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Chapter 16 Newsle er Organiza on and Responsibili es: President’s Message Editor: Glen Craig This spring marks my third year as the President of Chapter XVI. Sec ons: Since taking the helm one of my du es has been to define our
Message from the President: Dave Shell responsibility to our members and our role in the SF community. If Treasurers Report: Kevin Pa on you recall, former SFA Na onal President Ronnie McCan’s agenda Sec. Rpt (Staff Mee ng Minutes): John Pa erson while in office was to steer the organiza on in the direc on of Sick Call/Obituary: Chaplain Butch Hall service and support. It was a noble effort with many successes, Blast from the Past: Glen Craig however it was also fraught with drama that reflected poorly on the Special Recogni on: John Pa erson organiza on. As I look cri cally at the genesis, structure, evolu on, Upcoming Events: John Pa erson and demographics of the SFA, I conclude that there is and always Calendar: John Pa erson will be debate on the issue, some healthy, some not. Part of the Human Interest Story: Chapter at large reason is because we are a decentralized organiza on bound to the SFA Na onal HQ Update: Dave Shell Na onal HQ primarily by administra ve and legal conveniences. A er Ac on Report: Jim Lessler From what I can tell, the roughly 86 Chapters throughout the world Membership Info: Roy Sayer that make up the SFA define themselves as they please and operate Adver sements: Glen Craig with a great deal of autonomy in doing so. As long as they file their Suspense: annual financial report on me there isn’t much else that’s required st for them to maintain their charter. To illustrate my point, one has Newsle er published (Web): 1 of each only to consider that there are chapters that never have general odd numbered month th membership mee ngs, there are those whose only event is an Input due to editor: 20 of each annual picnic, and there are those that have several events per even numbered month month. In addi on, there are some who never contribute to the Dra due to President: 27th of each quarterly Drop or a end the annual conven on. In a nutshell, we even numbered month th are quite diverse in how we run our individual chapters, and I have Final Dra due 29 of each to support this design as the only one that is viable. We don’t have even numbered month the me, people, resources, support, or inclina on to do otherwise. These days I pay less a en on to what we aren’t on the na onal level and more a en on to the things we are at the local level. Over the last several years I have no ced that what most folks in our chapter really like about the SFA is that it allows them to maintain connec vity with both comrades and the SF regiment; things that we are all heavily vested in. We meet, we exchange informa on, we break bread, we imbibe, we reminisce, and we support one another. For others who do not/cannot ac vely par cipate, we are a rock; something they can always reach out to for anchorage; something that keeps them up to date thru tools like the Drop, Chapter newsle ers, and emails, which provide news and informa on on friends and colleagues, requests for assistance, and opportuni es and happenings in the community. Recently, I have noted a series of crisis, challenges, and communica ons that s ck
Page 1 out in my mind as having made me confortable with our Chapter, however imperfect it may be. I’ve received emails from more than just a few chapter members thanking me for the work we do to keep them in the informa on loop. Some of these folks are deployed to the Middle East or Asia for extended periods of me and look to us for a moment of relaxa on and normality while in the midst of chaos or in the public minefield of the interna onal arena. Others are simply isolated by geography or health, but look forward to and enjoy all of our products. Most, I never hear from, but when someone does send thanks it opens my eyes to the many who thru our efforts are able to maintain a valuable lifeline. A case in point is chapter member Alvin Li le. His wife Ida required full me care a er a series of strokes several years ago. Due to me constrains and distance Alvin was not able to par cipate much in chapter events, but when Ida passed earlier this year, one of the first phone calls he made was to me, as Chapter President. Alvin wasn’t asking for help or assistance, he was just calling the family to let us know that her me had come, and we tried our best to comfort and support him. Standing with a brother through hard mes and grief is clearly one of our most important roles and responsibili es. Just last month, Chapter XVI Quartermaster Mike Cassidy had a very urgent medical procedure to remove a diseased kidney. Joy, his wife, called me to advise the Chapter on Mike’s situa on. She didn’t have to call. The Cassidy’s have a great family and support network, but she did call because she knew that we would want to know and that it would help in Mike’s recovery if we were involved. I passed the word and called Mike a day or two a er the surgery. During our conversa on he men oned how moved he was by all the chapter members who came by to see him, called with well wishes and offers to help, sent cards, or sat and comforted Joy while he was down. This wasn’t something that we planned. It just happened. And it spotlights our deep and meless devo on to the members in our ranks and their families. A final anecdote is almost beyond belief. I’m sure you will remember last year when the balloon went up for Chapter associate Yu‐B. Yu‐B, who as a teen was a Montagnard recon team member in the projects, returned to Vietnam for a visit with family when he came down with a very serious virus that was near fatal and le him paralyzed from the neck now, and unable to breath on his own. He was hospitalized in Saigon and the prescribed therapy required frequent and expensive transfusions to replace his blood platelets. The hospital made it clear to Yu‐B’s daughters, who reside in the Puget Sound area, that without the therapy he would die, and that without money there would be no further therapy. The cost was staggering, amoun ng to thousands of dollars weekly. Aero‐Medevac was considered, however the cost was originally es mated to be nearly 100k. Upon further inquiry the cost decreased significantly, but was s ll over 50K. One of Yu‐B’s daughters is a registered nurse and she flew to Vietnam to care for him. When she arrived she was mor fied by the condi ons she found him in. Yu‐B told me later that before his daughter came he had overheard the nursing staff discussing murdering him to sell his blood, likely ra onalizing that he would die soon anyway. He also told me that he would go for a week or longer (in one instance two weeks) without being bathed or having his bedding changed, and that they would leave the remains of recently deceased pa ents in the room they shared for several days before removing them. At one point, while completely incapacitated, Yu‐B said that a man who was clearly agitated about Yu B’s financial circumstance produced a gun and held it to his head. Appeals from the family to the SFA and SOA moved many members to ac on. A fund was established and the proceeds mounted quickly. A few who had fought along side Yu‐B as young men were responsible for contribu ng tens of thousands of dollars and untold hours communica ng with the Country Team and movement resources to get him back to the U.S. Yu‐B was rescued and returned to Sea le where he was hospitalized for an extended period of me before being able to finally return to his house. His recovery has been long and difficult, and he s ll struggles to walk long distances. In spite of all that he has been through, he con nues to improve and we see him o en at Chapter mee ngs and other events. This is a fantas c story of survival and of the determina on of the membership to run to the aid of a comrade down. It’s another example of Chapter XVI, the SFA, and the SF community pulling out all the stops to help a brother in need, honoring a commitment that was made long ago on a distant ba lefield. Where else do you get that? The short answer: from within. For years now I have heard many in the SF ac ve duty force ridicule the SFA as nothing more than a beer‐drinking club membered by a certain clique of has‐been commandos who had li le to offer them. In response, the SFA expended considerable me and resources to reform itself in a manner that would speak more directly to the current needs of the force, but s ll, in spite of those efforts there has not been a no ceable increase in the number of ac ve duty members who are joining our ranks, renewing lapsed memberships, or are par cipa ng in SFA events and func ons. I’m sure they have their reasons and our doors are always open to them regardless of their status. Some things may never change, but what has changed is that when someone asks me what the SFA is all about, I’m unabashed about answering up with “a beer‐drinking club”, and then caveat it by saying “with a QRF
Page 2 problem”. De Oppresso Liber baby! Dave
J. K. Wright Memorial Breakfast ‐ 3‐2‐13 The J. K. Wright Memorial Breakfast was held at our new permanent breakfast venue, Carr's Restaurant. The following members and wives were present: Harlow Stevens, Ed Booth, Butch Hall, Ted Wicorek, Alvin Li le, John Gebbie, Bud Lawson, Nick Marvais, Glen Craig, Mike & Joy Cassidy, Steve Epperson, Rob Wekell, Steve Kessner, Jim & Elaine Lessler (IMO Dan Kayanan), and Steve Kubiszewski. Chapter 43 members and family present: Jerry Hampton (IMO Ken Moyer), Stacie Hampton, Wade Hampton, Keri Hampton, and Skip E nger.
