Special Forces power grows et al.

[front]

[A few SF stories from the wire]

Special Forces power grows

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=military&Story=5801951

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/photos/2003/aug/m07sf.jpg

[ An Afghan describes his village’s armaments to a Special Forces captain during an August 2002 search in Khost, 80 miles from Kabul.]

By Henry Cuningham
Military editor


Decisions of the 1980s and an influx of dollars during the past two years made the Green Berets one of the military's key players since Sept. 11, 2001, a Special Forces leader says.
photo
AP file photo
An Afghan describes his village’s armaments to a Special Forces captain during an August 2002 search in Khost, 80 miles from Kabul.

''The damage that we can do on the battlefield today is significantly different from what we could have done on 11 September,'' Maj. Gen. Geoffrey C. Lambert said. ''It's an amazing, amazing transformation.''

Lambert became commander of U.S. Army Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg days before the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. He oversaw 9,500 Special Forces soldiers who deployed around the world and were in the thick of the fight in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Philippines and Colombia. In July, Lambert became commander of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, which oversees the training of Special Forces from initial selection and assessment to advanced skills.

The battlefield success is due to personnel decisions of 20 years ago, he said.

The Army in 1983 made Special Forces a separate career field for enlisted soldiers. That means soldiers can stay in Special Forces as a career and be promoted accordingly, rather than going back and forth to another occupation such as infantry. A separate branch was established for Special Forces warrant officers in 1985 and officers in 1987.

''Starting in the 1980s, we have an investment in careers in unconventional warfare,'' Lambert said. ''We don't have Special Forces soldiers any more that come here and then go back where they came from. We have dedicated unconventional warriors. That's the payoff. That's what's changed.''

Special Forces training includes how to operate in small groups in hostile territory in uncertain situations with people from different cultures.

''All we needed was a massive investment of millions of dollars after Sept. 11 to give us the latest stuff to fight with,'' Lambert said. ''The thought processes, the development of the leaders from the lowest soldier level to the colonel level was in place because of those branch decisions made back in 1980. That's why everything that we have done is no surprise to us at all.''

During the Iraqi war, Special Forces soldiers working with Kurdish fighters tied down 12 Iraqi divisions in the north, preventing those divisions from reinforcing Baghdad, Lambert said.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Special Forces received the antiarmor Javelin missile and developed the Special Forces Ground Mobility Vehicle, an armored Humvee designed to give Special Forces more mobility.

''The real technological leap for us is the Javelin missile,'' Lambert said. ''We had one man kill three tanks in one day. We had one fellow kill five vehicles in one day. We were getting effective shots up to 4,000 meters. This thing is just a really incredible piece of technology.''

The Javelin, which came into service in 1996, is 3 feet, 6 inches long and weighs 26 pounds.

''We only got that by asking the Army to give it to us as missions evolved in the global war on terrorism,'' Lambert said. ''We really didn't anticipate us being street fighters against armor. We really don't usually think of us that way.''

Special Forces soldiers typically work in situations where they are far away from the support of artillery that conventional units have. In Vietnam, they got support from Huey and Cobra helicopters and Air Force airplanes. In Iraq, A-teams had the added advantages of laser, satellite and computer technology to call in friendly air power.

''But now with precision weapons from the air and the Javelin in our hands - oh my Lord! - you'd better watch out,'' Lambert said.

[front]

Remember El Alamo

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/trn/local_news/article/0,1891,TRN_5784_2164878,00.html

http://mas.scripps.com/TRN/2003/08/07/Texas1_e.jpg

["Texas 8" was the name Sgt. Mike Mauldwin gave his Hummer while he served in Afghanistan because he added a historic Texas state flag to the U.S. flag on his vehicle's antennas.]

http://mas.scripps.com/TRN/2003/08/07/Texas3_e.jpg

[Green Berets of Sgt. Mike "Crusty" Mauldwin's unit.]

http://mas.scripps.com/TRN/2003/08/07/Texas4_e.jpg

[Sgt. First Class Mike "Crusty" Mauldwin.]

Historic Texas flag accompanies unit through fighting in Afghanistan

By Jeff Hall/Times Record News
August 7, 2003

What Mike Mauldwin was looking for were a few Texas antenna flags. He ended up with a historic state flag that made a little more history while in his care.

Sgt. First Class Michael "Crusty" Mauldwin isn't your average Texan. A member of the Army's Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 762, 7th Special Forces Group, the Wichita Falls native has served for 19 years in many of the world's hot spots, usually in South America.

Which made it surprising that his unit was sent last year to Afghanistan instead of its normal stomping grounds. The men were accompanied by a large Texas flag that just happened to have flown over the Alamo.

As his unit got ready to ply its trade in the dusty plains and rocky valleys of Afghanistan, Mauldwin said he wanted to take something special with him.

