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The Definitive Spec Ops Resource

THE DEFINITIVE SPEC OPS RESOURCE FOR FITNESS AND SELECTION

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United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command

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MARSOC is the newest addition to the arsenal of Special Operations Forces. They were formally activated on February 24, 2006. The initial operators assigned to the newly formed MARSOC were taken from the then deactivated Force Recon Companies.

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October 16, 1859, John Brown Raided the Arsenal at Harpers Ferry

On this day in 1859, the abolitionist John Brown and a group of over 20 men, raided the US Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia)  in an attempt to start a slave uprising and destroy slavery in the United States.

His plan would fail and Brown would ultimately be hanged his actions, even while considered foolish by even the most fervent anti-slavery people in the north was generally approved of by most on the northern side of the Mason-Dixon Line. It showed how deeply divided this country had become and soon the nation would be thrust into Civil War. While his plan failed, his ultimate aim, to erase slavery would come to fruition just a few years later.

Brown was born in Connecticut but was raised in Springfield, Massachusetts as well as Ohio. He was raised in a very strict Calvinist, anti-slavery household. Brown in his early life had tried…and failed at several business ventures. He had as many as 20 lawsuits against him when he claimed bankruptcy. But all of that changed once Brown attended an anti-slavery meeting in 1842. That thought would consume him the rest of his days. Reportedly, he planned on conducting a slave insurrection as early as 1848.

Brown went from the planning and talking phase to taking an active role in hostilities. After having moved to Kansas, Brown, his sons and others retaliated for a pro-slavery raid in Lawrence, Kansas in 1856. Looking for blood, Brown and his men crossed the Pottawatomie Creek and attacked three family cabins, murdering five men with swords. These actions kicked off a summer of guerrilla-style attacks that would present an omen of what was to come in the area for several years.

He moved back east and dreamed a grandiose plan of igniting a slave insurrection. He secured the backing of six influential anti-slavery abolitionists who became known as the “Secret Six” His raiding party grew to a 22-man assault team and would consist of himself, five free Blacks and his three sons. His Harpers Ferry mission became a reality.

The Raid Plan: Brown and his men rented a small farm 4 miles away in Dargan, Maryland in the name of Isaac Smith and waited to raid the arsenal until they were ready. He tried to recruit Frederick Douglass as a liaison with the slaves they hoped to free and arm. Douglass declined, believing that Brown was making a futile attempt. Brown’s plan was “an attack on the federal government” that “would array the whole country against us.” “You will never get out alive,” he said to Brown to no avail.

Brown was well-armed with 198 breech-loading .52 caliber Sharps carbines and 950 pikes that Northern abolitionists furnished him. The arsenal, one of six for the United States Army and had about 100,000 muskets and rifles. Brown didn’t plan on raiding the arsenal and melting away into the mountains. His plan was to use the weapons they would take in the raid and lead an uprising of slaves in the area (up to 250 he believed would join his force) and lead them into Tennessee and perhaps all the way to Alabama.

The small farmhouse was crowded and the men kept indoors during daylight hours. His daughter and daughter-in-law would cook and keep watch. The men would only leave the house in darkness to drill. He was convinced the slaves would flock to his banner and fight the slaveholders of the area. He was wrong.

The Raid on Harpers Ferry: On the night of October 16, Brown set off with his plan. He left four men as a rearguard at the farm, including one of his sons. He sent a small detachment under John Cook Jr. to grab capture Colonel Lewis Washington, great-grandnephew of George Washington, at his Beall-Air estate and take him hostage. Brown also wanted some of his slaves, and two relics of General George Washington, a sword allegedly presented to Washington by Frederick the Great and two pistols that were given by Marquis de Lafayette. Brown considered these two prizes as talismans.

The rest of the men went with him into Harpers Ferry where initially things went well. The raiders captured several night watchmen, cut the telegraph wires, and grabbed a train that had pulled into the station. The first casualty of the raid was a harbinger of the bad things to come. In a cruel twist of fate, Hayward Shepherd, a free black man was working as a baggage handler on the train was shot and killed by the raiders. Brown let the train continue on, believing that word of their raid would ignite the slaves in the area, with them rushing to his aid…he was wrong again.

Brown’s men were able to take the armory although the townspeople were beginning to array against him.

On October 17, the local militia was alerted and captured the bridge across the Potomac. Brown’s escape route was cut. The locals and militia soon were pushing around the armory in an attempt to surround the raiders. The shooting began and four civilians, including Harpers Ferry’s mayor, were killed.

Realizing his situation was becoming hopeless, Brown took nine hostages and moved into the small engine house, which later became known as John Brown’s Fort. He and his men barricaded the doors and windows and began sporadic gunfire with the militia. Brown sent his son Watson and another man out with a white flag for an official parlay. The militia was having none of it and shot them down, mortally wounding Watson and taking the other man, Aaron Dwight Stevens prisoner. During the following firing, Brown’s other son, Oliver was also mortally wounded and would die the next day. One of his men, William Leeman, just 20 years old, panicked and tried to swim the Potomac to safety. He was killed without getting far.

