SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION THE GREEN BERETS CHAPTER … · 2018-01-23 · SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29 NOV, 2017 PAGE 3 Lunch With Bill Thompson Source:

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

PAGE �1

SFA Chapter 29Mike Rose Receives MoH

On Monday, 23 October, 2017, last week, retired Special Forces officcer Gary Michael ”Mike” Rose received the Medal of Honor for actions during Operation Tailwind in 1970. Rose says he didn’t even know where they were going when he hopped on the helicopter that took him and the rest of the QRF into Laos.

“You get on a helicopter and you fly for 45 minutes, an hour west — when you know by helicopter the border’s only five minutes away — you know you’re in Laos,” and no longer in South Vietnam, Rose told Army Times.

Rose and the men he was with wound up in Operation Tailwind, a four-day battle in support of the Royal Lao Army. Rose and his element executed diversionary attacks on North Vietnamese Army troops to draw their attention from Lao Army units.

Rose has described those days spent in the Lao jungle, evading and fighting North

Vietnamese troops, as the worst time anyone could imagine. Most of the men were wounded, communications were spotty and no one was certain if they would ever get extracted.

Operation Tailwind remained classified until the late 1990’s, so Rose did not talk about the operation. In fact, much of what Rose knows today about Tailwind he found out in 1998 when CNN and TIME Magazine did a joint-report on Tailwind. That report caused controversy and

consternation amongst many within the Special Forces Regiment, for breaking the silence and for the negative light in which the report portrayed the operation.

Now, 47 years years after the battle, and nearly a decade since his actions were released to the public, Rose has been recognized for his actions in receiving the Medal of Honor.


PAGE �2

New Green Beret Unit Stirs Controversy There is a new unit called SFABs that are

causing quite a stir within Special Forces. Security Force Assistance Brigades were

unveiled earlier this year. Our issues with SFAB are that their beret is green, the their shoulder

patch is a dagger in an arrow head and

they are calling themselves “The

Legion,” which is the 5th SFG nom de

guerre. Many in SF are saying

that SFABs will not compete for real SF missions, but that SF traditions and culture are

in jeopardy of being watered down, as is every unit, when the Army decides to copy a unit to

make a “Lite” version. Heritage and pride is a big part of the military cohesion and efficacy and

when you dilute that heritage it causes problems for the original unit, the copy and the Army as a

whole. The SFAB is based at Ft Benning and their

mission is “to work with, train, advise, and assist partner nation security forces in logistics,

communications, maneuver strategies, and any other additional areas that require assistance.”

SFABs will be deploying within months. Their forth Assessment and Selection class, Class

18-004, just graduated last week. SFABs were

officially activated in August. According to some sources, SFAB is not

intended to replace or compete with SF. But their headgear and should patch are

problematic, for both SF and SFABs. Many think that the U.S. Army is not big enough for two

Green Beret units. Things will get confusing. The two key Generals who have been driving

the SFAB concept are Gen. Mark Milley, Army Chief of Staff, and Gen. Robert Abrams,

FORSCOM commander. Abrams’ family has a history with SF. His

father, Creighton, for whom our main battle

tank is named, hated SF and wanted SF

disbanded. Milley is SF, was a detachment

commander in 5th Group, but who many

lately have charged as betraying SF. Both Milley and Abrams see SFABs as an expansion

of U.S. Army training capacities, for which SF has been over-taxed for many years, especially

in regards to FID missions. For years infantry, armor and artillery commanders have ben

complaining that their troops have been forced into trainer and advisor roles for

which they are not prepared.

GEN Abrams

SFAB beret

(Continued)


PAGE �3

Lunch With Bill ThompsonSource: chapter member Roy Williams

Bill Thompson had lunch on 14 October with other chapter members and some SF officers from CGSC. Bill, as most of you know, parachuted into France during World War II with OSS Jedburgh Team NOVOCAINE. He celebrated his 96th birthday earlier this year. The lunch was held at The Depot Restaurant in Leavenworth, Kansas. Those attending were Bill’s step-daughter, Lundy, along with chapter members Roger Donlon and Roy Williams. The three SF officers, currently attending the Command and General Staff College, were Capt. Pete Frischolz, from 10th Group, who brought along his girlfriend, Capt. Will Reynolds, from 5th Group, and Capt. Pete DeJong, also from 10th Group, who brought along his family. The SF officers brought several copies of "Cloak and Dagger in World War II:Behind the Lines with a Secret Agent of OSS in Europe and the Far East" written in 2007 by then SF Major William (Bill) Linn. Bill Thompson signed copies of the account of his military experiences in the OSS. Lundy announced that author Bill Linn is publishing a book about Jedburgh Bill Thompson and is expanding his original 94 page account to around 300 pages for the full length book. A good time was had by all and great respect was shown to Jedburgh Bill by everyone in attendance. Roger Donlon expressed a special thank you to Capt. Reynolds for attending the memorial service for Bill Radtke on September 17th. To show his gratitude he presented one of his personal Medal of Honor coins to Capt. Reynolds. He then gave a coin to each of the other officers and their family members for their appreciation of Jedburgh Bill Thompson and for all they do and endure in service to our country.


