The ARSOF Story: US Army Special Operations History
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
Colonel Alfred H. Paddock, Jr.
Command Sergeant Major Richard C. Lamb
Brigadier General Cornelius Wendell Wickersham
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
Major General John K. Singlaub
Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci
Major General Frank D. Merrill
Brigadier General John H. McGee
Major General Robert A. McClure
Brigadier General Charles H. Karlstad
Major Richard J. ‘Dick’ Meadows
Command Sergeant Major Galen Kittleson
Brigadier General William O. Darby
Lieutenant General Dell L. Dailey
Sergeant Major Tyrone J. Adderly
Major General Robert T. Frederick
Chief Warrant Officer 5 David F. Cooper
Brigadier General Donald D. Blackburn
Lieutenant Colonel Leif Bangsboll
ARSOF in the Korean War
Phase I: United Nations (UN) Defensive
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
ARSOF in Panama
ARSOF in Space
About Colonel Andrew R. Morgan
ARSOF Timeline
United States Army Special Operations Command
Dr. Christian J. Lambertsen: Aquatic Pioneer
Articles
Beacons of Hope: Operation TOLLHOUSE demonstrates ARSOF’s last days in Vietnam
The Upward Spiral Continues: U.S. Army Special Operations Command Celebrates 35 Years
Roughing It With Charlie: The Charlie Company, 2nd Ranger Bn, Landing on OMAHA Beach
The Forgotten Ranger Company: The Story of the “Arctic Rangers” of Company O, 75th Infantry Regiment
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
“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
Table of Organization (TOE) vs. Table of Distribution and Allowances (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: History of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) motto.
The Evolution of the Special Forces (SF) Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA)
Triumph in the Desert: Recovering a Cold War Prize
“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: PSYOP in Operation DESERT SHIELD, Part 1
Beyond the Numbers: The 528th Support Battalion in Operations DESERT SHIELD & DESERT STORM
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
Preface to A Team Approach: PSYOP and LRA Defection in 2012
“The First Step in Night Stalking”: A History of U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Training
Michael L. Kunik: Peerless Professional, Patriot
Building El Salvador’s Airborne: Part 1
A Special Forces Model: OSS Detachment 101 in the Myitkyina Campaign, Part 1
Major General Robert A. McClure
Training on a Shoestring: Cheap, Practical SF Training in the post-Vietnam Turmoil
“Timing Is Everything”: A prisoner of war escape Escape in WWII*
Wings Over Burma: Air Support in the Burma Campaign
A Second Chance: Operation PACIFIC HAVEN
Alamo Scouts Diary: A look at the formation, training, and missions of the Alamo Scouts.
“No Ordinary Signal Unit”: The 112th Signal Battalion in Panama
The 2nd Ranger Battalion and the Capture of Che Guevara
The Knollwood Maneuver: The Ultimate Airborne Test
Field Sanitation: Practicing Medicine, and Civic Action in Bolivia
Allied Long Range Penetration Groups for Burma: The Chindits, the Marauders, and the MARS Task Force
The Bolivia Mission: Site Survey, and Mobile Training Team (MTT) Mission Prep
Creating A Demigod: Nazi Art, Adolf Hitler, and the Cult of Personality
The Sixties in America: Social Strife and International Conflict
Fighting Through the “Fog of War”: The Battle of An Najaf, 8-29 January 2007, Part 1
Introduction: Special Forces in Bolivia
A Special Forces Model: Detachment 101 in the Myitkyina Campaign, Part II
Biet Dong Quan: Vietnamese Rangers and Their American Advisors
“This Vest May Save Your Life!”: U.S. Army Body Armor from WWII to Present
The Aftermath: Che, the Late 1960s, and the Bolivian Mission
America’s Foreign Legionnaires: The Lodge Act Soldiers, Part I
