U.S. Special Operations Command photo by Tech. Sgt. Angelita M. Lawrence
SOCOM
advisor Command Chief Master Sgt. Matthew M. Caruso. In April 2014, Wendt became commanding general of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare and School at Fort Bragg, N.C. Col. John Deedrick assumed command of SOCKOR in his place. • Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH) – Command of SOCSOUTH continued to be held by Brig. Gen. Sean P. Mulholland, USA (a cousin of SOCOM Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. John Mulholland), throughout 2013. The command’s senior enlisted advisor continued to be Army CSM Thomas E. Wall. • Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA) – SOCAFRICA is the SOF component for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). In 2013, command of SOCAFRICA was held by Brig. Gen. James B. Linder, while Sgt. Maj. David R. Gibbs handled the senior enlisted advisor duties. • Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) – JSOTF-P is the SOF force assigned to advise, assist, and train the armed forces of the Philippines in their campaign against insurgent rebels in the southern part of the country. In 2013, command of JSOTF-P transferred from Col. Mark A. Miller to Col. Robert McDowell, and the senior enlisted advisor was Sgt. Maj. Charles F. Beebe. The year ahead in 2014 will see even more changes in SOCOM leadership, especially in the various component commands. In addition, a new TSOC headquarters is scheduled to stand up: Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH), assigned to U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM). The CARE Coalition Since Oct. 19, 2001, when the first SOCOM personnel landed in Afghanistan, it has been clearly understood that the nature of combat deployments for SOF warriors was going to be fundamentally different than for those of conventional force units and personnel. More than a dozen years of continuous combat operations has established that SOF personnel, their families, and their dependents have been living a much different life than those in the conventional forces. Individual SOF personnel regularly have deployed more than a dozen times, with some having gone downrange twice that often since 2001. This has placed significant strains on SOCOM
U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) wounded warriors play seated volleyball with Adm. William H. McRaven, USSOCOM commander, center, and his staff at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., March 4, 2014. The SOCOM wounded warriors are participating in tryouts for the USSOCOM Warrior Games team. The Warrior Games are a sporting competition hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee for wounded members of the armed forces.
personnel and their dependents, especially those who have returned as “wounded warriors” stateside. To help deal with the unique stateside challenges and problems of SOF personnel and their families, SOCOM has created the CARE Coalition, which is designed to act as an overarching collection of programs to help support returning special warfare personnel. The CARE Coalition’s efforts are based around a network of about two dozen “advocates” nationally, who provide oversight and assistance for SOF wounded, ill, and injured (WII) personnel and their families through a range of care and recovery programs. These provide direct, and if necessary, lifelong assistance to SOF WII personnel through active follow-up contact and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams (MDT), medical case managers, and other military agencies. Advocates provide coordination and tracking for medical and non-medical services, and help implement systematic rehabilitation and transition back to active duty or civilian life. In addition, advocates collect, maintain, and analyze data for planning and tracking purposes, so process improvements can be developed as required, and work closely with SOF WII service members, their families, and their recovery teams to develop a comprehensive recovery plan (CRP) that identifies the service member’s and family’s goals and the resources they need to achieve them, such as assistive technology, education, employment, or housing. In addition to the basic recovery and treatment programs, the CARE Coalition has offices dedicated to community outreach and adaptive sports, that provide a way for WII SOF personnel to gain from the benefits of sports, hobbies, networking, and reception of the well earned appreciation of the communities they live in and have served. This community
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