PAGE �4

Four SF KIAs in Niger Four 3rd SFG soldiers were killed in

Niger on 4 October. They were Dustin Wright, Jeremiah Johnson, Bryan Black and La David Johnson.

Their team was returning from recon patrol, and were also in support of another operation to arrest a local HVT, terrorist cell leader, when they were ambushed.

Their patrol was in three vehicle and came under fire from a nearby tree line from about thirty insurgents.

The team of SF men, SF support men and Niger troops did not have heavy weapons and struggled to hold off the terrorists for an hour until French Mirage jets arrived to provide TacAir support. The attackers withdrew when the jets arrived.

The DoD is investigating confusing reports about the 4 men killed being missing when seven of the team were extracted by French helicopters. There are also questions about delayed radio communications and that support was not requested by radio for nearly an hour into the ambush.

Some sources are asserting that local villagers informed ISIS of the team’s presence, which led to the ambush.

The bodies of three of the four missing men were found that day by the QRF , but Johnson’s body was not found until 6 October, 2 days later by Niger troops, amongst brush and scrub, several hundred meters from the ambush site, not all that far away.

This incident and investigation will likely impact SF operations throughout African in terms of how counter-insurgency operations are carried out and what protocols and ROEs will

be imposed.

Someone also needs to explain to some members of Congress that it is not possible for them to be informed and up to date on all Special Forces and Special Operations missions around the globe at all times and that is what the Pentagon and SOCOM do, and that when things like this come to their attention it is because something went wrong, and that does not happen all that often.


PAGE �5

SF Ops in Africa Special Forces teams, and other U.S.

military assets, are currently deployed all over

Africa, not just in Niger, where the 4 SF KIAs

recently happened.

Their common mission is counter-

insurgency, to degrade the operations of

terrorist groups, which are spread across

Africa, and

to train and

make more

effective the

militaries

and also

administrations of host countries so that they

can attain more stability and better deal with

and withstand pressures from terrorists.

A common problem throughout the Third

World, and particularly in Africa, is that

national governments often have little or no

control outside their capitol or an area around

it. That leaves power vacuums for terrorists to

fill and exploit, often to the detriment of U.S.

interests and safety.

Many in Congress and the public are

asking for more information about African

operations and protocols. “We didn’t know

U.S. troops are in Africa,” they say.

These counter-insurgency ops play to the

strengths of SF and for which SF is well

suited. But, such operations require SF to

coordinate and operate with a wide variety of

military and civilian assets, even NGOs, in

order to succeed. They also need to stay quiet

and under the radar, and that is now

problematic.

This comes at a time when many in the

Pentagon, even within SOCOM, and even

within Special Forces, are losing faith in UW

and the efficacy of winning hearts and minds.

Be prepared, as members of the SF

Regiment, to speak calmly and intelligently

about counter-insurgency operations, in Africa

and elsewhere, and why they are necessary to

U.S. safety and interests.


PAGE �6

New Green Beret Unit Stirs Controversy(Continued from page 2)

Some SF officers have supported the formation of SFAB, including, according to the

rumor mill, Maj Gen James Linder, commander of the JFK Center. There are also rumors that

SWC is assisting in SFABs training, for the same reasons, to relieve SF of some of the FID

load. On page 29 of this year’s ARSOF 2035 report is the title,

“SFABs + SOF: Winning in a

Complex World" The SF FID load

has been a building pressure cooker for

some time. Many in Special Forces have

been saying for some years now that the

tempo of deployments has been degrading SF. Some efforts have been made to try and task

other SOCOM units to get into the FID game, such as the SEALs. But, most SOF units do not

have the culture to be effective military advisers, with the possible exception of

MARSOC. But, that remains to be seen, as they are still exploring and expanding their

capacities. Gen. Abrams told a formation last week that

SFABs “Are making history and breaking

ground for the Army,” that they are setting new standards for the Army, that soldiers, going

forward, need to be fighters and advisers, to be able to fight alongside foreign troops and to

train and advise them to be better warriors, if need be. Many Army decision makers have

been pushing for this for years. On Monday of this week the SFAB

CDR and CSM told an SFAB formation they

are special and to ignore social media.

