SPECIAL OPERATIONS NEWS
Combat Controller Awarded AF Cross For Heroism
ARLINGTON, VA – Air Force Capt. Barry Crawford, a Maryland Air National Guard member from the 175th Wing, who fought in and survived a 14-hour firefight in 2010, was presented the Air Force Cross during a ceremony at the Pentagon today. According to the certificate that is accompanying the Air Force ... FULL STORY
Vietnam War Pararescueman Finally Brought Home
ARLINGTON, VA – Air Force pararescuemen were able to bring home one of their fallen comrades April 6 here. As the ceremonial caisson rolled to a stop in Arlington National Cemetery, Tech. Sgt. Allen Avery, an Air Force pararescueman who lost is life during combat operations in Vietnam, was escort to his ... FULL STORY
USFOR-A, Afghanistan Sign Special Ops MOU
KABUL, Afghanistan – Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the United States Forces-Afghanistan and Afghan Minister for Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak today 'shoulder-to-shoulder' signed an agreement on the process by which Afghan National Security Forces will take the lead on special operations, a critical security responsibility in Afghanistan. The Memorandum ... FULL STORY
ANSF, Coalition SOF Kill 23 Insurgents
DAY KUNDI PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Combined forces killed 23 insurgents during a clearing operation in Nawa Garay and Mushtarak villages, Kajran district, April 3-4. Members from the Afghan National Army special forces, 8th Commando Kandak, Afghan Uniformed Police and coalition SOF made up the combined force in close coordination with ... FULL STORY
The Green Beret Turns 50
FORT BRAGG, NC - The past and present of the green beret were celebrated during a Special Forces Regimental Day ceremony April 5 on Fort Bragg, N.C. Held by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, the ceremony included a Special ... FULL STORY
Vertical-lift Aircraft Design Expected Soon
WASHINGTON, DC – The military services expect to unveil performance specifications this summer for a new joint vertical-lift aircraft, Maj. Gen. William T. Crosby told congressmen. Crosby, director of the Army’s Program Executive Office Aviation, testified Tuesday afternoon to the House Armed Services Committee, subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land ... FULL STORY
Combat Engineers support Special Operations Task Force West
MIRABAD, Afghanistan – The sound of bullets sliced through the air, enemy grenades and mortars pelted the ground near the Marines. Through it all, the Marines of Alpha Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), continued to press on and complete the mission. “This mission was ... FULL STORY
Special Forces Camp Dedicated to Fallen Brother
WARDAK, Afghanistan – A simple slab of white marble engraved with the Special Forces Prayer was quietly unveiled in a remote camp in Afghanistan to remember a fallen warrior and leader – not far from where he fell. U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces ... FULL STORY
Rangers Awarded For Valor, Sacrifice and Physical Prowess
FORT BENNING, GA – In duel ceremonies March 16, Rangers of 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment were honored for their sacrifice, acts of valor and their physical prowess. The Staff Sgt. Jason S. Dahlke/Pfc. Eric W. Hario Combat Readiness Training Facility was dedicated to two life-long athletes who were ... FULL STORY
Emerald Warrior 2012 Hones Essential Skills
HURLBURT FIELD, FL – More than 1,900 Special Operations Forces and support personnel descended on the Gulf Coast to participate in Exercise Emerald Warrior Feb. 28 through March 9. Emerald Warrior is designed to provide irregular warfare training at the tactical and operational levels, with emphasis on intelligence, ... FULL STORY
CA, PSYOP Soldiers Join Reserve Force
FORT BRAGG, NC - More than 80 initial-entry Army Reserve Soldiers graduated the Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Advanced Individual Training course during a ceremony March 22 on Fort Bragg, N.C. The 10-week course, run by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and ... FULL STORY
EOD Defuses Bombs, Denies Terrorist Victory
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Tech Sgt. Daniel K. Robinson, Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician, recently deployed to the 966th Air Expeditionary Squadron at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, as a part of Combined Joint Task Force Paladin. Robinson, a Butte, Mont., native, joined a team of fellow EOD techs in Afghanistan ... FULL STORY
SOFIC to Highlight SOF Capabilities