"I started putting out feelers to find small Texas flags to put on the antennas (of the unit's Humvees)," Mauldwin said. "There were none of them around here, so my dad suggested calling the Alamo."

His parents, Doris and Mike Mauldwin, still live in Wichita Falls, and his brother David Mauldwin works for the Wichita County Sheriff's Department.

After exchanging a few e-mails with the Alamo Society, Mauldwin got something more than antenna flags.

"On Sept. 12, they air-flighted a Texas flag and an American flag they had flown over the Alamo on 11 Sept. 2002 - on the anniversary of 9-11," he said.

That flag, already part of a historic anniversary at a site considered hallowed ground by Texans, was about to fly through a little more history, thanks to Mauldwin and his band of brothers.

On Oct. 5, 2002, the Texas flag and the American flag were raised over a Special Forces firebase slightly more than a mile from the Pakistani-Afghani border. It was dubbed Firebase El Alamo.

Mauldwin, 23 other Special Forces troopers and a 42-member infantry platoon from the 82nd Airborne Division were about to get a taste of what Travis, Bowie and Crockett endured 164 years earlier on the plains of San Antonio.

"We received 59 rocket attacks, numerous RPG (rocket propelled grenade) attacks, he said. "El Alamo received the most attacks of any firebase in-country until they closed it on 11 December."

Considering the ultimate fate of Travis, Bowie and Crockett at the Alamo, some might think Mauldwin and his fellow soldiers were tempting fate.

Not the first sergeant, however.

"I'm not superstitious," he said. "However, we did parallel the fact that our El Alamo and the Texas Alamo had several similarities. One, no help could arrive in time, and we were on our own if al Qaida/Taliban/insurgent (forces) decided to overrun us.

"Two, our compound was about the same as the Alamo in that we had one primary wall for protection. Three, we only had 60 mm and 81 mm mortars, and they had light cannons. And four - the greatest similarity - we are better fighters, so bring it on!"

Another big difference was the mission. While the original Alamo was tasked with delaying Santa Anna's army, Mauldwin and his buddies were trying to win hearts and minds while tangling with guerilla forces.

"In as much as we could do, we were highly successful," he said. "We dealt with the tribes in eastern Afghanistan mainly, where there's been no government out there for hundreds of years."

The Special Forces were also hampered a bit by Civil Affairs soldiers and officers who had been to the region earlier, making a lot of promises his command couldn't fulfill, Mauldwin said. But after they got to know the Special Forces troops, the tribal elders and members began to work with them.

"They accepted us pretty well because we dealt with them one-on-one," Mauldwin said.

It also took a little bit of thinking to get the locals on their side, he said.

"One of the tribal elders came into our camp to talk with us about a Paki (Pakistani) observation post being moved closer to their lands," Mauldwin said. "I told them I promised them the Pakis wouldn't move any closer. Of course, the Pakis had moved in as far as their international boundaries, and I knew they weren't going to move any further in ..."

Not that the Pakistani soldiers helped much, Mauldwin said. Virtually all of the rocket attacks on El Alamo came either from Pakistan or just inside the border.

After 56 days flying over El Alamo, the Texas and U.S. flags came down. But their combat tour wasn't close to finishing.

Mauldwin attached the flags to the antennas on his guntruck, nicknamed "Texas 8." It had been dubbed Alpha 8, but because of the flags, the new name was a natural, Mauldwin said. Those flags flew proudly during missions in the Helmand and Zabol provinces of Afghanistan.

Toward the end of their seven-month rotation, Mauldwin and the troops of SFOD-A 762 were joined by six other Special Forces attachments. They were to carry out a reconnaissance mission in Baghran Valley in the Helmand province.

"On the second day of the mission, we got ambushed," he said. "And for the subsequent 43 hours, we were under fire. And the flag stayed on the truck the entire time. This was the largest U.S. engagement since Operation Anaconda."

It was also the place where Mauldwin won a bronze star.

"We managed to fight our way out of the ambush's kill zone and establish a security perimeter," Mauldwin said. "We were able to account for everyone except for one vehicle, which we determined was still in the ambush area.

"My detachment then re-entered the kill zone, under fire, and rescued the two individuals whose truck had overturned during the initial engagement."

Almost a month later, Mauldwin's unit was sent to Kandahar to get ready to return to the United States. At the same time, 'El Alamo Battle Flag,' by now well known throughout the country, was honorably retired on April 13, 2003, after seven months on the battlefield, Mauldwin said.

Two months later, he presented the Texas flag to the administrator of the Alamo, and it was raised, once again, on the flagpole overlooking the old Spanish mission in the heart of San Antonio.

Mauldwin believes the flag represents not only the men, women and children who died in the Sept. 11 terror attacks but also the Green Berets of the 7th Special Forces Group who are dedicated to protecting freedom and freeing the oppressed.

