We Need to do a Better Job With the Invisible Injuries of War

Op-Ed: This weekend I had two very interesting conversations with two brothers who served with me in the Special Forces Regiment and specifically in the 7th Special Forces Group. Both suffered catastrophic injuries and now confined to wheelchairs. And after speaking with both of them, it became clear, that although we in the Regiment and […]

Building Rapport: The Difference Between Green Berets …and Everyone Else

We here at SpecialOperations.com gear most of our writing to the younger people of our subscribers who are looking to embark on one of the great careers that Special Ops has to offer. We get tons of questions about how to prepare for this particular training event or that one…but one email asked what, in […]

Franklin D. Miller MAC-V SOG Awarded Medal Of Honor January 5, 1970

On this day in 1970, Franklin D. Miller, a Green Beret from the 5th SFG, who was assigned to MAC-V SOG was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions conducted as a long-range reconnaissance team member in Vietnam. He was decorated by President Nixon in the White House on June 15, 1971. Asked where he […]

Colonel Robert Howard, Medal of Honor 30 December 1968

Bob Howard was and still is, a legend among the Special Operations and Special Forces communities. He was the only man ever nominated for the Medal of Honor three times, all within a 13-month period, and truth be told, should have been awarded it for all three. Howard was wounded 14 times in combat but […]

Op-Ed: SWC is always under the microscope, now from the outside

By now, practically everyone associated with Special Operations Forces have heard of, read, and/or discussed the recent letter from a “concerned Green Beret” that blasted the command climate at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School at Ft. Bragg, NC. Titled “Careerism, Cronyism, and Malfeasance in SWCS: The End of SF Capability”, the letter went into […]

SWC Is Always Under the Microscope, Now From the Outside

Opinion: By now, practically everyone associated with Special Operations Forces have heard of, read, and/or discussed the recent letter from a “concerned Green Beret” that blasted the command climate at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School at Ft. Bragg, NC. Titled “Careerism, Cronyism, and Malfeasance in SWCS: The End of SF Capability”, the letter […]

Book Review: “War Stories of the Green Berets” by Hans Halberstadt

Frequently, we get emails or tweets here at SpecialOperations.com in the realm of questions about the training and the qualification course. Many of course deal with Selection and I have to tell people that the Instructors don’t actually kill anyone during the events and one doesn’t have to be 10-feet tall to pass. But one […]

Book Review: “War Stories of the Green Berets” by Hans Halberstadt

Frequently, we get emails or tweets here at SpecialOperations.com in the realm of questions about the training and the qualification course. Many of course deal with Selection and I have to tell people that the Instructors don’t actually kill anyone during the events and one doesn’t have to be 10-feet tall to pass. But one […]

Battle of Mazar e Sharif, Special Forces Troops Mount Horseback Assault

The fall of Mazar-e-Sharif on November 9, 2001, was the first major defeat of the Taliban and was taken by the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (Northern Alliance), along with US Army Special Forces A-Teams and precision Air Force bombardment. The taking of the city was somewhat of a shock for both […]

Special Forces Stolen Heritage Flap Takes A Surprising Turn

Thank you for your concern now get the hell away from my pet project Nothing moves faster than bad news and sometimes when 80,000 people of your own tell you that you are wrong then perhaps it is time to stop, step back and listen. The US Army Special Forces community is mad and the […]

SOF Truths- SOF Can Not Be Mass Produced… Right? Apparently Not

Well, here’s another fine kettle of fish. For the past 65 years, thousands of Special Forces troops lived under the mistaken impression that it took hard work, dedication, time and a Herculean effort just to make it into SF. That didn’t take into account the training that went into making the guys who made it […]

5th Special Forces Group, 21 September 1961, “The Legion”

On this day in 1961, the 5th Special Forces Group Airborne, 5th SFG(A) was activated at Ft. Bragg, NC. A happy 56th birthday to “The Legion” and the men assigned to it both past and present. The 5th SFG was made famous by their exploits during the war in Vietnam but during the next generation, […]