A second militia company arrived at 1500 hrs and freed the hostages (about 24) from the guardroom while suffering eight men wounded. By 1530 hrs, President James Buchanan had ordered Marines (the closest Federal troops) to Harpers Ferry to put down the raid. Under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, who was on leave from Texas with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Lee arrived with the Marines to take charge of the situation. Accompanying Lee was another officer who would also gain fame in the Civil War, for the Confederacy. Lt. J.E.B. Stuart was assigned to the new 1st Cavalry in the west. He was under the command of John Sedgwick, who would be the highest ranking officer killed in the upcoming Civil War.  Stuart had designed a new saber attachment for the cavalry and was given a patent. Sedgwick granted him leave so that Stuart could sell his patent to the Army. When Stuart heard what was going on in Harpers Ferry, he volunteered as the aide de camp for Lee, an officer at that time, he had never met. But the two would be inexorably intertwined in the war soon after.

On the morning of the 18th, Lee sent Stuart under a white flag to offer Brown’s men a chance to surrender. If they refused, the Marines under the command of Lt. Greene were to attack the small engine house. Brown refused to surrender and walking away, Stuart waved his cap signaling their refusal. Greene’s men stormed the small engine house and Brown and the remaining surviving raiders were taken prisoner.

Lee sent an after-action report to Washington, stating that Brown was “a madman” and that the plan to raid the arsenal was that of a madman. Lee also exonerated the blacks and slaves in Brown’s presence stating, “The blacks, whom he  (Brown) forced from their homes in this neighborhood, as far as I could learn, gave him no voluntary assistance.”

A letter that Stuart wrote to his mother after the incident gave some incredible insight into what happened. Some historians argued that it was Stuart who led the attack on the final fort of Brown’s. Stuart quickly put that to rest and his recollections to his mother could be from really any time frame.

Colonel Lee was sent to command the forces at Harper’s Ferry. I volunteered as his aid. I had no command whatever. The United States Marines are a branch of the naval force,–there was not an enlisted man of the army on hand. Lieutenant Green was sent in command. Major Russell had been requested by the Secretary of the Navy to accompany the marines, but, being a paymaster, could exercise no command; yet it was his corps. For Colonel Lee to have put me in command of the storming party would have been an outrage to Lieutenant Green, which would have rung through the navy for twenty years. As well might they send him out here to command my company of cavalry ….
      I, too, had a part to perform, which prevented me in a measure from participating in the very brief onset made so gallantly by Green and Russell, well backed by their men. I was deputed by Colonel Lee to read to the leader, then called Smith, a demand to surrender immediately; and I was instructed to leave the door after his refusal, which was expected, and wave my cap; at which signal the storming party was to advance, batter open the doors, and capture the insurgents at the point of the bayonet. Colonel Lee cautioned the stormers particularly to discriminate between the insurgents and their prisoners.
      I approached the door in the presence of perhaps two thousand spectators, and told Mr. Smith that I had a communication for him from Colonel Lee. He opened the door about four inches, and placed his body against the crack, with a cocked carbine in his hand: hence his remark after his capture that he could have wiped me out like a mosquito. The parley was a long one. He presented his propositions in every possible shape, and with admirable tact; but all amounted to this: that the only condition upon which he would surrender was that he and his party should be allowed to escape. Some of his prisoners begged me to ask Colonel Lee to come and see him. I told them he would never accede to any terms but those he had offered; and as soon as I could tear myself away from their importunities I left the door and waved my cap, and Colonel Lee’s plan was carried out ….
      When Smith first came to the door I recognized old Osawatomie Brown, who had given us so much trouble in Kansas. No one present but myself could have performed that service. I got his bowie-knife from his person, and have it yet.
      The same day, about eleven or twelve o’clock, Colonel Lee requested me, as Lieutenant Green had charge of the prisoners and was officer of the guard, to take a few marines and go over to old Brown’s house, four and a half miles distant, in Maryland, and see what was there. I did so, and discovered the magazine of pikes, blankets, clothing, and utensils of every sort. I could only carry off the pikes, as I had but one wagon. The next day I was occupied in delivering the various orders of Colonel Lee, and in other duties devolving on an aid-de-camp. The night after, Colonel Lee, Green, and myself, with thirty marines, marched six miles and back on a false alarm among the inhabitants of a district called Pleasant Valley.
      The prisoners having been turned over to the United States Marshal, Colonel Lee and the marines were ordered back to Washington. I went with him, and this terminated my connection with the Harper’s Ferry affair.

Trial And Execution: John Brown was brought to Charles Town and was put on trial for treason against the State of Virginia. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. On the day of his execution, December 2, he wrote his final will where he stated an omen that would come true: ‘I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty, land: will never be purged away; but with Blood. I had as I now think: vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed; it might be done’

Four other raiders were executed on December 16, two more on March 16, 1860.

Photos: Wikipedia

Disaster Relief Missions Straining Already Hurting Military Readiness

The U.S. military has been taxed with fighting wars for 16 years in multiple countries and with the previous presidential administration cutting back on troop levels, modernization of the service’s equipment, the Defense Department’s readiness is in “dire straits” across the board according to some reports just released.

The report from the Heritage Foundation, the conservative Washington think tank, also points to the country’s aging nuclear arsenal, in dire need of upgrades is falling behind that of the Russians who have upgraded theirs. And to top things off, the current disaster relief efforts undergoing in Puerto Rico, and elsewhere is putting an added burden on a force already stretched thin.