Che’s Posse: Divided, Attrited, and Trappe
Evolution of ARSOF Communications
From Omaha Beach to the Rhine: The 5th Ranger Battalion in the European Theater
Operation BAAZ TSUKA: Task Force 31 Returns to the Panjwayi
The ‘Haves and Have Nots’: U.S. & Bolivian Order of Battle
A History of the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School Insignia
Operation COTTAGE: First Special Service Force, Kiska Campaign
The 1960s: A Decade of Revolution
VALIANT 41: 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) in Combat in Iraq
Donald D. Blackburn: World War II Guerrilla Leader & Special Operations Plank Holder
Charles H. Fry: Bull Simons Award, 2009
A Clearer View of Psywar at Fort Riley & Fort Bragg: 1951-1952
Fighting Through the “Fog of War”: The Battle of An-Najaf, 28-29 January 2007, Part II
Training the Trainers: Donald D. Blackburn and the 77th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
The Special Forces Mission to Cochabamba: Bolivia 1967
Beyond The Beach: The 2nd Rangers Fight Through Europe
The Price of Stabilization: The 2nd Rangers Fight Through Europe
Turning the Tables on Che: The Training at La Esperanza
America’s Foreign Legionnaires: The Lodge Act Soldiers - Part II
The Ivanhoe Security Force in Korea, 1950
“Today a New Stage Begins”: Che Guevara in Bolivia
History in the “Raw”: The Office of Strategic Services and Strategic Services Unit on Taiwan
“Volunteering” for Combat: Loudspeaker Psywar in Korea
Che Guevara: A False Idol for Revolutionaries
From the Yak & Yetito Port-au-Prince: ODA 155 Trains the Gurkhas
Born of Desperation: Early Special Operations in the Korean War
Beggar on a Throne of Gold: A Short History of Bolivia
Battle Without Bullets: The 41st Civil Affairs Company in Vietnam, Part I: 1965-1967
Lorenzo Ghiglieri: Sailor, Veteran, Artist, Patriot
Bona Fides: Personnel files of Special Forces pioneer Major Herbert R. Brucker
The Trojan Horse Badge: Distinctive Identity for the 10th Special Forces Group
Republic of Korea General Paik Sun-yup: The Republic of Korea's Most Decorated Korean War Commander
SORT(ing) Out the Casualties: The Special Operations Resuscitation Team in Afghanistan
Civilian Irregular Defense Group: The First Years: 1961-1967
“That D****d Dam”: The 4th Ranger Infantry Company and the Hwachon Dam
Operation BOSTON: An OSS Combined Operation in the Indian Ocean
“Do What You Can!”: UN Civil Assistance, Chinnamp’o, North Korea November-December 1950
8th Ranger Company: “Black Devils” on Hill 628
“Colonel Mike”: The Origins of the MIKE Force in Vietnam
Smoke Bomb Hill: Birth of the Psywar Center, Part I
Eighth Army Rangers: First in Korea
A Legacy of Support: The 528th Sustainment Brigade
Dick Zayac: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
A Clearer View of Psywar at Fort Riley & Fort Bragg: 1951-1952
A Collective Effort: Army Special Operations Forces in Deh Rawod, Afghanistan
“When Men Don’t Panic”: 2nd Ranger Infantry Company on Hill 581
Top Priority RB&L Missions: Radio Tokyo, VUNC, and KBS
The 2nd Ranger Infantry Company: “Buffaloes” in Korea, 29 Dec 1950 - 19 May 1951
Rebuilding Psywar: An Introduction
“Cold Steel Third”: The 3rd Ranger Infantry Company
We’re Asking the Reds to SURRENDER-PLEASE!: Collier’s, 13 December 1952
A Civil Affairs Pioneer: Brigadier General Crawford F. Sams, U.S. Army Medical Corps
The Refugee Evacuation from Hungnam: 9-24 December 1950
GHQ Raiders: Wonsan to Chang-to
The “Proper Ganders”: 1st Radio Broadcasting & Leaflet Group: Strategic Psywar in Korea, 1951-1954
4th MRBC in Japan & Korea: 1951-1952
War in the Land of the Morning Calm: The Korean War
From a Standing Start: U.S. Army Psychological Warfare and Civil Affairs in the Korean War
Radio Pusan: The Voice of South Korea
A Highly Praised Luxury: The Ranger Infantry Companies in Korea, 1950-1951