SFAB commanders are telling SF commanders

that SFABs will allow Special Forces to get

back to what SF does best, CT, UW, and FID

missions, as opposed to running ranges and PT formations inside large FOBs.

SFAB is seeking SPC(P) and SGT volunteers in the following MOSs: 11B, 12B, 12B (w/ASI

E8), 19D, 13F, 25U, 35F, 68W, 89D, 91B, 92A, and 92Y. 70% of the SFABs will be “advisers”

and 30% will be support. Rumors are that many of the SGM and CSM slots within SFAB are for

18s, and that SF E-8s have been assigned to SFAB.

SFAB beret and flash

(Continued)


PAGE �7

The First Female 18XThe first Female 18X, Special Forces

candidate, enlisted last month at the U.S. Army Recruiting Station in North Gate, Washington.

She first has to get through Basic Training, AIT and Jump School. By the time she makes it to SFAS, if she makes it to SFAS, a female candidate might already have been selected.

She has a good build, like an athlete, and a soldier. But, can she run? Ruck? Do pushups? Pullups? Log drills? Nasty Nick? Guess we will find out.

The first female MARSOC is currently making a second attempt at MARSOC Selection. She was terminated her first time around earlier this year….

Reminder: The first SF qualified female already exists. She graduated from the SFQC back in 1981. Her name was CPT Katie Wilder. But, she has long been and still is controversial. Many are her detractors.

The risk in this is that the wrong females, who are not a good fit for SF, or SOF, will make their way through the SFQC and onto ODAs. But, that has always been an issue with males also.

We, the editors, believe that such females exist. Whether they exist in sufficient numbers is another matter. Along those lines, these editors wish her luck and hope that she is a good fit.


PAGE �8

CALENDAR

6 Nov - Chapter BOD meeting,

Delta Systems,1700hrs.11 Nov - Veterans Day Parade,

Leavenworth, KS, 0900hrs

4 Dec - BoD meeting at Delta Systems, 1700hrs

5 Dec - Menton Day

8 Dec - Menton Day Happy

Hour Assembly.9 Dec - Annual Chapter

Christmas Party. Location TBD

16 Dec - Christmas Ruck

All contents of this newsletter are copyrighted by Jeff Forker, 2017. If you would like to use any of these contents, or would like longer versions of any of these articles, contact Jeff: [email protected] or 913-558-5650.

Chapter OfficersTERRY “BULLET”

BUCKLERChapter President

“MAD MIKE” NEERVice President

SAM “RICO” RATCLIFFEVice President-Ops

ROY “ROGUE” WILLIAMSTreasurer

BARRY ESTELLSecretary

JEFF FORKERMembership and

Newsletter Editor

Meeting Minutes

Chapter XXIX, Special Forces AssociationArthur D. “Bull” Simons Memorial ChapterMinutes: Board of Directors Meeting September 11, 2017

President Terry Buckler called the meeting to order at 1700 hours beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance and an Opening Prayer. Other board members in attendance were Treasurer Roy Williams, Secretary Barry Estell and Membership Chair and Newsletter Editor Jeff Forker.

Treasurer Williams reported that the April balances were as follows:Operating Fund: $3,266.58Formal Fund-$27,528.92Total Funds as of July 2017: $32,408.34

Jeff Forker reported that the Chapter had 94 members with 34 eligible men in the area that he was endeavoring to enlist.Roy Williams briefed the Board on the memorial service for LTC (Ret) Bill Radke in Lawrence September 17th.President Buckler discussed the upcoming October Fest on September 23rd and encouraged everyone to make reservations. Jeff Forker would send out a final announcement.

At the request of the National SFA, the Board discussed sponsoring the 2019 National Special Forces Association Meeting in Kansas City. Roy Williams expressed concern that if the Chapter were to agree it not dilute sponsorshipof the Special Operations Formal which is the Chapter’s primary social and financial event each year. Jeff Forker believed there was ample additional sponsorship of the one-time event and would pursue such interest and report back to the Board.

The next Board meeting will be on November 6th at 1700 hours at Delta Systems.

Submitted by: Barry D. Estell, Secretary

mailto:[email protected]



PAGE �9

Chapter 29 Christmas Party

Menton Day Celebration

The annual Chapter 29 Christmas Party

will be held,tentatively, on 9 December at a

location yet to be determined. This is one of

our big annual social events. Many attend

each year and share stories and experiences.