“We believe that the U.S. military is at marginal status and it’s trending toward weak,” said retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Dakota Wood, a senior research fellow for defense programs at Heritage and editor of its 2018 “Index of Military Strength” report.

In perhaps a sign of the U.S. military being stretched too thin, the Pentagon said Thursday new U.S. forces flowing into Afghanistan have been delayed due to hurricane relief efforts. The Pentagon has sent extensive resources to help with assistance to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other Caribbean islands in the region.

“Forces are flowing to Afghanistan; they have been slightly delayed by ongoing hurricane relief efforts,” Joint Staff Director and Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told reporters late Thursday.

Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force units are at or near record lows in terms of service members. The Army at the end of the Cold War had 780,000 troops. Now they number about 480,000. The Marine Corps aviation assets are operating on a shoestring due to lack of spare parts and maintenance. The Navy has the least amount of ships since World War I.  The Air Force is short nearly 1000 pilots and only four of 32 fighter squadrons are considered “combat-ready.”

To read the entire article from CNBC News, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

More Military Disaster Relief Heading to Puerto Rico

The Pentagon is now rushing more military disaster relief aid to the stricken areas of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as the awful plight of the people there reaches into the second week after Hurricane Maria.

The utter devastation and scale of the disaster have overmatched the local authorities ability to respond to the many citizens who have no food, water or electricity. The Navy has deployed three ships to the region but has been unable to use more since the port facilities were too badly damaged any larger vessels.

The more robust approach includes the deployment of the USNS Comfort, a hospital ship that has responded to other natural disasters. The Pentagon also has assigned an Army general as point person for the humanitarian crisis: Brig. Gen. Richard Kim, the deputy commanding general of U.S. Army North. He will coordinate operations and assess what other resources are needed, defense officials said.

“Obviously, what we asked for and what they sent was not enough for a storm that impacted every town in Puerto Rico from north to south and east to west,” Ramon Rosario, spokesman for Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, said Wednesday in the San Juan convention center, the headquarters for the intergovernmental recovery effort.

Puerto Rico’s governor has personally appealed to President Trump for more disaster aid and the military is stepping to the forefront. There are currently 10 ships en route with disaster relief. One ship has 262,000 barrels of gasoline, which is in very short supply across the island.

Many of the smaller municipalities have no way to contact the state government as up to 95 percent of their infrastructure was destroyed in the storm. The Air Force landed a C-5 cargo jet to set up a headquarters for the relief efforts and other military units are already moving to help set up a concerted, cohesive effort between the military, FEMA and the state and local authorities.

To read the entire article from The Chicago Tribune click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Military Chiefs Break with Trump, Denounce Charlottesville Racism

In a startling move, the leaders of the military broke with President Donald Trump and have denounced the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA over the weekend.

Five of the military’s service chiefs representing the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and National Guard have taken to social media to condemn the white nationalists, the so-called alt-right rally where violence erupted between the white supremacist groups and the counter protesters on Saturday. One woman died after being run down by a car driven by a Nazi sympathizer and two police officers covering the rally also died when their helicopter crashed nearby.

The joint chiefs’ actions break with the military’s normal reticence of entering the political arena and their condemnation of racism and white supremacist groups stands in stark contrast with President Trump’s statements that blamed both all of the protesters for the violence that erupted on the streets of Charlottesville.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson’s shared his admonition hours later on Saturday night.

On Monday, the 82nd Airborne’s official account brought up World War II history to explain their impatience for Nazis.

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Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, also rebuked racial intolerance in his statement, stating that it stood against the institution’s very foundation.

To read the entire article from NBC News, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

US Military Can Now Down Drones Flying Over US Bases

If you own a commercial or privately-owned drone, you now fly over any military base at the risk of losing your aircraft. The Pentagon has given the military the green light and new guidelines allowing the military to down drones flying near or over select US military bases.

The classified guidance was first issued back in July by Defense Secretary Bob Work and the updated guide lines were then issued to domestic US military installations on Friday. These updated guidelines for base commanders was designed to help bases communicate with local communities about the new restrictions.

“The increase of commercial and private drones in the United States has raised our concerns with regards to safety and security of our installations,” US Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon Monday.

Military analysts have long been concerned about the possibility of drones being used against the US for espionage purposes. Additionally, terror groups like ISIS have been able to weaponize commercially available drones, increasingly using them in combat in Iraq and Syria.

It is not clear how the military would down a drone should the need arise but the Defense Department has developed a series of countermeasures capable of bringing down drones. Some of these have been deployed to places like Syria and Iraq. While conventional weapons could be used to shoot down a drone, other countermeasures include non-kinetic methods like the use of radio waves to disrupt drone flight.

The Pentagon has worked closely with the Dept. of Homeland Security on these measures and allows the military the options of using conventional weapons to shoot down a drone or other countermeasures include non-kinetic methods like the use of radio waves to disrupt drone flight. Local commanders will now have that option if a drone is deemed to fly over a base that is deemed sensitive or pose a specific threat.

To read the entire article from CNN, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Night Stalkers Don’t Quit…Only the Best Need Apply

What does nearly every successful mission by Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Marine Raiders, and Green Berets have in common? They’ve probably been carried to and from their missions by members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Airborne with the abbreviation of 160th SOAR (A).

