usasoc year in review
TOP RIGHT: A Little Bird approaches during a USASOC capabilities exercise, April 25, 2012. The AH-6 and MH-6 Little Birds are aging. BOTTOM RIGHT: Rangers from 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, as part of a combined Afghan and coalition security force operating in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, await a CH-47 for extraction.
3RD SPECIAL FORCES GROUP USASOC photo
On July 13, 3rd SFG got a new commander when Col. Mark C. Schwartz relinquished his duties to Col. Patrick M. Roberson in a ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C. “The 3rd Group took some of the toughest missions in Afghanistan,” then-SFC Commander Brig. Gen. Edward M. Reeder said, speaking of the group’s combat deployments while Schwartz was in command. “In Afghanistan, you lived among the Afghan people and fought in the most contested regions of Taliban sanctuary where no other coalition partners would dare to venture and operate. You took the fight to the Taliban … Mark, you were masterful at keeping the Taliban off balance.” 5TH SPECIAL FORCES GROUP
Fort Walton Beach area an excellent home, with a strong business base providing good job opportunities for family members. This move has clearly been a win-win for both the Army and Northwest Florida. 10TH SPECIAL FORCES GROUP
7TH SPECIAL FORCES GROUP 7th SFG spent 2012 carrying out its normal missions while continuing to move into a new garrison and home base at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The move of 7th SFG, triggered by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), was the largest such move dealt with by any unit in USASOC, and their new state-of-the-art facility is already paying dividends. Col. Antonio M. Fletcher and the 2,200-plus soldiers under his command (along with their dependents) are finding the
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Col. John Deedrick and his 10th SFG soldiers (“The Originals”) celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2012. This first Special Forces unit was established on Smoke Bomb Hill at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 1952. The commemoration of the very first SF began in mid-June and continued throughout 2012. In addition to a ball held at Fort Carson, Colo., there were a number of public events, including a motorcycle ride, parachute jumping demonstrations, and visits by original members of the 10th SFG. Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Krider, the group’s
DoD photo by U.S. Army Pfc. Pedro Amador
The 5th SFG, known as “The Legion,” had another eventful year in 2012, continuing to be led by Col. Scott E. Brower. But in addition to their combat and operational missions in 2012, 5th SFG continued a long tradition, dating back to their formation more than five decades ago. 5th SFG held a ceremony May 19 on Gabriel Field to mark the loss of “Legionnaires” from their unit. Gabriel Field was named in honor of Spc. 5 James P. Gabriel, who was one of the first Green Berets to be killed in Vietnam, and 57 markers for fallen 5th Group soldiers are placed around the perimeter of the field, each shaded by an oak tree. “Today we take time to remember,” said Brower. “We remember those that have gone before us, but we also take time to reconnect with our big family – our Legion family. We share in the memory of our fallen, but rejoice and share your pride in all the goodness that they have created, much of which is right here, sitting in the stands and standing on this field.”