Bragg as a result of catastrophic flooding.

Hurricane Matthew spun up and formed in the Caribbean on Sept. 28, 2016 then went on a path of destruction from the Caribbean up to and

along the Southeast U.S. coast. On Oct. 9, 2016, Matthew finally moved away from the U.S. coastline and became post-tropical.

Damage to SFA HQ was extensive, as you can see from the photos. Water was chest deep in the buildings. Files and computers were ruined.

Buildings were gutted. Phones were down for weeks.

A temporary office was donated by Green Beret Foundation, and much thanks is due to GBF for that. But, we need to get SFA HQ back up and

running and firing on all cylinders, ASAP.

Recovery will require time, sweat and commitment, from Cliff and all the folks in the Bragg area, but also from all SFA chapters and members. Support, in terms of financial, labor, morale and other, is required for this recovery. We know that all SF brothers will step up to the door.


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SF Dates - Jan & FebJanuary 4 - Nate Chapman, 1st Gp, first US KIA by hostile fire in Afghanistan, 2002.6 - 474th Inf Regt activated, 19456 - 24th SF Gp activated, 1961.8 - 38th SF Co. activated, 1964.15 - UNPFK activated, 195116 - TF 160 activated, 198518 - Mosby’s Rangers begin operations, 186321 - 13th SF Gp deactivated, 1966 24 - SOG activated, 1964.31 - 17th SF Gp deactivated, 196631 - 24th SF Gp deactivated, 196631 - 2nd SF Gp deactivated, 1966

February 10 - 16th SF Gp deactivated, 1966.24 - MARSOC Det 1 assembled, 200614 - Craig B Wolford, the first man from the 5th SFG to be killed in Vietnam. Det A4 at Tra My, 1963

Pop Quiz: What was the 474th Inf Regt and why is it important to SF history?

474th Inf Regt

Kiper Reports on Wall Chapter member,

Rich Kiper, wrote an article for the 19 October 2016 Leavenworth Times about The Wall, the traveling Vietnam War Wall, which was set up in Ray Miller Park, Leavenworth, October 26-30, 2016.

Wrote Kiper: “There are those who view The Wall as a symbol of political folly, of US global over-reach, of engaging in a civil war which was not our concern, of a humiliating defeat for the United States, of the futility of war, and as “a painful reminder of the war’s moral ambiguity.”

But to the men and women who served in Vietnam, to the families of those whose names are listed on The Wall, and, I hope, to its three million annual visitors, it is a symbol of service and sacrifice and a place for quiet meditation and prayer. The Wall does not glorify war. Instead, as designer Lin stated, “It succeeds in glorifying the human lives lost in battle.” (Courtesy of the Leavenworth Times.)

Over 8,000 people visited the wall while it was in Leavenworth.

Kiper and Nutsch at the Vets Day Parade


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The Army and SF in 2017 The U.S. Army and Special Forces face what could be an interesting year in 2017. Below is an attempt by these editors to look for ward and itemize some of those issues and dynamics. The US Military has a new Commander in Chief. Trump has said he wants to expand the rosters of each branch significantly. Congress has already authorized a 2.1% pay increase across the board, to all pay grades. Cyber warfare is becoming more of a challenge and a concern. Companies are getting hacked more frequently, losing customer and operations data. Is the DoD somehow avoiding that calamity? We hope so. Acquisition reforms are crucial, that processes become more efficient and frugal. Trump claims he will fix that. U.S. nuclear forces are in dire need of upgrades. Air Force nuclear missile controls are still using floppy disks. That’s almost as bad as using pigeons for message traffic. And strategies and decisions need to be made in regards to civilian employees and contractors, PMCs and PSCs, and how best they are hired, utilized, monitored and fired. The US Army currently has 475,000 Active Duty personnel, 342,000 National Guard, 198,000 USAR and 201,700 civilian employees. That is a total of 1,216,700. Trump says he wants to get Active Duty manpower up to or above 540,00 and the total above 2 million. There are various funding, command and training challenges in that goal. But, we may need at least those numbers, if not more, given Russian and Chinese saber rattlings, especially in the Ukraine and Baltic States and in the South China Sea and the Philippines. Women and their evolving roles and capacities in the U.S. Army continue to be a challenge for the Army, both operationally and politically. SOCOM is considering adopting a new sidearm and caliber. There are of course logistical and operational pros and cons of a force using larger and smaller bullets, weight versus accuracy, etc. Crypto-security is a growing concern for SOCOM. Years of fighting technologically unsophisticated terrorist opponents has spoiled SOCOM. Now SOCOM leaders are thinking of and considering more the Russians and Chinese. SOCOM also is assessing