The 160th SOAR commonly known as the “Night Stalkers” are the US Army’s best aviators and the premiere rotary wing aviation unit in the military’s Special Operations Forces. Their moniker is well-deserved, many pilots in the 160th have more flight hours with NVGs than commercial airline pilots have flight hours total.

The 160th operates three different types of helicopters, the Blackhawk, Chinook and Little Bird choppers in different designs depending on the mission. Night Stalkers are experts in flying missions ranging from direct action air assault to fast-rope insertion, overwater helocasting, extraction, and special boat support, as well as urban assault.  They can also provide their own Close Air Support (CAS) of these missions and for the supported units.

Assessment and Training: Candidates for the 160th SOAR undergo a one-week assessment process with Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion (SOATB) where they go thru interviews with military and civilian members of the SOATB and have their character and demeanor assessed. A records check is performed and the candidates are also evaluated psychologically.

Pilots will conduct two flights to test their flying and navigation skills. If at the end of assessment week, they’ve been selected, the pilots will be told what type of aircraft they’ll be flying. They may be chosen to fly a different helicopter than one that they’ve been accustomed to. That may entail further training later.

The first phase of training covers ground-based combat skills; it lasts three weeks for officers and five to six weeks for enlisted personnel. Candidates assigned to the “Green Platoon” receive instruction on basic combat tasks, first responder, land navigation, hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and teamwork. Then they must pass qualification in the helicopter “dunker” and do water survival training.

For the pilots the approximately six-month training program takes place in Company B which is responsible for aviators, crew chiefs and medics in two stages. First is a basic navigation course that lasts about a month. It is all conducted in the Little Birds because it is inexpensive to operate, compared to the Black Hawks and Chinooks.

Pilots will then be trained for the helicopters that they will fly in a four-month advanced skills courses. Depending on the birds, the courses will vary. But at the end of this section of the program, a prospective Night Stalker will be proficient in all types of combat situations. They’ll all get experience flying in the desert, mountains, and over water; shipboard deck landing qualifications; as well as urban warfare tasks. They’ll began very proficient at flying with night vision goggles (NVGs). Their final tasks will be becoming proficient in aerial in-flight refueling and nap-of-the earth flying much closer to the ground than conventional Army pilots.

Upon successful completion of the advanced skills course in their aircraft type, they are given a check ride by an instructor pilot. It is a long full mission profile that can last up to five-to-six hours. If they pass, they become basic mission qualified (BMQ) and are assigned to one of the battalions in the 160th.

Once a 160th pilot has two years completed in an operational unit, he can upgrade to fully mission qualified (FMQ), though to achieve this they need to prove they can command an aircraft in a combat situation. Given the current state of operations within USSOCOM, that requisite will be easily checked off. Once pilots are rated as FMQ they can work with units outside the 160th SOAR.

When a pilot completes an additional three to four years as a FMQ, he is then eligible to become flight lead qualified (FLQ). As one can see, the training never stops in the 160th and the experience level of the aircrews is outstanding.

History: After the disastrous 1980 Operation Eagle Claw attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran, failed, President Jimmy Carter ordered the Pentagon to plan another rescue operation.  At that time, there were no U.S. helicopter units trained to conduct a stealth, no-notice special operations mission. Especially one whose specialty was flying during hours of darkness.

The Army looked to Ft. Campbell, KY, home of the 101st Airborne Division, which had the most experience of the service’s helicopter units. The selected units immediately began intensive training in night flying.

This provisional unit was at first dubbed Task Force 158 since most of the pilots were Blackhawk aviators detached from the 158th Aviation Battalion. The new unit was quickly recognized as the Army’s premier night fighting aviation force, and its only special operations aviation force. The unit was officially established Oct. 16, 1981, when it was designated as the 160th Aviation Battalion.

The 160th first saw combat during 1983’s Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S. invasion of Grenada, and has been a part of every major conflict since. They became the first helicopter pilots to use advanced night vision goggles and forward looking infrared devices in night combat.

090921-N-5126F-006 ADRIATIC SEA (September 21, 2009) An MH-47 Chinook helicopter assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) approaches the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) to conduct a fast-rope evolution during exercise Jackal Stone 2009. Jackal Stone is a series of training exercises in various locations throughout Croatia to promote cooperation and interoperability between the special operations forces of the 10 participating nations. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Intelligence Specialist Louis Fellerman/Released)

In 1986, the unit was re-designated as the 160th Aviation Group, and became the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment in May 1990.

In June 1988, the unit executed Operation Mount Hope III. Two MH-47 crews flew 490 miles deep into Chad to retrieve a crashed Russian model Mi-24 Hind medium-attack helicopter.

The Night Stalkers spearheaded Operation Just Cause, the 1989 invasion of Panama, where a Little Bird flying members of Delta Force was shot down just after the operators rescued American Kurt Muse from a Panama City prison.

Less than six months later the Night Stalkers were sent to Kuwait for Operation Desert Shield in the summer of 1990 with follow-on combat operations in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

In 1993 the unit was sent to Somalia for Operation Restore Hope, the humanitarian mission where to support the UN’s mission to bring food and aid to the starving people that had been wracked by civil war. Once the clans run by warlords became too violent, the humanitarian mission turned to combat.