Dinosaurs Luncheon ‐ 3‐29‐13 The Dinosaurs Luncheon was held at our new permanent venue, Super Buffet in Dupont. The following members and wives were present: Rick Fuhrman, Glen Craig, Harlow & Carol Stevens, Chris ne Linderman, Jim & Elaine Lessler, Robert Ferguson, Butch Hall, Nick Marvais, Bill Frye, John Gebbie, Wayne & Yoko Karvonen, Ed & Erma Booth, Capt. Ron, and Dave & Nipon Shell. Chapter 43 members and family present: Jerry & Stacie Hampton.
J. K. Wright Memorial Breakfast ‐ 4‐6‐13 The following members and wives were present: Jim & Elaine Lessler (IMO Mike Karr), Thuy Nguyen, Capt. Ron, Harlow Stevens, Al Li le, Nick Marvais, John Gebbie, Ted Wicorek, Bud Lawson, Wayne & Yoko Karvonen, and Ramiro Alonso. Guests: Paul Sabin. Chapter 43 members and family present: Jerry Hampton (IMO Bart Heimsness) and Stacie Hampton (IMO Eulis Presley), and Skip E nger.
Dinosaurs Luncheon ‐ 4‐26‐13 The following members and wives were present: Jim & Elaine Lessler, Harlow Stevens, Butch Hall, Bud Lawson, Nick Marvais, Carey Pennington, Glen Craig, Ken Garcy, Bryan Rowe, Ed & Erma Booth, Mike & Joy Cassidy, Wayne Karvonen, Ron Hale, Jay Lathrop, David Shell, Capt. Ron, and Kevin Pa on. Chapter 43 members present: Skip E nger..
Page 3 CHAPTER XVI SFA, William R. Card Chapter Mee ng Minutes, April 13, 2013 Call to Order: President Dave Shell called the mee ng to order with the playing of the “Ballad of the Green Beret.” Pledge of Allegiance: Led by Vice President Ron Rismon. Opening Prayer: Chaplain Butch Hall. Welcome and President’s Report: President Dave Shell welcomed members in a endance including a special welcome to the new 1st SFG(A) CSM, CSM Brian Johnson. Recognized for special recogni on was Eric Heid, Chairman for the highly successful Annual Picnic Raffle this year. His efforts have raised $10,000 in 2‐1/2 months. Also recognized was VP Ron Rismon. The Team Room, owned by Ron, is s ll available in Covington and is close to the Tahoma Na onal Cemetery. Through the years Ron’s generosity has provided awesome support to the Chapter members and families of the fallen. Harlow Stevens was recognized as well. As the 1st Special Forces Group Reunion Commi ee Chief he has taken posi ve control, turned the corner, and is laying the founda on of what will be a highly successful reunion. The President finally thanked Kevin Pa on, Chapter Treasurer. Everyone is thankful that Kevin does what he does as Treasurer so the rest of us won’t have to do it. Members Present: Dave Shell, Kevin Pa on, Ken Garcy, James Yuen, Jim Beisley, Butch Hall, John Gebbie, Charlie Higbee, Nich Marvais, Roy Sayer, Jorge Calero, Bud Lawson, Wayne Karvonen, Bill Gates, Bryan Rowe, Tim Appel, Thomas Morgan, and Harlow Stevens. Wives/Family Members/Guests Present: Rachelle Schmid, Tammy Pa on, Yu‐B and his extended family (Anne, Amy and others), Alice Calero, Yoko Karvonen, and Stephanie Gates. Sick Calls and Deaths: Chapter XVI supported 1st Group and Chapter 47 in Oregon at CSM Norman Doney’s memorial service. CSM Doney has been nominated for Dis nguished Member of the Regiment (DMR). We send our prayers to the family of SFC James Grissom, 1st SFG, who was KIA in Afghanistan. A memorial honoring him will take place on 14 May at 3:00 PM at the North Fort Chapel on JBLM. Mike Cassidy is finally ge ng over the infec on that slowed his recovery from his kidney surgery and is ge ng be er. Rob Wekell is doing well a er his joint replacement and Fred Calahan is also doing well. Chaplain Butch visited Bill Smith and said he is doing well even though his overall health is declining. Everyone is encouraged to give him a call. Secretary’s Report: No Secretary’s Report was presented from the last mee ng as John Pa erson could not be present. Roy Sayer is filling in for him this mee ng. Treasurer’s Report: Kevin Pa on reports we have $23,626 in the bank. Audit‐wise we are looking good with just a few small items to adjust. The books are balanced. Kevin said he is working on a “Base Budget” that will cover recurring costs such as raffles, Scholarship fund, 1st SFG Regimental Mess support, bagpiper support for fallen members throughout the NW, 1st SFG Organiza onal Day support, Annual Christmas Party, admin supplies, etc. He asked the membership if they would be interested in buying a new Flag for the 1st SFG compound (which is in need of one). Quartermaster’s Report: None provided (Mike Cassidy is s ll recovering). Veteran’s LNO: Ted was not here today to update the Chapter. He is at the State Capital every day and if anyone would like to pass an issue to the Governor, just get it to Ted. Old Business: Harlow Stevens, 1st SFG Reunion Chief Coordinator provided a lay down and status for the 14‐19 June reunion: 15th – Golf Tournament (need to register), 16th – mee ng and tours, 17th – 1st SFG Compound visit and ac vi es (tours, ranges, sta c displays, sta c line and free fall jumps, and wreath laying ceremony at the Memorial Wall). The Family Readiness groups will be selling unit items as well. 18th – Banquet (guest speaker, raffle winner announcement, and…….). President Shell encouraged everyone to provide input for the newsle er as it is in demand and has visibility throughout the SFA community. Input is also needed for the Drop. 1st SFG is looking for chapter members to donate or loan legacy ar facts. The younger SF’ers need the connec on to our legacy. Items will be secured and cataloged. New Business: The Chapter XVI Annual Picnic this year will be on 10 August at Kevin Pa on’s place. New volunteers are needed and the me to start is NOW. A mo on to suspend the entrance charge for the picnic was made, and approved by vote of the members. Our Coffee Stop coordinator Carey Pennington s ll has a few open me slots that need filling. Please give a hand as this is one of our be er revenue generators. A discussion was held on permanently moving the J. K. Wright Memorial breakfast to Carr’s Restaurant in Lakewood. A mo on was made a seconded on both issues and approved by vote. A discussion was made concerning the loca on of the monthly Dinosaur’s Luncheon. The result was a mo on to move the loca on to the Super Buffet in DuPont. It was also approved by vote of the membership. For the Good of the Order: A discussion was held concerning the main raffle prize for next year. There is a possibility that a
Page 4 custom Harley Davidson motorcycle could be acquired and feedback was requested from the members if they thought they would rather have that then firearm(s) as the grand prize. There seemed to be overwhelming support for the idea if it could be done. Two mo ons were made to close out the issues of Kevin’s Treasurer’s Base Budget and purchasing a new flag for 1st SFG Headquarter. Both mo ons were approved by majority vote of the members. On the 26th of April there will be the quarterly OASIS Briefing at the 1st Group Regimental Mess, and the 1st In Asia Associa on paving stones will be engraved on Menton Day. 50/50 Drawing/Closing Prayer: Won by Chaplain Butch, who donated his winnings to the Chapter and then provided the closing prayer. Mee ng Adjourned: shortly a er 12:00 followed by the potluck. Respec ully submi ed by: Roy Sayer Regularly Scheduled Chapter XVI Events
Mee ngs. Bi‐monthly on the second Saturday of even numbered months. No mee ng in December due to the Chapter XVI sponsored Christmas social. All regularly scheduled mee ngs will be conducted at the 1st Special Forces Group Regimental Mess. Mee ngs will start at 1100. Regimental Mess will be open at 1000 for setup. If a JBLM pass is needed, please arrive at the installa on Visitors Center (I‐5/Exit 120) at least one hour prior to mee ng start me. Bring a Pot Luck dish.
