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U.S. Army Special Operations History Office

The ARSOF Story: US Army Special Operations History


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Veritas

Veritas 2022 Roundup

ARSOF Interview Project


20th Anniversary of 9/11

7,290 Days: A Salute to the ARSOF Fallen of the Post-9/11 Era

Mr S. Krista Simpson-Anderson, speaking at USASOC’s 9/11 ceremony.


ARSOF Icons

Command Sergeant Major Richard C. Lamb

Brigadier General Cornelius Wendell Wickersham

Colonel Louis G. Mason

Colonel Heber Blankenhorn

Lieutenant General William P. Yarborough

Lieutenant General Samuel V. Wilson

Brigadier General Russell W. Volckmann

Major General John G. Van Houten

Lieutenant Colonel Mayo S. Stuntz

Colonel Arthur D. ‘Bull’ Simons

Colonel Jack T. Shannon

Colonel Jay D. Vanderpool

Major General James E. Rudder

Major General John K. Singlaub

Colonel James N. ‘Nick’ Rowe

Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci

Major General Frank D. Merrill

Major General Sidney Shachnow

Brigadier General John Hugh McGee

Major General Robert A. McClure

Colonel Charles R. Munske

Brigadier General Charles H. Karlstad

Colonel Jeffrey B. Jones

Major Richard J. ‘Dick’ Meadows

Colonel Irwin L. Hunt

Command Sergeant Major Galen Kittleson

Brigadier General William O. Darby

Colonel Charles H. Fry

Colonel Charles N. Hunter

Major General James D. Bryan

Lieutenant General Dell L. Dailey

Colonel Charles Alvin Beckwith

General Bryan D. Brown

Major Raymond P. Ambrozak

Colonel Aaron Bank

Sergeant Major Tyrone J. Adderly

Major General Robert T. Frederick

Chief Warrant Officer 5 David F. Cooper

Brigadier General Donald Dunwoody Blackburn

Lieutenant Colonel Leif Bangsboll


ARSOF in the Korean War

Phase I: United Nations (UN) Defensive

Phase II: UN Offensive

Phase III: Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) Intervention

Phase IV: First UN Counteroffensive/CCF Spring Offensive

Phase V: Stabilization of the Lines through the Armistice


ARSOF Recipients of the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor History

CPT Paris D. Davis

SFC Christopher A. Celiz

SSG Earl D. Plumlee

1LT Ralph Puckett, Jr.

SSG Leroy A. Petry

MSG Gary I. Gordon

SGT Gary M. Rose

SGT Gary B. Beikirch

SSG Melvin Morris

SP4 Robert D. Law

SP5 John J. Kedenburg

SFC Eugene Ashley, Jr.

MSG Charles E. Hosking, Jr.

SSG Ronald J. Shurer II

1LT Charles Q. Williams

SFC Randall D. Shughart

SSG Jon R. Cavaiani

SGT Brian L. Buker

SSG Robert J. Pruden

SFC William M. Bryant

SSG Laszlo Rabel

SFC Fred W. Zabitosky

SGT Gordon D. Yntema

SFC Bennie G. Adkins

1LT Jack L. Knight

SGT Matthew O. Williams

SSG Robert J. Miller

1LT Loren D. Hagen

SFC Gary L. Littrell

SSG Franklin D. Miller

SFC Jose Rodela

1LT Robert L. Howard

SSG Roy P. Benavidez

SSG Drew D. Dix

1LT George K. Sisler

CPT Roger H. C. Donlon


ARSOF in Panama


ARSOF in Space

About Colonel Andrew R. Morgan


ARSOF Timeline


UNITED STATES ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND


Articles

The Evolution of the USASOC DUI: 1988-Present

To Baghdad And Beyond: ARSOF in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM

Ensuring Relevance: The USASOC History Office in 2023

“You Have Arrived”: 1st Special Operations Command and the Birth of Modern U.S. Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF)

A Normandy Surprise: USASOC leadership visits Normandy to participate in the commemoration of the 79th anniversary of D-Day

“A Final Memorial”: Special Forces Honors John F. Kennedy

“Based on an Actual Event”: The Battle of Mogadishu in Popular Culture

Major General Eldon A. Bargewell: Coastal Washington Town Celebrates the Life of a Hometown Hero

TOE vs. TDA: What is the Difference?