Operation Gothic Serpent (the Battle of Mogadishu) in 1993, was next. One of the Regiment’s most known battles was in Mogadishu, commonly known as “Black Hawk Down” in a book title as well as a feature film.

While supporting a team of Delta operators and Rangers trying to arrest top lieutenants of the clan run by Mohamad Farrah Aidid, the unit lost two Black Hawks to RPG fire from the ground. At the second crash site, only one crewman, pilot CW3 Mike Durant survived. Two Delta snipers, Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon deployed to protect him from a Somali mob numbering into the hundreds.

Despite inflicting severe casualties on the Somalis, both Shughart and Gordon were eventually killed in action while Durant was taken prisoner for a short time. Later both Delta snipers were awarded the Medal of Honor.

The war in Afghanistan, and across the Middle East have spawned the unit’s heavy operational use in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operations Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn in Iraq.

The unit suffered heavy losses in two separate engagements. During Operation Red Wings in 2005, a Night Stalker Chinook carry a SEAL Team Quick Reaction Force (QRF) on its way to rescue a small 4-man SEAL team under heavy fire was hit by an RPG. All eight SEALs on board and all eight Night Stalkers died in the crash.

Later another Chinook carrying U.S. and Afghan military forces on a night-raid mission in the Tangi Valley of Afghanistan’s Wardak province on August 6, 2011, was shot down by Taliban insurgents using an RPG. Thirty Americans and eight Afghans were killed in the attack and the helicopter’s subsequent crash. Seventeen of the U.S. servicemen killed were Navy SEALs, including 15 commandos from Naval Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), better known as SEAL Team Six.

But perhaps the unit’s best-known success story was Operation Neptune Spear. A combined force of the 160th’s Chinooks and specially modified “stealth” Black Hawks carried SEAL Team Six (DEVGRU) from Afghanistan into Abbottabad, Pakistan on a mission to kill Osama bin Laden. One of the Black Hawks crashed into the compound and had to be subsequently destroyed by the crew and the SEALs to preserve the stealth secrets and avionics but the unit completed their mission and everyone was returned to Afghanistan safely.

On a personal aside, I’ve flown with Night Stalkers on all three types of their aircraft. We conducted fast rope missions out of Black Hawks and Chinooks and flew on the Little Birds which is an adrenaline rush that may be even better than being a jumpmaster on a C-130. My Night Stalker coin, given to me by a Company Commander in the 160th is one of my prized possessions.

Today there are more than 3,000 specially selected and trained Night Stalkers in the Regiment. So the next time you see a Special Operations unit conducting a high-profile mission on television or read about it in a newspaper, you can be sure who brought them to the target and who brought them home safely. “Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.”

 

Photo courtesy DOD

MARSOC Critical Skills Operators Worthy of Their WWII Lineage

The Marine Corps hadn’t had a Special Operations unit since World War II, but all of that changed in 2003 when on June of that year, the Marine Corp and USSOCOM formed Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment One (MCSOCOM Det 1) to explore unit level Marine Corps participation in USSOCOM. Prior to this, Marine Corps brass were vocal against an “elite within an elite” as they considered all Marine Corps units elite.

MCSOCOM Det One deployed with a Naval Special Warfare unit in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004.

After the deployment, the Marine Corps contributions were studied, and in October 2005, the Secretary of Defense directed the formation of a Marine component of U.S. Special Operations Command. It was determined the Marine Corps would initially form a unit of approximately 2,500 to serve within the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community.

On Feb. 24, 2006, MARSOC was activated at Camp Lejeune, N.C. MARSOC initially consisted of a small headquarters staff and a battalion level unit which had been formed to train, advise, and assist partner nation militaries by conducting the mission of Foreign Internal Defense.

Just a couple of years ago, the MARSOC Operators decided to choose the name “Raiders” to celebrate their lineage and unconventional nature of their mission. The Raiders were back in the Corps after a long hiatus.

The Marine Raiders from World War II were only active for about 2 years between 1942 until they were officially disbanded in 1944. But they had an impressive combat record and gave the Japanese a taste of their own medicine during battles in the Solomon Islands. The modern MARSOC Special Operations draws its lineage from these Raider battalions. Perhaps the best example of a Marine Special Operations officer was Major Evans F. Carlson.

Carlson was a maverick who was an intelligence officer in China, had fought guerrillas in Nicaragua and spoken out publicly about the plight of the Chinese. When given command of the Marine 2nd Raider Bn., he broke ranks with many of the traditional ways of doing things and operated in an entirely unconventional manner.

Every man regardless of rank would have a say in things and were expected to say what they thought. Their motto became the Chinese term “Gung-ho” which means “work together.”

Carlson was brilliantly innovative. He implemented an important change to the Raider organization where instead of the usual eight-man squad, he created a 10-man unit composed of a squad leader and three fire teams of three men each. Each fire team had good firepower with a Thompson submachine gun, a Browning automatic rifle (BAR), and a rifleman with the Garand M-1 semiautomatic rifles.

He was building an unconventional warfare unit that could operate as he envisioned like a guerrilla unit. He set up a training program that leaned heavily on long-range movement, weapons and demolitions training, hand-to-hand combat, and physical conditioning.

