1st Special Forces Group
1st SFG got a new commanding officer on June 28, 2012, when Col. Francis Beaudette handed over command to Col. Robert McDowell, who previously was director of training and doctrine at JFKSWCS. The ceremony took place at 1st SFG’s home base on Joint Base Lewis-McCord near Spokane, Wash. Beaudette, whose time in command focused on operations in the Philippines, Korea, and East Asia, is headed for a new position at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. McDowell is a combat veteran from Afghanistan, where he served with Task Force Dagger in the fall of 2001.
3rd Special Forces Group
On July 13, 3rd SFG got a new commander when Col. Mark C. Schwartz relinquished his duties to Col. Patrick M. Roberson in a ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C.
“The 3rd Group took some of the toughest missions in Afghanistan,” then-SFC Commander Brig. Gen. Edward M. Reeder said, speaking of the group’s combat deployments while Schwartz was in command. “In Afghanistan, you lived among the Afghan people and fought in the most contested regions of Taliban sanctuary where no other coalition partners would dare to venture and operate. You took the fight to the Taliban … Mark, you were masterful at keeping the Taliban off balance.”
5th Special Forces Group
The 5th SFG, known as “The Legion,” had another eventful year in 2012, continuing to be led by Col. Scott E. Brower. But in addition to their combat and operational missions in 2012, 5th SFG continued a long tradition, dating back to their formation more than five decades ago. 5th SFG held a ceremony May 19 on Gabriel Field to mark the loss of “Legionnaires” from their unit. Gabriel Field was named in honor of Spc. 5 James P. Gabriel, who was one of the first Green Berets to be killed in Vietnam, and 57 markers for fallen 5th Group soldiers are placed around the perimeter of the field, each shaded by an oak tree.
Two MH-6 Little Birds from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) conduct a fly-over during the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Gold Star Memorial Ceremony at Gabriel Field on Fort Campbell, Ky., May 19, 2012. The ceremony honored those 5th SFG (A) soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in training or combat operations. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Barbara Ospina
“Today we take time to remember,” said Brower. “We remember those that have gone before us, but we also take time to reconnect with our big family – our Legion family. We share in the memory of our fallen, but rejoice and share your pride in all the goodness that they have created, much of which is right here, sitting in the stands and standing on this field.”
7th Special Forces Group
7th SFG spent 2012 carrying out its normal missions while continuing to move into a new garrison and home base at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The move of 7th SFG, triggered by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), was the largest such move dealt with by any unit in USASOC, and their new state-of-the-art facility is already paying dividends. Col. Antonio M. Fletcher and the 2,200-plus soldiers under his command (along with their dependents) are finding the Fort Walton Beach area an excellent home, with a strong business base providing good job opportunities for family members. This move has clearly been a win-win for both the Army and Northwest Florida.
10th Special Forces Group
Col. John Deedrick and his 10th SFG soldiers (“The Originals”) celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2012. This first Special Forces unit was established on Smoke Bomb Hill at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 1952. The commemoration of the very first SF began in mid-June and continued throughout 2012. In addition to a ball held at Fort Carson, Colo., there were a number of public events, including a motorcycle ride, parachute jumping demonstrations, and visits by original members of the 10th SFG. Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Krider, the group’s senior enlisted adviser said of the formal event, “It was without question the most significant, largest, and classiest military ball I have experienced in my 24 years of service.”
U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command South descend during a rotary-wing airborne operation April 16, 2013, at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla. DoD photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea, U.S. Army
19th and 20th Special Forces Group
Special Forces Command’s two Army National Guard (ANG) SFGs, the 19th and 20th, spent 2012 supporting a wide variety of cooperative training and combat missions. This often involved performing duties that their active-duty SF brethren would be used to in more peaceful times. The two National Guard SFGs have been critical in keeping the vital Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) program and the foreign internal defense (FID) mission alive within SOCOM and USASOC. In addition, both National Guard SFGs have kept their own skills sharp, often working in conjunction with other Army Reserve and Guard units in training exercises. One example of this came in January, when 19th SFG soldiers hosted troops from the Hawaii National Guard’s 93rd Civil Support Team at Snowmass Village in Colorado. This provided the Hawaii guardsmen a unique opportunity to train and operate in high-altitude snow conditions, something they rarely encounter in their home state.
The 20th SFG also got a new commander in 2012, when, on June 1, Col. Randall M. Zeegers handed over his command flag to Col. James D. Craig. Hosting the ceremony was Alabama National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Perry G. Smith. “We don’t select just anybody to command at the brigade level; you must prove that you have the potential to serve at this level by performing well and leading professionally,” Smith said of the challenges of leading a National Guard SFG during the ceremony.