ARSOF Lineage or Legacy: Which is the Right Word?

Indomitable Valor: Special Forces Heroism during Tet Offensive

Silent Eagle 2011: Strengthening the U.S.-Japan Partnership

Sine Pari: “Without Equal”

The Evolution of the Special Forces (SF) Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA)

“ANOTHER TYPE OF WARFARE”: U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s Address to the West Point Class of 1962

From “irregular warfare” to Irregular Warfare: History of a Term

Building the Airplane in Flight: PSYOP in Operation DESERT SHIELD, Part 2

70 Years and Counting: U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School

The 75th Ranger Regiment: Distinctive Unit Insignia

Honoring an ARSOF Legend: Major General Robert T. Frederick

The ARSOF Story: US Army Special Operations History

Rising from the Ashes

Beyond the Numbers

From Hangar to Housing

From a Great Height: Helicopter Recovery at Takur Ghar

Spreading the Word Fast: PSYOP in Operation JUST CAUSE

Commando & Ranger Training, Part III: Forging Junior Leaders to Toughen Men to Win in Combat

A Team Approach: PSYOP and LRA Defection in 2012

Recognizing “Combat Divers”: A History of Army Special Operations Diver Badges

A Team Approach: PSYOP and LRA Defection in 2012

Preface to A Team Approach: PSYOP and LRA Defection in 2012

“The First Step in Night Stalking”

Form follows function

Michael L. Kunik

Psywar Leaflets from the Korean War

Building El Salvador’s Airborne

A Special Forces Model

Major General Robert A. McClure

Training on a Shoestring

“Timing Is Everything”

Wings Over Burma

A Second Chance

‘Stop the Radio Nacional Broadcasts’

Alamo Scouts Diary

“No Ordinary Signal Unit”

The 2nd Ranger Battalion

The Knollwood Maneuver

Field Sanitation

Allied Long Range Penetration Groups for Burma

The Bolivia Mission

Creating A Demigod

The Sixties in America

Fighting Through the “Fog of War”

Introduction: Special Forces in Bolivia

A Special Forces Model

Biet Dong Quan

“This Vest May Save Your Life!”

The Aftermath

America’s Foreign Legionnaires

Civil Affairs Supports the Assault

Che's Posse

“Wars should be fought in better country than this”

Evolution of ARSOF Communications

“Welcome to Bolivia, MTT-BL 404-67X”

From Omaha Beach to the Rhine

Operation BAAZ TSUKA

The ‘Haves and Have Nots’

A History of the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School Insignia

Operation COTTAGE

The 1960s

VALIANT 41

Donald D. Blackburn

Charles H. Fry

A Clearer View of Psywar at Fort Riley & Fort Bragg

Fighting Through the “Fog of War”

Training the Trainers

The A Team Numbering System

The Special Forces Mission to Cochabamba

Beyond The Beach

The Price of Stabilization

Turning the Tables on Che

America’s Foreign Legionnaires

The Ivanhoe Security Force in Korea, 1950

“Today a New Stage Begins”

History in the “Raw”

“Volunteering” for Combat

Che Guevara

From the Yak & Yetito Port-au-Prince

Born of Desperation

Beggar on a Throne of Gold

Battle Without Bullets

Lorenzo Ghiglieri

Bona Fides: Personnel files of Special Forces pioneer Major Herbert R. Brucker

The Trojan Horse Badge

Republic of Korea General Paik Sun-yup

SORT(ing) Out the Casualties

Civilian Irregular Defense Group

“That D****d Dam”

Operation BOSTON

“Do What You Can!”