Today’s Raiders are even better trained than their counterparts. Once a Marine has three years of service, he or she can volunteer for the Raiders of MARSOC.

Like other Special Operations Forces, the Marines are looking for self-starters, operators with the initiative who will always seek to improve themselves. Team players who will seek the knowledge of others to make the unit much more proficient.

For Marines designated as Critical Skills Operators (CSO) with the MOS 0372, for officers 0370, they must first pass Assessment and Selection (A&S). A&S is a 21 day mentally and physically challenging evaluation. The first phase starts with a Physical Fitness Test, or PFT, a swim and an 8-mile rucksack march. It ends with another PFT, an abandon ship drill, 300-meter swim in fatigues with no boots, 11 minutes of treading water and a 12-mile rucksack march in under three hours with a 45-pound ruck.

Those Marines that successfully complete A&S attend the MARSOC Individual Training Course (ITC). Much of it is like the other Selection and Assessment courses run by the other services. It places a high premium on a candidate’s physical fitness and the ability to think on his feet while tired and under a great deal of stress.

ITC is a physically and mentally challenging course designed to provide MARSOC Raiders with a basic foundation of essential special operations skills. Some of the skills taught in the course include SERE, Medical, Communications, Small unit tactics (SMU), Amphibious Training, Special Reconnaissance, Close-Quarters Battle (CQB), Urban Combat, Combat marksmanship and Irregular Warfare.

Training and educating the Raiders does not end with ITC. Operators will continue training once assigned to their designated unit. All MARSOC Marines are required to undergo continual language training, with designated Marines attending follow-on language training at an Advanced Linguist Course.

MARSOC Marine Raiders also attend advanced-level courses in a number of subject areas such as Airborne and Static Line Jumpmaster, Military Free Fall and HALO Jumpmaster, Sniper, Breaching, and Weapons Employment as well as many others. A total of 85 Advanced Training courses are available to the MARSOC Raiders in their operational units.

The basic operating is a 14-man team consisting of 1 Officer, 4-6 Senior NCOs, 4-6 Sergeants and 2 Navy Corpsmen. The team is broken down by an HQ element and two Tactical Elements. The HQ Element is comprised of a Captain Team Leader, Master Sergeant Team Chief, Gunnery Sergeant Operations Chief, and a Staff Sergeant Assistant Operations Chief.

The two Tactical Elements consist of 4 Marines and a Navy Corpsman. The team can function as one unit or split into two smaller tactical ones. The MARSOC Raiders have conducted Direct Action, Foreign Internal Defense, Special Reconnaissance, Counter-Insurgency, Security Force Assistance, and preparation of the environment missions in over 40 countries since their inception just over a decade ago.

They are still Marines first and Special Operators next but with the changes making them a permanent part of the Marine Corps, they now have the MOS to stay in Special Operations for the remainder of their careers. It makes for a better unit with superior operators with better training. Major Carlson would approve.

Photos Courtesy US Marine Corps

Final Thoughts, Memorial Day, Thank the Fallen Warriors, Not the Veterans

When one talks about Memorial Day, it is important to know what it means and most importantly who it is honoring. The thing to remember is, this day is reserved for the fallen warriors who died in defense of our country not for the veterans who march in honor of their missing comrades.

Many of our well-meaning and patriotic neighbors in our little bucolic town thanked us for our service as we marched past in our annual parade where we trod thru the center of the town and visited four different cemeteries to pay homage to our veterans.

But this day, Memorial Day isn’t about the men marching. That’s reserved for Veterans’ Day in November. This day is to remember and honor the nearly one million men and women who fell defending our country, our way of life and the very freedoms we enjoy today.

It is often slightly uncomfortable when citizens thank you on Memorial Day because the day should be about our fallen comrades…thank them. But I understand where they’re coming from and there is definitely no malice involved.

But when it comes to the fallen warriors, there is the undercurrent of politics that has no place in Memorial Day.

Too often today, political beliefs and leanings skew perceptions about veterans and whether a war or conflict is a “just war” or not. Military members don’t get to pick and choose which conflict they’ll support. They must put their trust in their own leaders to never put them in harm’s way for a needless cause.

That doesn’t mean that they don’t have distinct feelings about an area of the world or the war that they’re taking part in. They do. They’re not mindless robots who go off to fight wherever the government tells them. But their sense of pride in their unit and the men and women to their left and right will get them thru.

The veterans we honor on Memorial Day were someone’s son, brother, father, daughter, sister, or mother. They answered the call of duty and served their country, in most cases far from home. Their sacrifice will not be in vain as long as we remember and honor them. And live our lives according to the ideals that our country prides itself on.

One of the fascinating things about living in the New England area is the history involved in the area. This was one of the first areas developed after our ancestors came over from Europe and our veterans in our little town stretch back to the Revolutionary War.

That’s why we always visit all the cemeteries, we have soldiers from the American Revolution, right up to the most recent wars our country has been involved in. The town lost quite a few of its soldiers during the Civil War and they have reserved a section of the town’s Central Cemetery. After the war, many of their comrades chose to be buried with them in the Grand Army of the Republic section. Our oldest cemetery, on the western side of town, holds perhaps the most famous Revolutionary War soldier that none of you had ever heard of.

