SPECIAL OPERATIONS NEWS

SOF Paratroopers Honor WWII Veterans

MONT SAINT MICHEL, France - To commemorate the 68th anniversary of D-Day U.S. Special Operation Forces conducted a military free fall nearby one of Normandy's most historic attractions. Among the jumpers was Fleet Master Chief Roy Maddocks, the senior enlisted leader at U.S. European ... FULL STORY

24th MEU Brings Special Operations Capabilities to the Fight

JORDAN – Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force, composed largely of its Force Reconnaissance Platoon, went straight to work showing off their capabilities upon landing in the Jordanian desert in preparation for Exercise Eager Lion 12, May 7. The MRF took part in an international military warrior ... FULL STORY

Afghans: Over 100 Afghan Special Operations in May

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan forces, with support from coalition troops, conducted more than 100 special operations in May, resulting in the capture or elimination of dozens of high-level al-Qaida, Taliban and insurgent leaders. The majority of these operations were conducted by the Afghan Special Operations Unit, the Afghan equivalent of ... FULL STORY

The Golden Age of Special Operations

PJ Scott Fales Receives Bull Simons Award

TAMPA, FL – Retired Air Force Master Sgt. and pararescueman Scott Fales received U.S. Special Operations Command’s highest honor when he was awarded the 2012 Bull Simons Award in Tampa, Fla., May 23. This lifetime achievement award, named for Army Col. Arthur “Bull” Simons, honors the spirit, values, and skills of ... FULL STORY

Green Berets Honor Their Fallen Warriors

FORT BRAGG, NC – Green Berets past and present along with family members, Soldiers and friends of the U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) gathered at Meadows Field Memorial Plaza to pay tribute and to honor the fallen warriors from within their ranks during a Memorial Day ceremony ... FULL STORY

USASOC Pays Tribute to its Fallen Warriors

FORT BRAGG, NC – Family, friends and Soldiers throughout the Army Special Operations Forces community gathered to pay tribute to their fallen brothers and sister during the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Fallen Soldiers Memorial Ceremony, May 25. Mixed with high emotion and high temperature, the ceremony ... FULL STORY

Special Forces Soldiers Graduate

FORT BRAGG, NC - The U.S. Army Special Forces regiment welcomed more than 120 men into its brotherhood during a Special Forces Qualification Course graduation ceremony May 17 in Fayetteville, N.C. The ceremony, where the newest Special Forces Soldiers wore their green berets and ... FULL STORY

Army Special Operations Command to Remember Fallen

FORT BRAGG, NC – The U.S. Army Special Operations Command will honor 32 Special Operations Forces Soldiers killed while supporting combat operations during the past year in a ceremony, May 25, at 2 p.m. at the Fallen Special Operations Soldiers Memorial Wall adjacent to the USASOC headquarters ... FULL STORY

International SOF To Demo Combat Capabilities

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Tampa, FL – The United States Special Operations Command is inviting the public to watch U.S. and international Special Operations Forces (SOF) demonstrate their combined combat capabilities outside the Tampa Convention Center next Wednesday, May 23 at 1 p.m.USSOCOM commander Adm. William H. McRaven is inviting ... FULL STORY

MARSOC’s All-Star Team Awarded Bronze Stars

CAMP PENDLETON, CA - Four Marines were awarded the military’s fourth highest combat award for combat operations while serving with 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion between February 2009 and October 2011. Maj. Gen. Paul E. Lefebvre, the commanding general of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, presented Capt. John ... FULL STORY

Warriors of Weather

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, NM – How many times have you been sitting at your desk, when all of a sudden, an advisory notification pops up in some random color letting you know something about the weather outside courtesy of ReachPlus? Have you ever wondered just where that information was coming ... FULL STORY