8th Ranger Company

“Colonel Mike”

The U. N. Occupation of P"yongyang

Smoke Bomb Hill

The 77TH SFG Mission to South Vietnam

Eighth Army Rangers

1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet (1st RB&L) Group Products for Korea

A Legacy of Support

25 July 1950

Dick Zayac

A Clearer View of Psywar at Fort Riley & Fort Bragg, 1951-1952

GHQ Raider Monument

Harris Presses & Psywar Leaflets

A Collective Effort

“When Men Don’t Panic”

Top Priority RB&L Missions

Over the Hills and Far Away

The 2nd Ranger Infantry Company

Rebuilding Psywar

A Giant Enters the Battle

“Cold Steel Third”

We’re Asking the Reds to SURRENDER-PLEASE!

A Civil Affairs Pioneer

The Refugee Evacuation from Hungnam

FEAF’s Humanitarian Bombing Campaign in Korea

GHQ Raiders

The “Proper Ganders”

4th MRBC in Japan & Korea

War in the Land of the Morning Calm

From a Standing Start

Radio Pusan

A Highly Praised Luxury

The General Staff System

Working with what you have

“Travel Light and Freeze at Night”

The 1st RB&L Advance Tackles Far East Command Priorities

John H. McGee

From Hill 710 to “Big Switch”

The Psywar Center

Guerrillas in Their Midst

Rebirth of The Rangers

The May Day Riots

Military Recovery of Downed Airmen in Eastern Korea

Same Organization, Four Different Names

Contrasts in Independence

A Combat First

1st L&L in Korea

Flying High

The Combined Command for Reconnaissance Activities, Korea (CCRAK)

CA/PSYWAR Timeline

Psywar in Korea

Fight for the Northwestern Islands

U.S. Armed Forces Radio Stations in Postwar Japan and Korea

Tactical Liaison Office (TLO)

The Army’s Guerrilla Command in Korea

Rebuilding Psywar

Creating an Army Guerrilla Command

“We’re not in Kansas anymore”

Herbert Avedon

JACK Air Operations

PSYCHE

Right Man for the Job

A Korean War Photo Memoir

Skokoski's Journey

Strategic Psywar 1952

The CCRAK ‘Navy’

Operation Eiche

Postscript

Culture, Language & Special OPS

Task Force Viking

Facets of the U.S. Army Guerrilla Commands in Korea

Major Jay D. Vanderpool

Setting the ‘Rising Sun’

One Guerrilla’s Fight

Closing Acts

A History of Resistance

Kreuzotters on the Loose

The U.S. Army Cultural Support Team Program

JACK Operations & Activities

THE SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER

Building Generational Relationships

CIA Paramilitary Operations

The 7721st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group

10th SFG Mountain Recovery Operation

Escape & Evasion: West Coast Aircrew Recovery and the Guerrilla-Held Islands

A True Force Multiplier

ARSOF in Vietnam

The Insignia of Wolfpack

Major General John Henry Hilldring

The Special Forces Operator

Operation SPITFIRE

Voice of the U.S. and Aggressors

Catalyst For Action

Commando & Ranger Training

Nili Experiment

More than Shoot & Salute

The 6th Ranger Company

There’s No Place Like Home

The OSS Influence on Special Forces

Veritas

The Mayor of P’yongyang

A Commander’s Sense of Duty

PSYCHE

The Good ‘Ole’ Daysof Special Forces

A Different SORT of Mission

CAT 812 in Haiti

Who’s in charge down here?

Vietnam Casualty Resolution

Volare Optimos

Absolute Confidence

Commando & Ranger Training

Congo Rescue

The Path to War in Panama

OPERATION ZUMMARI 241

Rescue at Cabanatuan

Officer ‘Green Platoon’

CJSOTF-A: Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan A Short History | 2002-2014

Defense Diplomacy

The Raid at Hazar Qadam

What is a Ranger or ARSOF Aviator? What is a Special Forces, PSYOP, Civil Affairs, or ARSOF Support soldier?

