SPECIAL OPERATIONS NEWS
US Army Ranger Killed in Combat
FORT BRAGG, NC — A U.S. Army Ranger was killed in action Sept. 24, during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Tyler Nicholas Holtz, 22, was assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Wash. Holtz was killed by direct fire from ... FULL STORY
JTAC: 3 Minutes to Change the World
HURLBURT FIELD, FL – As the only qualified Joint Terminal Attack Controller in an operation Oct. 5, 2009, an Air Force Special Operations Command combat controller knew the ground situation would be dire if he died. As an armor-piercing round entered his left shoulder and wrecked havoc throughout his chest, his ... FULL STORY
Jackal Stone 11 Kicks Off in Romania
MIHAIL KOGĂLNICEANU AIRBASE, Romania – Special operations forces personnel from nine partner nations came together for the opening ceremony of Jackal Stone 11 held Sept. 17 in Romania. Jackal Stone, hosted this year by Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine, is an annual multinational special operations forces (SOF) exercise coordinated ... FULL STORY
10th SFG Soldier Killed in Afghanistan
FORT CARSON, CO – A Special Forces Soldier assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was killed in action in Afghanistan, Sept. 13. Master Sgt. Danial R. Adams, assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th SFG (A) in Stuttgart, Germany, was killed in an intense firefight with insurgents. Adams, 35, ... FULL STORY
Combat Controller Had "Heart of a Lion"
LOS ANGELES, CA – The last of three Airmen, who died in an Aug. 6 helicopter crash in Afghanistan, was buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery here Sept. 10. Staff Sgt. Andrew Harvell, an Air Force Special Operations Command combat controller, was one of 30 Americans killed in action when the ... FULL STORY
Night Stalkers Activate Black Hawk Company
FORT CAMPBELL, KY – Black Hawk helicopters are expanding the 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) fleet. Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR(A), was activated in a ceremony at Fort Campbell, Ky., Sept. 9. Maj. Keith Sandoval and 1st Sgt. Thomas Hale assumed command and responsibility, respectively, ... FULL STORY
USASOC Remembers, Honors 9/11
FORT BRAGG, NC – The fire, smoke and rubble that covered the landscape of lower Manhattan, New York, Stonycreek Township, Penn. and the Pentagon sent shockwaves throughout the nation and around the world. Now, 10 years later, those shockwaves and feelings are still felt just as strongly ... FULL STORY
ARSOAC Enlisted Soldier Assumes Command Responsibility
FORT BRAGG, NC – The U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command held an Assumption of Responsibility Ceremony Sept. 1, at Meadows Field where Command Sgt. Maj. David Leamon took over responsibilities. Leamon is the first command sergeant major to serve in the command which was provisionally activated ... FULL STORY
5th Special Forces Group Commemorates 50 Years
FORT CAMPBELL, KY — Green Berets from 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) will recognize the 50th anniversary of the unit's activation during a ceremony Sept. 21, at 10 a.m., here at Gabriel Field. During the ceremony, the Legion will also unveil 9/11 display, featuring two World Trade Center structural ... FULL STORY
Combat Controller Visits 9/11 Memorial with Panetta
NEW YORK, NY – Editor's note: Air Force Special Operations Command combat controller, Staff Sgt. Robert Gutierrez Jr., was invited to join the Secretary of Defense during a 9/11 remembrance tour in New York. Gutierrez enlisted in 2002 following graduation from Southwestern Community College. He deployed to Africa in support of Marine and Navy special ... FULL STORY
Official Outlines Special Operations Needs
BLOOMINGTON, IN – Special operations staff members are working to ensure the organization retains its technological edge on the battlefield, a Joint Special Operations Command staff officer said. Army Maj. Brian Weyenberg, science and technology lead for JSOC’s force structure, resources and assessment directorate, yesterday described ... FULL STORY
Longest Serving SEAL Passes on Legacy Title
CORONADO, CA – The title of "Bull Frog," a legacy title in the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community, was passed to a new NSW representative at a ceremony in Coronado, Calif., Aug. 22. The "Bull Frog" title recognizes the active duty Underwater Demolition Team (UDT)/SEAL operator with the greatest ... FULL STORY
8th Military Information Support Group (Airborne) Activation Ceremony
