SPECIAL OPERATIONS NEWS
Combat Controller Inducted in Commando Hall of Honor
HURLBURT FIELD, FL - A former Air Force Special Operations Command combat controller and command chief was recognized for more than 45 years of service to the special operations community through induction into the Commando Hall of Honor May 15. Retired Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Norrad was inducted into the ... FULL STORY
An A-10 Love Story
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - It could be the roar the engine makes as it soars above the battleground scattering enemy activity from the fight or when its rugged body loaded with a high-tech weapons system delivers an aerial arsenal, but whatever the reason, the A-10 fighter aircraft is loved by ... FULL STORY
Critical support for SOF: Inside the BAF Log Cell
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Mission critical logistics support is a never-ending battle for Special Operations Force deployed to Afghanistan and even more so for one particular task force, operating in seven provinces of eastern Afghanistan mentoring Afghan National Security Forces. Special operations, by their very nature, place small teams ... FULL STORY
USASOC Soldiers Render Aid to Boston Bombing Victims
FORT BRAGG, NC – The instincts of an American Soldier took over when three United States Special Operations Soldiers rendered emergency first aid to those who had fallen victim to the bombings at The Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. "I was recovering at the water point when ... FULL STORY
US Navy SEALs Honor WWII, D-Day Teammate
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - Sailors assigned to East-Coast Naval Special Warfare (NSW) units attended a family celebration for a Naval Combat Demolition-man, April 12. The celebration was held to honor Alfred Martin Palacios’ heroic acts while storming the beaches of Normandy, France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Capt. Bob Smith, ... FULL STORY
USASOAC Unveils New DUI
FORT BRAGG, NC – The U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) unveiled its new Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) and Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) after receiving approval by the Army's Institute of Heraldry. USASOAC provisionally activated March 25, 2011, as the aviation staff proponent of the ... FULL STORY
To Hell and Back: The Bala Murghab Saga
BALA MURGHAB, Afghanistan - For some, coming home means flag-waving crowds, cheers and parades. For others, there is no real coming home, just a struggle to adapt to who they've become and make sense of what they'd done. I'm an Air Force photojournalist, a Wounded Warrior and Purple Heart recipient, ... FULL STORY
MOH Recipients Inducted into USSOCOM Hall of Honor
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FL – A crowd of several hundred onlookers watched as the names of two Special Operators who earned the Nation’s highest military award were unveiled on the black granite walls of the Special Operations Memorial here March 27.The ceremony was to honor Medal of Honor recipients Sgt. ... FULL STORY
Silent Quest: A Plan For Future Warfare
FORT BRAGG, NC - The United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) held an exercise recently to help determine the command's Future Operating Concept. The exercise or Wargame, known as Silent Quest, is part of a series of exercises and events that will test concepts within ... FULL STORY
Rangers Recognized For Valor
LACEY, WA - Family, friends and soldiers gathered at Saint Martin’s Marcus Pavilion March 20 for a valorous award ceremony to recognize and award soldiers for their combat achievements in Afghanistan. Two soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., ... FULL STORY
One SEAL Dead, One Injured in Parachute Training Accident
SAN DIEGO,CA - Two members of an East Coast based Naval Special Warfare unit were involved in a training accident in the vicinity of Pinal Airpark in Marana, Az. on March 28 at approximately 12:30 p.m. Naval Special Warfare Command announced today the name of the service member killed in the ... FULL STORY
NSW Assists Honduras to Establish Elite Maritime Unit
TRUJILLO, Honduras - With a rate of 86 people killed for every 100,000 inhabitants, Honduras is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world according to statistics from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report in 2011. With a murder rate four times higher than Mexico, these alarming ... FULL STORY
Afghan Commandos Support USSF During Jalrez Attack
WARDAK PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Afghan commandos from 3rd Company, 6th Special Operations Kandak (SOK) conducted a unilateral mission to support U.S. Special Forces (USSF) during a quick reaction force operation to Jalrez district, March 11. U.S. Special Forces were responding to an incident in which an individual wearing an Afghan ... FULL STORY