MISTF-C In Operation INHERENT RESOLVE

Total Immersion

Operación JAQUE

Shoot & Salute

“Proving the Concept”

Christmas Every Month

The Battle of Lang Vei

JFK Visits Fort Bragg

Enlisted ‘Green Platoon’

Camp Mackall

Victoria Ex Umbra

One Piece of the Puzzle

“If you liked Beirut, you’ll love Mogadishu”*

Night Stalker Ingenuity

Order From Chaos

Joint SOF Integration

Resurrected Again

Operation WILLING SPIRIT (OWS)

A Tale of Two Teams

From Leyte to the Levant

HACC Baghdad

Civil Affairs in Colombia

Conventional Excellence

A Team Effort: Special Forces in Vietnam, June–December 1964

A Team Effort: The Montagnard Uprising of September 1964

Herbert R. Brucker, SF Pioneer

The CG-4A Waco Glider

The Lords of Darkness

Out of Turkey

Attack on the Pleiku Radio Station

A Tale of Two Units

Helicopters in the Korean War

Camp Mackall

Catch as Catch Can

Unique Support for a Unique Unit

The Ganders

“We Badly Needed Something to Do”*

Cannon Company

151st Airborne Tank Company

Rangers in World War II

Frank E. Allen

Night Stalkers in the Philippines

Reaching Out

Key West

SF Detachment 39

Operation VIKING HAMMER

The Special Forces Patch

Barbula and Old Baldy, March 1953

SOF and the Media

The Ganders

ODA 542

“Alarm Red!”

Prisoner for a Day

“The Beer’s On Us!”

Soldier-Sailors in Korea

The Battle for Debecka Crossroads

The Rangers Take Hadithah Dam

Across the Pacific to War

Objective Beaver

Psychological Operations in Baghdad

Wolfpacks and Donkeys

Team Tank

Task Force 160 in Operation URGENT FURY

The Race to Rome

Getting the Message Out

Major Herbert R. Brucker, SF Pioneer

Value Added

Flash to Bang Time—Twenty-two Hours

Supplying the Resistance

Getting There is Half the Battle

The Jump at Objective Serpent

OPATT to PATT: El Salvador to Colombia and the Formation of the Planning and Assistance Training Teams

Holding Back the Flood at Hadithah Dam

Factors Affecting ARSOF

ELN Mines and FARC Mortars

Mass Graves

Logistical Support to Task Force Viking

Forty Years of Insurgency

North by Northwest

Reminiscences of Detachment A

Plan Lazo

This is What You Signed Up For

Major Herbert R. Brucker, SF Pioneer

Plan Colombia and Plan Patriota

Infiltrating Wadi al Khirr Airfield

Los Artefactos Explosivos Improvisados

U.S. Forces

The SOD-JF in Iraq

El Paraiso and the War in El Salvador

Colombia

Airborne Signal

PSYOP in Colombia

The OSS Maritime Unit on the Arakan Coast of Burma

Major Herbert R. Brucker, SF Pioneer

Colombian Military Forces

The Failures of Detachment 101

Amputee Soccer and Prosthetics

Special Forces in Larandia

Afghan Ambush

San Miguel

“Who taught these guys to shoot like Chuck Norris?”

Operation MEDUSA

Blue Helmets to Maroon Berets

Colombian Special Operations Forces

Colombian Lancero School Roots

ARSOF in Colombia

“There is a Word I Need to Learn”

From Ledo to Leeches

“Conducting the Orchestra”