WHEN: TBD

WHERE: TBD

WHO: All Chapter 29 members and their

family and guests are invited.

Last year’s party had a big turn out at a

restaurant in Leavenworth and was a big

success and much fun was had by all.

This year’s Menton Day celebration will be held on the evening of 8 December. If you are interesting in attending and celebrating Menton Day, contact Jeff Forker. A location, probably a bar or tavern, will be chosen based on replies.

Menton Day is celebrated each year by Special Forces to commemorate the deactivation of the 1st Special Service Force, in

1944, in Menton, France. The 1SSF is considered one of the predecessor units in the lineage of U.S. Army Special Forces.

Tradition requires that each of us, either together in groups or individually, raise a glass to those brave pioneers of modern special operations and share stories, experiences and toasts.


PAGE �10

The photo below is from a recent dove hunt in Texas. All the hunters were SF brothers. We

could do something like this, maybe pheasant and quail, or snipe and sasquatch, or crappie and

catfish, or Jayhawks or Wildcats. Our imagination is our only limitation.

SF Texas Dove Hunt

SF Officer’s Death by Bad ChuteA 1st SFG captain was killed during a HALO

jump in 2015 which the Army has determined was

due to defects in the parachute.

Capt. James M. Ahn died on 11 Sept.,

2015 during a routine HALO training

operation with his team over the Olympic

Peninsula in Washington. Authorities found

his body in the woods after a 10-hour search.

The officer’s family is now suing the

manufacturer of the parachute, Airborne Systems

North America, headquartered in Santa Ana,

California. The suit claims that Ahn’s death was

caused by a manufacturing defect in his pack's

reserve parachute. The defect involved a missed a

four-point stitch in a riser, which, of course,

guides the chords connecting the chute to the

backpack.

Parachuting is, as we all know, a hazardous

activity, in spite of the fact that we often

make light of it and play it down as “How we

go to work.” HALO, and all types of parachuting, is

even more hazardous is parachute manufacturers

cannot guarantee that all their chutes are stitched

to requirements.


PAGE �11

New Green Beret Unit Stirs Controversy(Continued from page 6)

Gen. Milley’s responded to the SF community

several days ago with the following message: 1. 1st SFAB is his baby. He is requesting all hate

go directly to him and not SFAB troops. We have scared the living shit out of them and we

are starting to look like bullies. 2. The Beret color will not change. OD green is the

international color of Infantry, across the world, not in the U.S., where it is, of course, blue. The

SFAB beret is Hunter Green, which is a brownish green. He chose the color. 3. He has

full stopped any and all reference to "The Legion" and/or "The V Legion.” 4. The patch and

tab will not change. It is, according to him, from the Office of Military Heraldry and is NOT a SF

patch. He says its from MACV and not MACV-SOG. The

patch and tab are

staying. Gen. Milley

says that the SF core

mission set is evolving and adapting to

be FID and JCET exclusively for host-nation SOF/Commandos. The Green Berets will no

longer train conventional forces. 1st SFAB is taking that over. Green Berets are evolving to

direct action advisor’s like the Horse Soldiers of

Afghanistan and the Jedburghs of WWII. Gen. Milley feels the USSF is spread too thin and

therefore DoD is refocusing them to specific warfighting-adviser

tasks. Gen. Milley wants to free up ODA's to

conduct warfighting so they do not have to be

running ranges and PT formations inside FOBs.

Milley received over 1,200 emails and phone

calls over 72 hours over this SFAB controversy.

He wants all queries and complaints to come to him, and his staff, not to SFAB troops, who have

their hands full preparing for their first deployment. He claims that he has done

everything to preserve the heritage of The Legion (5th SFG) and USSF. He says that 1st

SFAB is having its flagging ceremony at Benning next week and they will take the field in

OD green berets. Some within SF are not as concerned about

patches and berets as they are about SFABs not having enough experience, training, support,

equipment or infrastructure necessary to do their mission.

GEN Milley

SF doing their thing

(Continued)


PAGE �12

TF Dagger Movie: 12 Strong

Annual Christmas Ruck

The blockbuster SF movie, 12 Strong, will be released in January of next year, 2018. The movie is based on the Book, Horse Soldiers, by Doug Stanton and is about the TF Dagger SF teams that were first on the ground in Afghanistan in the fall of 2001, within weeks of the 9/11 attacks.

Chris Hemsworth plays the Mitch Nelson, the Det Cmdr,

which based on chapter member Mark Nutsch, the real ODA CO of the first TFD ODA on the ground. Initials = MN. Get it?

