Posted on 08/29/2015 2:17:51 PM PDT by This_far
Two members of the Pipes and Drums of the Black Devils, dressed in kilts, walked slowly on the lawn at Fort Harrison and played the bagpipes they would be using in a ceremony.
Their music greeted those who arrived to see members of the First Special Service Force present Fort Harrison, where they prepared for combat 73 years ago, with a replica of the Congressional Gold Medal their unit earned.
Their unit was unique. It was made up of American and Canadian soldiers. The First Special Service Force gave birth to subsequent special operations forces in the two countries.
(Excerpt) Read more at helenair.com ...
The FSSF ARE the mold from which the later Spec Ops and Green Berets were cast.
There is one tool that is, and has only, been used by this fighting group, the Case V-42 knife.
The knife, along with the crossed arrows, became the emblem of the Green Berets.
I salute these heroes, both with awe and respect, for their legacy.
dear fella,
Thanks.
Saw the movie in the theater when it first showed.
The scene with Claude Akins and the combat instructor is a hoot.
I suggest you read about the history of the knife that was made for them, and them only, by Case, the model V-42. Nice little tool.
Got to know a “devil’s brigade” member from town. He showed me all his training pictures and let me borrow the unit book. I was able to purchase his Case V42 replacement a Kabar Mark 2 that was stolen after he was wounded at Anzio. Also bought his Ulster folder through a second party. For history he was to submit a 500 word piece and he was working on it. He died before he got it finished but I did find the book by chance in a neighboring town. It likely belonged to a Lt. in the unit. The by chance is I found it at a Goodwill in the town the Lt. lived in so I assume it was part of his estate.
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