Regimental Mess JBLM Strip Map JKWright Memorial Breakfast The first Saturday of each month. Carr’s restaurant: 11006 Bridgeport Way SW, Lakewood, WA 98499 (I‐5/Exit 125). Time: 0900‐1100.
Carr’s Restaurant Carr’s Restaurant Strip Map
Page 5 Dinosaur Luncheon. The last Friday of each month. Super Buffet: 975 Ross Ave., Dupont, WA 98327 (I‐5/Exit 118). Time: 1130‐1330.
Super Buffet Super Buffet Strip Map Picnic. Scheduled annually on the second Saturday in the month of August (in lieu of the August mee ng). Loca on TBD. Time: 1000‐UTC.
Christmas Social. Scheduled annually in December (in lieu of the December mee ng). Loca on TBD. Day TBD. Georgetown veteran slain in Vietnam to receive medal a er 45 years Ben Snowden
John Snowden, older brother of Ben Snowden, and Roger Widdows, right, holds a shadow box with Ben’s picture and service medals outside of the VFW Post named in his honor
Ben Snowden enlisted in the army in 1954 at age 17 while he was s ll in Georgetown High School. Twelve years later, he was on his third tour of duty in the Vietnam War when he tried to rescue several soldiers under fire on a patrol in Laos. The helicopter that he was on had to hover about eight feet from the ground because tree stumps prevented it from landing. Snowden, a member of the special forces who was 6 feet 6 inches tall, reached down to grab a soldier being li ed up by a commander. He never made contact. An enemy shot him several mes in the chest with a machine gun, and Snowden died instantly. It was June 15, 1967. His family found out this month — 45 years a er he died — that he will be awarded the Silver Star for his courage. “Our family is just thrilled it finally happened,” said one of his brothers, John Snowden of Georgetown. Snowden, a Marine, said he didn’t find out all the details of his brother’s death un l 30 years a er he died because the informa on was labeled classified. He didn’t try to get a medal for his brother because his brother was a modest person. “He never cared about medals and thought he was just doing his job and probably if he was alive would have never pushed for it,” Snowden said. The person who did push for the medal was Roger Widdows, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Georgetown and who never knew Ben Snowden. He said he met John Snowden on Memorial Day in 2009 and was struck by the similari es in their lives. “It turned out that we had both lost our younger brothers in helicopter incidents in Vietnam,” Widdows said. “I said to myself if
Page 6 that had been my brother who was not ge ng any recogni on for what he did, I would not feel good about it.” Widdows said he contacted U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s office in 2009 about Ben Snowden but that it took three years to supply all the documents detailing what happened in order to get approval for the medal. “I must have contacted about 75 people, and many wanted to remain anonymous,” he said. Widdows said he read a book called “SOG: The Secret War of American Commandos in Vietnam” by another Vietnam veteran named John Plaster, which provided details of Snowden’s last mission. He said Plaster helped him track down one of Ben Snowden’s former commanders — Lowell Stevens — who saw the incident. Stevens, who has since died, was able to help supply Widdows with an eyewitness account, Widdows said. Snowden’s helicopter had to crash land in a ditch a er Snowden was shot, Stevens wrote in an email he sent in 2004 to Carra Elkins, one of Snowden’s sisters. “For reasons I s ll can’t explain, I insisted on coun ng the bullet holes in the chopper he was on,” the email said. “There were 68 holes in the chopper. … He sacrificed his life in an a empt to help his fellow soldiers.” “Ben was a vital part of our family, and we s ll miss him every day,” Elkins said. “He has always been my hero, but now he is everyone’s hero.” Ben Snowden was 29 years old and married with three children when he died. His wife, Be y, never remarried and is recovering from surgery in Tennessee, John Snowden said. Ben Snowden was the first soldier from Georgetown to die in Vietnam, John Snowden said. Georgetown VFW Post 8587 is named in his honor. Henry A. Prunier, 91, U.S. Soldier Who Trained Vietnamese Troops, Dies
Members of the O.S.S. Deer Team with Viet Minh leaders, including Ho Chi Minh, (standing third from le ) during training in 1945. Henry Prunier is fourth from right.
By DOUGLAS MARTIN Published: April 17, 2013
Henry A. Prunier taught Vo Nguyen Giap, the Vietnamese general who withstood the armies of France and the United States, how to throw a grenade. The lesson came in July 1945, a er Mr. Prunier and six other Americans had parachuted into a village 75 miles northwest of Hanoi on a clandes ne mission to teach an elite force of 200 Viet Minh guerrillas how to use modern American weapons at their jungle camp. The Americans, members of the Office of Strategic Services, the United States’ intelligence agency in World War II, wanted the guerrillas’ help in figh ng the Japanese, who were occupying Indochina. The Viet Minh welcomed the American arms in their struggle for Vietnamese independence. What’s more, in invi ng the Americans to his field headquarters, Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh leader, could receive medical treatment for his malaria, hepa s and other ailments. The Americans stayed for two months, and their care may have saved his life. Mr. Prunier (pronounced PRUNE‐yer), who died last month at 91, was a 23‐year‐old Army private at the me, recruited as a translator because of his language skills. His first assignment was to instruct a diminu ve man, known to the Americans as Mr. Van, in the use of American rifles, machine guns, bazookas and other arms. Mr. Van, who wore a white linen suit, black shoes and black fedora, was actually Mr. Giap, who as a general nine years later would lead North Vietnamese troops to victory at Dien Bien Phu, forcing France from Vietnam, and then fight the United States military to a costly stalemate.
Page 7 “Giap wanted to know why we lobbed the grenade overhand and what ac vated the mortar,” Mr. Prunier said in an interview with The Worcester Telegram & Gaze e in Massachuse s in 2011. “One me he looked down the barrel of the mortar. I was shocked. His head could have been blown off.” Mr. Prunier, whose death, on March 17, was not widely reported at the me, lived most of his life in Worcester running his family’s masonry business. He died of conges ve heart failure in Beverly, Mass., his daughter‐in‐law Gloria Prunier said. He was the last living member of that Indochina mission. Though a footnote in American history, the mission has been hailed in Vietnam as a golden moment of coopera on with the United States. Mr. Prunier’s Army uniform is displayed in the Vietnam Military Museum in Hanoi, and a Vietnamese film team is preparing a documentary about him, “From Henry Prunier’s Memories.” “It’s odd,” he said. “I’m a hero over there.” Henry Arthur Prunier was born in Worcester on Sept. 10, 1921. He a ended Assump on College, also in Worcester, where most classes were taught in French, but le a er three years to enlist in the Army. Recognizing his linguis c skills, the Army sent him to the University of California, Berkeley, to study Vietnamese. There, the O.S.S. approached him and two others for “a voluntary mission into Indochina.” Told there was a 50 percent chance of survival, all said no. A er Berkeley, Mr. Prunier was sent to a cryptology school and scheduled to join an infantry division heading for France. But the night before he was to ship out, he was ordered to go to Washington to join the O.S.S. and take part in a special opera ons mission code‐named Deer Team. The Americans were supposed to walk 300 miles from China to the guerrilla base, but the Chinese warned them of a Japanese ambush. So they parachuted in. It was Mr. Prunier’s first jump. He landed in a rice paddy; others got hung up in trees. Met by guerrillas, the Americans were escorted to a bamboo hut, where they found Ho Chi Minh lying on a mat in a dark corner shaking with a high fever. He introduced himself as “C.M. Hoo.” The team’s medic treated him. As Ho recovered, he engaged in daily discussions with the Americans. The Viet Minh agreed to gather intelligence, sabotage railroads and rescue downed American airmen. When Ho learned that Mr. Prunier was from Massachuse s, he regaled him with tales of visi ng Boston. While the Deer Team was with the Viet Minh, the Japanese surrendered and the Viet Minh declared Vietnam an independent na on, using language from the Declara on of Independence. Ho gave his American friends a message to forward to President Harry S. Truman asking him to support the Viet Minh against France, which had lost its colonies to Japan during the war and was figh ng to take them back. Mr. Truman never replied. The United States backed France. Some historians have said that by rejec ng Ho’s overture the United States squandered an opportunity to build es with North Vietnam that might have kept Americans out of war two decades later. The counterview is that Ho’s Communist ideology would have inevitably made North Vietnam an enemy by defini on. Mr. Prunier came down somewhere in the middle. “He saw no contradic on between being a Communist and hoping for a democra c way of life for his people,” he said of Ho. “In many ways he was naïve.” Obeying regula ons, the O.S.S. men declined, regre ully, Ho’s offer of pre y Vietnamese women and jungle aphrodisiacs, Mr. Prunier said. But he did accept a tapestry from Ho and later displayed it in his home. Mr. Prunier is survived by his wife of 62 years, the former Marie e Lague; his daughters, Joanne M. Green and Dianne M. Behnke; his sons, Raymond and Donald; 12 grandchildren; and four great‐grandchildren. In 2011, Mr. Prunier was awarded the Bronze Star for his long‐ago exploits. That year, Assump on College granted him the bachelor’s degree he had been unable to finish. (He completed one at the University of Massachuse s a er the war.) In 1995, Mr. Prunier returned to Hanoi for a reunion with some of the surviving Viet Minh he had helped. Recognizing him, General Giap picked up an orange and displayed the grenade‐lobbing technique Mr. Prunier had taught him.
CW‐4 Nick Punimata' C‐XVI President Dave Shell & CW 4 Nick Punimata's And Wife ‐ Re rement. CW‐4 Nick Punimata's Re rement
Page 8 A er 46 years, storied military career closes
Col. Warner Farr, surgeon for U.S. Special Opera ons Command Central, re res a er 46 years, making him one of the longest‐serving soldiers.
1970 photo from Col. Warren Farr Warner Farr first enlisted in the Army in 1967 and servied in Vietnam. By Howard Altman | Tribune Staff Published: April 25, 2013 During a career that began in the ba lefields of Vietnam, Army Col. Warner “Rocky” Farr helped revolu onize special opera ons medicine, prepared for a Soviet invasion of Germany and found himself quoted by writer Noam Chomsky for his research into the Israeli nuclear weapons program. Today, in a ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base, Farr re res a er 46 years and four days in uniform, the third‐longest serving soldier in the Army and one of only 13 of more than a half‐million on ac ve duty who served in Vietnam. “I worked very hard to come up with a career progression path for special opera ons doctors,” says Farr, 64, who has been the command surgeon of U.S. Special Opera ons Command Central since 2009, coming over from the same role at U.S. Special Opera ons Command. “Now it is me for me to get out of the way.” In the spring of 1967, Warner Dahlgren Farr was a ending Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe. Lyndon Baines Johnson was in the White House, a gallon of gas cost 33 cents and the United States was at war in a place called Vietnam. Farr, 18 at the me, was able to avoid the dra by going to college. “I made good grades, but I didn’t know what I wanted to major in,” Farr says. “I was somewhat clueless.” Knowing that he would be subject to the dra a er gradua ng, Farr says he decided to “go ahead and get it over with” by enlis ng. For Farr, a career in the military wasn’t a stretch. His father, Charles Farr, an Air Force colonel, devised the concept of an aerial gunship during WWII.
Page 9 “He flew C‐47s and was red of his kickers [the crew pushing out supplies] ge ng shot by the Japanese,” says Farr. “So he put .50 caliber machine guns on the planes and invented the gunship.” Farr became a Green Beret, leading to a brief encounter with the famous 1968 John Wayne movie. “When I went to paratrooper school at Ft. Benning in October 1967, they were filming that, or just finishing up filming The Green Berets,” Farr says. He later went on to serve with some of the soldiers who acted in the movie. Farr’s first foray into combat came with the storied Military Assistance Command Vietnam ‐ Studies and Observa on Group, known as MACVSOG for short, which was a partnership of Special Forces and the CIA. Farr was assigned to a small group conduc ng reconnaissance on the Ho Chi Mihn Trail, where the North Vietnamese were bringing supplies to the south. Living in Vietnam and working in Cambodia, his recon team was tasked with stopping the flow of supplies, capturing the enemy and trying to rescue Americans taken cap ve. “We were in very small numbers,” Farr says. “Two to three to five people. We would find targets, call in air strikes.” But in addi on to to ng a rifle, Farr also carried a medical kit. “I was a combat medic,” he says. “In Special Forces, we don’t put a Red Cross on our helmet. We shoot.” In Vietnam, Farr learned firsthand the limits of combat medicine. They were lessons that would stay with him. But it would be a while before he could apply those lessons. A er leaving Vietnam in 1971, Farr had a new enemy to face. The Soviet Union. Farr was assigned to what was called a Detachment A. His job was to stay behind in the event the Red Army overran Europe and delay their advance. The Soviets never invaded and in the late 1970s, Farr returned to the U.S., where he taught a course for medics. It was there that he earned a promo on and a nickname. “When I went down to teach, all of a sudden there were 10 people called Doc. One of the other instructors decided to issue us nicknames. He claims with no malice aforethought that he called me Rocky and that’s what I got.” Farr eventually graduated from Northeast Louisiana University and was accepted into the Uniformed Services University. He was commissioned in 1979 as a second lieutenant, earned his medical degree in 1983 and became board cer fied in aerospace medicine, and anatomic and clinical pathology. He also learned to fly, both fixed and rotary wing aircra . Farr rose through the ranks, becoming a major in 1987, lieutenant colonel in 1993 and colonel in 1999. He commanded a number of medical units, including a s nt as division surgeon for the 10th Mountain Division. Farr con nued garnering responsibili es, serving as command surgeon of the Army Special Forces Command at Ft. Bragg before coming to Tampa, where he became Socom command surgeon. As the man in charge of medical treatment for all commandos, Farr was finally able to fully apply the lessons learned decades earlier in Vietnam. “There have been tremendous changes since Vietnam,” Farr says. “In Vietnam, tourniquets were considered forbidden. The assump on was that it would kill the limb.” With Farr’s encouragement, tourniquets became a mainstay. There were other advances over the years, in both technology and techniques, Farr says. Bandages were treated with substances that promoted clots. Responsibility for medical care was expanded beyond medics to all commandos. Combined, it meant a reduc on in the killed‐in‐ac on rate, dropping from about 20 percent before the current wars to about 12 percent now, Farr says. Farr says one of his biggest accomplishments at Socom was helping develop a ba lefield medical kit for troops that included a tourniquet, hemosta c dressing, an bio cs and pain pills and a needle for sucking chest wounds. “The key thing is that every single person has it,” Farr says. “Your buddy is saving you.” In 2009, Farr became command surgeon of Soccent, the MacDill‐based special opera ons warfigh ng headquarters for U.S. Central Command. Though special opera ons forces in Afghanistan already had robust medical services, the same was not always true in the rest of the command’s region. For Farr, the challenge became making sure commandos working in smaller numbers elsewhere were able to be properly treated and evacuated. Farr, who has a Legion of Merit and Bronze Star with “V” Device among his many medals, is one of the special opera ons forces’ most respected medical leaders, says Doug Brown, a re red Green Beret general who commanded Socom from 2003 to 2007 and
Page 10 was Farr’s boss at Ft. Bragg before bringing him to Tampa. “Rocky Farr is amazing,” Brown says. “First of all, he has been in special opera ons forces medicine forever. No one knows it be er. He understands the ba lefield and was on it. As special opera ons surgeon, Rocky Farr was exactly the right guy.” Farr was “instrumental in wri ng the new medical special opera ons handbook when I was down there,” Brown says. “There have been so many advances in digital medicine and digital training devices, he was key in doing that. We are losing probably the most experienced ba lefield medical expert that I haver ever known or seen.” Hundreds are expected to show up to bid Farr farewell at Soccent headquarters. A er re rement, Farr wants to con nue to pursue his love of history, a passion that so far has resulted in mul ple ar cles and four books, including “The Third Temple’s Holy of Holies: The Israeli Nuclear Program,” which was quoted by writer Noam Chomsky. He says whatever happens, he and his wife, Kathleen Dunn Farr, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves, want to s ck around. “My wife and I like it here in Tampa,” he says. “We have six dogs and a small house. I have an offer to go overseas, but I am looking for something here in Tampa. I am red of travel.”