FORT BRAGG, NC – The 8th Military Information Support Group (Airborne) will hold an activation ceremony at 9 a.m., Aug. 26, on Meadows Field at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command headquarters. Col. Brian Cavanaugh will uncase the colors of the new 8th MISG (A) as part of ... FULL STORY
MARSOC NCO Awarded First Lambert Award
MIAMI, FL – The first Dr. Christian J. Lambertsen Award for Operational Innovation was recently awarded to Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Craig S. Cooper during a ceremony at the 2011 Special Operations Forces and Industrial Conference formal dinner.The award recognizes extraordinary accomplishment of a Special Operations Force member who creates and delivers a new ... FULL STORY
DOD Identifies Operators Killed In CH-47 Crash
WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of 30 servicemembers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed. The following sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed: Lt. Cmdr. ... FULL STORY
Air Commando Squadrons Undertake Historic Flight
HURLBURT FIELD, FL – Although the 9th Special Operations and 1st Special Operations Maintenance Squadrons share the same runway as the F-35 Raptor, the F-16 Fighting Falcon and commercial aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., the units and the Airmen who work there belong to the 1st Special Operations Wing. ... FULL STORY
US Army Ranger Killed in Combat
FORT BRAGG, NC – A U.S. Army Ranger was killed in action Aug. 8, during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Sgt. Alessandro Leonard Plutino was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. He was killed ... FULL STORY
Two Special Operations Aviation Soldiers Killed in Training
FORT CAMPBELL, KY – Two Army Special Operations Aviation Soldiers died in a helicopter accident Aug. 8, 2011, on a live-fire range at Fort Benning, Ga. The aviators were assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), based at Fort Campbell, Ky. The servicemembers died after their AH-6M Little Bird ... FULL STORY
Special Operations Soldier Killed During Afghan Combat
FORT BRAGG, NC - A Special Operations Soldier was killed August 4, during combat operations in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. Capt. Waid C. Ramsey, 41, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (A). Ramsey was born in Red Bay, Alabama, and graduated ... FULL STORY
Ranger Selection and Training Company Barracks Facility Opens
FORT BENNING, GA – The Regimental Special Troops Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment is scheduled to open the newly renovated Ranger Assessment and Selection Program barracks facility--Building 2832 Aug. 12 at 1 p.m. Building 2832 is the first of three Ranger Selection and Training Company barracks to undergo ... FULL STORY
France Bestows High Honors on Green Berets
WASHINGTON, DC – They are men used to seeing their deeds pass as unrecognized as their battlefield movements, but Monday five National Guard and one active duty special forces soldier took the limelight here to receive a French award roughly equivalent to the Silver Star.The six were honored with the Croix de la Valeur Militaire in ... FULL STORY
Jordanian SOF, 5th SFG Partner for Best Warrior Competition
FORT CAMPBELL, KY – For the first time in its history two joint teams, consisting of soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and Jordanian Special Operations Forces, competed in the 3rd Annual Best Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Center, ... FULL STORY
U.S. Army Green Beret Killed in Combat
FORT BRAGG, NC – Staff Sergeant Wyatt A. Goldsmith, 28, of Colville, Wash., died July 15, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered after enemy forces engaged his unit. Goldsmith was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. and ... FULL STORY
Air Commando MIA 45 Years to be Buried at Academy
US AIR FORCE ACADEMY, CO – An Air Commando who went missing in action over North Vietnam in 1966 will be buried at the Air Force Academy July 15 with full military honors. Col. Leo S. Boston of Canon City, Colo., was a member of the 14th Air Commando Wing at Ubon ... FULL STORY
Medal of Honor Awarded to Army Ranger
WASHINGTON, DC – SFC Petry was awarded the Medal of Honor today. The following contains the transcript from the ceremony: THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Chaplain Rutherford. Please be seated. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the White House as we present our nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, to ... FULL STORY
CoSNS
The AN/PVS-30 Clip-on Sniper Night Sight (CoSNS) is a lightweight, in-line weapon-mounted sight used in conjunction with the day optic sight on the M110 SASS and the XM2010 ... FULL STORY
