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. |
Ok,I guess that makes this "True Confessions" time. I was a member of MACV-SOG running recon and Hatchet Force operations into Laos AND Cambodia from late 68 to late 69.This was the only "Spec Ops" operations going on at that time. I don't remember seeing you there. The ONLY Marines I know of involved with this in any way were a few USMC helicopter crews who inserted Hatcht Force platoons. This doesn't mean they were "Spec Ops" troops though,as this was strictly special assignment duty,and NOT a part of their regular jobs.
If you were working "Spec Ops" back then,who were you working with and what were you doing?
I think so too. He'll probably be back,though. If not with this screen name,with another one.
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