Project Delta, Detachment B‐52, 5th Special Forces Group Deep in 'indian country' Wri en by: Dwight Jon Zimmerman on January 1, 2013
Members of the 5th Special Forces Group who were part of Project Delta pose with Vietnam Special Forces (VNSF) soldiers they were training. S. L. A. Marshall Photograph Collec on
Adver sement Special Forces – the Green Berets – whose mo o is De oppresso liber (“To liberate the oppressed”) take pride in accomplishing their missions well and without fanfare; thus their nickname “the Quiet Professionals.” Within that select fraternity, one unit that fought in the Vietnam War stands out for being, in the words of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Henry H. Shelton, who served as a captain in that unit in 1967, “the quietest of ‘the Quiet Professionals.’” Beginning in October 1964 and con nuing for more than five years, this unit – Detachment B‐52 of the 5th Special Forces Group – conducted the longest‐running and most successful deep‐penetra on reconnaissance and counterintelligence opera on in the war.
A soldier from the 5th Special Forces Group who is assigned to Detachment B‐52 in Vietnam. U.S. Army photo
Despite the high number, tempo, and risk of its missions, the unit lost only 19 men killed and 12 men missing in ac on. That extraordinary sta s c is matched by another achievement. When the opera on concluded in 1970, the unit, never numbering more than 100 officers and enlisted men at any one me, would become the most highly decorated unit of its size in the Vietnam War, and the second most highly decorated unit in the conflict. Few people knew of the unit then, and fewer today know the story of Project Delta, Detachment B‐52, 5th Special Forces Group. Project Delta was a “lessons learned” result of its predecessor, the failed Opera on Leaping Lena. Leaping Lena recon teams, composed of Vietnam Special Forces (VNSF) and the Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG – usually Montagnards and Nungs),
Page 11 proved incapable of providing high quality, accurate reconnaissance intelligence. Reorganized and renamed Project Delta, the opera on now had 5th Special Forces Group in command and some of its members, Detachment B‐52, assigned to lead individual teams.
“For freedom’s cause in lands far gone, Remember brave men called recon.” – excerpt from the poem “Recon” by James R. Jarre , Project Delta Recon Team Sergeant
In December 1964, Project Delta ran its first opera on, inser ng three teams, each composed of five men (two Special Forces, three VNSF/CIDG) in separate loca ons in the Viet Cong‐held Ninh Hoa Peninsula about 40 miles north of the growing U.S. military facili es at Cam Ranh Bay. Team Three was able to accomplish its mission, bringing back important intelligence and a prisoner. The other two teams were detected as soon as they landed and had more adventurous experiences. Team One was extracted a er a running firefight with the enemy. Three members of Team Two – Sgt. First Class Henry M. Bailey, Staff Sgt. Ronald Terry, and a wounded VNSF soldier – got separated from the rest of the their team and wound up spending two harrowing nights hiding from the enemy. The closest available landing zone was 50 meters from their hideout – and on the other side of a village that housed two Viet Cong platoons.
More than 50 members of Project Delta proudly display their unit colors, Oct. 31, 2008. Project Delta was a covert Special Forces opera on in Vietnam which began May 15, 1964. A single SF detachment, B‐52, was tasked with training the Civilian Irregular Defense Group and the South Vietnamese Special Forces, known as the Luc Luong Dac Biet, in conduc ng long‐range reconnaissance patrols in uncontrolled and enemy territory. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Tony Hawkins Their escape is described in the book The Ether Zone: U.S. Army Special Forces Detachment B‐52, Project Delta. Author R.C. Morris, who served as execu ve officer for the 5th Special Forces Group Opera onal Detachment 106 in 1966, wrote, “Just before dawn the two exhausted troopers, suppor ng the wounded VNSF recon man between them, simply stood and strode through the middle of the enemy encampment. They had counted on the darkness and rain to fool the VC into mistaking them for their own comrades. The gutsy ruse worked; they waved to a guard hunkered down, smoking a cigare e, and he nonchalantly gestured in return!” Despite receiving fire from the surprised Viet Cong, the rescue helicopter successfully extracted the three men. Bailey then called in an air strike that almost wiped out the VC. This first mission was a complete success. Fewer than 20 men had disrupted an entrenched Viet Cong network, almost destroyed a reinforced VC company, and punctured the myth of Viet Cong invulnerability. And, by proving that properly led VNSF and CIDG personnel could perform admirably in combat, it boosted morale in the South Vietnamese Army command. Project Delta ceased opera ons on June 30, 1970. Among the many decora ons Detachment B‐52 soldiers received were two Dis nguished Service Crosses, 18 Silver Stars, 58 Bronze Stars with V devices, 53 Purple Hearts, the Valorous Unit Award, the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, the Republic of Vietnam Civil Ac ons Honor Medal with Palm, and the Navy Unit Commenda on Ribbon. In addi on, 5th Special Forces Group soldiers would receive 17 Medals of Honor (eight posthumously), the Presiden al Unit Cita on, and other high honors. On March 5, 1971, the 5th Special Forces Group service in Vietnam officially ended when its colors were returned to Fort Bragg, N.C.