The flag is now on permanent display at the Alamo.

"I thought it was pretty cool," he said. "It had started here, and it ended up here."

[General_Makabe]

All one can say is: Man, things have changed. It is good that the Special operations are finally getting the respect that they deserve. It is satisfying to know that the Military finally sees the strategic advantage that such units offer. The part about the SF units tying down 12 Iraqi division with the aid of the Kurds...classic force multiplying. We can definitely chalk this up to prioritizing of special operations 20 years ago.

[front]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07191939.htm

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (*******) - A shadowy unit of elite troops is leading the hunt in Iraq for Saddam Hussein, who remains a step ahead of his pursuers four months after being driven from power.

The U.S. military is tight-lipped about the activities of Task Force 20, whose commandos were involved in the July 22 raid in Mosul in which Saddam's sons Uday and Qusay were killed and now are stalking the missing former president.

But a senior defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Task Force 20 as "a multi-service special forces unit."

The official said it tracks "high-value targets," meaning Saddam and his inner circle, and during the war was responsible for securing Iraq's expansive western desert and also involved in the fruitless search for weapons of mass destruction.

Analysts said Task Force 20 comprises perhaps 750-1,500 troops, drawn from several established units under the U.S. Special Operations Command.

Its commandos have taken part in raids in and around Saddam's hometown Tikrit, the capital Baghdad and elsewhere, but so far have failed to locate him.

Like other nations, the United States maintains elite units for hostage rescues, counter-terrorism operations and missions requiring few troops using stealth and speed.

DELTA FORCE

The Army's Delta Force appears to be at the heart of Task Force 20, with contributions from Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) teams and other units, said Patrick Garrett, an analyst with the Globalsecurity.org defense think tank.

Garrett said Task Force 20 may be headquartered at Baghdad international airport, probably with forward operating positions around Tikrit. In Tikrit, members of the task force show up periodically at a local barracks, with stubbly faces and scruffy civilian clothes, saying nothing.

A ******* reporter on the scene when the Army's Third Infantry Division arrived at the airport in April before the fall of Baghdad saw members of Task Force 20 already in place. They wore traditional Arab headdresses, trousers and black T-shirts, drove in modified Humvees and carried M16 rifles.

Delta Force, based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and comprised of volunteers mainly from the 82nd Airborne Division, Green Berets and Rangers, was created in 1977 and has performed difficult and sometimes disastrous missions.

For example, eight Americans were killed in April 1980 when a transport plane collided with a helicopter at a spot in Iran dubbed Desert One in a botched Delta Force mission to rescue hostages held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

Michael Vickers, a former Army Special Forces and CIA officer and an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said CIA paramilitary operatives may be working alongside Task Force 20, but it was unlikely they comprised a formal part of the unit.

"The agency doesn't like to have their people under military command," Vickers said.

[front]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2003/200309032a.jpg

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2003/n09032003_200309032.html

Remembering 'El Alamo'

American Forces Press Service

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Sept. 3, 2003 -- The Texas flag that flew over the Alamo in San Antonio during last year's Sept. 11 remembrance ceremonies has added more history to its legacy.

The flag, returned this summer for permanent display where a small band of Texas volunteers defied Mexican dictator Santa Anna's army of thousands for nearly two weeks during 1836, now boasts seven months of battlefield duty in the war on terrorism.

The odyssey began when Army Sgt. 1st Class James Michael Mauldwin of the 7th Special Forces Group here learned his unit was about to deploy to Afghanistan. Mauldwin began searching for small Texas flags to put on his team's vehicle antennas. When his search came up short, the Alamo Society stepped in. The society offered Mauldwin and his fellow soldiers in Special Forces Operations Detachment-A 762 eight small Texas flags, as well as full-size U.S. and Texas flags that flew over the Alamo during ceremonies recognizing the first anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

After deploying in late September 2002, the team officially raised the Texas flag over its firebase, which was dubbed "El Alamo." The firebase, within two kilometers of the Pakistani border in Afghanistan's Paktika Province, saw heavy action during the next 56 days, receiving more than 59 rocket attacks.

When the firebase was closed in mid-December, Mauldwin transferred the colors to his vehicle for a seven-day journey to Kandahar. From there, the flag accompanied the team to Helmand Province for a special reconnaissance mission, then into Zabol province for an unconventional warfare assessment mission in January.

The "El Alamo Battle Flag," as it came to be called, flew once again from Mauldwin's vehicle when the detachment, along with six other special forces detachments, moved into Baghran Valley in Helmand Province the next month. Two days into the reconnaissance mission, the soldiers were ambushed and engaged in a 43-hour battle.

