The United States Army Special Operations Command has received the Congressional Medal awarded to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The special operations forces and intelligence community organizations that trace their roots to the OSS are receiving an honorary replica.

The award will be on display in the USASOC headquarters building at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In 2016 Congress made the award to the OSS in recognition of their superior service and significant contributions during the second World War. [1]

The medal acknowledges the contributions made by OSS members to the war effort during World War II. One of the lasting effects of the OSS was the establishment of intelligence and special operations forces during the post-WWII period and the beginning of the Cold War. In particular, the OSS was the precursor to the U.S. Army Special Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency. In June 2017 the 75th OSS anniversary was celebrated.

LTG Francis Beaudette received the coveted Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of USASOC. LTG (Ret) Charles Cleveland, former USASOC commander and a member of the OSS Society, presented the medal to USASOC.

The OSS was established in June 1941. William Dovovan was appointed as director of the OSS. The purpose of the organization was to perform a variety of intelligence and special operations missions around the world – to include Europe, Asia, and other locations. At the end of World War II the Office of Strategic Services was disestablished; however, some OSS members remained in the military – later joining U.S. Army Special Forces (established in 1952). Others found themselves as early members of the Central Intelligence Agency.

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References:

[1] See Public Law 114-269 published on December 14, 2016.

[2] Some content for this article came from USASOC receives Congressional Medal, U.S. Army, August 21, 2019.
https://www.army.mil/article/226073/usasoc_receives_congressional_medal

Photo: USASOC Commanding General, LTG Francis Beaudette poses for a photo with retired LTC Charles Cleveland at a ceremony August 16, 2019, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Between them is a painting of Maj. Gen. William Donovan, who led the Office of Strategic Services.
(Photo by: U.S. Army Sgt. Brandon Allums, U.S. Army)

The United States Special Operations Command has published the June 2019 issue of Tip of the Spear. This 40- page online PDF has a number of interesting articles about U.S. special operations forces participating in exercises and operations around the world – as well as some historical content. A good read! The articles are summarized below.

U.S. Forces Train With Moroccan Forces Via Contingency Scenarios. AFSOC worked with the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco during the 10-day Epic Guardian 19 exercise in April 2019.

NATO SOF Snipers Hit the Mark. Photos of the a recent (April 2019) International Special Training Centre’s Urban Sniper Course.

ISTC Offers Elite NATO SOF Realistic Combat Medical Course. The International Special Training Centre in Stettin, Germany conducts a 21-week long intensive medical course for SOF medics.

Combined SOF Take Part in BK 19. U.S. special operations forces worked with Philippines SOF and Australian Defence Force during the Balikatan 2019 exercise held in April 2019 in the Philippines.

USAID, SOF Partner to Accomplish the 3D’s. The United States Agency for International Development – working with U.S. SOF – provided for stabilization and humanitarian assistance to areas of Syria liberated by the Syrian Democratic Front (SDF).

The Boys of Pointe du Hoc. More than 100 Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment scaled the cliffs of Normandy as part of the 75th observance of D-Day.

Men and Women Special Operators Take The War to the Enemy at D-Day and Beyond. The special operators of WWII are recognized.

SEAL Military Dive Operations. Some nice photos of NSW in action.

Special Tactics TACP Awarded Silver Star for Afghan Ambush. Tech Sergeant Cam Kelsch, a ST Tactical Air Control Party operator, is recognized for his heroic actions in Afghanistan.

Other articles include a story about a Marine Raider graduating from French Commando training, the induction of four historic figures into the Commando Hall of Honor (USSOCOM), the 19th Sovereign Challenge conference, honoring a legend of the WWII Doolittle raids, and more.

Tip of the Spear, USSOCOM, June 2019
www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/48475

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Photo: From the June 2019 issue of Tip of the Spear.

A Special Forces Warrant Officer (180A) is the recipient of the OSS Society’s Peter Ortiz Award. Lt. Gen. Scott Howell (USAF), the Vice Commander of USSOCOM, presented the award to CW4 David Shane Gandy of the 1st Special Forces Group. [1]

The Peter Ortiz Award is named after a legendary member of the Office of Strategic Services. Ortiz was an exceptional man – one who had several occupations. He served in the French Foreign Legion for five years and was highly decorated for his service. In addition, he was a US Marine – both active and in the Marine reserves. He was most noted for his time as a member of the OSS during World War II where he participated in several dangerous missions in Nazi occupied Europe. He was held as a prisoner of war twice and was the most decorated member of the OSS. After the war he spent time as movie star in Hollywood. [2]

CW4 Gandy, the 2017 recipient of the Peter Ortiz Award, has spent over twenty years in the U.S. Army with the bulk of his time in the 1st Special Forces Group. Each SF group specializes in a specific region of the world – the 1st SFGA has the Pacific region. Gandy has deployed to many countries in the Asian theater of operations during his Special Forces career. In 2010 he suffered serious injuries from an improvised explosive device (IED) which involved a significant recovery period. During his recovery he became a patient advocate assisting in the recovery of other wounded service members. He would later return to Afghanistan where he served with Special Operations Task Force West as a targeting officer.

The award ceremony for Shane Gandy was recorded and a video of the presentation posted on the OSS Society’s YouTube site. You can watch the presentation of the OSS Society’s Peter Ortiz Award at the link below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGq3kFrQSUM

Footnotes:

[1] OSS Society, www.osssociety.org The year 2017 was also the 75th anniversary of the formation of the OSS.

[2] See Legionnaire, OSS Officer, US Marine and Hollywood Hearthrob, Central Intelligence Agency, June 12, 2017.