SF Soldier Killed in Afghanistan
FORT BRAGG, NC - Captain Andrew Michael Pedersen-Keel, 28 , of Madison, CT, died March 11, of wounds received from small arms fire in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Company B , 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC, and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Pedersen-Keel was commissioned ... FULL STORY
Noble Argus Foundation Releases Scholarship Criteria
WASHINGTON, DC – The Noble Argus Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, today released its criteria for awarding its first-ever academic scholarships in 2013. The organization, created with a dedication to ease the financial burden that soaring educational costs place on the families of our military’s elite warriors, provides financial assistance for ... FULL STORY
Seabees Support Special Ops Task Force
KABUL, Afghanistan - Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCB), also known as Seabees, and Special Operations Forces (SOF) have a long history of working together and this relationship has been strengthened over the last several months at Camp Phoenix, in Kabul. A detail of Seabees, from NMCB 133, based out of Gulfport, ... FULL STORY
AFSOC Stands Up Air Warfare Center
DUKE FIELD, FL - The Air Force stood up the Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center and hosted an assumption of command ceremony at Duke Field, Fla., Feb. 11. During the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Jon Weeks assumed command of AFSOAWC, which is headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Fla. with operating ... FULL STORY
Nightstalkers to be Presented With Valorous Awards
HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, GA – The 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) will host a valorous award ceremony Feb. 22, at 10 a.m., at the Truscott Air Terminal on Hunter Army Airfield. Lt. Gen. Charles T. Cleveland, United States Army Special Operations Command commanding general, will present ... FULL STORY
From Enlisted SEAL to Admiral
There are a finite number of Navy admirals who began their careers at the bottom of the rank totem pole, navigated their way through the enlisted ranks, earned a commission and rose to the top. One of the select few, who went from being the newest of new guys to earning ruffles and flourishes, walks ... FULL STORY
Florida’s Special Forces Celebrate 50 Years
STARKE, FL - With so much history surrounding the 50th anniversary of the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, and the unveiling of a monument honoring the soldiers and families of the battalion, it’s not surprising to see the love and admiration that is shown by the group of men ... FULL STORY
FBI HRT: 30 Years of Service
QUANTICO, VA - Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT)—federal law enforcement’s only full-time counterterrorism unit—a highly trained group of special agents often called upon during the toughest times. When needed, the team is prepared to deploy within four hours of notification to anywhere in ... FULL STORY
Marine Special Ops, Recon: Not Immediately Open to Women
WASHINGTON, DC – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta officially announced the end of the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule excluding women from assignment to units and positions whose primary mission is to engage in direct ground combat, Jan. 24. “This milestone reflects the courageous and patriotic service of ... FULL STORY
24th SOW Honors Latest Heroes
LEWIS MCCHORD, WA - The most combat-decorated Air Force unit since the end of the Vietnam War named more heroes Jan. 23-24 during medal presentation ceremonies at Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Ore., and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The 24th Special Operations Wing gained one Silver Star, six Bronze Star ... FULL STORY
USASOC holds first UAS symposium
FORT BRAGG, NC – The United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Division co-hosted a day-long symposium Jan. 23with the USASOC Intelligence Directorate and United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC), inside the USASOC headquarters. During the symposium, subject-matter experts discussed ... FULL STORY
Special Operations in Africa
Col. George Bristol, a U.S. Marine with more than 37 years in the Corps and now the commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara, has spent a great deal of his time in the Corps working in special operations, and in particular, working in Africa. “U.S. special-operations forces are without peer in their ... FULL STORY
CA Fields AN/PRC-152
FORT BRAGG, NC – They may not be the best thing since sliced bread, but in the radio world of the foot Soldier, the Harris ... FULL STORY
