Ross Perot awarded honorary Green Beret

Brig. Gen. Michael S. Repass, commanding general, Unites States Army Special Forces Command, presents an honorary Green Beret to Ross Perot at the Banquet for the 2nd Annual Special Forces Symposium Banquet, April 22, while Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland Jr., commanding general, United States Army Special Operations Command, and Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Csrnko, Commanding General, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, look on. Perot was presented the Green Beret for his remarkable contributions to the Special Forces community. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Curt Squires, USASOC News Service)

I think most people would be surprised to learn how much Perot gives to charities without seeking any publicity.

Memorial to Warriors

Special Operations Soldiers honor fallen comrades with new memorial

RELEASE NUMBER: 090421-01
DATE POSTED: APRIL 21, 2009
Special Operations Soldiers honor fallen comrades with new memorial

Kabul, Afghanistan (Courtesy of CJSOTF-A Public Affairs, April 21, 2009) -Soldiers from the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan unveiled a memorial dedicated to its fallen brethren killed in Operation Enduring Freedom during a ceremony at Camp Vance, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan April 9.
new memorial

It was a somber occasion as formations of Soldiers observed a moment of silence while the monument, dedicated to those CJSOTF-A Soldiers who have died in service to their nation, made its second debut.

Standing in its humble grandeur in front of the CJSOTF-A headquarters, aptly draped in an olive drab parachute, the new memorial was rededicated at the site of the new headquarters which moved to a new location on Bagram Airfield.

“Today, once more, we set in stone the anchor which honors our past, and sets a standard of excellence for the future,” said the CJSOTF-A Commander, Col. Gus Benton II.

Ninety six names have been etched into the marble stone of the memorial over the past seven years beginning with Sergeant 1st Class Daniel Petithory, of Cheshire, Mass. who was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, of Fort Campbell, Ky. Petithory was killed in action Dec. 5, 2001.

“We are here today,” said Benton, “to honor the selfless service and sacrifice of the men of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force; to preserve the memory of their service to their nation, and set an example for future generations; so that they will never forget and will continue forward.”
remembering the fallen


“These soldiers to whom we pay special homage are much more than names on a wall or gravestone,” Benton added, “they are symbols of our march toward a time when the world order will stand for justice, democracy, and economic freedom.”

Benton, along with the CJSOTF-A Command Sergeant Major, Terry Peters, slowly peeled away the chute to reveal the newest tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

“It is absolutely critical for us to both remember and to mark the occurrences of that incredible loss of life for something much greater than ourselves,” said Peters.

“We take the time here to recognize them because we understood them before when they were alive, we appreciated them in their passing, we honor them every day and we will always remember what they have meant to both us and this great nation,” added Peters.

“Let us not mourn in sadness for the loss of these extraordinary men,” said Benton, “but rather revel in their greatness, be honored to have served alongside them, remember them, and thank God that such men lived. De Oppresso Liber.”

--usasoc--

US sending shipment of hats to Afghanistan?

Green Beret deployment to Afghanistan sparks controversy

Edited: Looks like they have changed the title now.

One complaint I have heard for some time now is that there is too much Big Green machine in Afghanistan now and that things were going much better early on when Special Forces were in the lead role. Afghanistan is just the situation they have been training for since the days of Vietnam.

10 Members of ODA 3336 3rd SF Group Receive Silver Star for Afghan Battle

10 Green Berets to Receive Silver Star for Afghan Battle

A harrowing, nearly seven-hour battle unfolded on that mountainside in Afghanistan's Nuristan province on April 6, as Walton, his team and a few dozen Afghan commandos they had trained took fire from all directions. Outnumbered, the Green Berets fought on even after half of them were wounded -- four critically -- and managed to subdue an estimated 150 to 200 insurgents, according to interviews with several team members and official citations.

Today, Walton and nine of his teammates from Operational Detachment Alpha 3336 of the 3rd Special Forces Group will receive the Silver Star for their heroism in that battle -- the highest number of such awards given to the elite troops for a single engagement since the Vietnam War

Very intense article.

As Ford and Staff Sgt. John Wayne Walding returned fire, Walding was hit below his right knee. Ford turned and saw that the bullet "basically amputated his right leg right there on the battlefield."

Walding, of Groesbeck, Tex., recalled: "I literally grabbed my boot and put it in my crotch, then got the boot laces and tied it to my thigh, so it would not flop around. There was about two inches of meat holding my leg on." He put on a tourniquet, watching the blood flow out the stump to see when it was tight enough.

Then Walding tried to inject himself with morphine but accidentally used the wrong tip of the syringe and put the needle in this thumb, he later recalled. "My thumb felt great," he said wryly, noting that throughout the incident he never lost consciousness. "My name is John Wayne," he said.

Congratulations gentlemen and thank you for your service.