Secrets, denial, and, decades later, a Medal of Honor for a Vietnam medic

Secrets, denial, and, decades later, a Medal of Honor for a Vietnam medic

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Unofficially, in the jungles of Laos in 1970, hundreds of North Vietnamese troops closed in on a small team of United States Army commandos. Unofficially, as men were shot down, a medic sprinted through a hail of bullets to help, hefting a man over his shoulder as he fired back with one […]

Opinion: Even “Quiet Professionals” Need to Tell Their Stories

Opinion: Even “Quiet Professionals” Need to Tell Their Stories

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SOFREP.com nor any of the writers and editors that work for it. I had an interesting conversation the other day with someone I know and it broached the uncomfortable […]

Roger Donlon Awarded Medal of Honor, Nam Dong, July 6, 1964

Roger Donlon Awarded Medal of Honor, Nam Dong, July 6, 1964

In 1964, the United States wasn’t yet fully immersed in Vietnam and our commitment at that time were just advisors. Roger Donlon was the Commander of A-726, a Special Forces A-Team from the 7th Special Forces Group. His team was placed in Nam Dong, a strategically placed village 30 miles west of Da Nang and […]

Special Forces Small Unit Tactics, More Range Time, and Better Overall Training

Special Forces Small Unit Tactics, More Range Time, and Better Overall Training

The Special Forces Small Unit Tactics portion of the SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course) is a 13-week program that will provide SF candidates in the SFQC the basic-level tactical combat skills required to successfully operate on a Special Forces A-Team (ODA). The candidates will learn advanced marksmanship, small-unit tactics; mounted operations, Special Forces common tasks, […]

“Those Green Berets Sure Taught You How to Shoot Straight”

“Those Green Berets Sure Taught You How to Shoot Straight”

“No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Sometimes having a reputation can work against you and then there are others when you just do your job and move on. And then there are those times you get treated like a rock […]

Battle for Ben Het Special Forces A-Camp June 23, 1969

Battle for Ben Het Special Forces A-Camp June 23, 1969

Ben Het, was a U.S. Special Forces camp located 288 miles northeast of Saigon and six miles from the junction of the Cambodian, Laotian, and South Vietnamese borders, and on June 23, 1969, it was besieged and cut off by 3,000 North Vietnamese troops using artillery and mortars. The base was defended by 250 U.S. […]

OSS Dons Chutes and Skis for a Dangerous Norway Mission

OSS Dons Chutes and Skis for a Dangerous Norway Mission

The CIA and the US Army Special Forces’ heritage is linked directly from the World War II OSS (Office of Strategic Services). Many of the operators who pulled classified missions for the OSS later became intelligence professionals or the original Special Forces troops. One such operator was William Colby who commanded Jedburgh teams in France […]

Best of SOFREP: Colonel Robert Howard

Best of SOFREP: Colonel Robert Howard

The Special Forces Sergeant pulled the small rectangular Claymore mine from its pouch. Though he couldn’t see the Soviet built truck, he smelled its fumes. The distinctive low rasp of its diesel engine spewed a heavy, acrid odor that hung under the dense jungle canopy for hundreds of yards. Unwinding the detonation wire, he sensed […]

Special Operations Forces Imperative #1 Understand the Operational Environment

Special Operations Forces Imperative #1 Understand the Operational Environment

The Special Operations community under their command element at USASOC were developed back in the 1990s. The joint command looked to define what was a successful Special Operations mission and what factors played a key role in the conducting of their missions. They published a list of 12 SOF (Special Operations Forces) Imperatives to aid […]

Remembering John J. Kedenburg Medal of Honor Recipient June 1968

Remembering John J. Kedenburg Medal of Honor Recipient June 1968

On this day in 1968, SPC5 John Kedenburg’s actions would result in his being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (posthumously) while on a mission in Laos. Kedenburg was assigned to Military Assistance Command Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG known only just as SOG) as the Team Leader (1-0 one zero) of Recon Team Nevada. […]

The press is getting it all wrong on Marawi and US Special Forces

The press is getting it all wrong on Marawi and US Special Forces

The usual breathless media reports have emerged from the Philippines latest security crisis in regards to American Special Operations units present in the area.  To be sure, the siege of Marawi has spun into a serious attack which bares some resemblance to the 2013 siege of Zamboanga.  Philippine SOF units such as the Light Reaction […]