OSS Detachment 404

Colombia’s Troubled Past

Everyone Can Take Pride in This Fight

Of Mules and Men

The End Run of Galahad

Rangers in WWII

Not Just Doing Logistics

Just Cause Interviews

Lieutenant General William P. Yarborough


Diversity in ARSOF


ARSOF Fallen from the War on Terrorism

SSG Keith R. Bishop

SSG Justin R. Whiting

SSG David W. Textor

SGT Nicholas A. Robertson

SFC Jamie S. Nicholas

SFC David L. McDowell

SSG Travis K. Hunsberger

SPC Thomas F. Duncan III

SSG Jason L. Brown

SSG Joshua R. Whitaker

SFC Michael J. Tully

PFC Kristofer D. S. Thomas

CW3 John A. Quinlan

MSG Mitchell W. Young

SFC Justin S. Monschke

SGT James M. Treber

MSG Arthur L. Lilley

SGT William P. Rudd

SGT Keith A. Kline

SFC David Nunez

CPL Jason M. Kessler

SSG Robert J. Miller

SPC Ryan C. Garbs

MAJ Robert D. Lindenau

SFC Bradley S. Bohle

SFC Adrian M. Elizalde

SSG Frank J. Gasper

SSG Jeremy E. Bessa

SGM Bradly D. Conner

SGT Nicholas A. Casey

SFC Gary J. Vasquez

MAJ James M. Ahearn

SGT Adam A. Wilkinson

MSG Shawn E. Simmons

CW5 Jamie D. Weeks

SGT Thomas E. Vandling, Jr

SFC Jeffrey M. Rada Morales

SSG Michael D. Thomas

1SG Carlos N. Saenz

SSG William R. Neil, Jr

SGT James J. Regan

SSG Robert J. Paul

SSG Ryan D. Maseth

SGT Timothy P. Padgett

SGT Alberto D. Montrond

SPC Christopher Gathercole

CW3 Hershel D. McCants, Jr

CPT Shane R. M. Mahaffee

CPT Richard G. Cliff, Jr

SSG Patrick F. Kutschbach

SPC Adam L. Knox

SFC Nathan L. Winder

SFC Jeffrey D. Kettle

SFC Richard J. Herrema

SPC Brandon D. Gordon

SPC Travis R. Vaughn

CW2 Scott W. Dyer

CPT Brian S. Freeman

CPT Benjamin D. Tiffner

SSG Edwin H. DazaChacon

SSG Joseph F. Curreri

SSG Robb L. Rolfing

SSG Kyu H. Chay

MAJ Jeffrey R. Calero

SGT Dale G. M. Brehm

SSG Robert R. Pirelli

SGT Daniel W. Winegeart

SFC Mickey E. Zaun

SFC Sean K. Mitchell

SPC Teodoro Torres

SGT Cheyenne C. Willey

SPC George V. Libby

SSG Ronald L. Paulsen

SSG Ayman A. Taha

SGT Charles B. Kitowski III

SSG Clinton T. Newman

SFC Michael L. Russell

MAJ Alan R. Johnson

MSG Thomas D. Maholic

SGT Regina C. Reali

SGT Steven C. Ganczewski

SSG Christian Longsworth

SGT Jason T. Palmerton

CPL Benjamin C. Dillon

LTC Daniel E. Holland

SFC Pedro A. Munoz

SSG Jesse G. Clowers, Jr

MSG Emigdio E. Elizarraras

MSG Michael L. McNulty

MAJ Matthew W. Worrell

SSG Michael A. Dickinson II

SFC Obediah J. Kolath

SSG Nathan J. Vacho

SFC Lance S. Cornett

SFC Allen C. Johnson

SFC Christopher L. Robinson

SFC William R. Brown

MSG Robert M. Horrigan

SFC Tung M. Nguyen

SGT Dustin M. Adkins

CW3 Corey J. Goodnature

SGT Marco L. Miller

SGT Jeremy R. Wright

MAJ Gregory J. Fester

MAJ Jeffrey P. Toczylowski

2LT Scott B. Lundell

CPT Jeremy A. Chandler

CW4 Chris J. Scherkenbach

SFC Merideth L. Howard

SSG Leroy E. Alexander

MAJ Stephen C. Reich

SFC Chad A. Gonsalves

CPT Michael Y. Tarlavsky

SSG Christopher N. Piper

SSG Carlos Dominguez

SGM Michael B. Stack

SFC Marcus V. Muralles

SFC Daniel B. Crabtree

CPL Jonathan J. Santos

1SG Tobias C. Meister

