Posted on 09/29/2001 4:33:40 PM PDT by 11th Earl of Mar
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Special operation forces are spread throughout the military, an elite group of 29,000 troops among 1.4 million Americans in full-time uniform. Here's a closer look:
Army Special Forces:Commonly called the "Green Berets," Army Special Forces skilled in explosives and guerrilla warfare can train foreign troops and resistance fighters to overthrow hostile regimes. In 1967, 16 Green Berets and CIA operatives spent a summer training and equipping Bolivian soldiers to capture communist leader Che Guevara and his small band of soldiers. In October of that year, the Bolivian soldiers caught Guevara and executed him. More recently, Green Berets have trained Colombian troops to combat drug lords. Most Army Special Forces activity in the Gulf War is still classified, but missions included locating Scud missile sites and marking them with beacons or through radio contact for subsequent airstrikes.
Army Rangers:True to their motto "Rangers Lead the Way," these groups of highly trained troops are often the first Americans to meet combat, as was the case in World War II and most major conflicts since. They've also seen combat in smaller, specialized missions in Panama, Iran and Somalia. The name "Ranger" dates back to colonial Indian fighters, who would scout out frontier areas and mark the number of miles they "ranged" at day's end. In modern missions, Rangers are often called on to secure hostile airfields in enemy territory, either by landing in aircraft or, if resistance forces are present, parachuting onto the scene ready to fight. They often reinforce the smaller, more elite Delta Force. If called upon to fight in Afghanistan, the Rangers would possibly enter the country in Blackhawk and Cobra helicopters, launching quick raids against hide-outs in the mountainous terrain.
Delta Force:Anti-terrorism forces initially modeled after Britain's Special Air Service, Delta Force is considered one of the world's most effective units in close-quarters battle. Recruited mainly from the 82nd Airborne, the Green Berets and the Rangers, Delta Force members are specially trained at an elaborate facility at Fort Bragg, N.C., to fight terrorists, rescue hostages and perform reconnaissance in extremely dangerous places. They led an attempt to rescue American hostages from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1980. They suffered losses in Somalia, along with the Rangers, in a failed attempt to capture a Mogadishu warlord in 1993. Unlike most other traditional military units, Delta commandos are encouraged to be free-thinkers, some at times growing longer hair and beards in order to fit in with locals. Delta commandos customize their weapons and gear to suit particular missions and their own tastes.
Navy SEALs (Sea, Air and Land.):Famous for their aquatic and underwater explosives skills, SEALs can deploy from parachutes, travel up rivers underwater or in small rubber boats, and return from missions to submarines waiting many miles out at sea. Their history dates to World War II, when Naval Combat Demolition Units used explosives to clear obstacles for D-Day troops landing on Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy. Though their aquatic skills may be marginalized in a land-locked target such as Afghanistan, SEALs also train in the desert, jungles, in cold weather and in urban surroundings.
Psychological Operations Groups:In Panama in 1989, psychological warfare experts accompanied Army Rangers on parachute drops to broadcast U.S. propaganda from bullhorns and blast rock music at the Vatican Embassy where Manuel Noriega was taking refuge, hoping to unnerve him. They also disseminated messages to adversarial forces as part of operations in Somalia and during the Gulf War. Psychological warfare experts armed with knowledge of local folklore in the late 1940s scared Philippine communist insurgents into thinking they were being chased by a ghost. Psych-ops experts participating in a mission in Afghanistan may study local superstitions and Islamic teachings.
Britain's Special Air Service:These commandos are widely respected around the world as perhaps the most effective special ops forces ever fielded. The SAS originally was created during World War II to attack Axis communication lines, airfields and military equipment deep within enemy turf. In the 1970s, the commandos turned their attention to terrorists and started training for hijackings and hostage situations. When Iraqi-backed terrorists seized the Iranian Embassy in London, the SAS took the building successfully. They were put to work in the Gulf War and, like the U.S. Army's Green Berets, they've been known to train Colombian anti-narcotics police. They've also worked with non-communist Cambodian guerrilla, hunted ivory poachers in Kenya, and taught foreign troops at NATO Special Forces schools.