The 75th OSS anniversary was observed this month – on June 13th, 1942. The Office of Strategic Services was created in the early days of World War II to provide an intelligence service to the United States. Prior to World War II the business of collecting and disseminating intelligence was in the hands of elements of the armed services and foreign policy experts. The OSS was America’s first true intelligence service and would be the forerunner for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and U.S. Army Special Forces.

The OSS was established under the jurisdiction of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff. President Roosevelt appointed William Dovovan as the director of the OSS. Donovan organized the OSS so it could perform a variety of missions to include research and analysis, counterintelligence, espionage, covert operations, and paramilitary operations. Paramilitary operations were conducted by “Operational Groups” or OGs. They conducted military operations in remote areas and behind enemy lines. Jedburgh teams were formed up to operate in the European theater – many of the teams parachuted into France to support the Normandy landings in June of 1944. There were many other units and elements of the OSS that conducted a variety of mission around the world such as Detachment 101 that operated in Burma area of operations.

At the conclusion of World War II the Office of Strategic Services was disbanded. Many of its members went into civilian life while some remained in the U.S. military. Some former OSS members would soon find themselves in the U.S. Army Special Forces or the Central Intelligence Agency.

Some additional reading on the OSS anniversary:

The Glorious Amateurs: OSS Turns 75! CIA, June 18, 2017.

Director Pompeo Delivers Remarks at OSS 75th Anniversary, CIA, June 16, 2017.

Some History of the OSS in Albania during WWII, SOF News, November 14, 2016.

World War II UW – Marquis, SOE, OSS, and . . . Present UW. SOF News, November 11, 2016.

Operation CARPETBAGGER – Supporting the OSS in WWII, SOF News, August 15, 2106.

Order Establishing the Office of Strategic Services, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, June 13, 1942. Posted on The American Presidency Project, University of California Santa Barbara.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Trask of the United States Air Force (USAF) and Vice Commander of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) spoke on June 16, 2017 at the 75th anniversary ceremony for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). During his speech he outlined the history and importance of the OSS during World War II. He spoke about how the OSS legacy reflects on USSOCOM in general as well as the different components of USSOCOM. He pointed out how the U.S. Army Special Forces can look back on the Jedburgh teams and Operational Groups (OGs), the U.S. Navy SEALs can trace back to the OSS Maritime Unit, the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has an early history with the Carpetbaggers that supported OSS missions, and how MARSOC can look back at the 250 Marines that served in the OSS ranks. Watch and listen to his speech by viewing a 7-minute long video posted on Youtube.com by “The OSS Society” on June 19, 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyKaO5YJBRg

In World War II the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) placed intelligence and operating agents in enemy-controlled Albania. The OSS in Albania provided a wealth of intelligence via radio transmissions. The operational and intelligence teams of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Office of Strategic Services infiltrated by sea or parachute and linked up with nationalist and communist Albanian resistance fighters based in the interior mountain regions. The occupying German and Italian military units were clustered along the coast, main roads, and large towns and cities.

As was the case in many East European countries during World War II the better organized and more successful resistance movements tended to be of a communist flavor. Albania was no exception – and the SOE and OSS in Albania were reluctantly placed in a position to work with these communist partisans. This caused some friction between the SOE and OSS. The SOE had the lead in Yugoslavia and were in support of Tito’s Communist groups. The OSS was not in favor of this policy but had to bow to the British policy.

Although the SOE was the principal mentor of the OSS early in World War II – the OSS later became more independent. In the Balkans the competition between the two agencies usually saw the OSS in Albania take the subordinate role; this was reversed later in the war when the two agencies worked together (or maybe apart) in Italy. [1]

One OSS intelligence team was exceptionally successful – and this was largely in part due to the abilities and courage of its radio operator. On December 31, 1943 Marine Gunnery Sergeant Nic Kukich landed on the coast of Albania after a boat insertion with his three-man team. He would leave and depart a few times but spent much of 1944 and 1945 in the areas of Albania occupied by the Germans and Italians. Read more of his exploits in “Nick ‘Cooky’ Kukich: Covert Operative in Albania”, Warfare History Network, November 8, 2016.

Footnotes:

[1] For more on the OSS / SOE relationship during World War II read “Office of Strategic Services versus Special Operations Executive: Competition for the Italian Resistance, 1943-1945”, Journal of Cold War Studies, Vol. 17, No. 4, Fall 2015, pp. 41-58, by Tommaso Piffer, MIT Press Journals.
www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/JCWS_a_00596

References:

The OSS in World War II Albania, by Peter Lucas. Published by McFarland & Company, Inc., 2007. Available at Amazon.com.

Special Operations: AAF Aid to European Resistance Movements, 1943-1945, by Warren, Harris Gaylord, 1947.
https://archive.org/details/SpecialOperationsAAF

The Dawn of SOWT: OSS Weathermen in the Balkans, 1944, by Bryan David Carnes, Marshal University, 2015.
http://mds.marshall.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1933&context=etd

A Laconian’s Story of espionage, Fosters.com, June 3, 2007. http://www.fosters.com/article/20070603/GJNEWS02/106030294

“Peter Lucas: Albania enshrines OSS heroes”, The Lowell Sun, May 20, 2014. www.lowellsun.com/peterlucas/ci_25797841/peter-lucas-albania-enshrines-oss-heroes

Bibliography: OSS and SOE Operations in the Balkans – Albania, Intellit, Muskingum University.
http://intellit.muskingum.edu/wwii_folder/wwiioss_folder/oss_bal_alb.html

Albanian Resistance during World War II, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_resistance_during_World_War_II