Military Sees Broader Role for Special Opera ons Forces, in Peace and War By THOM SHANKER April 2, 2013 FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Here at the headquarters of the Army Special Opera ons Command, planning is well under way for a significantly increased presence in Africa, Asia and La n America for the Special Forces soldiers with the dis nc ve green berets
Page 12 who were the first American troops into Afghanistan a er the a acks of Sept. 11, 2001. Special Opera ons forces, which include Green Berets, Navy SEAL teams, the Rangers and specialized avia on units, have historically been a small corner of the military and not always embraced by conven onal commanders. But they took on large and central roles for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and their integra on with the conven onal military transformed the way the Defense Department is thinking about future conflicts. Army Special Opera ons forces number only 23,000 soldiers in all, and Green Beret “A Teams” are in high demand. Because of deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, Special Opera ons commanders have been able to meet barely half the requests from regional military headquarters outside the Middle East. “The na on does not want another Afghanistan,” said Lt. Gen. Charles T. Cleveland, head of the Army Special Opera ons Command. “So, how do we prevent conflict? Army Special Opera ons forces can be out there looking at instability, and looking at how to build capabili es.” General Cleveland said he envisioned preparing his soldiers for two broad missions. “When I am at war, I have to campaign to win,” he said. “When I am not at war, I am campaigning to either shape the environment or I am campaigning to prevent war.” Although the large conven onal military is out of Iraq and is leaving Afghanistan, Special Opera ons forces will remain “in an era of persistent opera ons,” he said. But Americans have shown li le appe te to support another large‐scale overseas military effort — and President Obama vowed in his State of the Union message that America would not occupy other na ons on his watch. So the Pentagon is working “by, with and through” allied and partner na ons to enhance global security, to use the current catchphrase. Special Forces has sent small groups of Green Berets to train foreign fighters for decades, and that mission is expected to expand. Also under considera on are plans to increase the number of small teams of Green Berets, who are trained in foreign cultures and languages, assigned to American embassies to support noncombat efforts, in par cular iden fying security risks before they reach crisis level. In past years, some military liaison personnel assigned to assess security in foreign countries did so outside the purview of the embassy, causing intense disagreements with the State Department. Future assignments, officials say, would be closely coordinated with the American embassy in each country. A recent exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., tested new ways for conven onal commanders and their Special Opera ons counterparts to swap control over swaths of territory — and command of the Special Opera ons or conven onal units on that ground — as required by shi ing ba lefield demands. General Cleveland said that another change across the Army’s Special Opera ons Command was the con nued integra on of his soldiers in overseas opera ons even a er they return home to the United States between deployments. Tradi onally, the Army has had what amounts to two armies: one opera ng in the field and one at home training. When assigned to their home bases, regional experts within Army Special Opera ons force would con nue to support overseas opera ons by assis ng in mission planning, organizing informa on campaigns and si ing through intelligence — but from the rear. A challenge is to more effec vely combine the tac cal exper se of Special Opera ons forces in carrying out specific missions into the wider United States government effort to stabilize na ons at risk and prevent crisis or war — a task that is far more complicated than simply targe ng a terrorist leader or training an allied platoon. “You need to have guys who understand not just the tac cal level but also how to write campaign plans and put together mul ple lines of effort over extended periods of me to achieve a strategic result,” General Cleveland said. “Who writes the campaign plan for Yemen? Where do you train that guy?” His headquarters has picked up that challenge. Maj. Gen. Edward M. Reeder Jr., commander of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, which trains soldiers for Special Forces, civil affairs and military informa on support, together with the Army’s central school at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., is developing a new program to teach “special opera ons campaign arts.”
The most fearsome weapon is evolving Posted 1/9/2013 Updated 1/9/2013 by Raquel Sanchez Air Force Special Opera ons Command Public Affairs 1/9/2013 ‐ HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. ‐‐ The first MC‐130J to be converted into Air Force Special Opera ons Command's newest variant of the gunship, the AC‐130J Ghostrider, arrived at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Modifica ons to the airframe will be completed in ten months and will be a milestone in the recapitaliza on of the AC‐130H/U fleet. The AC‐130J Ghostrider will inherit the AC‐130W S nger II's precision strike package, which was developed to support ground
Page 13 forces in overseas con ngency opera ons. Insurgent ac vity in urban environments created the need for an airframe that could deliver direct fire support to ground forces, with the ability to precisely engage enemies with low‐yield muni ons. "These new weapon systems and small diameter bombs will provide overwatch and further standoff distance to cover a wider range of space for our war fighters on the ground," said Maj. Stuart Menn, U.S. Special Opera ons Command Detachment 1 commander. The precision strike package includes dual electro‐op cal infrared sensors, a 30‐mm cannon, griffin missiles, all‐weather synthe c aperture radar and small diameter bomb capabili es. The sensors allow the gunship to visually or electronically iden fy friendly ground forces and targets at any me, even in adverse weather. "The precision strike package that is going into this aircra is proven down range," said Todd McGinnis, USSOCOM Det. 1 AC‐130J modifica on manager. Pairing weapons with a networked ba le management system, enhanced communica ons and situa onal awareness upgrades the J‐Model's ability to deliver surgical firepower. "Now we get the successes of this precision strike package and marry it up with the advantages of the J‐model bringing the best two C‐130s together in a new weapons system," said McGinnis. The AC‐130 primary mission is close air support, air interdic on and armed reconnaissance. Close air support missions include delivering fire support to ground forces that are figh ng enemies and convoy escort. Air interdic on missions are conducted against preplanned targets or targets of opportunity. These missions also include strike coordina on and reconnaissance. The AC‐130 gunship has proven to be a reliable and fierce weapon system used by special opera ons forces since the 1960s. AC‐130s had roles in Urgent Fury in Grenada, Just Cause in Panama, Desert Storm in Iraq, Con nue Hope and United Shield in Somalia, as well as Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In each opera on, AC‐130s were credited with many life‐saving over watch missions. According to the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, "AC‐130 gunships have been invaluable in suppor ng opera ons against insurgent and terrorist groups in Iraq and Afghanistan. These units have therefore been in heavy demand even as a por on of the fleet approached the end of its service life." The AC‐130J has the speed of the MC‐130J, the precision strike capabili es of the AC‐130W and carries forward the heritage of the AC‐130H/U. A total of 37 MC‐130J prototypes will be modified as part of a $2.4 billion AC‐130J program to grow the future fleet, said Capt. Andrew Reed, USSOCOM Det. 1 AC‐130J on‐site program manager. The first AC‐130J is expected to be completed Nov. 2013 and expected to be ready for ini al flight tes ng by Dec. 2013. "This will be the most advanced gunship that will be in the inventory," said Menn.
Army Wants SF Training for Scouts Mar 21, 2013 Military.com| by Ma hew Cox Maneuver officials at Fort Benning, Ga., want to redesign training for scout units to arm them with ba lefield skills o en taught to Special Forces teams. Maj. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the commander of the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, said Wednesday that ground combat units in the future will need to be more adept at understanding the cultures of their ba le space.