Mark says that all the technical advisers to the movie were SEALs. He says he and a couple other TFD guys went to Hollywood to offer their input and were told, "We got it covered." Go figure.

This year’s Annual Christmas and Birthday Fundraiser Ruck will be on 16 December and will assemble at and start at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City.

Open invitation to anyone, even kids. All that is required is a ruck and the ability to walk five miles, or just come to the after-party. Ruck weights and donation amounts at your discretion. The focus is fun and fitness. A party will be held afterward at a local tavern. White elephant gifts will be optional.

Start time will be at 1200hrs at the memorial. Weather is a factor. Last year we had 8 ruckers during a blizzard. The year before we had warm, sunny weather and 36 ruckers.

This event is not sponsored by Chapter 29 due to liability issues, but it popular amongst some chapter members. It is a fun and festive way to get into the Christmas spirit. Donations will go to a local veteran charity. If interested, contact Jeff Forker ([email protected]). Come ruck or party or both.

Ruckers at last year’s extreme weather ruck.




PAGE �13

Bill Radtke’s FuneralBill Radtke’s funeral service was held on 17 September at 1300hrs at Brandon Woods, the retirement facility where Bill was living.

Sixteen Special Forces men, four of whom were active duty officers, who came down from Ft Leavenworth, the rest

of whom were Chapter 29 members, attended the service. There were about sixty total attendees, a very good turn-out.

The service started with the “Missing Man” roll call. The names of all SF there were called. Each called out “Here!” Lastly, Bill’s name was called three times, which was followed by a short spell of silence.

The Radtke family was there in full force. All four of Bill and Joyce’s kids, two daughters and two sons,

spoke. Each shared memories and anecdotes about their father, Bill, and their mother, Joyce. It was an honest and touching tribute to a great man who had a brilliant Army career and was a formidable asset to Army Special Forces, but who also was an outstanding father and friend.

SOG Dinner & Dance, May 2018 SFA Chapter XI's Annual Formal

Dinner and Dance next spring will honor

MACV-SOG, that famous SF

special project from the Vietnam

War. It will be a black-tie affair.

When: Friday, 4 May, 2018, at

1800hrs.

Location: Army Navy Country

Club, Arlington, Virginia.

If interested, the POC is David Jackson,

Adjutant, Chapter 29. Contact David by

email,

[email protected], or by

phone, 703-606-2021.

And don’t worry about ruining

this black tie affair, because all

your rowdy friends will be there.




PAGE �14

Updates and SitRepsSFA NATIONAL HQ The HQ is nearly complete and recovered from the flood damage of last year and is operational. The computers work but the phone do not. Reestablishing the HQ museum is nearly complete. Furniture and painting still to be completed.

HQ GROUNDS The SFA grounds are nearly complete, landscapers and volunteers are hard at work. It should be open for picnics and events by next spring.

NEW NATIONAL HQ EVENTS BUILDING The new National Building will also be used for various events, gatherings and meetings, parties, retirements, etc.

NATIONAL TEAM HOUSE The new National Team House will be either rebuilt, replaced or remodeled. That is being decided based on cost estimates and resources and is projected t be complete within two years.

THE DROP - CHANGES The National Board is considering cost-saving changes to The Drop. It is the most expensive component of SFA’s regular operations. Options being considered are sending The Drop out digitally to some or to all, charging an additional fee for The Drop or some combination of those.

SFA AS SOF RECRUITERS SFA has been talking to SWC and SORB (Special Operations Recruiting Battalion) about SFA playing a more active role in identifying and recruiting SF and ARSOF candidates. SFA could probably be more affective at this effort if more of us were in the loop and actively always on the look-out.

MEMBERSHIPNational: Total: 9,977 membersLife Members: 7,688Annuals Members: 2,289Passed in the past year: 98 (RIP) Chapter 29: Total members in good standing: 94Non-Renewals: 12Inactives: 20Non SFA SF in KC: 24Passed in last year: 2 (RIP)


PAGE �15

Gail Merrill’s SF Quilt Chapter member Gail W. Merrill is known by many in our chapter for his time in 12th Group, by some for his time in the U.S. Marine Corps, prior to gaining his sanity and joining the U.S. Army, and by most in our chapter for his “SF Quilt.” Gail first had the idea for the quilt in 1985 while he was recovering in a hospital bed, the result of a parachuting accident. It was a year later, in 1986, when he started collecting materials and patches and sewing them together. Gail has tried to represent all SF groups, other units and special projects in the numerous panels of the quilt. Also represented on the quilt are the 1st Special Service Force, the

