The Quiet Professionals of 10th Special Forces Group Shine in Peacetime Heroism

In the thin, hard air of Fort Carson, two 10th Group Originals reminded everyone watching that heroism does not need an enemy, only a moment where a man chooses to risk everything so someone else gets to live.

In the shadow of the Rocky Mountains at Fort Carson, Colorado, where the wind howls like a banshee on a bad acid trip and the air is thin enough to make a man question his life choices, two Green Berets from the legendary 10th Special Forces Group stood tall on May 28, 2025. They weren’t awarded medals for killing bad guys in some godforsaken corner of the world. No, this was the Soldier’s Medal—the Army’s highest honor for heroism when no enemy is in sight. The peacetime thunderbolt. And damn if it doesn’t hit just as hard.

These men, Sgt. 1st Class Robert “Bobby” A. Haran and Staff Sgt. John C. Pinnock, both “Originals” from the oldest active Special Forces group tracing its bloodline back to 1952, proved once again that the fire inside a Green Beret doesn’t dim just because the bullets aren’t flying.

10th SF Complex — The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Complex at Fort Carson, circa 2004. Photo from the author’s private collection.

What the Medal Means

The Soldier’s Medal isn’t handed out like candy at a parade. Established in 1926, it’s for those rare souls who voluntarily risk their own skin to save others—no combat required. Fewer than 300 active-duty soldiers wear it today. That’s rarer than an honest politician in Washington. It demands “uncommon valor in harrowing situations,” as the brass likes to say. And on that crisp spring day in Colorado, Maj. Gen. Lawrence Ferguson, head of 1st Special Forces Command, pinned it on two NCOs who live that creed every day.

Col. Justin Hufnagel, the 10th Group’s commander, put it plain: “Less than 300 people in the active force are wearing the Soldier’s Medal today, and we’re proud to include two Originals to their ranks.”

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When America looks at Special Forces, Ferguson added, “we want them to see the best of themselves.”

And brother, that’s exactly what we got.

The Quiet Fury of Sgt. 1st Class Bobby Haran

Picture this: a training evolution gone sideways, the kind where split-seconds separate life from tragedy. Sgt. 1st Class Robert “Bobby” A. Haran didn’t hesitate. He dove into the chaos, applying every ounce of his Green Beret wizardry—quick thinking, iron calm, sheer balls—to pull a teammate back from the brink. Details are clasped tight for operational reasons, but the result was pure: a life saved, a brother brought home.

That’s the Special Forces way. Years of grinding through the pipeline, mastering the unforgiving arts of war, all to be ready when hell breaks loose, whether in a far-off desert or a close-to-home training ground. Haran’s act was selfless, an instinct forged in fire.

Staff Sgt. John Pinnock: Leaping Into the Abyss

Then there’s Staff Sgt. John C. Pinnock, from the Group Support Battalion, the unsung backbone that keeps the tip of the spear sharp. On December 14, 2023, he was on a family cruise, docked in Labadee, Haiti, supposed to be kicking back, sipping something cold, and watching the Caribbean sparkle.

Uncommon courage: Two 'Originals' earn Soldier's Medal | Article ... — A grateful Mr. White congratulates Staff Sgt. Pinnock. Image Credit: Spc. Christopher Sanger, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne)

Instead, he saw horror unfold: an elderly man, Mr. Michael White, lost control of his mobility scooter and plunged straight into the harbor. Strong currents, deep water, and unknown hazards lurked below. There was no time to think. Pinnock launched off the pier like a rocket, hit the water, treaded furiously while holding the panicked man aloft, keeping him calm until a rescue boat arrived.

He risked drowning in foreign waters, far from home, because that’s who he is.

A Green Beret doesn’t clock out. The training, the ethos, it bleeds into every life moment.

Two ways to continue to read this article.

The Soul of the Green Beret These stories aren’t anomalies; they’re the essence of the 10th Special Forces Group. The Originals. De Oppresso Liber—To Free the Oppressed. But sometimes the oppressor is gravity, or a riptide, or sheer bad luck. And the liberator is a quiet professional who acts because doing anything else would be unthinkable. In a world gone mad with noise and posturing, these men remind us what real heroism looks like: no fanfare, no cameras rolling for views or likes, just raw, selfless guts. Their actions ripple, boosting morale, sharpening readiness, proving that the fire hones you for anything, anywhere. As the holiday season wraps us in lights and reflection, stories like Haran and Pinnock’s cut through the haze. They embody calm under pressure, selfless service, and the unbreakable bond of brothers. In combat or in calm, the Green Beret stands ready. -DOL — ** Editor’s Note: Thinking about subscribing to SOFREP? You can support Veteran Journalism & do it now for only $1 for your first year. Pull the trigger on this amazing offer HERE. Time is running out.– GDM