The General Staff System: Basic Structure
Working with what you have: The Challenges of Guerrilla Warfare on the Korean East Coast, 1951-1953
“Travel Light and Freeze at Night”: The 5th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) in Korea
John H. McGee: Soldier, Leader, Trainer
From Hill 710 to “Big Switch”: Ranger Edmund J. Dubrueil, 1st Ranger Company
The Psywar Center: Part II: Creation of the 10th Special Forces Group
Guerrillas in Their Midst: An Introduction to Veritas Vol. 8, No. 2
Rebirth of The Rangers: The Ranger Infantry Companies in Korea
The May Day Riots: Japanese Communists turn a May Day assembly into an anti-American riot
Military Recovery of Downed Airmen in Eastern Korea: Pilots Learn to Fly Crippled Aircraft
Same Organization, Four Different Names: U.S. Army Civil Affairs in Korea 1950-1953
Contrasts in Independence: March 1st and Plan PATRIOT
A Combat First: Army SF Soldiers in Korea, 1953-1955
1st L&L in Korea: A Photographer’s Record, 1952-53
Flying High: The 4th Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company (MRBC) Antenna Riggers
Psywar in Korea: A Matter of Adjustment
Fight for the Northwestern Islands: September-December 1951
Tactical Liaison Office (TLO): Line-Crossers, Special Forces, and the “Forgotten War”
The Army’s Guerrilla Command in Korea: Part II: The Rest of the Story
Creating an Army Guerrilla Command: Part 1, The First Six Months
“We’re not in Kansas anymore”: The 41st Civil Affairs Company in Vietnam, Part II
Herbert Avedon: Making Psywar a Career
JACK Air Operations: Korea, 1951-1953
PSYCHE: The 301st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group, Part 1
Right Man for the Job: Colonel Charles H. Karlstad
A Korean War Photo Memoir: 1SG James ‘Joe’ Pagnella and the Special Mission Group
Skokoski’s Journey: Service in Three WWII Special Operations Units
Strategic Psywar 1952: UN Psywar Aligns with Allied Bombing Campaign in Korea
Operation Eiche: The Rescue of Benito Mussolini
Sergeant (SGT) Joseph E. Dabney: 4th MRBC, 1st RB&L
Culture, Language & Special OPS: Recruiting & Training “TURNCOAT” Agents in Korea
Task Force Viking: Addition to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Memorial Plaza
Facets of the U.S. Army Guerrilla Commands in Korea: A Photographic Overview
Major Jay D. Vanderpool: Advisor to the Philippine Guerrillas
Setting the ‘Rising Sun’: The WWII service of Psywarrior Elizabeth McIntosh
One Guerrilla’s Fight: Operating Behind Enemy Lines in the Korean War
Closing Acts: The Special Warfare Campaign at the End of the Korean War
A History of Resistance: The Origins of the North Korean Anti-Communist Guerrillas, 1945-1950
Kreuzotters on the Loose: The 5th Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company, 1951-1952
The U.S. Army Cultural Support Team Program: Historical Timeline
JACK Operations & Activities: Korea, 1951 - 1953
The Special Forces Soldier: A Brief History of the Special Forces Statue Located in Fort Bragg
Building Generational Relationships: A Unique Special Forces Officers Course
CIA Paramilitary Operations: Korea, 1950 -1951
10th SFG Mountain Recovery Operation: Iran 1962
Escape & Evasion: West Coast Aircrew Recovery and the Guerrilla-Held Islands
A True Force Multiplier: Psychological Operations in Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY, 1994-1995
ARSOF in Vietnam: Aviation, Civil Affairs, and Psyop Honored in USASOC Memorial Plaza
The Insignia of Wolfpack: Evolution of the insignia of Task Force Wolfpack
Major General John Henry Hilldring: Civil Affairs pioneer
Operation SPITFIRE: No Lessons Learned
Voice of the U.S. and Aggressors: The 2nd Loudspeaker & Leaflet Company
Catalyst For Action: The Palawan Massacre
Commando & Ranger Training: Preparing America’s Soldiers for War
Nili Experiment: ODA 7224 - Village Stability Operations