TAMPA, FL – The 2012 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) and Exposition will be held from May 22-24 at the Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Fla. This conference will provide a forum for national and international military, government, and industry stakeholders to collaborate, network, and discuss current ... FULL STORY
Remembering a "Guardian of the Night"
HURLBURT FIELD, FL – The 1st Special Operations Wing lost another Air Commando March 7. He was an integral component of the 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron with more than 30,000 hours of detection time and 15,000 hours of training throughout years of service. He was a combat veteran with ... FULL STORY
Fallen Pilot Returns Home
USAF ACADEMY, CO – The pilot of a U-28A aircraft that crashed near Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, on Feb. 18 was laid to rest at the Air Force Academy Cemetery on March 12. Capt. Ryan Hall, 30, was a native of Colorado Springs and the son of 1970 Academy graduate Dennis Hall. ... FULL STORY
Recon Marines Test Capabilities
CAMP FUJI, Japan — With a precision raid executed from more than 1,000 miles away, the Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary unit demonstrated their capability to be anywhere the mission requires. Starting from the deck of the USS Essex, currently at sea in the Pacific Ocean, members of the 31st MEU's Maritime Raid ... FULL STORY
5th SFG (A) Soldier Killed in Shooting
FORT BRAGG, NC – A U.S. Special Forces Soldier was killed during a non-military related incident in Clarksville, Tenn., on Mar. 15. Sergeant 1st Class Frederic N. Moses, 26, died from gunshot wounds sustained during an incident with another Soldier. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), which is leading ... FULL STORY
MC-130 J Undergoes Name Change
HURLBURT FIELD, FL – Officials announced March 9 a popular name change for the MC130-J that honors the Air Commando legacy and capitalizes on the versatility of the aircraft. "Air Force Special Operation Command MC-130 Js will be equipped to fly various missions and will be called Commando II," said ... FULL STORY
Force Recon Trains Ugandans to Face Al-Shabaab, LRA
KAMPALA, Uganda — A thousand miles from the nearest major American base, about 30 U.S. Marines have been training a company of Ugandan soldiers for the fight against terrorism in East Africa since arriving in country, Feb. 3. Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 12, the Marines’ Sicily-based parent ... FULL STORY
Fused Response Forges Partnership
GEORGETOWN, Guyana - After a year of planning, members of Guyana Defense Force and U.S. military came together to train and improve their interoperability, tactics, and training techniques during Exercise Fused Response 2012, held March 1-9. The intent of Fused Response, a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored exercise, was to build on ... FULL STORY
Navy SEALs Help Train Olympic Sailing Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – Navy SEALs put 38 men and women from the United States Olympic Sailing team through an afternoon and morning of cold, gritty SEAL-candidate training at Memorial Park near the Olympic Training Center here March 10-11.The SEAL & SWCC Scout Team, at the request of Olympic Training Center staff and United States ... FULL STORY
Civil Affairs Team Sergeant Awarded Bronze Star
FORT BRAGG, NC – About a year and a half ago, in the same remote, rugged mountains of northwestern Afghanistan, two Soldiers from Sgt. 1st Class Michael Dawdy’s battalion had earned Bronze Stars for valor. For his actions on June 7, 2011 in Bala Murghab of Badghis province, Dawdy ... FULL STORY
Communicators Link Up For Emerald Warrior
HURLBURT FIELD, FL – Emerald Warrior's new Cyber Phase has given communication specialists throughout Special Operations Command an opportunity to hone their skills here in a simulated wartime environment that will prepare them for future deployments. For nearly two weeks leading up to the main exercise, over 100 communication specialists ... FULL STORY
5th Special Forces Group awards Soldier's Medal
FORT CAMPBELL, KY – The Soldiers and leaders of 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), also known as The Legion, gathered to recognize the heroism of a comrade. Capt. Rodney D. Jackson was awarded the U.S. Army Soldier's Medal in a ceremony at Fort Campbell, March 6. He received the award as ... FULL STORY
Loftis Remembered
HURLBURT FIELD, FL – A funeral service was held here Monday for Lt. Col. John Darin Loftis, who died Feb. 25 from wounds received during an attack at the Interior Ministry, Kabul, Afghanistan. The solemn service was attended by approximately 250 of Loftis's family, friends and Airmen from across the ... 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
