The 3rd Special Forces Group used the entire family approach in trying to attract new recruits to the Special Forces Regiment. They opened their doors to soldiers and their families from Ft. Bragg looking for soldiers to be the next generation of Green Berets.

Dozens of Fort Bragg soldiers and their families converged at the headquarters of 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group on Thursday for an open house meant to introduce those troops to the unit, showcasing the capabilities and opportunities in the Green Beret community.

Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, 20th Engineer Brigade, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 16th Military Police Brigade and other Fort Bragg units attended the event, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between 3rd Special Forces Group and the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion.

Command Sgt. Maj. Bruce W. Holmes, the senior enlisted leader of 3rd Group, said the Special Forces community wants to attract the best soldiers, regardless of shape, size, color, gender, experience or job specialty.

“We don’t discriminate,” he said. “We’re taking men and women. Any rank. Any (military occupational specialty).”

Sgt. 1st Class Alex Martinez, commander of the Fort Bragg Special Operations Recruiting Center, said the open house was a “sneak peek of what life is like as a Green Beret.”

Vehicles and equipment, including weapons, were on display. And Special Forces soldiers and their spouses were on hand to answer questions and address concerns.

“It’s a perfect collaboration,” Martinez said. “It’s units partnering with SORB to recruit their own force.”

One of the selling points was geared towards the families. Special Forces soldiers, while deployed a lot, do enjoy a much more stable existence for the families because they generally remain in the unit for a long period of time. That cuts down on the constant moving that many families in the military have to endure. And because of that, the units, and the families tend to be closer.

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Photo courtesy: US Army