Recent Past, US. Army Special Forces

3- Special Forces Group, Staff Sgt, BDU uniform:

*Lieutenant Colonel, 7th Special Forces Group, Class A Uniform:

This guy has more decorations, achievements, and citations than I can name! With Prior service with the Special Operations Command, and a set of Foreign Jump Wings on his right chest, above a Row of Unit Citations, then he had been on assignment Office of the Secretary of Defence, and Special Operations “Central". On his Left Chest, he has the HALO Jump Wings. Below his ribbons bar, the Marksman Badge (Rarely seen on officers), and metal rockers Ranger and Sapper Schools. He’s assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff too. He has also shown prior assignments with Special Forces on the Right Sleeve

*The Rockers on the right shoulder Special Forces Airborne, I’ve been informed is incorrect, And it is after checking, very much against regulations, so I removed it. And it looks messy now….dang. To be continued…

Answer to question: No, Stone was not the real name of the fellow before I bought it. Stone is one of the names I use on these uniforms. None came with names that I can think of, even the sew-on name tapes and velcroed-on names. They were just random names I bought and applied for the pictures.

12th Special Forces Group (ABN):

This was a separate beret I had with the 12th SF unit flash. Unfortunately, I cannot find it now, but it may be in storage with all the others.

“NEW” Sergeant, 12th Special Forces Group, BDU:

ARMY / SF, Halo Jumper, Nucellar Qualified:

Sergeant First Class, Special Operations Command (Airborne), 96th CA. BN., Civil Affairs:

*5th Special Forces Group, (FAV Team):

*Stupid, doggoneit anyways… Damn, his one has the rockers on the right sleeve too!? Going to have to dig it out and fix that..I’m taking them off.

*Major, (USSOCCOM) Special Operations Command:

editing >>> The United States Special Operations Command and is known as USSOCOM or (SOCOM) is the result of putting all our special operation groups, and command sections together, so they can all work together on missions, and know what each is up to, so missions don’t overlap or conflict with other on-going operation with other forces, and could compromise one another.

They are a group of very powerful, military personnel, they’re to oversee, and work with the Army’s Special Operation Black-Ops Groups and Special Forces, the Marine (MARSOC) with their Raiders, Force-Recon, and Scout-Sniper Operations. They work with the Navy SEALs, any of their other Secret observer Operations, and the Air Forces Elite Units, all of these specially trained and talented people working together, theoretically capable of some secret operations. The USSOCOM is presently headquartered on the East Coast, at MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa Florida. The Command is a part of the DoD and was created by an Act of Congress.

SOCOM came to be formed, after several operations failed, like Operation Eagle Claw which was an attempt at rescuing the hostages trapped in the American Embassy in Iran in 1980, its failure led to an investigation was Admiral Hollaway III, and the Chief of Operations (Rtd) cited the inter-service co-ordination the significant factor in the failure of the mission, and things were forced to change…

They were activated on 16 April 1987 as U.S. Special Operations Command, and since then have been in many operations all over, like the 1989 invasion of Panama, 9/11, and the response to the Terrorist Strikes, and aftermath.

Their capabilities must be incredible, with all the joint cross-training, knowledge of each of their capabilities, knowing a joint-direct command was involved, must be a very amazing bunch of talented people to use for instant decisions, an on-call force, with all the militaries branches “Special Forces”, able to work in conjunction with any of the other element’s in field operations, using the most modern of communications, for use in such missions as, direct assaults, or rescue missions, special reconnaissance missions, counter-terrorism, civil affairs, and counter-narcotics raids. we call the Black-Ops.

Each branch has its top cadre, those working with the universal hub of US Special Forces as a whole could also recommend they execute some of the missions more specific to their group’s “Operational Specific Vehicles” as in “Midget Submarines, and Rebreathers, or size like the “Airborne-Ranger’s” or Sniper teams (that they all have) but may be closest to where they are needed.

I guess first off, The uniforms I get in various ways, and I call it completeness, generally, a patch or some insignia gets me going, so what I am saying is, that I do not know for a fact that SOCOM existed before Class A Green uniform disappeared, that is phased out, I believe in or about 1980, and possibly the shoulder patch has replaced the original? I do try to get these uniforms right, the decorations of which there are plenty (at least 16) as well as the Medical “Battle Badge” call it, and no CIB or Combat assault badge, so, he’s been attached to the Medical Detachment for some time. As a Major, he carries some “Pull” one could say, and is in with the top dogs of the military, something like the Pentagon of Special Forces. As a member of Special Forces, it is mandatory to be Airborne Qualified, so you go through that school and pass it, and he has prior service in battle, with Special Forces before assignment to the SOCOM Command itself.

While no longer assigned directly with Special Forces, He wears the Airborne Beret with SOC tap on it, and/or with other elements, the OverSeas Cap, with the Airborne Patch on one side of it. But how this might work is all above my pay grade! I would have thought Green Beret, it may have been kept the Green Beret for sentimental reasons, perhaps he was caught up in the time when the powers that be, we’re talking about stopping the use of the Green Beret and went to a Tan one for a bit I think before being adopted to Rangers, and then everyone was to have black, but Airborne will not give up the Beret, as will the Green Berets, but there was a lot of miserable politicking middling with military operations uniforms, all getting digital, even the Navy and Airforce had their own, silly really, but it’s about the military getting their piece of it, and now the popular Olive-Class-A, (WWII Barracks Jacket) it’s like why did you ever stop using it-though now it just no longer looks right either to me, because it represented an era gone by, and respectfully so, but I think of pinks and Greens more with the Army Air Forse of WWII.

The uniform has 4 years of overseas bars aka Battle Bars (4 Tours), and at least 5 enlistments. He carries his Airborne Wins on the SOCOM Oval, and the Combat Medical Badge (for Medics and Medivac Operations, from his tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, he has the War on Terror Badges too, as well as a Bronz Star and many other recognitions of achievement, and service.

*And once again I missed the rockers on the right arm are not authorized. I mistakingly added without checking the regulations, in a hurry to get things done I guess. Still, I wonder if possibly the regulations during the 1960s-170s and 1980s may have differed on the rocketers being removed on the right shoulder patch, Prior Assignment, and Prior Battle Assignment.

“Fixed” US Army Sergeant First Class, USSOCCOM, Present Field uniform:

And the story of Special Forces, and SOCOM will continue to write its story in Military History.