Peter Willard was the first African-American soldier in US history. Willard, a free black man, lived in our town and was part of the militia who fought the British at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The proverbial “shots heard ‘round the world.” He later enlisted in the Continental Army and saw the war thru to the end before settling back in the town until his death.

His portrait hung in our town hall until a fire destroyed the building and nearly all of its contents in 1971. When one speaks of trendsetters in today’s world, we think of sports or entertainment stars whose faces are plastered across social media. But Willard was a true trendsetter and set the stage for thousands of African-Americans that were to follow in our country’s military.

We’ve reached a crisis in our small town as the veterans from recent conflicts have chosen not to get involved in either the local Veteran’s Council, the VFW, or the American Legion. It’s understandable when troops leave the active service, they want a break and don’t want to be tied down to military-type commitments any longer.

However, the downside to our situation and many others is that the veterans that have taken up the slack thru the years are aging. We still have several World War II and Korea era veterans whose minds are still willing but whose bodies won’t allow them to march in the parades anymore. Many of the Vietnam veterans aren’t spring chickens either and health problems preclude many from marching any longer.

Our visits to the local schools during Memorial and Veterans’ Day weeks are always open to all veterans. These visits are important for several reasons. One is that the young students from our schools have great respect for the call of duty, selflessness, and sense of patriotism from our veterans. They always ask great questions as they attempt to learn about the different conflicts and what motivated our troops. It is a great learning experience for them.

But the recent vets are staying away. While a few have been coming to the schools the past two years, it isn’t enough. This year we had only a handful of veterans ABLE to march in the parade. It may be the last parade we hold in our town on Memorial Day. That would be a shame. The parade isn’t for us…it is for the ones who never made it home to celebrate the holidays with their families.

I don’t walk in other people’s shoes so I can’t tell them what they should or shouldn’t be doing in terms of the Memorial Day activities or how they choose to celebrate. I personally believe that we owe it to the deceased veterans to live our lives the best we can and celebrate our lives as they would have, after paying homage to them.

“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” George S. Patton

Photo courtesy: US Army, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle

Japanese Special Operations Suicide Attack on Yontan Airfield Okinawa

In the closing days of World War II, the US and the rest of the allies had defeated Germany and Hitler was dead, Italy had capitulated, and Mussolini was executed by partisans. Only Japan was left and the US was tightening the noose around the Japanese homeland.

A successful but bloody island hopping campaign had put the Americans on the doorstep to the homeland. No longer would American B-29s have to fly from long distances at the limit of their range to bomb Japan. Now with airfields on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, they could hit Japan with near impunity. The B-29 raids were taking a dreadful toll on the Japanese war machine, the civilian populace, and the morale of the nation.

The Japanese were desperate to deliver a blow to the US airbases where B-29s were stored.  The plan was to deliver “suicide commandos” by air to destroy the B-29s and damage their bases and fuel depots. To fulfill this need, the “Giretsu” Combined Special Forces Airborne Unit was formed, assembling experts in sabotage and demolition.

The Giretsu Special Forces Unit was task organized in a simple Direct Action (DA) mission breakdown; each commando carried HE and WP grenades and a pistol beside his assigned weapon.

  • Command section (10 men)
  • Light Machinegun team (1 x LMG)
  • Messenger team
  • Signal team
  • 1st-5th Platoons, broken down by sections:
  • 1st Section (4 men including section
    leader): 1 x Type 99 rifle, 2 x Type
    100 SMGs, 2 x pole charges, 4 x Type 99
    AT charges
  • 2nd Section (3 men): 1 x rifle, 1 x Type 99
    LMG, 1 x pole charge, 4 x Type 99 AT charges
  • 3rd Section (3 men): 1 x rifle, 1 x SMG, 1 x
    pole charge, 4 x Type 99 AT charges
  • 4th Section (3 men): Ix rifle, lx SMG, Ix
    Type 89 grenade discharger,
  • 5th Section 1 x pole charge, 4 x Type 99 AT charges.

Mock-ups were prepared of the B-29 bombers which were the primary targets of the commandos. But the Japanese soon learned that their standard Type 99 magnetic mine would not adhere to the B-29’s aluminum skin. Special mission weapons would have to be developed. They developed a special pole charge (hakobakurai) with a suction cup that packed 4.5 pounds of explosive which would damage or destroy the bombers. They also had a 15- foot “chain charge” which was designed to be thrown across the wing of the target. The explosive was designed to separate the wing from the fuselage.

On May 15, 1945, the Japanese 6th Air Army requested use of the Giretsu Special Forces Unit to neutralize the American’s Okinawa airbases. The commandos moved to Kengun airfield on Kyushu in preparation for “Operation Gi”.

The Japanese plan and tactics were simple. Once on the ground, the commandos were to destroy or damage as many American aircraft and supplies as possible and then hold the position to the last man.

The night of May 24-25, 1945 saw the Japanese launch their suicidal operation against the Yontan Airfield on Okinawa. Nine twin-engine aircraft (Ki-21 “Sally” Bombers) of the 3rd Dokuritsu Chutai (“Independent Company”), commanded by CPT Chuichi Suwabe took off from Kumamoto Army Airfield from the mainland of Japan. Each of these aircraft carried 14 commandos, destined to attack the Yontan airfield.

