5th Special Forces Group

Roy Benavidez MOH Epitomized What A Special Operator Is

He was wounded 37 times by bullets, shrapnel, a bayonet, and a rifle butt but his only thoughts were on those others who were hit on that day in May 1968. His actions saved eight other men’s lives in Vietnam on that day. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery but it wouldn’t be for 13 more years. Because nothing ever came easy for Roy Benavidez.

Benavidez was born in 1935 outside of Cuero, Texas to a Mexican sharecropper father and a Yaqui Indian mother. Both of them would be dead of tuberculosis before Roy was eight years old. He was moved to his grandparents with his younger brother and he grew up with eight other cousins in the household.

He struggled in school before dropping out in the seventh grade. He worked odd jobs to help support his family; in a tire shop, on farms in the area, even shining shoes in the bus station.

Everything began to change for him in 1952 when he joined the National Guard. Three years later he enlisted in the Regular Army. He married his wife and joined the 82^nd Airborne Division in 1959. Like many other men, he moved down the street and joined Special Forces.

On his first tour of duty in Vietnam in 1965, he stepped on a landmine and was airlifted out to the states where he was told that he’d never walk again. Determined to prove the doctors wrong, he’d sneak out of his bed and began a furious nightly regimen where he’s crawl to a wall and slowly force himself up to a standing position. He recalled in a speech the agony he’d go thru to walk again.

“The doctors were initiating my medical discharge papers, but at night I would slip out of bed and crawl to a wall using my elbows and my chin. My back would just be killing me and I’d be crying, but I get to the wall and I set myself against the wall and I’d back myself up against the wall and I’d stand there — like Kaw-Liga, the Indian. I’d stand and move my toes, right and left…every single chance I got — I got. And I wanted to walk — I wanted to go back to Vietnam because of what the news media was saying about us: that our presence was not needed there; they’re burning the flag.”

A year later in July 1966, he walked out of the hospital accompanied by his wife, determined to resume his Special Forces career.

Benavidez returned to Vietnam in January 1968. He was assigned to Detachment B-56, 5^th Special Forces Group at Loc Ninh, an SF base along the Cambodian border.

On May 2, 1968, Benavidez, a devout Catholic was attending a prayer service when he heard that a 12-man patrol had inserted into a hornets’ nest of NVA, numbering between 1000-1500. The patrol of three Americans and nine Nung tribesmen was shot up and calling for immediate extraction. The ensuing battle would last for over six hours.

Three attempts to extricate the team by helicopters were driven off by intense ground and anti-aircraft fire. Grabbing a medical aid bag and armed with only a knife, Benavidez leaped on a rescue chopper and off they went.

The helicopter got to within 75 yards of the trapped men and Benavidez jumped from the hovering Huey and raced to the trapped team coming under withering fire. He was hit in the leg and knocked down. But he continued to the team and blasted by a grenade blast suffering shrapnel wounds to his face, arm, and back.

Reaching the trapped team, four men were already dead and the rest were wounded. Benavidez treated the wounded, grabbed an AK from one of the dead men and passed around ammunition. Then he directed air strikes around the perimeter to keep the NVA at bay.

Calling in a Huey to evacuate part of the dead and wounded, he was shot again in the leg. Ignoring his own wounds, he dragged the dead and wounded to the chopper, he provided covering fire. The chopper moved to the second group of men for extract with Benavidez under it, firing at the enemy.

NVA fire increased and smashed into the Huey, killing the pilot and sending the Huey crashing into the ground. Benavidez had made it to the dead team leader and removed the classified documents from around the man’s neck. He was then shot in the stomach by an NVA soldier and another grenade tore into his back and shoulders.

Despite this, and now coughing up blood, he crawled to the downed helicopter. There they formed a small perimeter and passed out the remaining ammunition. He continued to direct air strikes from F-4 Phantom jets and helicopter gunships to push the NVA back. Several of the strikes were danger close.

The North Vietnamese fire increased and mortar rounds were falling everywhere. All of the wounded including Benavidez were hit again. The American helicopter pilots were ready to attempt another rescue attempt.