Alamo Scouts, the OSS Jedburghs, the 5307th Composite Unit (Merrill’s Marauders), various Ranger units of World War II and the 8240th Partisans Units of the Korean

War (UNPIK). The quilt is 9x9 feet and has 81 panels filled. Gail brings the quilt to many chapter events and invites all SF men to sign the quilt in the panels in which they were assigned or in some

capacity served. Gail says that the quilt has been a very educational experience, has led him to learn about SF units and events that he had before had no knowledge. There are only a few empty panels left. So, be advised. Of note: There is no Task Force Dagger panel. Actually, there are no panels related to operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. We should be able to help Gail out and resolve that.

Gail and Jim Failes holding the quilt

L-R: Bob Deatherage, Jack Smith, Jon Meigs, Gail and Deb Merrill


PAGE �16

Fogel and MacLaughlinChapter members Mark Fogel and Rob

MacLaughlin shared a recent photo of the two

of them in the Ammo Storage Room at the

Kansas City Missouri Police Department

Academy during a day of shooting at the

range. Mark is an instructor at the Academy

and Rob is a KCPD sergeant.

Knowing that the KCPD has such men on

their force, training and leading, should make

us sleep that much better at night.

Return of Pinks & Greens?The Army is

considering returning to its past and bring back the “Pinks and Greens” uniforms of World War II.

Sources within the SF community, and the KC SF AO, say that the Army has been talking about this for numerous years.

What is the incentive for this uniform change and why have they been pushing for it for so long if nothing has happened for so long?

People within and without the military long for a simpler time, militarily, when our enemies and goals were more cut and dried…..

Coincidentally, Canadian Special Forces are rolling out new uniforms that harken back to the uniforms worn by the 1st Special Service Force (1SSF), the Devil’s Brigade, of World War II.

A local SF guy has informed me that this comes up every couple of years since the late 1990s. So, not a sure thing.


PAGE �17

Is it Time to Dump UW? A recently article, written by an SF officer named Doug Livermore, recently appeared in War On The Rocks and has stir up the boiling pot of controversy. The jist of the article is that “unconventional warfare” is no longer relevant in today’s geopolitical landscape and should be replaced with the term and doctrine of “political warfare”. UW is defined as, according to a 2014 SOCOM “activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating through or with an underground, auxiliary, and guerrilla force in a denied area.” But, Livermore sees UW as a product of the Cold War and not relevant in today’s battle space with Islamic terrorist groups and militias.

UW has existed throughout history, indeed, long before conventional warfare. Alexander the Great used UW. Lawrence of Arabia catapulted UW into modern warfare. The SOE, OSS and SAS used UW extensively in WW2, as did the Soviet NKVD and partisans, and UNPIK forces in Korea. Livermore’s argument, to a great extent, is about semantics, that the term “unconventional warfare” propagates confusion and limits effective strategies and operations, that “political warfare” requires and implies the application of the full spectrum of national capabilities in support of

PW operations. These capabilities often should include diplomatic, technological, financial, even agricultural assets. However, some on SF, and elsewhere, believe that Political Warfare is too ambitious, has never been executed well, has too many moving parts and players, and that UW can actually to a better job at if done properly. Some claim that UW already covers everything that SF can and should do, that it is still relevant and effective. Many responded to Livermore’s article with attitudes of defiance, that SF is not like the rest of SOCOM, that “We are a breed apart.” And many in SF seem to have lost faith in UW, believe that it gets in the way of kicking doors and shooting people in the face.

(Continued)


PAGE �18

SFQC Demo Range Accident Kills FourFour 18C/Demo students were killed and

eleven were injured on 14 Sept, the result of an accident on the Ft Bragg Demo Range. Killed instantly was Staff Sgt. Alexander P. Dalida, 32, of Dunstable, Massachusetts. One of the injured soldiers is now a triple amputee as a result of the blast. The accident is still under investigation.

Eight o the injured went to Womack Army Hospital, on Bragg. The rest were transported to Cape Fear Memorial. The Army is caring for the wounded soldiers and their families.

The accident happened during the "Home Made Explosives" portion of 18C/Demo training. HME class used to be called “Improvise Explosive Devises.” There are reports that a vehicle rollover was also involved.

SF demo training is conducted on Range #69, one of only two demo ranges on Ft Bragg. The other is Range #40, which is for EOD and all other demo training. Interesting to note is the 500 pound charge limit on Range #69, whereas Range #40 has a 30 pound l The Special Warfare Center is investigating the events leading up to the incident, to determine how the accident happened.

Demolitions is a dangerous business, even in training. One must constantly be aware of where blasting caps, batteries and wires are placed or laying on the table or ground. It can be hard for training cadres to keep an eye on the actions and movements of all students.

An SF demo range accident in 1969 killed eight students. The cause was C4 accidentally coming into contact with a hot wire that was not shunted. After that accident instructors, or cadres, always carried and maintained control of the detonators.

Experienced Demo men know that demo accidents happen usually when mistakes are made. Safety, safety, double check and triple check is the order of demo. Equipment failure can also lead to catastrophic results, thus, the need for rechecking equipment.

SOF training is dangerous. Ranger School has over the years has had several training fatalities, such as the incident in 1995 when four Ranger students died in a Florida swamp during training. People get wounded and killed all the time in live fire training.

Jumping is dangerous, which many of us tend to forget, to take parachuting for granted. But the 2015 HALO accident that killed CPT Ahn is a reminder. (See page 10.)

The U.S. military has seen a decline in non-combat, mostly training, deaths. In 1990 222 military personnel were killed in training. In 2000 those deaths were down to 113.

This accident reminds us that when working with demolitions, and other combustibles, always think safety, double and triple check everything, and do not let students carry or control the detonators, literally and figuratively.


PAGE �19

New Green Beret Unit Stirs Controversy(Continued from page 11.)

There are a few other valid concerns that hopefully Milley, Abrams and others have

considered. One, the SFABs are looking for SP4s, SGTs and SSGs. But such ranks tend to

lack the maturity and command presence to work with foreign troops and officers. Are there

enough senior NCOs and officers to balance that? Two, how is each brigade structured to

train any foreign partner in everything

from SUT to driving a tank to firing an

artillery piece to flying a helicopter, as

Milly has suggested SFABs will do. Four,

how long will their deployments

be? Long enough to build rapport with indigenous partners and students? Five,

what language and cultural preparations will SFABs be afforded? Will they depend entirely in

translators, or will SFABs undergo language and culture training as part of their pre-deployment

preparation? Six, will they advise and train only on U.S. equipment and weapons, or also on

Russian and Chinese equipments? It sounds, in many ways, like a good concept,

as long as they have considered the myriad

problems of rank and structure, language and culture etiquette, equipment familiarity, etc.

So, SFABs are going to focus on training and advising partner-nation conventional forces and,

henceforth, SF is going to focus same on SOF and irregular forces, which has been our forte all

along. In a nutshell, what bothers so many SF guys

is not about the mission. It's about the

attack on SF culture and heritage. And,

yes, olive drab is not rifle green, and the

SFAB patch is not exactly like that of SF,

but it is close enough that it muddies the

water for those who do not know the difference.

There is also risk to the SFABs in that hanging this sort of conflict around the neck of a new unit

before they have even had their first mission can create unnecessary strains and divisions

within the ranks and can stand as a barrier to their acceptance and perceived legitimacy

throughout the military, in particular those who do know the difference and who could be

instrumental friends and allies.

SFAB selectees from Class 18-004


PAGE �20

Is it Time to Dump UW?(Continued from page 17)

PW can be said to have been well practiced by the U.S. across the globe during the Eisenhower administration and George Kennan played a key role in that. The Eisenhower administration managed a global campaign of Communist deterrence and containment using conventional forces, in particular in Europe, Asia and South America, and unconventional forces, foremost Special Forces, from the various SF forward battalions, Det A, Det K, but also the vast numbers of ODAs that did FID and various other types of missions all across the globe, and the CIA, State Department and various other agencies and assets to promote U.S. interests across the globe.Livermore makes some good points. He is not saying that UW needs to go away, but that it needs to be expanded to better fit the needs of the world today. He says that UW confuses many people in DC and the DoD and that replacing UW with the term "Political Warfare" actually would help SF to be more effective. Part of his article is that CT and the various strategies used against Muslim extremists, UW, FID, PW, whatever, require a broader understanding and application of US capabilities and assets, to include financial, diplomatic, propaganda, technological, even agricultural, and others. I agree. UW should be expanded and adapted to today’s world, to be part of a broader holistic focus that is part of or includes political warfare. But, to argue that UW should be replaced is misguided. UW has a number of tools in its toolbox, including MISO and covert action, and it in turn is a tool in an even larger and broader warfare toolbox.


PAGE �21

2 SEALs Suspected of Killing Green Beret

Discussions within the Pentagon and throughout the U.S. military and government are about whether the U.S. Air Force should ride herd over the soon to be formed force of space-oriented troops.