More than Shoot & Salute: U.S. Army Psychological Warfare (Psywar) in Laos
The 6th Ranger Company: Look Sharp, Be Sharp, Stay Sharp
There’s No Place Like Home: Creating a CJSOTF-A Headquarters in Afghanistan
The OSS Influence on Special Forces: Creating a CJSOTF-A Headquarters in Afghanistan
The Mayor of P’yongyang: The Three Wars of COL Charles R. Munske
The 301st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group: Part II: The 301st in Germany
The Good ‘Ole’ Daysof Special Forces: Marginalized Before JFK
A Different SORT of Mission: Special Operations Resuscitation Teams in Operation OBSERVANT COMPASS
CAT 812 in Haiti: Rescue in Jérémie
Vietnam Casualty Resolution: Top U.S. Peace Priority
Volare Optimos: Honoring the Silent Professionals of Special Operations Aviation
Absolute Confidence: The 617th SOAD and 3rd Battalion, 7th SFG in Panama, 1989-1990
Commando & Ranger Training: Part II, Preparing America’s Soldiers for War
The Path to War in Panama: SOUTHCOM Operational Planning
OPERATION ZUMMARI 241: Braving Fire Ambushes in Afghanistan
Rescue at Cabanatuan: A Tactical Masterpiece of World War II
Officer ‘Green Platoon’: Making Night Stalkers, Part I
CJSOTF-A: Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, A Short History | 2002-2014
Defense Diplomacy: Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR 2011
Total Immersion: Language, Culture, and the Colombian Military
Operación JAQUE: The Ultimate Deception
Shoot & Salute: U.S. Army Special Warfare in Laos
“Proving the Concept”: The 528th Support Battalion in Panama
Christmas Every Month: on Smoke Bomb Hill
JFK Visits Fort Bragg: A Photo Essay
Enlisted ‘Green Platoon’: Making Night Stalkers, Part II
Camp Mackall: A History of Training
Victoria Ex Umbra: Activating 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne)
One Piece of the Puzzle: Setting up Civil Affairs in Gardez, Afghanistan
Night Stalker Ingenuity: aking the ‘Bad Guy’ off the Battlefield without Black Helicopters
Order From Chaos: The 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
Joint SOF Integration: Senior Defense Officer (SDO), Bogotá
Resurrected Again: 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne)
Operation WILLING SPIRIT (OWS): Setting Conditions for Operación JAQUE
A Tale of Two Teams: actical Loudspeaker Support in Operation JUST CAUSE
From Leyte to the Levant: A Brief History of the 389th Military Intelligence Battalion (Airborne)
Conventional Excellence: The 528th Quartermaster Battalion in Vietnam
A Team Effort: Special Forces in Vietnam, June–December 1964
A Team Effort: The Montagnard Uprising of September 1964
Herbert R. Brucker, SF Pioneer: Part II: Pre-WWII-OSS Training 1943
The CG-4A Waco Glider: The U.S. Army’s WWII Workhorse
The Lords of Darkness: Modern Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA)
Out of Turkey: The 528th Special Operations Support Battalion
A Tale of Two Units: The 129th Assault Helicopter Company
Helicopters in the Korean War: The Rescue of Virginia 1
Catch as Catch Can: Special Forces and Line Crossers in the Korean War
Unique Support for a Unique Unit: The Service Battalion of the First Special Service Force
The Ganders: Strategic PSYWAR in the Far East Part I: Introduction and Movement to the Far East
“We Badly Needed Something to Do”: Glider Jumping At Camp Mackall, 1943
151st Airborne Tank Company: Experimental Airborne Armor at Camp Mackall
Rangers in World War II: Part II, Sicily and Italy
Night Stalkers in the Philippines: Tragedy and Triumph in Balikatan 02-1
Reaching Out: Psychological Operations in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
Key West: Home of U.S. Army Special Operations Forces Underwater Operations
SF Detachment 39: Special Forces Liaison Element (SFLE) in Korea
Operation VIKING HAMMER: 3/10 SFG against the Ansar Al-Islam
The Special Forces Patch: History and Origin
Barbula and Old Baldy, March 1953: Colombia’s Heaviest Combat in Korea
The Ganders: 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group Conducts PSYWAR in Korea, Part II
ODA 542: Working with the Free Iraqi Fighters
“Alarm Red!”: Providing Signal Support in Kuwait
Prisoner for a Day: A First Special Service Force Soldier’s Short-lived POW Experience
“The Beer’s On Us!”: Little Bird Support at Hadithah Dam
Soldier-Sailors in Korea: JACK Maritime Operations
Across the Pacific to War: The Colombian Navy in Korea, 1951-1955
Objective Beaver: The Search for the Elusive Smoking Gun
Wolfpacks and Donkeys: Special Forces Soldiers in the Korean War
Team Tank: Armor in Support of Special Operations
Getting the Message Out: Tactical PSYOP in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
Value Added: A/1/19th SFG in Iraq
Flash to Bang Time—Twenty-two Hours: The 2nd Ranger Battalion’s Assault on the Rawah Terrorist Camp
Supplying the Resistance: OSS Logistics Support to Special Operations in Europe
Getting There is Half the Battle: Operation UGLY BABY
The Jump at Objective Serpent: 3/75th Rangers in Iraq
Factors Affecting ARSOF: Preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom
ELN Mines and FARC Mortars: Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in Colombia
Logistical Support to Task Force Viking: Task Force Support in Northern Iraq
Forty Years of Insurgency: Colombia’s Main Opposition Groups
North by Northwest: Combat Service Support in Northern Iraq
Reminiscences of Detachment A: Berlin 1982-1984
Plan Lazo: Evaluation and Execution
This is What You Signed Up For: The Attack on Ayn Sifni
Major Herbert R. Brucker, SF Pioneer: Part III: SOE Training & “Team HERMIT” into France
Plan Colombia and Plan Patriota: The Evolution of Colombia’s National Strategy
Los Artefactos Explosivos Improvisados: Improvised Explosive Devices in El Salvador
U.S. Forces: The Major Command Structure
El Paraiso and the War in El Salvador: Part I (1981-1983)
Colombia: A Special Relationship
Airborne Signal: The 112th (Special Operations) Signal Battalion in World War II
Major Herbert R. Brucker, SF Pioneer: Part IV: Special Operations Team HERMIT in France
The Failures of Detachment 101: and its Evolution into a Combined Arms Team
Amputee Soccer and Prosthetics: El Salvador Scores National Psychological operations (PSYOP) Victory
Special Forces in Larandia: ODA 753 and the CERTE
Afghan Ambush: ODA 744 in Afghanistan
San Miguel: The Attack on El Bosque
“Who taught these guys to shoot like Chuck Norris?”: ODA 746 in Tolemaida
Operation MEDUSA: Regaining Control of Afghanistan’s Panjwayi Valley
Blue Helmets to Maroon Berets: atallón Colombia in the Suez and Sinai, 1956-1958, 1982-2006
ARSOF in Colombia: Introduction
“There is a Word I Need to Learn”: ODA 741 and Colombian National Police Training at Espinal
From Ledo to Leeches: The 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)
“Conducting the Orchestra”: AOB 740 in Colombia
OSS Detachment 404: Operations in Southeast Asia
Colombia’s Troubled Past: A Brief Historical Overview
Everyone Can Take Pride in This Fight: Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA) 163 in Afghanistan
Of Mules and Men: The 612th and 613th Field Artillery Battalions (Pack) in Burma
The End Run of Galahad: The Battle of Myitkyina
Rangers in WWII: Part I, The Formation and Early Days
Not Just Doing Logistics: Logistics Task Force 530 (LTF 530) in Support of Task Force Dagger
Lieutenant General William P. Yarborough: The Pursuit of Improved Doctrines and Equipment
ARSOF Fallen from the War on Terrorism
SFC Reymund R. Transfiguracion
First Special Service Force
First Special Service Force THE BEGINNING
First Special Service Force AT WAR
First Special Service Force LEGACY
Headquarters, USASOC
Stickers
Memoriams
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