SPECIAL OPERATIONS NEWS
Hurlburt Pays Tribute to Fallen Ghostrider
HURLBURT FIELD, FL - Hundreds of Air Commandos, families and close friends gathered during a memorial ceremony at the Commando Hangar at Hurlburt Field Oct. 25 to mourn the loss of a 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Airman. Airman 1st Class Colby Graham Siegel, an aerospace propulsion apprentice with ... FULL STORY
3rd SFG Soldier: 2012 Soldier of the Year
WASHINGTON, DC - Staff Sgt. Matthew Senna was named the Army's 2012 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year and Sgt. Saral Shrestha was named the Army's 2012 Soldier of the Year during an award ceremony here, Oct. 22. The two Soldiers received their awards at the ... FULL STORY
AFSOC: A History of 'Door Kickers'
HURLBURT FIELD, FL – Although Air Force Special Operations Command was officially established in 1990, its history dates all the way back to World War II. From that time, Air Commandos have been heavily called upon for a wide assortment of missions - missions nobody else could do. "Since 1975, ... FULL STORY
Two Special Operations Soldiers Killed
FT BRAGG, NC - Two U.S. Army Special Operations Soldiers died Oct, 25 from wounds sustained during combat in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan. Staff Sergeant Kashif M. Memon, 31, assigned to Company A, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) and Sgt. Clinton K. Ruiz, 22, assigned to Company ... FULL STORY
Special Forces Soldier Killed in Afghanistan
FORT BRAGG, NC – A U.S. Special Forces Soldier died Oct. 23 from wounds sustained from small-arms fire in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael S. Duskin, of Orange Park, Fla., was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), headquartered at Fort Bragg, N.C. He ... FULL STORY
Green Berets Pay Tribute to JFK's Vision
ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) held a commemorative President John F. Kennedy Wreath Laying Ceremony Oct. 18 at the JFK grave site at Arlington National Cemetery. The event paid tribute to JFK’s vision of building a dedicated counterinsurgency force, a vision that ... FULL STORY
EODESU 2 Sponsors New Recruits
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit 2 sponsored Navy boot camp recruits, at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill., Oct 5. As part of the sponsorship EODESU 2 senior leaders gave guidance and mentorship to more than 60 special operation recruits assigned to Division 821. The ... FULL STORY
Vietnam Era Special Forces Vet Receives Medal
TAMPA, FL - Geoff Barker received his second Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in a ceremony Sept. 10, in the Donovan room at USSOCOM’s headquarters, paying tribute to his work with the Special Operations Memorial Foundation from June 1997 to July 2012. Although the medal recognizes his work from the past 15 ... FULL STORY
Army Special Operations Soldier Killed in Combat
FORT BRAGG, NC — A U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier was killed in action Oct. 13, 2012 during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. 1st Class Ryan J. Savard, 29, was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, United States Army Special Operations Command at ... FULL STORY
U.S. Army Ranger Killed in Combat
FORT BRAGG, NC — A U.S. Army Ranger was killed in action Oct. 12, 2012 during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Thomas R. MacPherson, 26, was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. MacPherson was killed by direct ... FULL STORY
5th SFG Soldier Killed in Afghanistan
FORT BRAGG, NC – A U.S. Special Forces Soldier died Oct. 2 from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device attack on Sept. 30, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Henderson was a Special Forces communications sergeant assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 5th Special ... FULL STORY
Jackal Stone Participants Honor Fallen SF Comrade
DEBELJAK, Croatia – Military members and civilians from the U.S. and Croatia honored the late Master Sgt. Ivica Jerak, a member of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, with a small memorial service held in his native town of Debeljak, Croatia, Sept. 22, 2012. Jerak gave his life in defense of freedom ... FULL STORY
MARS Task Force Memorial Stone Unveiled
FORT BRAGG, NC – Nearly 69 years after they penetrated deep into the Burmese mountains, 13 MARS Task Force veterans participated in the dedication of a MARS Task Force memorial stone at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command headquarters, Sept. 14. The task force, in which the ... FULL STORY