protocols concerning female leaders and soldiers, and waiting to see what directives the Trump Administration, and probably GEN Mattis, will issue in regards to females. Army SOC units, in particular MISO (PsyOps), Civil Affairs, Rangers and Special Forces are constantly assessing how they best work together in the strategic and tactical realities of today’s battle spaces, to fight and kill bad guys, but also to drink tea and win hearts and minds, and how to best utilize and leverage females in all that operational cornucopia. Special Forces is dealing with under-manned teams due to the high tempo of operations and deployments over the past 15 years. The ranks are straining. Some sources claim that over 150 SF tabs were pulled in 2016. Fixing that will require funding for more troops, which carries additional issues, in terms of training and quality of candidates. SF is also assessing how best to utilize women. The 4th battalions, also being called the “Jed Battalions,” being formed in each SF group will have a slightly different structure and mission orientation than the other three battalions. Females could have a role on each “Jed Team,” in some capacity. That could change depending upon Mattis directives. SFA currently has just over 10,000 members, as of the end of 2016. That is good. But needs to be better. To stay at that level, and to grow, SFA needs to learn new tricks to attract younger SF troops and vets. Some chapters are working on that. But, SFA needs to make better use of social media and other trends that are popular with young people, not just troops. Has the SFA BoD ever discussed SEOs? Hope so. They should. Chapter 29 needs to make decisions regarding mission and identity, what it wants to be and how. We also need to attract and engage more younger guys if 29 is to survive. We need to set a larger table to attract and engage more leads, of all ages. We also need to engage more chapter members, to promote more participation amongst members. A small cadre of members tends to do all the necessary tasks and planning of the chapter and attend events. Got any ideas? Let us know.


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Treasurer’s Report on Charitable Giving by Chapter 29 for 2016

Primarily because of the generosity of individual chapter members and the success of the Special Operations Forces Formal SFA Chapter 29 made the following charitable donations during the year 2016. Some donations were funded by individual designated contributions that went into the General Operating Fund and others were funded from the SOF Formal Fund.

From the General Operating Fund contributions were made to:

Wentworth Military Academy= $200.

Warrior’s Ascent= $250. Ft. Leavenworth SOF Icebreaker = $500. Military family in need using

individual members donations= $600.

From the SOF Formal Fund contributions were made to:

The Gary Sinise Foundation= $1,000. The Green Beret Foundation= $1,000.

Hurricane Relief Fund for SFA= $1,000.

Total charitable donations by Chapter 29 in 2016= $4,550.

Roy Williams

Chapter 29 Treasurer


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Renewal Time!Yes, it’s that time of year.

Send in your renewals anytime now. You have until the end of the month. You are now, in January, late, so your renewal fee is $35. After 31 January, 2017, you will receive orders to report to the Late Renewal Penal Platoon.

It takes only a couple minutes to fill out the renewal form, write the check and stuff it all in an envelope. The renewal form is attached to this newsletter.

Orders to report to the LRPP will be issued in early February. Flights and buses will be departing for Camp MacKall several weeks later. Make sure that you are not on one of those. Plan ahead. Renew your SFA membership. Or start working out. Hard.

Remember: Send your renewals to Chapter 29, not SFA National, at Bragg.

10,005!The most recent Drop reported that SFA

total membership is now at 10,005 members. Yes, we are over 10,000 members. By 5. Let’s keep it above 10K. Renew Today!

“Oh, Bob, thank goodness you renewed on time!”

ODA-375 renewed as a team. “My fingers were crossed.” “Shut up, Carl.”

We all just renewed and the beer is even tastier!

“I’m pretty sure I gave you my renewal to mail.” “Shut up, Carl.”

LRPP members cleaning out flood muck at SFA HQ.

“The bright side to this is that I’m saving tons on CrossFit membership fees.”“Shut up, Carl.”


PAGE �11

Special Forces Association Chapter XXIX

10820 W 64th St, Suite 202 Shawnee, KS 66203

Application for Membership Renewal

I.________________________________________ _______________ hereby apply for renewal of my (Print Last Name, First Name, MI) (Membership Number)

membership in Chapter XXIX of the Special Forces Association and submit the following information:

CHECK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BOXES:

Annual Dues. Enclosed is a check or money order for $30.00 for a one-year renewal of my membership. Note: Annual renewal is $30.00 if paid before 30 January of each year. Reinstatement. Enclosed is a check or money order for $35.00, which includes a $5.00 reinstatement fee along with the $30.00 annual renewal fee. Note: annual renewals are $35.00 after 30 January of each year. Life Membership. Enclosed is a check or money order for $400.00 for a lifetime membership. The $400.00 fee applies to members in good standing only. Reinstatement & Life Membership. Enclosed is a check or money for $435.00 for reinstatement and lifetime membership of which $400.00 is the life membership fee, $30.00 is for annual dues and $5.00 is for reinstatement. Life Membership (65 and over). Date of Birth ___________. Enclosed is a check or money for $280.00 for a lifetime membership. The $280.00 fee applies to members in good standing only Reinstatement & Life Membership (65 and over). Date of Birth ___________. Enclosed is a check or money order for $315.00 for reinstatement and lifetime membership of which $280.00 is the life membership fee, $30.00 is the annual dues and $5.00 is for reinstatement.

Current mailing address:

___________________________________________________________________________________ Address City State Zip + 4

Home Telephone: (______) _______-____________ Work Telephone :(______) _______-__________

Email Address: ____________________________________

Date of Birth:________________ Rank at Separation: _________________

Check or money order should be made payable to: Chapter XXIX, SFA

Send dues to: Delta System, ATTN: Treasurer, Chapter 29, Special Forces Assoc, Assoc, 12426 W. 62nd Terr,

Shawnee, KS 66216

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Chapter Use Only

Date: ___________________ Check No. _______________ Amount: $____________

Date Sent to SFA National: ______/______/_________

Name:____________________________________ Member #__________

Documents

SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION THE GREEN BERETS CHAPTER …