About a month later, the flag -- by then well known by U.S. forces throughout Afghanistan -- accompanied the team as it returned to Kandahar to prepare for redeployment to the United States. On April 13, El Alamo was honorably retired after seven months of combat duty.

This summer, Mauldwin and three of his children returned to San Antonio to return the flag to the Alamo Society administrator.

"The flag began its journey at the Alamo, and it's only fitting that its story should end there," he said. "The flag represents not only the men, women and children who died on Sept. 11, but also the Green Berets of the 7th Special Forces Group and their dedication to protecting freedom and freeing the oppressed around the world."

The flag is now on permanent display at the Alamo.

[Trigger]

Great Post, Thanks! woot

[Trident-za]

Good reading :)

[front]

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/photos/2003/sep/m06medal.jpg

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=military&Story=5858575

By Henry Cuningham
Military editor

Staff Sgt. Jefferey S. Boan receives the Army Commendation Medal with 'v' device for valor from Brig. Gen. David P. Burford.

Special Forces soldiers were outnumbered five to one on April 6 when they encountered about 150 Iraqi soldiers with tanks and armored personnel carriers. An errant bomb killed some of the Green Berets' Kurdish allies.

"You've got two significant events going on at the same time," Capt. Eric M. Wright said. "Everyone handled it. Everyone came home. ... Everyone performed that day."

Wright, a 31-year-old A-team leader from Philadelphia, was one of 13 Special Forces soldiers who received the Bronze Star for valor Friday at Fort Bragg for their performance in April during the Iraq war.

On April 6, two teams of Special Forces soldiers fired Javelin antitank missiles, machine guns and grenade launchers, routing the Iraqi force and destroying tanks, armored personnel carriers and trucks. The battle lasted several hours. No Green Berets died.

"We got to the battle position that we dubbed 'the Alamo,' where we all made our stand at," said Sgt. 1st Class Frank R. Antenori, a 37-year-old Special Forces team leader originally from Scranton, Pa. Two Special Forces soldiers started launching Javelin missiles, smacking the armored personnel carriers, he said.

Sgt. 1st Class Antenori talks about the mission

"They just shut the Iraqis down," Antenori said. "They quickly caused a lot of confusion for them on the battlefield."

Then the Americans' grenade launchers and .50-caliber machine guns "started eating them up," he said.

Brig. Gen. David P. Burford presided at the ceremony at the auditorium in the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. He is acting commanding general of U.S. Army Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg.

"You guys are going to be talked about, written about and consulted for the experiences of your combat successes for years to come," Burford said.

The soldiers are members of the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Special Forces Group.

Valor in the field

The Bronze Star with "v" device for valor is the Army's fourth highest award for ground combat. The award - without the "v" - also is also given for meritorious achievement or service outside combat.

Two Special Forces soldiers will receive the Silver Star, the third highest decoration for combat heroism, on Sept. 15.

The role of Special Forces soldiers in northern Iraq became more important when the 4th Infantry Division was not able to enter Iraq through Turkey. In the war on Iraq, the Green Berets helped tie down Saddam Hussein's forces in the north.

"While you might not be thanked by the public, those of us who have seen the pictures, read the reports, talked to you man to man, understand just how much you contributed," Burford said.

The other Bronze Star recipients are Staff Sgt. Leonard L. Bussius Jr., Master Sgt. Melvin G. Carroll, Capt. Edward C. Croot, Sgt. 1st Class Van E. Hines, Chief Warrant Officer Martin D. McKenna, Warrant Officer Robert L. Parker, Capt. Mathew C. Saunders, Capt. James G. Spivey, Capt. James E. Staton, Master Sgt. Kenneth R. Thompson and Staff Sgt. Eugene G. Zawoski.

Purple hearts

Two soldiers received Purple Hearts and four received the Army Commendation Medal with "v" device for valor. Sgt. 1st Class Richard Kelly and Staff Sgt. Todd S. Adams received Purple Hearts for being wounded in action.

Kelly, a 41-year-old Special Forces medic originally from Johnstown, Pa., was hit in the back of his head by a bullet on April 13.

The bullet went through another soldier's hip, clipped a belt of machine-gun ammunition, went through glass and smacked a plastic buckle on the back of Kelly's helmet.

"If you would probably take out any one of those four things, that probably would have been a little scrambling going on in the noggin," Kelly said. "It did cause some damage, but the deal is, I was able to walk away. That's a barroom story."

[Ryan94]

@front

Do you or anyone other a high-res ver. of this pic?

Thanks

[hood]

Dateline had a segment last night on the raid that killed Uday and Qusay. They covered TF 20 a bunch and interviewed the 101st airborne guys that were there. What's interesting, is that they showed a bunch of new photos, which they said were all new, never seen before dod images. One of them was the one that we've had up in the raid gallery for this event since the day after it happened. :)