Page 14 Reconnaissance units, because they operate forward of the main force, will need more training to help them quickly build rela onships that will help the soldiers gather ba lefield intelligence. Scout units will need some skill sets “previously associated with Special Forces, and those are in the areas of foreign internal defense and combat advisory skills,” McMasters said. “So if there is a Mali‐type scenario and a brigade is deploying there, that reconnaissance squadron has the ability to connect with indigenous personnel, develop an understanding alongside those indigenous forces while providing them combine arms capabili es, communica ons and so forth, necessary to secure an area in advance of follow‐on opera ons or as part of an effort to prevent conflict and shape an environment consistent with our interests,” McMasters said. McMaster focused on upcoming changes to leader development, training, doctrine and equipping of the Army’s maneuver ground forces in his speech at the Center for Strategic and Interna onal Studies in Washington, D.C. McMaster named leader development as the maneuver center’s top priority in the coming years. Fort Benning officials are inventorying “all of the competencies we want to develop in our leaders” and searching for more ways to rely on distance learning and interac ve learning as an alterna ve to live training. The Army will be upda ng maneuver doctrine next year to include new threat capabili es that poten al adversaries are likely to bring to bear in the future. Maneuver forces will face an enemy armed with stronger networking capabili es and newer, more robust an ‐armor weapons, McMaster said. In the area of combat development and equipping maneuver units, McMaster said the Army is developing some type of mobile protected firepower that would arm light infantry units with a deployable system similar to the Stryker Mobile Gun System. This is par cularly important in forced entry opera ons, McMaster said. “We should not have to have the John Abizaid in Grenada [scenario] in the future, a Ranger company commander having to commandeer a bulldozer to close with a machine gun posi on a er jumping in to seize an airfield. We need to provide a mobile protected firepower capability to our infantry forma ons that is not a 70‐ton answer to everything,” McMasters said. In recent months, Training and Doctrine Command officials have stressed in recent months that the Army must not forget the lessons it has learned in the area of teaming conven onal units with a Special Forces Opera onal Detachment Alpha, known as an ODA. McMasters said that training scout units to use Special‐Forces style techniques is no subs tute for working closely with these specialized units. “There are certain skill sets that only our Special Forces can do and are the best at,” McMasters said referring to unconven onal warfare opera ons. “You are not going to see conven onal forces operate in that role.” But some missions can overlap such as those that involve helping indigenous popula ons with foreign internal defense and serving in a combat‐advisory role in some cases, he said. “You should think of a scout sec on in the future – in an Amy brigade that’s 12 soldiers and two Bradley figh ng vehicles, ” McMasters said. “They ought to have the capability to be an ODA minus … with chain guns and with [communica ons] and access to joint fires.”
Strange World War II Facts You might enjoy this from Colonel D. G. Swinford, USMC, Ret., a history buff. You would really have to dig deep to get this kind of ringside seat to history: 1. The first German serviceman killed in WW II was killed by the Japanese ( China , 1937). The first American serviceman killed was killed by the Russians ( Finland 1940); highest ranking American killed was Lt. Gen Lesley McNair, killed by the US Army Air Corps. So much for allies. 2. The youngest US serviceman was 12 year old: Calvin Graham, USN. He was wounded and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his age. His benefits were later restored by act of Congress. 3. At the me of Pearl Harbor , the top US Navy command was called CINCUS (pronounced 'sink us'); the shoulder patch of the US Army's 45th Infantry division was the Swas ka, and Hitler's private train was named 'Amerika.' All three were soon changed for PR purposes. 4. More US servicemen died in the Air Corps than the Marine Corps. [Actually the 8th Air Force alone suffered about 5,000 more KIA than the en re Marine Corps in WW2.] While comple ng the required 30 missions, an airman's chance of being killed was
Page 15 71%. 5. Generally speaking, there was no such thing as an average fighter pilot. You were either an ace or a target. For instance, Japanese Ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa shot down over 80 planes. He died while a passenger on a cargo plane. 6. It was a common prac ce on fighter planes to load every 5th round with a tracer round to aid in aiming. This was a mistake. Tracers have different ballis cs, so (at long range) if your tracers were hi ng the target, 80% of your rounds were missing. Worse yet, tracers instantly told your enemy he was under fire and from which direc on. Worst of all was the prac ce of loading a string of tracers at the end of the belt to tell you that you were out of ammo. This was definitely not something you wanted to tell the enemy. Units that stopped using tracers saw their success rate nearly double and their loss rate go down. Here's something related from 5th SF, Detachment B‐52's Tips of the Trade, item #32; "Tracers work both ways". 7. When allied armies reached the Rhine , the first thing men did was pee in it. This was pre y universal from the lowest private to Winston Churchill (who made a big show of it) and Gen. Pa on (who had himself photographed in the act). 8. German ME‐264 bombers were capable of bombing New York City, but they decided it wasn't worth the effort. 9. German submarine U‐1206 was sunk by a malfunc oning toilet. 10. Among the first 'Germans' captured at Normandy were several Koreans. They had been forced to fight for the Japanese Army un l they were captured by the Russians and forced to fight for the Russian Army un l they were captured by the Germans and forced to fight for the German Army un l they were captured by the US Army. 11. Following a massive naval bombardment, 35,000 United States and Canadian troops stormed ashore at Kiska, in the Aleu an Islands . 21 troops were killed in the assault on the island. It could have been worse if there had been any Japanese on the island. 12. The last Marine killed in WW2 was killed by a can of spam. He was on the ground as a POW in Japan when rescue flights dropping food and supplies came over, the package came apart in the air and a stray can of spam hit him and killed him.
Best Shot with a 1911. Ever. by Phil Bourjaily While compiling the timeline for “Pistol of the Century,” our tribute to the 1911 in the June issue of Field & Stream, I read through many accounts of the 1911 in combat. The most unusual shot,(and possibly the best ever) made in wartime with a 1911 pistol had to be the one fired by a USAAF B-24 co-pilot named Owen J. Baggett in March, 1943 in the skies over Burma. Of course, I am biased toward this one as it involves a flying target . . .
On a mission to destroy a railroad bridge, Baggett’s bomber squadron was intercepted by Japanese Zero fighters and his plane was badly damaged. After holding off the enemy with the top turret .50s while the gunner tried to put out onboard fires, Baggett bailed out with the rest of the crew. He and four others escaped the burning bomber before it exploded. The Zero pilots circled back to strafe the parachuting crewmen, killing two and lightly wounding Baggett, who played dead in his harness, hoping the Japanese would leave him alone. Though playing dead, Baggett still drew his .45 and hid it alongside his leg...just in case. A Zero approached within a few feet of Baggett at near stall speeds. The pilot opened the canopy for a better look at his victim. Baggett raised his pistol and fired four shots into the cockpit. The Zero spun out of sight. Although Baggett could never believe he had shot down a fighter plane with his pistol, at least one credible report said the plane was found crashed, the pilot thrown clear of the wreckage with a single bullet in his head. If Baggett really did shoot down a fighter with his 1911, it has to count as one of the greatest feats ever accomplished with a .45. Baggett survived two years in a Japanese prison camp in Singapore and eventually retired from the Air Force as a colonel.
Page 16 Soviet Soldier, Missing for 33 Years, Found in Afghanistan
Bakhretdin Khakimov, the Soviet soldier who disappeared in Afghanistan for 33 years.
© Photo Warriors‐Interna onalists Affairs Commi ee at the CIS Council of the Heads of Government
21:07 05/03/2013 The withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989 MOSCOW, March 5 (Alexey Eremenko, RIA Novos ) – There is a tradi onal healer living in the Shindand District in Afghanistan, known as Sheikh Abdulla, an elderly‐looking, impoverished widower with a wispy beard leading a semi‐nomadic life with a local clan. His real name is Bakhretdin Khakimov and he is a Soviet soldier who has been missing in ac on since the first months of a nine‐year‐long bloody war that began when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in late 1979. Khakimov, an ethnic Uzbek, was tracked down two weeks ago by a search party of the Warriors‐Interna onalists Affairs Commi ee, a nonprofit, Moscow‐based organiza on, opera ng under the aegis of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), whose ac vists spent a year following the missing soldier’s decades‐old trail. That’s one down and 263 soldiers to go for the commi ee, which presented its latest findings in the search for Soviet servicemen in Afghanistan at a press conference in Moscow on Monday.