SOURCES: Material came from various sources including Jane's, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Ranger.org, George Washington University, Blackhawk Down by Mark Bowden.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. |
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move farther, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One-hundred-percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.
Do you think that a little disinformation might be good for the Administration to engage in?
Don't you think that ignoring the anti-war idiots is better than any other option? You can't reason with them - they're more stubborn than the Taliban.
Do you understand the political and legal limits placed upon us in the Gulf War? These things matter, even if I wanted to string Saddam up too.
And although it's going to be difficult to define an end to this "war," will you come back to FR and say you were wrong when substantial progress is made?
Routine ops.
either a diehard who is looking out for the kids,
or a pervert who is titillated by the reports.
I can't see anyone who is supposedly on the side of law and order taking glee in our Special Forces being tortured and crying in front of the camera. Obviously marylied only cares about kids, not adults. Hmm, I think that John Gacy liked kids an awful lot too.
Enjoy your "anonymity" here marylied. I'm sure no pissed off Special Forces people with computer savvy and connections can find out who you are. Hehe.
There is nothing "special" about the USMC. They are strictly conventional naval infantry.
hello.....
If you REALLY want to scare them,drop nude photos of Janet Rhino on their positions.
Against the Geneva Convention. Considered too ghoulish and inhuman by even the most unenlightened countries.
As far as Larry fried goes,,,,,,hmm, you have a problem with NEA child molesters. Prove it, prove it, maybe you were assaulted due to your natural tendencies...im sure you deserved it.(whining all the way no doubt)
As far as Larry fried goes,,,,,,hmm, you have a problem with NEA child molesters. Prove it, prove it, maybe you were assaulted due to your natural tendencies...im sure you deserved it.(whining all the way no doubt)
tell you one thing, you wouldnt say any of that stuff about our military in front of them or any veteran on this board you womanly coward.
He has the same "problem" with NEA child molesters that I do. I want them all in jail.
It's a sentiment I share with one of my closest friends, a retired Army Ranger colonel.
Where have we seen it before? I want to know.
No,that's what I KNOW. While being infantry and a Marine are in themselves pretty "special" things to be,the USMC is NOT a unconventional warfare unit in ANY respect. This includes Force Recon,which is just a highly trained recon unit no different from any US Army infantry recon unit. "Special Forces" units are units with unconventional warfare roles.
(1) The magnificent soldiers, sailors, airmen and - sorry Pete - Marines of our Special Operations community are members of highly trained, elite units. They are self-selecting volunteers - credit Criminal Number 18F for that quote - whose skills are unparalleled and unique. They are, therefore, very expensive in terms of the training that they have received and should be reserved for missions that require the utmost of dynamics. Sending them into Afghanistan or anywhere else to conduct conventional operations is a waste of their talents and completely contrary to their doctrine. (If I remember correctly there was a failed attempt in the late 80s to use the forward deployed element of 10th SFG in "company" sized operations).
(2) The Afghanis, who still remember their most recent encounter with a superpower, are not going to quake in their sandals over the prospect of the Green Berets landing in their AO. Remember, these guys stood off against Spetsnaz so they have no fear whatsoever of elite forces. Also, whereas it takes a couple million dollars and months, if not years, to train one of our operators it takes probably next to nothing to get some 16-year old zealot minimally trained and then sent into the fray. Operators, standing off against a 100-fold numerical advantage, would be at a distinct disadvantage.
(3) As proven during Vietnam, it will take an entire battalion dedicated to one mission to root out one chambered hidey-hole.
(4) Although Larry Lied is way off base with his "SF are cowards" theme, he is sort of on target with his assertion that our operators are being misused. Our leaders should recognize that this effort, even in Afghanistan, needs a proper balance of both conventional and unconventional forces to break the back of the Taliban, their "guest" and any forces that they could muster.
Finally, and this is an emotional issue, it seems that in our "return to normalcy" that Americans are beginning to do what Americans traditionally do: let this abomination fade into the back of our collective consciousness. The next few years will take an enormous amount of sacrifice, not in terms of the loss of a few bucks out someones IRA or 401K plan, but in spilled blood, our blood.
So the question is, are the baby boomers, the ones in charge now, prepared to send their sons - don't get me started femchicks - into battle with the possibility that some, no many, will come back in body bags?
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