Special Forces - Cold War to Recent Past:

“New” First Sergeant, 1st SFGA, Okinawa, 1960:

I’ll get a better story here, but this represents the US. Army SF before they were really even recognized as such.

*Updated Pictures: Sergeant, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Early 1960s:

Special Forces, also known as Green Berets, trace their heritage back to the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, of World War II fame.  The OSS was a paramilitary intelligence service that operated behind enemy lines in both the European and Pacific theaters, conducting reconnaissance, sabotage, and other clandestine activities directed against the Nazi and Imperial Japanese forces.  Members of the OSS went on to serve in both the CIA and the Special Forces.

Special Forces were formally established in 1952 by the indomitable Colonel Aaron Bank, himself an OSS legend, who had parachuted into Nazi-occupied France, eventually formulating a plan to capture Hitler if he had tried to flee from Berlin.  Located on Smoke Bomb Hill in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the Special Forces began recruiting.  They had their pick of the best America had to offer: battle-hardened paratroopers, former OSS men, and other veterans of World War II and the Korean War.  The wearing of the distinctive green beret by Special Forces soldiers was controversial amongst Army leadership until General Yarborough cleared it up for us in 1961.

US Special Forces came into their own, proving themselves in the jungles, villages, and cities of Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam.  As the Vietnam War escalated, Special Forces soldiers carried out their primary duty as military instructors, coaching and mentoring South Vietnamese forces as they fought against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army.  Special Forces worked with South Vietnamese, Chinese Nhung mercenaries, and the Montagnards, some of whom were fresh out of their jungle villages.  These tribal peoples turned in their loincloths for military boots and uniforms, their Green Beret mentors molding them into an effective fighting force.

Like many of the Special Forces, this Master Sergeant Mustard has served in combat before; he wears Parachutist Wings as well as the Combat Infantry Badge.  He wears spit-shined Corcoran jump boots with starched fatigues as he prepares younger Green Berets for combat.

The First Special Forces Group sent teams to Vietnam for six-month-long, temporary duty tours. They were at Camp Hardy / Combat Training Center, located in the Northern Training Area of Okinawa, training the Army’s Special Forces, as well as SEALS and some Marines and the like, before their redeployment to Vietnam. The 1st Special Forces Group was activated at Fort Buckner, Okinawa, in June of 1957, but the 1st Special Forces Group holds the sad distinction of having first and last Special Forces soldiers killed in Vietnam. This would be the normal, or standard “Look” of the special Forces troop throughout the 1960s, and as well as having served in Vietnam, he could have also very well served in Panama, South America, South of the border, Africa, or any number of other places the United States was trying to push its political influence. In sooting the uniform, I had to break the starch as they say, unfortunately, as the method for starching and pressing these uniforms is no longer available, and the uniform was like picking up some flat cardboard, pretty radical, and was considered really cool, or, strack!

*UPDATED: Sergeant, Presnell, 3rd Special Forces, Fort Bragg, Late 1960s:

Under winter conditians the old M1965 jacket, which had a liner that could be and would be installed by buttoning inside the jacket, and winter issue hats were used, though the beret was preferred till necessary. Some special forces soldiers never received the CIB, and they never operated in a declared war, or with an infantry organization, as a Infantryman perse’, they were generally used as teachers, trainers, working with indigenous forces, never in divisional strength, but in small groups of 2- 3- 4 guys, less than a dozen at a time. Others received them from places like Korea, where the war never officially ended, and a ceasefire is in place. There were plenty of places he could have been involved in fighting, even though he did not receive the Badge for it. But the jacket would imply he’s stationed at Fort Bragg, and it is Winter. Anyway, it is a good example of a typical M65 field jacket. He is also in the position of a team leader, having Team Leader Straps on his shoulder loops. Training never ends for these soldiers, and they will be continuously trained and pollished up, and they ar held to a high standard, and their operations cover the world.

*Updated_Lieutenant Colonel Quinn, 5th Special Forces, Fort Bragg, 1968-1969:

“The Veteran”, now behind a desk at Fort Bragg, He demands respect, and doesn’t sweat the little, irrelevant stuff. He is the height of cool at Bragg and loves being around his Special Soldiers. The rest of the Army questions the need for his operations, but he knows their worth and importance and wants to train his soldiers the best he can. In Vietnam, there were something like 50% casualties then, and the school would have an attrition rate. They were training soldiers at a high pace now; he is needed there as well, a person with in-country wisdom, and a place to teach it. Unbeknownst to him, it’s at the high point of the War. He may have had enough of war, but being on the base still shows he is ready to go back at any time, but knows just what’s happening over there; leadership is out to lunch, the Supreme Commander, was applying maximum over reach, throwing a wrench in the game plane, logical full-force military command was desperately needed, and would end the show in a month, but while the enemy building up, and is getting powerful, new weapons, and more ofthem. He knows if he’s ever going to make Colonel before retirement, he’ll have to go back; promotions come faster in the field, but he might not come back from it. And the Army needs NCOs to control the enlisted men, high-ranking officers have to start competing for positions (there are only so many needed), and it’s not so much what you know but who you know… in high places.

The uniform shows the Colonel, who has earned the CIB and Master Paratrooper Jump Wings in Vietnam. He’s been through the rigorous Pathfinder school in the US. And the MACV-Rcondo School with a group from the 82nd ABN. Division in Vietnam, after the Tet Offensive, the 82nd was deployed, but they weren't there for a very long time, and likely, he was only with their class through the school. He had earlier tours of Vietnam as well, obviously the last was with MAC-V (in charge of all Advisor Operators in Vietnam), earning battlefield commissions and quick ranks. He may have even been an infantryman before his MACV tour, too, so he is very qualified. Now, after three or four tours of Vietnam, and quite possibly other overseas tours, he has been charged with passing on his knowledge, so these lessons won’t have to be learned again, and who knows what politicians have in store for the future, or where SF may be sent, they will have to be ready. This Lieutenant Colonel, Quin, has seen and done much in his day and would have ended up in a command position, making me think of Colonel Kirtz, had he made it home…but still itching for the next operation.

“New” Sergeant, Airborne Command, 10 Special Forces / Europe, (Set), early-1950s:

“NEW” PT2, Sergeant, Airborne Command_10 SF EUROPE:

“New” Sergeant, beginning of 10 SF / Europe mid-1950s:

I have a lot coming together and being rearranged, stories to come, just have to get sorted out first. I want to say this is in the late 1950s, but I’m not sure what I had going on here, getting ahead of myself a bit, some stuff still in the works.

“NEW” 10th SFGA, Bad Tolz, Germany 1956:

The uniform is supposed to have small gold and black shields with a Trojan Horse on them, on the shoulder straps. I had one for $300.00 I had gotten 5 years ago, then grabbed another for $200, but it was a different style and size, and a third I bid on till it was a $1000.00, and gave up! So the uniform does not have its appropriate DUIs. The Berets, Trojan Horse Badge, has another story of a similar outcome.

“NEW” 10 Special Forces Group - Europe, Early 1960s:

Sergeant, 12th Special Forces Group, preparing for Grenada, Operation Urgent Fury, 1983, BDU uniform:

This is the type of uniform (BDU) that my friends wore when they were in the service, as the jungle fatigues and M65 Field Jackets in colder climates would soon be phased out to these. Many would wear the uniform, and they too would linger for some time as different camouflages came and went.

12th Special Forces Group (ABN) Beret:

The Beret I had for the longest time, and could never put together with a jacket? Or a good story for it, and now it has disappeared? But the next uniform was entirely obtained because I never got that one together!

Updated Again! Lieutenant Colonel, 7th Special Forces Group, Class A Uniform:

During the 1980s, the 7th Special Forces Group supported the democratic governments of Central America in their efforts to resist communist insurgencies. From 1981 through 1992, I participated in many counterinsurgency operations during the Civil War in El Salvador.

The uniform represents the final Class A uniform used by the US Army. This uniform was officially adopted in 1957. It has undergone several minor changes over the course of its use, including the use of different materials and the replacement of the khaki shirt with a black tie by a light green shirt; it is no longer in existence. The “Office Suit” greens have disappeared. The dress blue took its place. Now, the popular “WWII Pinks and Greens” are often seen on World War II Officers, such as aces or bomber pilots.

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, he had been on assignment to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 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

U.S. ARMY, Special Forces Operator, Halo / HAHO & Nucellar Qualified :

I had a story for this, missing at the moment, this was not an operating jump-suit, but what is often referred to as the party suit, used at special occasions and with acquaintance operators, some gatherings. As I recall, this uniform represents a group of soldiers that had been through a course and trained in Atomic Weapons, “Small Nukes” (if the work can be applied to a nuclear weapon). Airborne-qualified, in High Altitude, Low Opening (HALO), and likely High Altitude High Opening as well, dropping in, they would deploy the ”Can”, like the suit-case / dirty bomb, in other words, a man-portable container, that could be delivered to a specific place at a certain time, for a very devastating attack, or on the other hand I suppose, fly in and save the day, by dis-arming such a weapon.

Staff Sgt, 3rd Special Forces Group, (West Africa Operating Area) 1990s:

The typical BDU uniform of the time, after the unit’s reactivation, had not been in operation since 1975. They would also operate in the Caribbean before serving in Iraq and Kuwait. Then in 1991ccupying the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City. Both the other two battalions of the 3rd Group were reactivated in 1992. The 3rd Group also went to Haiti in 1994 to try to get some stability there. In the late '90s, the 3rd Group helped train forces in Senegal, Uganda, Malawi, Mali, Ethiopia, Tobago, as well as others. The 3rd Special Forces Group is believed to be still operating and doing what they do.

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

Upgraded (Fixed Right Sleeve Patch)! Sergeant First Class, 5th Special Forces Group (FAV Team):

FIXED! Major, (USSOCCOM) Special Operations Command:

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, operations are going on all over the world at any given time.

They are a group of very powerful, highly trained, multi-national military personnel, they’re mission is to oversee and work with the Army’s Special Operations Black-Ops Groups and Special Forces, along with (MARSOC) the Marine Raiders, Force-Recon, and Scout-Sniper Operations. They work with the Navy SEALs and any of their other Secret observer / Sniper Operations, and the Air Forces Elite Police and Rescue Units, all specially trained and talented people working together, theoretically capable of some serious, Black 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, the response to the Terrorist Strikes, and the 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 Bronze Star and many other recognitions of achievement and service.

*The exact time of use for Class A Uniform is a bit fussy to me, but this is way at the end use of the uniform, before transferring to the Blue Trousers and Blue jacket or white shirt. The patch itself ages the uniform to 1990, is when it began being issued, so that’s the earliest that is was being worn, granted the decorations may not be original to the jacket. I think it was a Garage Sale type of sale, I need to add a nameplate to the right pocket; it won’t be original.

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

And the story of Special Forces and SOCOM will continue to be written in the Annuals of Military History; their title will change, but the missions will continue, but then, we won’t hear about them for some time, unless they want us to.