EOD Air Commando Receives Fourth Bronze Star

HURLBURT FIELD, FL – In high school, Ronnie "Bo" Brickey, a thrill-seeking rodeo bull rider from Oregon, was looking for a career that would quench his thirst for excitement. Brickey found his path when a neighbor's brother, an Air Force recruiter, urged him to look into explosive ordnance disposal. ... FULL STORY

20 SOS Green Hornets: When Only The Best Will Do

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, NM  – Special Operations Forces truth number four states, "Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after emergencies occur." Those forces must already be trained, prepared and ready to respond to any contingency at a moment's notice. After being called to deploy to support Operation ... FULL STORY

Canadian Commendation Presented To SF Soldiers

FORT BRAGG, NC – The Canadian Commander-in-Chief Unit Commendation will be presented to Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) by Lt. Gen. Stuart Beare, Commander, Canadian Expeditionary Force Command, for their valorous actions in support of the Canadian-led Operation MEDUSA, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan ... FULL STORY

Unity of Effort

TARIN KOT, Afghanistan – During the course of operations in Afghanistan several countries, including Romania, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, and United States, have come together to lend a helping hand during a time of need. Within the walls of Multinational Base Tarin Kot, Afghanistan, there is a strong bond formed ... FULL STORY

Rangers Hold Rare Public Ceremony

TACOMA, WA – The U.S. Army Ranger story is typically a closed book, but Joint Base Lewis-McChord's Rangers opened the pages of their latest chapter for an evening last week. The South Sound community had the rare opportunity to join 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, in recognizing its own at the ... FULL STORY

Warriors Stand Tall in Combat Once Again

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Becoming a part of the U.S. Army’s elite fighting force takes total dedication and an unwavering fortitude to persevere in the toughest environments. These grueling conditions not only test an individual’s physical limits, but the mental capacity to forge forward in the face of adversity when most other ... FULL STORY

160th SOAR Dedicates Compound Honoring Former SOF Leader

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (USASOC News Service, May 11, 2012) – The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) will honor retired Gen. Bryan “Doug” Brown, by naming one of its compounds after him in a ceremony May 14 at Fort Campbell. During his distinguished 40-year career, Brown was involved in ... FULL STORY

Special Warfare Education Group Activates HQ Company

FORT BRAGG, NC - The newly established Special Warfare Education Group (Airborne) formally activated its Headquarters and Headquarters Company during a ceremony May 1 on Fort Bragg, N.C., taking another step toward building a fully manned and equipped organization dedicated to educating U.S. Army ... FULL STORY

Special Forces Soldiers Run Among World's Elite

FORT CAMPBELL, KY – Soldiers from the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) took advantage of an opportunity provided by the Boston Athletic Association and the Massachusetts State Police to run in the prestigious Boston Marathon April 16. The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) reserves a number of complimentary ... FULL STORY

CAPEX 2012 Showcases Special Operations

FORT BRAGG, NC – Past and present service members, along with local and regional community leaders, gained private access into the realm of U.S. Army Special Operations Command (Airborne) to experience what makes these quiet professionals such a lethal force. The 2012 USASOC Capabilities Exercise gave the leaders from ... FULL STORY

MARSOC Marine Receives Silver Star Posthumously

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC – The family of the late Sgt. William J. Woitowicz, a former native of Groton, Mass., were presented with the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest honor for combat valor, during a 10:30 a.m. ceremony on Saturday, April 28, at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico, ... FULL STORY

SECDEF Civic Leaders Get Look Inside AFSOC

HURLBURT FIELD, FL – For one of the visitors, an inside look at Air Force Special Operations Command prompted a return to childhood. Dr. Terry Barber's eyes were wide as he described his participation in a night operations scenario during his recent AFSOC tour. "My description to some of my friends was, I ... FULL STORY

7th SFG Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

EGLIN AFB, FL – Staff Sgt. Andrew Trevor Britton-Mihalo, 26, of San Jose, Costa Rica, died April 25, 2012, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Andrew Trevor Britton-Mihalo was born ... FULL STORY