The Japanese had sent six waves of conventional bombers against the base. Then five of the bombers carrying commandos appeared over Yontan at 2230 hrs. Four of the Sallys had been shot down by US fighter aircraft. The remainder tried to come in a very low altitude.

Alert American anti-aircraft (AA) gunners, shot down four more. One Sally’s wing was blown off and struck an antiaircraft position, temporarily burying the gunners. The remaining Sally belly-landed with wheels on the runway, eventually coming to rest near a control tower.

Once on the ground, the surviving dozen or so Japanese disembarked from both the nose and side hatches. The commandos having rehearsed this scenario wasted little time and rushed in among parked US aircraft, clamping on hakobakurai charges and hurling grenades.

Wrecked US Army aircraft at Yontan. (US Army photo)

American pilots and grounds crewmen, not accustomed to being in ground warfare panicked. Not realizing that the Japanese had only about a dozen men, they thought the Japanese had landed in force. They took to cover and were firing, widely ineffective harassing shots at the Japanese commandos. They called for immediate ground support from nearby Marine infantry. But they wouldn’t arrive until dawn.

Chaos reigned supreme on the airfield. The Japanese commandos ignited a fuel depot containing 70,000 gallons of aviation fuel and the night sky was illuminated with spectacular geysers of flames that cast a surreal glow on the deadly events that would ring the airfield all night.

The Japanese had inflicted heavy losses on the US aircraft at Yontan, destroying nine and damaging 26 more. Marine infantry arrived at dawn and began the systematic clearing of the airfield.

All 69 Japanese commandos were killed in the attack in addition to the nine bombers that were destroyed either in the air or on the ground after landing. The final commando was found at 1 p.m. the next afternoon hiding in the brush before being dispatched by the Marines.

Two Americans were killed and 18 more were wounded in the daring attack by the Japanese. But the damage inflicted by just the dozen or so commandos that made it to the ground showcased the amount of damage that they could have inflicted had all nine-aircraft made it to Yontan instead of just one.

Crash landed Sally Bomber at Yontan airfield (US Army photo)

The Japanese planned all along on the raid being a suicide attack, so no exfil plan was needed making the operation much simpler from a planning standpoint for them. However, their primary targets, the B-29s were not at Yontan, so while the raid was very successful in the amount of damage inflicted by such a small force on the ground, their ultimate objective, the American bombers weren’t affected at all. The PBY4Y Privateers were converted B-24 bombers that the US used as long-range patrol bombers.

US aircraft losses:

  • 3 F4U Corsair fighters
  • 2 PB4Y Privateer patrol bombers
  • 4 C-47 transports.

US aircraft damaged:

  • 22 F4U Corsairs
  • 3 F6F Hellcat fighters
  • 2PB4Y’s
  • 2 C-47s

Apparently, the Japanese had also planned a major airborne suicidal operation codenamed “Ultra” later that summer. The plan was to assemble 200 transport aircraft and bombers to carry 2000 more commandos from the Giretsu Special Forces Unit and crash land simultaneously at the US B-29 bases of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam.

But the US dropping of the Atomic bomb on Nagasaki on August 9 curtailed those plans. Emperor Hirohito took to the radio soon after to announce that the Japanese people must “bear the unbearable” and that hostilities should end.

This Giretsu suicide raid by the Combined Special Forces Unit is revered in Japan, with a special shrine erected in Peace Prayer Park on Okinawa which marks their heroic but futile efforts.

 Photos courtesy US Army

Florida Ranked #1 State For Military Veterans to Reside

The military has a big presence in the state of Florida, with many bases being home to a number of troops from all the services. But it isn’t just the active duty troops flocking to the Sunshine State. Retirees and veterans are staying in Florida and for a number of reasons. The weather, the booming job market for veterans, health care availability and housing affordability.

According to WalletHub, Florida is ranked #1 of all 50 states and the District of Columbia for military veterans to reside.

WalletHub used three main categories: economic environment, quality of life and healthcare.

Florida is home to the third-largest veteran population in the nation and is the top state for a veteran getting hired and for state tax on military pensions. Military retired pay and survivor benefit plans are tax exempt in Florida.

This year, WalletHub included two more metrics: the share of population 40 and older and the presence of veteran-treatment courts for mental health and drug addiction. According to the findings, more than half of the state’s veteran population is over the age of 40.

Florida’s VA hospitals, and the number of them, also ranked high.

“For the quality of VA hospitals metric, Florida ranked 19th because patients were more willing to recommend the state’s VA hospitals,” analyst Jill Gonzalez said. A score of 25 is considered average, and lower scores like Florida’s are better, she said.

“Florida ranked high [fifth best] for the number of VA health facilities per number of veterans,” Gonzalez said.

When it comes to jobs, veterans also do well in Florida.

Analysts determined the number of job opportunities for veterans by looking at eligible jobs and subtracting the veteran unemployment rate, Gonzalez said. In hiring for federal government jobs, veterans in Florida may receive preference depending on their disability status and when they were active.

It might be time to start packing boxes and planning the move south. Both Florida and South Carolina are very veteran-friendly states to reside in and for veterans, the factors in their favor make them very attractive. But rooting for the Dolphins? Not so much.

To read the entire article from the Miami Herald, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD