SOF News Update 20170703 – Ranger Hall of Fame Inductees, McChrystal on national service, Air Force Cross awarded to Special Tactics Airman, MC-130J’s of 17th Special Operations Squadron, 1st SFGA’s ‘Dragon Week’, and more.
Read Up on MC-130Js of 17th SOS. The “Jakals” of the 17th Special Operation Squadron recently practiced a mass launch of their MC-130J Commando IIIs at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. See “Day of the Jakal”, DVIDS, June 22, 2017.
Ranger Hall of Fame. Seventeen Rangers were inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame on June 28th, 2017 (Wednesday) during a ceremony at Fort Benning, Georgia. Some of the inductees served during World War II, Vietnam, the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia, as well as in the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Read more in “Meet the newest members of the Army’s Ranger Hall of Fame”, Army Times, June 29, 2017.
Special Tactics Airman Awarded Air Force Cross. An Airman was awarded the services highest valor award for his heroic actions in 2002 when his quick reaction force (QRF) engaged the Taliban for over 17 hours in an attempt to rescue a special operations force taking part in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan. Read “Survival on Takur Gar”, Air Force Magazine, August 2017.
“Dragon Week” – Keeping 1st SFGA Teams Ready. Members of 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group recently completed a training exercise that stresses “. . . Soldiers both physically and mentally as they navigate their way through multiple tactical and technical challenges”. See “1st SFG(A) Soldiers Face Arduous Training During ‘Dragon Week'”, DVIDS, June 30, 2017.
McChrystal on National Service. One of our favorite generals – Stanley McChrystal – has penned an opinion piece for Time.com about how American society needs more trust and consensus and less Facebook posts. He believes that the Serve America Act passed nearly a decade ago should be funded by Congress. Programs like AmeriCorps, YouthBuild, Peace Corps, and others do work – and put our young people against many nagging problems that require hard work, cooperation, and a spirit of volunteerism. Stan provides three solid recommendations to achieve a new sense of volunteerism and provide for one-year national service opportunities. Read more in “Stanley McChrystal: Every American Should Serve for One Year”, Time.com, June 20, 2017.