SSG Eric Caban

SSG Michael G. Owen

SFC Steven M. Langmack

SSG Ricardo Barraza

SGM Robert D. Odell

PFC Dillon M. Jutras

MSG Anthony R. C. Yost

SGT Kip A. Jacoby

SFC Curtis Mancini

SFC Brett E. Walden

SSG Gary R. Harper, Jr

MSG Kelly L. Hornbeck

CPL Timothy M. Shea

PFC Damian J. Garza

SPC Nichole M. Frye

CPT Charles D. Robinson

CPT Daniel W. Eggers

SFC Trevor J. Diesing

MSG James W. Ponder III

MSG Joseph J. Andres, Jr

LTC Anthony L. Sherman

SFC James S. Ochsner

CPL Patrick D. Tillman

MSG Kevin N. Morehead

SFC Lawrence E. Morrison

PFC Nathan E. Stahl

SSG Nino D. Livaudais

CPL George A. Lutz II

SGT Danton K. Seitsinger

CW3 Thomas J. Gibbons

SSG Matthew A. Kimmell

LTC Mark P. Phelan

SSG Timothy M. Conneway

MSG Ivica Jerak

SSG Tony B. Olaes

PFC Charles E. Bush, Jr

PV2 John M. Henderson, Jr

SSG Paul C. Mardis, Jr

CPL Mark A. Bibby

SSG Shamus O. Goare

SPC Joseph A. Jeffries

SSG Christopher M. Falkel

SFC Peter P. Tycz II

SSG Robert S. Goodwin

SSG Bruce A. Rushforth, Jr

SFC Victor H. Cervantes

MSG Richard L. Ferguson

SFC Mark W. Jackson

SGT Roy A. Wood

SSG Paul A. Sweeney

SGT Jeremy D. Foshee

MAJ Paul R. Syverson III

CW3 Mark S. O'Steen

SSG James P. Dorrity

MAJ Charles R. Soltes, Jr

SPC Ryan P. Long

SFC Nathan R. Chapman

SSG Daniel L. Kisling

CW3 Bruce E. Price

PFC Kristofor T. Stonesifer

MSG George A. Fernandez

MAJ Wallace C. Hogan, JR

SGT Michael C. O’Neill

CPL Andrew F. Chris

SFC Robert J. Mogensen

SGT Jay M. Blessing

SPC Adam G. Kinser

SSG Gene A. Vance, Jr

SSG Aaron N. Holleyman

SFC Christopher J. Speer

SGT Bryan L. Freeman, Jr

CPT Bartt D. Owens

CPL William M. Amundson, Jr

CPT Russell B. Rippetoe

SSG Orlando Morales

SFC Mitchell A. Lane

SSG Kerry W. Frith

SSG Gregory M. Frampton

CW2 Jody L. Egnor

1SG Christopher D. Coffin

LTC Charles H. Buehring

CPL Matthew A. Commons

SGT Thomas F. Allison

SFC William M. Bennett

SFC Daniel H. Petithory

SGT Philip J. Svitak

MSG Jefferson D. Davis

SFC Daniel A. Romero

CW2 Stanley L. Harriman

MAJ Curtis D. Feistner

SGT Bradley S. Crose

SPC Marc A. Anderson

SSG Brian C. Prosser

SPC Jonn J. Edmunds


First Special Service Force

First Special Service Force THE BEGINNING

First Special Service Force AT WAR

First Special Service Force LEGACY


Headquarters, USASOC


Stickers

First Special Service Force

Special Forces Wing

Ranger Diamond


Memoriams

General Carl W. Stiner

General James J. Lindsay


Lineage and Honors

Lineage and Honors: 1st Special Forces Group

Lineage and Honors: 3rd Special Forces Group

Lineage and Honors: 5th Special Forces Group

Lineage and Honors: 7th Special Forces Group

Lineage and Honors: 10th Special Forces Group

Lineage and Honors: 19th Special Forces Group

Lineage and Honors: 20th Special Forces Group

Lineage and Honors: 39th Special Forces Group


USASOC Memorial Wall


Office of Strategic Services


Rowe Diary: 1,903 Days as a POW


BG Volckmann photo collection


Leaflets from the Southwest Pacific Area: The COL J. Woodall Greene Collection


M29 Weasel