Free Republic

It’s payback time. And like the famous “Devil’s Brigade” of Second World War fame, they know full well they may not survive the coming battles. According to British media reports, 40 of the bravest men in the world — elite Special Air Service elite troop — have asked to stay in the wartorn country to avenge the deaths of their fallen comrades. The 13 US Marines killed in a suicide bomb at Kabul airport in Afghanistan. One source told the Sunday Mirror: “The Marines who died were from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Force. “That unit has given assistance to the...

    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Fort William Henry Harrison, MontanaFort William Henry Harrison is the Montana National Guard training facility. It is also home to the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center and Montana State Veterans Cemetery, located adjacent to the military installation. Fort Harrison is located in Helena, Montana.Fort William Henry Harrison (1895–1913) was authorized by a Congressional act of 12 May 1892 which was intended to establish, as a part of a greater consolidation program, concentrations of troops in a few larger installations so that smaller installations could be abandoned. The post was first named...

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.

In 2002, the Devil’s Brigade marched on Helena and posted colors at Memorial Park. Surviving members of the World War II fighting force shared stories of landing in Italy, liberating Rome and defeating well-placed German artillery guns. Now, 11 years after their last big ceremony, the nation’s first special operations force may get its day in glory, as a bill to award the Devil’s Brigade the Congressional Gold Medal inches forward in Washington, D.C.

Congress awards First Special Service Force with gold medal BY Matthew Daly, Associated Press February 3, 2015 at 6:42 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) — In 1942, they were lumberjacks, miners, hunters and farmers from the United States and Canada, who came together at a U.S. Army base in Montana. Within a few months, they were well-trained warriors who went on to become one of deadliest commando units in World War II. Nicknamed the Devil’s Brigade for their fierce tactics and practice of wearing black boot polish on their faces, the unit excelled during nighttime raids that featured mountain climbing, amphibious...

The surviving members of a legendary force of Canadian and U.S. soldiers will be honoured in Washington for their courage and bravery -- and the rough-and-tough tactics that helped win the Second World War. Known as the Devil's Brigade, the elite fighting force was made up of roughly 1,800 Canadians and Americans, many of them lumberjacks, miners and rural tough guys with survival skills. They were tasked with getting behind enemy lines and waging unconventional warfare against the enemy. The surviving veterans will be presented with a Congressional Gold Medal on Feb. 2, by leaders of the U.S. House and...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, August 12, 2005) – A special ceremony at the Canadian embassy Aug. 11 kicked off a major reunion for a famed U.S.-Canadian military unit taking place on the other side of the continent. The event in the U.S. capital was to recognize the veterans of the First Special Service Force – better known as the Devil’s Brigade – who were gathering for their 59th annual reunion in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 11-13 August. It was also to note a special presentation at the reunion, the awarding of U.S. Army Combat Infantryman’s Badges to Canadian infantrymen veterans of...