Grabbing a seriously wounded American SF team member, he hoisted him over his shoulder and lurched toward the waiting helicopter. An NVA soldier believed dead, leaped up and clubbed Benavidez with the butt of his Ak-47, breaking his jaw and knocking him to the ground. As the NVA soldier lunged at Benavidez with his bayonet, Roy grabbed it with his right hand and used his Bowie knife in his left. Pulling the enemy soldier forward he stabbed him but not before suffering a slash to his right hand and his left arm being run thru with the bayonet.

Again, he attempted to drag his American comrade to the helicopter and then noticed two more NVA run from the jungle in the blind spot of the American door gunners. Benavidez grabbed an AK-47 and somehow managed to drop both of the enemy soldiers.

He then made another trip into the perimeter and brought out the team’s interpreter before finally being pushed into the helicopter and lifting off. Holding his intestines in with one hand, he held his dying teammate’s hand with the other.

Having almost bled out on the helicopter, Benavidez slipped into near unconsciousness. A doctor felt for a heartbeat and not registering one, indicated that he should be placed in a body bag with the dead. Benavidez, unable to speak because of the broken jaw, spit in the doctor’s face to let him know he was still alive.

He was then taken into the hospital where the doctors began to treat his myriad of injuries. He had seven gunshot wounds, one of them went thru his back, destroying his right lung and exited just beneath his heart. He had 28 shrapnel wounds in his back, neck, head, legs, feet, and buttocks. Both arms were pierced by a bayonet as well as his hand. His jaw was broken and the back of his head smashed by the enemy’s rifle butt. None of the doctors expected Benavidez to survive. They were wrong.

His wounds were to take a year to heal and he went back to Brooke Army Medical Center. His commander wanted to put Roy in for the Medal of Honor but instead opted for the Distinguished Service Cross believing that he’d at least receive that before his wounds would kill him. Benavidez was awarded the DSC by Gen. William Westmoreland the Chief of Staff of the Army.

Years later after the war, his commander tried to get the Army to reconsider and upgrade Benavidez’s award to the Medal of Honor. But was told that no other American had survived and could confirm his deeds.

Far away in the Fiji Islands, an American, Brian O’Connor who had been the radio man that called for that first frantic call for extraction, read about the development in the newspapers. He wrote a detailed description of the fateful event on that day in May 1968 and that Benavidez was responsible for saving the lives of eight men.

The Pentagon reconsidered and in 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Benavidez the Medal of Honor. Reagan turned to the press and said, “If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it”.

The official citation for Benavidez’s Medal of Honor can be read here:

President Reagan urged Benavidez to speak to the young children of the USA, something Roy took to heart and enjoyed immensely. He spoke about getting an education, learning a trade and love of country.

Here is a YouTube clip of one such speech he gave and it shows the humbleness and patriotism of the man.

Fast forward several years, my path would briefly cross with Benavidez as he was still helping with the American SF’ers hurt. While on a deployment to Central America with the 7^th Special Forces Group, my ODA commander suffered a terrible injury which would result in him becoming a quadriplegic.

In the typical snafu of the passing between the Army and the VA, his benefits were put on hold. Benavidez, who was made aware of the situation jumped in and immediately set things straight, going straight to the head of the VA and said he’d contact then ex-President Reagan if need be. The VA benefits kicked in immediately.

We thanked him and Roy would have none of it. “If I can’t use this medal to help out fellow SFers, then it isn’t worth anything,” he said. He was still bringing guys to the chopper in a way. I still have the autographed picture he gave me. It is one of my prized possessions.

Benavidez died from complications of diabetes in 1998 but his legend will live on. He’s the consummate Special Operator. And on this day 49 years ago, he showed the never quit attitude that the Special Operations Forces pride themselves on. He often finished his speeches with this closing.

I’m asked hundreds of times: Would you do it over again? In my 25 years in the military, I feel like I’ve been overpaid for the service to my country. There will never be enough paper to print the money nor enough gold in Fort Knox for me to have to keep from doing what I did. I’m proud to be an American; and even prouder — and I’m even prouder that I’ve earned the privilege to wear the Green Beret. I live by the motto of “Duty, Honor, Country.”

Photo courtesy Roy Benavidez Facebook

Special Forces Honor COL Bob Howard (MOH) With Building Dedication at Camp Mackall

The Special Forces community in an act that many considered long-overdue, honored the memory of one its most decorated soldiers, Colonel Robert Howard by dedicating the central classroom to him at Camp Mackall.