Combat Controller Remembered
LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA - "Ty Barnes was a hero to me, he was a hero to his teammates, his friends and the families who knew him in Okinawa, Japan and here in Washington," said Lt. Col. John Traxler, former commander of Staff Sgt. Ty Barnes, 22nd Special Tactics Squadron combat controller. ... FULL STORY
MARSOC Marines Soar With 2nd MAW
MARINE CORPS LANDING FIELD BOGUE, NC – Speeding over the North Carolina coastline, the back ramp of the KC-130J Hercules lay open and mist from the Atlantic Ocean dampened the air. The load master of the KC-130J gives the wind call on the ground and holds up his hands showing six ... FULL STORY
New AFSC For AFSOC Aircrew
Hurlburt Field - Almost 470 flight engineers, aerial gunners and loadmasters who fly Air Force Special Operations Command's CV-22, AC-130 and Non-Standard Aviation aircraft are transitioning to one Air Force specialty code, 1A9X1 Special Mission Aviation starting in November. Master Sgt. Ben Lerman, AFSOC's aerial gunner functional manager, said ... FULL STORY
MISO CSM Graduates Ranger School
FORT BENNING, GA - Command Sgt. Maj. Courtney S. Mabus of the 6th Military Information Support Battalion (Airborne) Fort Bragg, N.C., graduated the U.S. Army Ranger Course on Friday Aug. 24. Mabus was one of 169 newly trained Ranger qualified Soldiers to graduate. At the age of 40, Mabus is one ... FULL STORY
1st SFG Soldier KIA in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, DC - Staff Sgt. Jeremie S. Border, 28, of Mesquite, Texas, died September 1, 2012, by small arms fire while conducting combat operations in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Border was assigned to Company Alpha, 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Okinawa, Japan and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan. Border graduated from Mesquite High ... FULL STORY
Engineers Build Up Defenses For MARSOC
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – In one of the most dangerous areas of Helmand province, a lone team of Marines with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command operates daily from a pair of small patrol bases, which, until recently, had known vulnerabilities. To reduce the risk to service members living aboard the ... FULL STORY
Special Forces Patrol Returns Home From Vietnam
WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, were recently identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. Army Sgt. 1st Class William T. Brown, 24, of La Habra, Calif., Sgt. ... FULL STORY
Counties Partner to Better Support AFSOC
HURLBURT FIELD, FL - The four counties that are home to the Air Force Special Operation Command's two stateside bases officially joined forces as sister counties during a proclamation ceremony at 1st Special Operations Wing headquarters Aug. 15. Civic leaders from Okaloosa and Santa Rosa Counties in Florida and Curry ... FULL STORY
Reeder Assumes Command of Special Warfare Center
FORT BRAGG, NC - One day after relinquishing command of the U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne), Maj. Gen. Edward M. Reeder, Jr. assumed command of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School in an outdoor ceremony Aug. 16 on Fort ... FULL STORY
98th CAB Soldiers to Receive Purple Hearts
FORT BRAGG, NC – The 98th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) will present three Soldiers Purple Heart Medals in a ceremony at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 15 at the auditorium at the U.S. John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. The three Soldiers, Capt. Shawn Jokinen, Sgt. 1st Class ... FULL STORY
Special Forces Make Leap of Faith
OKINAWA, Japan - As cold air rushed through the CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter, Army Special Forces and their Navy team members prepared themselves for a leap 5,000 feet above their landing zone. Soldiers and sailors with 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), practiced their parachuting skills with the help of ... FULL STORY
SF Soldier Dies From Wounds Sustained in Combat
FORT BRAGG, NC – US Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Gregory R. Trent, 38, of Norton, Mass., died Aug. 8 of wounds inflicted from small-arms fire July 31, in Shindand Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Company B, 4th Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring ... 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