© Photo Warriors‐Interna onalists Affairs Commi ee at the CIS Council of the Heads of Government
Khakimov shortly before his disappearance in 1980 “Looking for missing soldiers is among our top priori es. And it’s a tough job,” said commi ee head Ruslan Aushev, who fought in Afghanistan and was president of the republic of Ingushe a in the Russian North Caucasus from 1993 to 2001. The commi ee was set up in 1993, but its opera ons in Afghanistan were soon cut short by a civil war there. The Taliban, which emerged victorious in 1996, did not look kindly at former enemies, and the commi ee was only able to return to Afghanistan a er a US‐led military coali on ousted the Islamic fundamentalists from power in 2001. But then the global recession hit, depriving the commi ee of funding, and its search only resumed in 2009, Aushev said. Since its incep on, the commi ee has discovered 29 missing Soviet soldiers alive in Afghanistan. Seven of them chose to stay, while the others returned home when given the op on, Aushev’s deputy, Alexander Lavrentyev, also an Afghan veteran, said at the press conference. Khakimov is the eighth. He suffered severe head trauma during figh ng in Shindand 33 years ago, when he was s ll a 20‐year‐old dra ee, but was nursed back to health by a local village elder. The now‐deceased Afghani, who made a living as a healer, adopted
Page 17 the na ve of the ancient Uzbek city of Samarkand and taught him the trade, Lavrentyev said. Khakimov, who s ll has a nervous c from the injury, forgot whatever Russian he knew and never tried to contact his rela ves a er being captured. “He was just happy he survived,” said Lavrentyev, who personally met with Khakimov in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan in late February. But the former soldier – who married in Afghanistan, but is now a childless widower – was eager to meet his rela ves, something that the commi ee is currently working to arrange, Lavrentyev said. Khakimov was s ll luckier than many: The commi ee confirmed five more MIA soldiers to have been killed, and many more deaths – including of those who got blown to bits by a landmine, burned alive in tanks or aircra , or, in at least one case, swept away by a mountain stream – can only be confirmed tenta vely, Lavrentyev said. Soviet losses in Afghanistan stood at 15,000 while a total of 600,000 Soviet soldiers served in the war, according to figures from the Soviet General Staff. By comparison, the United States, which currently has 74,000 troops in Afghanistan, lost just over 2,000 since 2001. The commi ee’s opera ons are funded by countries of the CIS, a confedera on comprising most former Soviet republics. Though the expenditures are a mere 12,000 rubles ($400) a year per missing soldier, some countries, such as Ukraine and even oil‐rich Turkmenistan, dodge the financial support responsibility, Lavrentyev said. The group, mostly comprising veterans of the Soviet‐Afghan war, conducts dozens of expedi ons to Afghanistan and neighboring countries every year. Their best (o en, their only) sources of informa on are the very warlords whom the Soviet troops were trying to kill in the 1980s. And surprisingly, the Mujahedin fighters who were busy killing the Soviet infidels three decades ago appear willing to help their old enemies – who were also building roads and schools in the country that they were trying to control. “Those who were shoo ng at us are the only ones to have informa on – and they share it,” Lavrentyev said. “We get very good treatment. They tell us, ‘Come back, just without the firearms. We respect you,’” Lavrentyev cited the Afghanis as saying.
Page 18 While You Are Here A er a wet and sloppy winter, spring arrives and a hike in the co onwood river bo oms of the northwest will, to a lucky few, yield delicious Morels. These weird looking mushrooms are a real delicacy rivaling the ballyhooed European truffle! Hotspots for morels are a closely guarded secret amongst local mushroom hunters so you pre y much have to find them on your own. So far the state hasn't required a license for them either. Not so for clams, oysters crabs and other shellfish which are surprisingly plen ful here, you don't need a boat for these either. I have found good crabbing in several places at low des by just wading. Taking kids with you on these trips is a real adventure for them and builds great memories. May is also shrimp me in Washington and only a few days are allo ed for them, It does require a boat and some fairly pricey gear though. Some of the rivers in the state produce some nice king salmon "Springer’s" as they are called here. Halibut are also a good bet if you have a boat or a friend that will take you. These fish can go over 100 pounds and at 18‐19 bucks a pound pencil out pre y good! Lurking under local wa‐ ters also, are the Giant Pacific Octopus, available to the scuba diver, which can be up to 30 feet across with the record weighing over 400 lbs. Fate has put you here in the NW with the opportunity to have some truly unique experiences. It is a place perhaps half a world away from places where you have been in the past. Ugly memories of steamy jungles or hos le mud brick villages and hard rocky hills can fade away here.
1st SFG(A) Ar facts The current 1st SFG(A) Commander is solici ng support from former 1st SFG(A) unit members for dona on of ar facts that could be displayed in the units Regimental Mess area at Fort Lewis. He has his PAO officer working on the project and he is asking for items that could be secured in display cabinets for viewing by guests who use the facility for ceremonies, re rements and other ac vi es. Hank Cramer is planning to donate some uniform items that his dad wore in Vietnam and others from SFA Chapter and First In Asia Associa on are pu ng out feelers to our community. If interested, please contact Major Jason Waggoner at [email protected] Base May Lose 8,000 Soldiers
Apr 20, 2013 Sea le Times
Under an Army downsizing plan, Joint Base Lewis‐McChord (JBLM) may lose up to 8,000 soldiers, as well as civilians who support those troops, during the next four years, according to Lt. Gen. Robert Brown, commander of the base's I Corps. In a mee ng Thursday with leaders of nearby communi es, Brown said no final decisions on the cuts are expected to be made un l some me in the summer It's s ll possible that Lewis‐McChord could be spared any cuts. "There are several courses of ac on," Brown said. "Nothing has been decided." The budget reduc ons come a er a period of a major expansion at this joint Army and Air Force installa on. During the post‐9/11 period, Joint Base Lewis‐McChord added 19,528 Army soldiers, to reach the current level of more than 47,900 ac ve‐duty personnel. The base also employs more than 15,800 civilians. Base officials say that base spending generates some $6 billion a year. Some 70 percent of military personnel live off‐base. Brown said the upcoming downsizing is separate from more immediate Army cuts this year in training and other ac vi es required to meet budget reduc ons taking place under the congressional agreement known as sequestra on. Under the Army's long‐term plan, ac ve‐duty personnel will be cut from the current strength of about 540,000 soldiers to 490,000 by 2017. Brown said that, for the first me in his 32‐year career, some soldiers who want to re‐enlist will not be granted that opportunity. As the United States reduces its troop strength in Afghanistan, Brown said, the era of large‐scale brigade deployments to war zones has ended. Instead, the base is refocusing on the Pacific, with training missions scheduled in Asian na ons. The Army is placing new emphasis on the Pacific, which could help moderate cuts at Lewis‐McChord. "The good news is that we are the Army's main effort in the Pacific ‐‐ us and Hawaii," Brown said.
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Special Forces Associa on Blazers
Here is the website that has the blazers. The polyester is a great blazer, plus the pocket patch is embroidered directly onto the jacket. The first line is for the polyester jacket, the other two are for the wool jackets depending on whether it is a larger or regu‐ lar size. This company also carries the SF Associa on es too. Hope this help. h p://stores.uniformspro.com/‐strse‐100/Special‐Forces‐Associa on%2C‐SFA%2C/Detail.bok h p://stores.uniformspro.com/‐strse‐99/Special‐Forces‐Associa on%2C‐SFA%2C/Detail.bok h p://stores.uniformspro.com/‐strse‐98/Special‐Forces‐Associa on‐%28SFA%29/Detail.bok
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