Special Forces

This is a comment from a retired SF Colonel at another forum. He seems quite testy about so I thought I would pass it on.

"The press botched the use of the term Special Forces again. This was not a Special Forces operation.

All Special Forces qualified men earned US Army Green Berets and all US Army Green Berets are Special Forces. Anyone without a Green Beret who claims to be SF is a wannabe.

I know a lot of SEALS. They want to be known as SEALS - not Special Forces, and rightfully so. They have their own record to stand on.

SEAL operators have no interest in infringing on the history, record and legacy of Special Forces. That is not true for many Navy Admirals and USMC Generals."

Not sure if this would be on line anywhere but if it is and anyone is interested this is also from the Colonel.

"Not sure if this available on-line, but tomorrow shortly after 0645 EST, I am going to be interviewed on the Murphy in the Morning radio broadcast at 107.5 FM in the TRIAD area of NC."

http://www.1075kzl.com/pages/3692158.php


Appears they have a listen online link.

NC you are correct. You would not want to go up to a Navy Seal and call them Special Forces. They will take offense to that. They are Navy Seals. Different training etc.

A bit of history - pardon if you are aware: SEAL is an acronym for SEA AIR LAND and was a concept that evolved from Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) that started well before WWII. JFK directed the expanded role of the SEALS. They are trained at Coronado , CA (Silver Strand) and based basically out of the amphib bases at Coronado and Little Creek, VA. They come from both the Navy and Marine Corps and are a mix of officers and Petty Officers - and are certainly not pleased to be referred to as ANYTHING but SEALS (do not insult them). The training school (BUDS) eliminates up to 75% of each class - few make the grade (Special Forces would be welcome to give it a try.... : ))

We currently have four converted SSBNs fitted to carry about 150 cruise missiles and a dorm of SEAL teams (unclass and available on line)......these subs (Ohio, Michigan, Georgia and Florida) operate out of Guam and a base in the Indian Ocean. The teams can be deployed and retrieved while the boats are fully submerged (old stuff). Many times the teams operate off surface warships as we saw when they took out the thugs that tried to hijack that merchant and this op off Carl Vincent.


ALL above is unclass.

We are indeed fortunate to have these assets:
The Ohio — and three sister ships to follow — are changing with the times, becoming relevant to today's battles.

It was converted at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to carry 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 66 special forces troops.

Rear Adm. Frank Drennan called the Ohio's makeover revolutionary.

"We took a covert platform with enormous volume and gained striking power and a base at sea for special operations forces," said the man responsible for all of the Trident subs at Bangor. "Those types of things are revolutionary."

"Today is what I consider an installment on a promise the Navy made five years ago to transform to a platform that's more relevant," he said.

Tomahawk cruise missiles have a quality that nuclear ones don't.

"I always think a conventional deterrent is more important because the enemy knows you'll be able to use that conventional weapon," said U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, who championed funding for the conversions. "The chance of using nuclear weapons is very remote, and it should be."

EXTREME MAKEOVER

The Ohio went into the shipyard on Nov. 15, 2002, for a $250 million, one-year nuclear reactor refueling and $750 million, two-year conversion. It rejoined the fleet on Feb. 7, 2006. Its crews have been training ever since, getting qualified for the mission that is set to begin Sunday and making sure the modifications work as planned.

The conversion of another Bangor sub, the USS Michigan, from an SSBN (nuclear-powered, ballistic-missile submarine) to an SSGN (nuclear-powered, guided-missile submarine) is about a year behind the Ohio. The Michigan returned to service on June 12, but it won't be deployed until late next year.

Two others — the USS Florida and USS Georgia — are being converted at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Norfolk, Va., and will be based at Kings Bay, Ga. The four are the oldest of the Ohio-class submarines and were scheduled to be decommissioned in 2003 and 2004.

MMC(SS), LCDR RET USN

neptunechimney wrote: www.1075kzl.com/pages/3692158.php


Appears they have a listen online link.

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deltamrey wrote: A bit of history - pardon if you are aware: SEAL is an acronym for SEA AIR LAND and was a concept that evolved from Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) that started well before WWII. JFK directed the expanded role of the SEALS. They are trained at Coronado , CA (Silver Strand) and based basically out of the amphib bases at Coronado and Little Creek, VA. They come from both the Navy and Marine Corps and are a mix of officers and Petty Officers - and are certainly not pleased to be referred to as ANYTHING but SEALS (do not insult them). The training school (BUDS) eliminates up to 75% of each class - few make the grade (Special Forces would be welcome to give it a try.... : ))

We currently have four converted SSBNs fitted to carry about 150 cruise missiles and a dorm of SEAL teams (unclass and available on line)......these subs (Ohio, Michigan, Georgia and Florida) operate out of Guam and a base in the Indian Ocean. The teams can be deployed and retrieved while the boats are fully submerged (old stuff). Many times the teams operate off surface warships as we saw when they took out the thugs that tried to hijack that merchant and this op off Carl Vincent.


ALL above is unclass.

Just wanted to add what a close friend of mine told me, Retired Seal team Chief, Those that join the Seals for the bells and whistles and cameras are usually dismissed out of the seals. All they do is endanger the rest.