Bio
A Company Commander in the 6th Ranger Battalion during World War II, Simons participated in the seizure of three small islands guarding the entrance to Leyte Bay, in advance of the American return to the Philippines, earning a Silver Star.
In 1951, Simons became the senior instructor at the newly formed Ranger Course’s Amphibious and Jungle Training Camp at Eglin, Florida, and joined the 77th Special Forces Group in 1958. Following a tour as Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center, Simons commanded a contingent of SF soldiers in Laos during Project HOTFOOT, which became WHITE STAR in 1961.
He was the first 8th Special Forces Group commander from 1963 to 1965 in the Panama Canal Zone. In 1970, COL Simons organized, prepared, and led a daring raid to free American Prisoners of War (POW) held at a North Vietnamese prison camp near Son Tay, North Vietnam.
Although the camp’s POWs had been unknowingly relocated, the crisp execution of the raid was considered a tactical success since the treatment and accountability of American prisoners improved markedly.