The Rowe Training Facility is where all Special Forces soldiers receive their classroom instruction when at Camp Mackall. And Howard spent nearly his entire life in helping to train, lead and inspire Special Forces Green Berets.

His son, Robert Howard Jr. was on hand for and helped dedicate the building to his father’s memory.

Bob Howard in Vietnam with MACSOG operators prior to a mission.

The event, organized by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, was attended by Howard’s family and more than 100 current and former Special Forces soldiers.
Many had stories about Howard, who was wounded 14 times during nearly five years of combat in Vietnam, earned a battlefield commission and was thrice recommended for the nation’s highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, in the space of a little more than one year.
He was awarded the medal once and also received two Distinguished Service Crosses, a Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal for Valor with three oak leaf clusters and eight Purple Hearts, among many other awards and decorations.
Howard spent 36 years in uniform, officials said. He worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs following his retirement from the Army in 1992 until 2006. He died Dec. 23, 2009, at age 70, following a battle with cancer.
“Contemporaries describe him running alongside an enemy truck one night, tossing a claymore mine into the back among the startled enemy and detonating it,” said Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.
“They describe a time he saw two (Viet Cong) on a motorbike throwing a grenade at a group of soldiers,” Thomas said. “He grabbed an M-16 from a startled security guard, calmly dropped to a knee to shoot one of the (Viet Cong) and then chased the other one half a mile to shoot him, too.”
Howard’s fitness and toughness was legendary, Thomas added while relating how — as a company commander in a Ranger Battalion — Howard was known to casually pick pieces of shrapnel out of his arm as he ran without slowing down.
“There have been too many books and movies of late about special operations, but the Col. Bob Howard story almost defies a movie script and his character would be right out of central casting,” the four-star general said.

There are so many stories about Howard and his toughness but he wasn’t all about himself and although a proud man was a very humble one. He touched so many soldiers’ lives and the most amazing thing about him were, all of the stories are true.

Why there isn’t a movie made about him yet is a good question. It truly needs to get done. But in the meantime, all would-be Special Forces soldiers will walk into the classroom that bears his name.

To read the entire article from The Fayetteville Observer click here:

Photo courtesy US Army

West Point Cadets Learn Unconventional Warfare on the Hudson

West Point cadets at the United States Military Academy from the school’s Irregular Warfare Group recently learned some good lessons on Unconventional Warfare. In a recent exercise in New York, the cadets got a first-hand taste in the complex world of UW and how their thinking will have to be creative when operating in the realm, no matter what career field they choose after graduation.

It is a good practical exercise that many of these junior Army officers will someday draw upon when they go out into the world that is rife with insurgent movements, multi-tiered organizations fighting for supremacy and the civilian populace caught in the middle. And the cadets also became familiar with the fictional nation of “Pineland.”

Their mission was to enable indigenous resistance movements to disrupt military and political activities in the breakaway self-proclaimed “People’s Republic of Pineland” in order to facilitate the forcible entry of a conventional task force to liberate occupied eastern “Pineland.”
While this mission was part of a fictional scenario without any actual shots fired or lives lost, the very nature of Unconventional Warfare was on display.
This multi-day training event in Esopus and Hyde Park, New York, involved over 60 USMA and Preparatory School cadets along with faculty from the Departments of Social Sciences, Chemistry and Life Science, Military Instruction, and the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic, and external support from the Scenic Hudson environmental and conservation group, the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and former senior leadership from the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
“This unique exercise offered cadets the chance to think creatively about solving practical problems,” retired Col. Mark Mitchell, former commander of 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) who served as the resistance movement’s top commander in the exercise, said. “It provided them an opportunity to consider the myriad of complexities of insurgencies at every level, including how local populations might perceive the actions of both insurgents and foreign sponsors. All of these opportunities will benefit the Cadets as young officers, no matter where they serve.”
Training emphasized task organization, mission analysis and planning, property accountability, negotiation skills, emotional intelligence, small unit tactics proficiency, advisor skills, navigating moral dilemmas, and creative problem-solving at both the tactical and strategic levels.
Events included a planning and team building phase, waterborne infiltration, link-up with resistance auxiliary, reacting to enemy checkpoints, meeting with and building rapport with resistance force commanders, assessing resistance capabilities, advising both guerrilla forces and nonviolent civil resistance groups, and coordinating multiple indigenous and U.S. interagency efforts.

The training event also got the blessing and support of many civilian and police organizations lending a realism to the exercise that will be invaluable to the cadets as they tried to navigate thru the difficult UW scenario.

Besides the creative problem solving that the cadets had to come up with, it gave them some training in small unit tactics, advisor skills, negotiation with resistance or guerrilla leaders and task organization.

This training event will serve them well when either working with or possibly becoming part of Special Operations Forces in the future.

To read the entire article from The Pointer, click here:

Photo courtesy USMA West Point

Colonel James ‘Nick’ Rowe Assassinated on this Day in 1989

On this date in 1989, the US Army Special Forces lost a legend in its ranks. Communist guerrillas assassinated COL. Nick Rowe while on his way to work as a military advisor to the Philippine Army. Rowe had escaped a Viet Cong prisoner of war camp on New Year’s Eve 1968 while being taken to his execution.

After returning to the United States, Rowe developed the Army’s SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) School and training at Ft. Bragg, NC, largely based on his experiences.

He also wrote the best-selling book, “Five Years to Freedom” which told the story of his capture, and resistance to the Viet Cong before his daring escape.

Colonel Rowe was being driven to work at the Joint United States Military Advisory Group headquarters in Quezon City, a suburb of Manila, shortly after 7 A.M. when at least two hooded gunmen in a stolen car fired more than 20 bullets into his vehicle.
His driver, Joaquin Vinua, was wounded but was reported out of danger. Colonel Rowe was pronounced dead at a nearby military hospital. Communist Rebels Suspected
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Philippine officials said they believed the killers were Communist rebels. The rebels have threatened to attack American targets unless the United States closes its military bases in the Philippines and ends its support of the Philippine military’s fight against the insurgency.
In the fall of 1963, Colonel Rowe, then a first lieutenant in the Special Forces serving as an adviser to South Vietnamese irregulars, was captured by Vietcong guerrillas in the Mekong River delta.
He was held in jungle camps from which he tried repeatedly to escape. Word reached American intelligence officers that he was known to his captors as ”Mr. Trouble.” For much of his captivity, he was held in a bamboo cage and permitted to venture only 40 yards during the day. He busied himself chopping firewood and setting traps to capture small animals to supplement his diet of rice and fish.

Rowe passed himself off as an engineer, knowing that as a Special Forces officer he’d be executed. He kept up the charade for many years until the Viet Cong received information from anti-war activists in the US that identified him as an intelligence officer.

Infuriated his captors were leading him to his execution when he overpowered one of his guards and escaped. Waving his mosquito net in the air at a passing group of US helicopters, he was nearly killed by the chopper’s machine gunner. But seeing his beard, he identified him as an American.

The Special Forces training compound at Camp Mackall, NC as well as the Special Forces obstacle course is named in his honor.

To read the entire archived article from New York Times click here:

Green Beret Appalachian Trail Walk and Fundraiser- Support the Regiment

“Never Leave a Man Behind”

The men of the Special Forces Regiment are doing a fundraiser for the Green Beret Foundation to help raise money by walking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. A group of retired Special Operators from SF Brothers (a Facebook group of SF soldiers) are putting teams together to hike from Georgia to Maine to support the cause.

The Green Beret Foundation is an organization that provides direct and continuous support to the Green Beret Community and its families. The Green Beret Foundation facilitates the transition of Green Berets and their families whether that transition is from wounds sustained in combat, illness, injury or “merely” from numerous deployments and/or retirement.

They provide Casualty Support, Extended Support, Family Support, and Transition Support for the Special Forces operators who have been injured in the line of duty. Over 800 Green Berets and 1000 families have received support from the foundation. And 90 percent of funds raised go towards their programs.

From the trail guide: The Appalachian Trail is about 2200 miles in length and runs from north Georgia to central Maine. It generally follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains.

The Trail is managed by a combination of the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. It is maintained by a host of nonprofit organizations.

Sometimes called “The Long Green Tunnel”, it is mostly under the cover of trees. It can be very harsh in ascents, descents, and the rockiness of the trail.

Only a small percentage of those who attempt a thru-hike are able to complete the trail. (They never met a bunch of SF guys)

This is a great opportunity to get out and join a group of retired Green Berets from the SF Brothers group on Facebook and strap on the rucksack and walk with them a spell to show some support. If you can’t make it, you can donate to cause by giving what you can right here:

I’ve been in contact with an old 7^th SFG trooper, Will Melton, who has kindly passed on some pics of the brothers, hitting the trail with their rucksacks back on. You can’t ever keep good men down. Will and his dog Miss Jackie are taking on some 560 miles of the trail. Which is about 25 percent of the total length. That’s what you call an endurance march. Some 30-something years after the Q-course, Will is putting in what definitely qualifies as a “Long Range Movement.” Tip of the Beret for that!

Former SFers from SF Brothers gather at the start of the trail after a storm delayed the start

Will Melton and J.C. Hiett display the SF Regimental flag which will fly over the encampment on the way.

For you ruckers out there. Check out the schedule and attached spreadsheet on the website, you can see when the SF Brothers are passing by your area. You don’t have to join the hike officially but show some support and hike with them for a day or maybe a weekend. It is for a great cause and will be a heckuva lot of fun as well. One can only imagine the war stories being told around the campfires at night along the trail or in the huts that the Appalachian Mountain Club provides on the route.

As much as I hate the old ALICE pack (and said I’d never put it on again), I’m breaking mine out, and when the SF troopers hit the Massachusetts border sometime in late July, I’ll be trying to join them for a piece of the trail to show some support and join in on the fun. I thought about purchasing a better civilian model, but for a short duration, it is time to break out the old pain pill. We’ll have coverage on it right here.

For more information on the Green Beret Trail Walk click here:

Cover photo courtesy Green Beret Foundation, Other photos courtesy of Will Melton

Remembering SGT Brian Buker MOH From Vietnam KIA April 5, 1970

It was 47 years ago, today that US Army Special Forces SGT Brian Buker would lose his life in a battle for a Viet Cong mountain stronghold at Nui Khet. For his actions in the three-day battle, Buker would posthumously be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Buker was killed by a combination of rocket and mortar fire while leading numerous charges against a bunker complex at the top of the mountain while acting as a platoon leader with the 513^th Company of the 5^th Mobile Strike Force Command (Mike Force).

Buker was born on November 3, 1949, in Benton, Maine and came from a military background. His three older brothers Victor, Gerald, and Alan had all enlisted and gone to Vietnam and had returned home. Buker joined right after high school at the age of 17, he also went to Vietnam returning safely. But he went back for a second tour.

As the story goes, Buker arrived in Vietnam and was told he was going to be diverted from the 5^th Special Forces Group to the 4^th Infantry Division. Buker, as young soldiers are prone to do, took matters into his own hands.

He hitch-hiked across Vietnam to Nha Trang, where the 5th Special Forces Group had their headquarters. He went with his hat in hand to the Mobile Strike Force Command (MIKE Force) compound next to the Group Headquarters and got an interview with the Company Sergeant Major.

He voiced a compelling argument in his interview and his orders were immediately changed to the 5th SFG(A) MIKE Force – Detachment B-55, immediately.

It was here that he’d find himself at the end of March of 1970 during Operation INTREPID, the code name for the storming of the Nui Khet mountain fortress which was part of Seven Mountains.

The 513^th Company was assigned to be flank security. The 511^th and 512^th Companies began the assault after an intense bombardment on April 3. They managed a toehold at the crest of the mountain but were driven back by concentrated rocket and mortar fire and hidden troops from 12 concealed reinforced bunkers on the peak.

A second attack that began at dawn on April 4, supported by Cobra gunships from the 7^th Cavalry and the SF mortar crews again managed to make the top only to be pushed back a second time. The companies dug in short of the summit.

Buker volunteered to bring two platoons to ferry water and ammunition to the dug in companies. Halfway up the mountain, his men were ambushed. Buker led the first of many counterattacks into the VC positions and he and his men made it to the dug in companies. Another VC attack was thwarted when Buker personally led a second counterattack thru heavy rifle and B-40 rocket fire.

On the morning of April 5, Buker’s 513^th Company was ordered to replace the beleaguered 511^th on the west side of the mountain. At 0900 they spearheaded a final assault on Nui Khet. The assault cleared several VC bunkers by firing point blank and flushing them out with grenades.

The 512^th and 513^th companies linked up on the summit just after 1200 hours and began flushing out the numerous bunkers on top of the mountain. Two American SF soldiers SGT Strode and SFC Parker were wounded by mortar fire during this time. It was Parker’s third wound of the engagement.

The final bunker complex held out despite four Cobra gunship rocket attacks, forty rounds of direct fire from 106mm recoilless rifles and captured Viet Cong urging their comrades to surrender via loudspeaker systems.

Buker moved his men forward to knock out the last of the bunkers braving machine gun fire and B-40 rockets. During this move forward, Buker spotted a previously unknown bunker that would catch his men in a devastating crossfire if they attempted to withdraw. With his men channeled into a narrow kill zone, he charged.

Miraculously he was unhurt and pitched four grenades into the newly found bunker, neutralizing the threat. But upon regrouping his men, B-40 rocket fire severely wounded him.

While bleeding profusely from his wounds, he still crawled forward to yet another VC bunker and eliminated it with a grenade. It was then shortly after that when Buker was killed by mortar and rocket fire. The final bunker was taken at 5:45 p.m. that evening and Nui Khet was secure. It was one of the last major Mobile Strike Force operations of the war.

For his gallantry, Buker was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was just 20 years old at the time of his death. He was buried at Brown Cemetery in his hometown of Benton, Maine. His Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Buker, Detachment B-55, distinguished himself while serving as a platoon adviser of a Vietnamese mobile strike force company during an offensive mission.
Sgt. Buker personally led the platoon, cleared a strategically located well-guarded pass, and established the first foothold at the top of what had been an impenetrable mountain fortress. When the platoon came under the intense fire from a determined enemy located in 2 heavily fortified bunkers and realizing that withdrawal would result in heavy casualties, Sgt. Buker unhesitatingly, and with complete disregard for his personal safety, charged through the hail of enemy fire and destroyed the first bunker with hand grenades.
While reorganizing his men for the attack on the second bunker, Sgt. Buker was seriously wounded. Despite his wounds and the deadly enemy fire, he crawled forward and destroyed the second bunker. Sgt. Buker refused medical attention and was reorganizing his men to continue the attack when he was mortally wounded. As a direct result of his heroic actions, many casualties were averted, and the assault of the enemy position was successful.
Sgt. Buker’s extraordinary heroism at the cost of his life are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

On September 15, 2010, in accordance with his mother’s wishes, the Buker family donated his Medal of Honor and other memorabilia to his alma mater, Lawrence High School in Fairfield, Maine for display.

His awards and decorations include the Congressional Medal of Honor; Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart; Vietnamese Gallantry Cross; Combat Infantryman Badge. The Buker Learning Center in Fort Devens, MA is the Digital Training Site (DTS) for Distance Learning for Reserve training.

Photos Courtesy US Army

‘Raise the Black’ Green Berets Raise Money For Fallen Iraqi CTS Comrades

Former Green Berets who selected, trained, and fought alongside the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) are watching with pride the fighting is doing in Iraq while trying to drive ISIS from the country. And now some of the Special Operations soldiers are trying to help the families of their fallen comrades by raising money for them.

The Golden Division, as the CTS unit is called is among the best units in the Iraqi army and is doing a lion’s share of the fighting to retake Mosul. The SF operators who trained them are proud of their achievements but know how costly the battle has become as hundreds of their former charges have died in battle.

Now they’re starting a GoFundMe page that will alleviate the cost of Iraqi families of losing loved ones. The SF soldiers led by Loren Schofield and Bryan Myers kicked off the idea and are selling flags, bumper stickers and T-shirts to raise money for the CTS families.

The CTS program, which recruited Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds, was stood up in 2004 as the U.S. military grappled with the insurgency in Iraq.
“Special Forces soldiers selected, trained, mentored, fought with and died alongside the CTS,” Myers said. “It is the biggest success story to come out of Iraq.”
The commandos mainly battled Sunni insurgents, but also played a lead role in a 2008 offensive against Shiite militias. When ISIS invaded in 2014, CTS commandos held Iraq’s largest oil refinery for months while the rest of the Iraqi military retreated in disarray.
“Most Americans think the Iraqi army are cowards,” Schofield said. “But (CTS) stood in the breach and held the line against ISIS.”
In the last two years, the commandos led the battle to retake Ramadi and took part in operations in Hit, Rutbah and villages along the Euphrates River. The Golden Division was also the first Iraqi force to break through ISIS lines in Fallujah last year.

Much too often, the focus for our country is very short and many of our allies have been abandoned in the past. These two Green Berets are making sure that these allies know that they won’t be forgotten.

To read the entire article from The Washington Post, click here:

Photo courtesy GoFundMe

Parents say their Green Beret son was murdered and want answers

Three members of the 5^th Special Forces Group who were conducting weapons training for the Jordanian armed forces were killed in November when re-entering a base they had left and entered many times in the past.

The Jordanian government has ruled the deaths “a tragic accident” where a member of their military, M’aarek Abu Tayeh fired from point blank range killing two of the SF soldiers right in front of a guard shack as the troops re-entered the base after conducting range operations in the morning.

A third Green Beret was killed in the ensuing gun battle with Tayeh before a fourth, armed with just a Glock handgun, emptied his pistol at Tayeh who was seriously wounded in the exchange.

Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar said in a statement that Tayeh responded to shooting from the Americans.

“Abu Tayeh was tasked with swift response,” Kawar said, and fired toward the source of what he took to be gunshots coming from the Americans, “who in turn fired directly at Abu Tayeh, believing he was targeting them.”

The FBI has analyzed video footage from the incident and deemed that the Americans followed what had been normal procedure when entering and leaving the base. The families of the killed Americans believe that the soldiers were murdered and want answers from the Jordanians.

Earlier this month, Chuck Lewellen and fathers of the other fallen Green Berets spoke at the National Press Club in Washington. They want an apology from Jordan, and they’ve called for a suspension of aid to the country until that happens.
“The government of Jordan lied to the world, immediately claiming that our sons failed to stop at the gate,” James R. Moriarty told the press club. “When the FBI confirmed the video showed that to be a lie, the Jordanians then claimed there had been an accidental discharge by one of the Americans. This was also proven to be a lie.
“The American public is told Jordan is our ally. Jordan has never accepted responsibility nor has a Jordanian official ever explained what truly happened.”

The families want answers and the Jordanians to clear their sons of any wrongdoing, which the video and the FBI investigation played out. However, the Jordanian government is sticking to its story, (the third now) that Tayeh acted appropriately and was responding to a threat from the Americans.

Jordan has been a staunch ally of the US in the region and although terrorism has been ruled out by the host government, and they cited Tayeh’s 14 years of service, for the families, there is the legitimate question in their minds as to what happened and why.

To read the entire article from The Olympian, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

Legion of Brothers Documentary Debuts at Sundance Film Festival

Veil is Finally Lifted on first SF Post 9/11 Missions

Just weeks after the Twin Towers fell in New York City, US Army Special Forces A-teams were deployed to Afghanistan to make contact with the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military forces and capture a series of strategic towns in the northern area of the country.

One of those A-teams, (ODA 595) commanded by CPT Mark Nutsch with Northern Alliance troops captured the key town of Mazur-e-Sharif while conducting the first horse-mounted attack in the US military in over 100 years.

The other A-team, (ODA-574) commanded by CPT Jason Amerine deployed on November 3. Infiltrating key points in the south, they made contact with future Afghan President Hamid Karzai and moved toward Kandahar.

Now their story is finally being told, brought to the big screen by filmmaker Greg Barker who has put together the documentary “Legion of Brothers” in concert with CNN Films.

Immediately after the September 11 attacks, the United States government initiated a secret war in Afghanistan. Fewer than a hundred Special Forces soldiers, building a coalition with the rebels of the Northern Alliance, faced off against the Taliban and succeeded in driving them out of power by the end of the year—with minimal coalition casualties and without conventional, large-scale military operations. Despite this victory, the U.S. and its allies soon became mired in a seemingly never-ending war.
Acclaimed filmmaker Greg Barker (Manhunt, 2013 Sundance Film Festival) expertly reveals this unexplored story, drawing on unprecedented access to several of the Green Berets who played pivotal roles in these covert missions. Driven by a sense of justice, these soldiers left family members in the dark as they set off to serve as Afghanistan’s liberators, only to confront the tragic realities of war. Reflecting on their experiences—and on the brothers-in-arms they lost—these elite soldiers offer at once a riveting celebration of valor and a sobering, cautionary tale.

For more on the film check out Sundance’s website, or read a review from Variety here:

The film shows how the lessons learned from decades of Special Forces missions and training were put to good use and how the US military with no massive conventional force was able to topple the government of the Taliban.

Featured photo: US Special Operations Command