There are several reasons. One, there is no “Air” in space. Two, many believe the AF does not have the capacity for such a command, that the AF has its hands full with all its earth-bound assets.

What name should the Pentagon use for this new command? The U.S. Space Corps? Space Rangers? Space Patrol? Space Berets?

And what training and mission protocols and doctrines should this new Space Corps adopt? Should SF or other SOF units be at the table to

advise? Can any SF skills or doctrine be borrowed for space?

It’s a bet that no one knows, given that there is not precedent, other than NASA astronauts, what sort of training and operations doctrines should be adopted for space rangers. Will the Ranger Handbook apply on

the Moon or Mars? What tactical formations will be used in space? And what about oppressed little green or blue men needing liberating that we do not yet know about?

Two Navy SEALs are under suspicion for the death of a Special Forces SSG. The incident occurred on 4 June, at 0500hrs, in Mali.

SSG Logan Melgar, 34, was found dead on 4 June in the embassy housing in Bamako, the Malian capital, where his team was staying.

Melgar’s was part of a mixed SF and SEAL team that is training Malian troops for counterterrorism, the same mission as the team in Niger, where 4 SF were recently killed.

Unofficial reports about the death range from a grudge that got out of hand to rough play that

became fatal to Melgar finding out about illegal activity by the SEALs. The other SF operator is said to have found the two SEALs frantically trying to revive Melgar.

Army CID was immediately called in to investigate the strange

circumstances of Melgar’s death. Foul play was suspected. A medical examiner ruled the death to be “a homicide by asphyxiation.” CID after two months turned the investigation over to NCIS.

SSG Melgar will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on 20 November.

New DoD Branch: Space Corps?


PAGE �22

SF Knife Makers SF veterans Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey make knives and their knives have been getting a lot of notice and awards recently. Their company is called Spartan Blades.

Their Kranos knife was recognized this past summer as the best knife made in the United States at the International Blade Show in Atlanta, Ga. Last year Spartan Blades won the coveted American Made Knife of the Year award for its Spartan-Harsey folder.

Their primary manufacturing plant and showroom is in Southern Pines, North Caroline,

not far from Ft Bragg and Camp MacKall. Spartan Blades are sold by appointment at their showroom in Southern Pines and worldwide through a network of approximately 185 dealers. Food for thought for your Christmas wish list.

Casualties From All Major Wars

Civil War

WW1

WW2

Korea

Vietnam

Iraq

Afghanistan

2,184

58,220

498,332

405,39

4,476

116,516

36,574

Veterans Day is this month, November. In lieu of that, can you match each war with its total casualties?


PAGE �23

SF Dates - November & DecemberNovember8 - SWC activated, 1950.9 November 1989, Berlin Wall comes down

15 - Alamo Scouts deactivated, 1945.19 - 1st SFOD Delta activated, 1978.

20 - Bosnia Operations begin, 199520 - Son Tay Raid, 1970

21 - End of combat phase of Granada Invasion, 1983 (Confirm)

22 - JFK assassinated, 1963.28 - Alamo Scouts activated, 1943.

December1 - USASOC activated, 1989.1 - 1st SFG deactivated, 1969.

5 - Menton Day - 1SSF deactivated in Menton, France, 1944.

5 - JD Davis, Dan Petithory, and Brian Prosser, all of 5th SFG, were KIA when a JDAM hit their

position. Though it was fratricide, they were still officially classified as KIA, making them the first

KIAs of GWOT, in A-stan. 2001.5 - 3rd SF Gp activated, 1963,

6 - Somalia Operation begins, 199213 - Army National Guard begin operations in

1636 when the Massachusetts Bay Colony's General Court passed an act calling for the

creation of three regiments by organizing

existing separate militia companies in the town

around Boston. Their purpose was to defend the Bay Colony against hostile indian tribes as well

as colonists and military members from other European countries who were operating in

North American, including the French, in what is now Canada; the Spanish, in what is now

Florida, The Carolinas, and Georgia; and the Dutch, in what was then New Netherland, which

is now New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

15 - JSOC activated, 1980.15 - Last SF KIA in RVN, CPT Dick Rees whose

JCRC Field Team was attacked by a VC unit approx. 16 miles south of Saigon on the second

day of a recovery mission, 1974.20 - Panama Invasion launches, 1989

23 - COL Robert Howard died, 2009

Documents

SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION THE GREEN BERETS CHAPTER … · 2018-01-23 · SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29 NOV, 2017 PAGE 3 Lunch With Bill Thompson Source: