The 8th Special Forces Group of the United States Army was established in 1963 at Fort Gulick, Panama Canal Zone. The primary mission of the 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne) [(SFG(A)] was counter-insurgency training for the armies of Latin America. Some training was performed under the sponsorship of the School of the Americas, also located at Fort Gulick.[5][6]
Soldiers from the 8th SFG(A) conduct HALO training with new Special Forces students at Fort Gulick, circa 1966
8th SFG(A) conduct counterinsurgency training in Bolivia, circa 1966
In May 1962, the advance party from Company D, 7th SFG(A) departed from Ft. Bragg, NC to Fort Gulick, Panama, at that time in the Panama Canal Zone, to establish the 8th SFG(A). Three months later, in August 1962, Major Melvin J. Sowards, Commander of Company D, 7th SFG(A) moved the main body of the company to the Canal Zone. They would be followed by augmentation detachments. Upon their arrival, the basic organization of the Special Action Force (SAF) was completed and Lieutenant Colonel Sawyer assumed command. The legendary Lieutenant Colonel Arthur D. Simons, aka "Bull", then took command of Company D, 7th SFG(A) 18 January 1963 and LTC Sawyer became the Executive Officer. On 12 April 1963, under the command of LTC Simons, the SAF elements of the 7th SFG(A) were officially redesignated, as authorized by the Department of the Army and the 8th SFG(A) was activated.[7][8]
The 8th's full designation was 8th Special Forces Group (ABN), Special Action Force (SAF), Latin America.[9] The 8th was the US Army's only full SAF. In addition to the two line Special Forces companies, the SAF included a Military Intelligence detachment, a Medical detachment, a Military Police detachment, an Engineer detachment, an Army Security Agency detachment, and the 9th Psychological Warfare Company (ABN), the predecessor unit of the US Army's present-day 9th Psychological Operations Battalion (ABN).
Special Forces at this time didn't use designators like "battalion". A Special Forces company (which later became a battalion) was commanded by a Lt. Colonel and was designated as a "C" team. The 8th had 2 "C" teams. Each "C" team had 3 "B" teams and each "B" team had 5 "A" teams. The 8th SAF also operated the NCO Academy, Airborne School and Underwater Operations School for the United States Army South (USARSO). They also provided support for the Jungle Warfare School at Fort Sherman, later renamed the Jungle Operations Training Center.
Subordinate units
Company A of the 8th Group was tasked with developing and maintaining a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) team, Detachment A-13, that was prepared to make covert free-fall entry to denied airspace by jumping from altitudes in excess of 30,000 feet. The team trained at the abandoned airstrip at Rio Hato, Panama, and conducted the first HALO school outside of Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, at Fort Gulick, Canal Zone, in the late 1960s and 70s. The HALO team also had a good-will mission as the "Jumping Ambassadors" and conducted exhibition parachute jumps at carnivals, festivals and other public events throughout Latin America.
Notable operations
A Mobile Training Team (MTT) from the 8th Special Forces Group trained and advised the Bolivian Ranger Battalion that captured and killed Che Guevara in the fall of 1967.[10][11]
Prior to that time, MTTs from the 8th Special Forces Group trained counter-insurgent units in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador that killed three of Che Guevara's best friends and Lieutenants that he had personally dispatched to those three nations to foment revolutions.[1]
MTTs were sent to Argentina from 1962 to 1970 to provide training in recoilless rifles to their army, road construction/maintenance, logistics, as well as English language skills.[12]
MTTs from the 8th Special Forces Group also assisted the Venezuelan Army in the construction of their jump school. They trained the first students and the cadre for following classes. They also assisted the Dominican Republic by training a Dominican Army mountain battalion in counter guerrilla warfare.
At the US Army Airborne School at Ft. Sherman in the US Canal Zone, a team of the 8th Special Forces Group trained Guatemalan airborne personnel.
Deactivation and Reorganization
Colonel Robert J. "Bobby Joe" Pinkerton (21 August 1927 – 15 October 2002)[13] was the final commanding officer of the 8th SFG(A) from 20 August 1971 to its deactivation on 30 June 1972. He arrived in Panama directly from Vietnam faced with the task of deactivating the 8th Special Action Force for Latin America and the 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne). Upon retiring the colors of the 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne) he became the commander of the Security Assistance Force and became dual hatted as the commander of the Atlantic Garrison.
On 30 June 1972, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Owens was the commander of Company A, 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and became the first commander of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). When he retired his company guidon, he exchanged it for the colors of this Special Forces battalion. Additionally, he assumed the responsibilities of carrying on the traditions of his 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne) predecessors and set the standard for other commanders to follow. [7]
One of the reasons for the deactivation of the 8th SFG(A) in 1972 was the draw down during the waning years of the Vietnam build up. At the same time, Special Forces was reorganizing into Battalions rather than Companies. It made sense that the 8th became the 3rd Battalion of the 7th SFG(A), because it was an element of the 7th that began the set up of the 8th SFG(A) in 1962.[14]
Upon reorganization the 3rd BN 7th SFG(A) consisted of 3 SF line companies, "B" Teams with 5 "A" Teams and a Headquarters Company which provided support including a rigger detachment.
A-5 (A Company) was designated as The Airborne School Team, A-10 (B Company) was the HALO Team and "The Jumping Ambassadors" and A-15 (C Company) was the SCUBA Team.
^ ab"History – 8th Special Forces Group". Retrieved 7 August 2013.[permanent dead link]
^Briscoe, Charles H. (2008). . Veritas. 4 (1). ISSN 1553-9830. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021.
^Loveman, Brian (1999). For La Patria: Politics and the Armed Forces in Latin America. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1999. p. 170. ISBN9780842027731. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
^Finlayson, Kenneth (2008). . Veritas. 4 (4). ISSN 1553-9830. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
^"Capture of Che Gueverra". Wayne Kirkbride. Retrieved 12 April 2013.[permanent dead link]
^"Operations in Argentina". Wayne Kirkbride. Retrieved 12 April 2013.[permanent dead link]
^. Memorial Networks. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
^. SpecialOperations.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
January 07, 2023
special, forces, group, united, states, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, special, forces, group, unit. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 8th Special Forces Group United States news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message The 8th Special Forces Group of the United States Army was established in 1963 at Fort Gulick Panama Canal Zone The primary mission of the 8th Special Forces Group Airborne SFG A was counter insurgency training for the armies of Latin America Some training was performed under the sponsorship of the School of the Americas also located at Fort Gulick 5 6 8th Special Forces Group8th Special Forces Group Airborne Beret FlashActive1963 1972CountryUnited States of AmericaBranch United States ArmyTypeSpecial operations forceRoleCounter Insurgency training for Latin American armies 1 Part of1st Special Forces CommandGarrison HQFort GulickNickname s Green Berets Quiet Professionals 2 Soldier Diplomats Snake Eaters Bearded Bastards 3 Motto s Lo Que Sea Cuando Sea Donde SeaInsignia8th SFG A recognition bar worn by non Special Forces qualified soldiers in lieu of a beret flash 4 1st Special Forces Command Airborne shoulder sleeve insignia worn by all 1st SFC A units US Special Forces GroupsPrevious Next7th Special Forces Group 10th Special Forces GroupSoldiers from the 8th SFG A conduct HALO training with new Special Forces students at Fort Gulick circa 1966 source source source source source source source source source source source source 8th SFG A conduct counterinsurgency training in Bolivia circa 1966 source source source source source source source source In May 1962 the advance party from Company D 7th SFG A departed from Ft Bragg NC to Fort Gulick Panama at that time in the Panama Canal Zone to establish the 8th SFG A Three months later in August 1962 Major Melvin J Sowards Commander of Company D 7th SFG A moved the main body of the company to the Canal Zone They would be followed by augmentation detachments Upon their arrival the basic organization of the Special Action Force SAF was completed and Lieutenant Colonel Sawyer assumed command The legendary Lieutenant Colonel Arthur D Simons aka Bull then took command of Company D 7th SFG A 18 January 1963 and LTC Sawyer became the Executive Officer On 12 April 1963 under the command of LTC Simons the SAF elements of the 7th SFG A were officially redesignated as authorized by the Department of the Army and the 8th SFG A was activated 7 8 Contents 1 Organization 2 Subordinate units 3 Notable operations 4 Deactivation and Reorganization 5 See also 6 ReferencesOrganization EditThe 8th s full designation was 8th Special Forces Group ABN Special Action Force SAF Latin America 9 The 8th was the US Army s only full SAF In addition to the two line Special Forces companies the SAF included a Military Intelligence detachment a Medical detachment a Military Police detachment an Engineer detachment an Army Security Agency detachment and the 9th Psychological Warfare Company ABN the predecessor unit of the US Army s present day 9th Psychological Operations Battalion ABN Special Forces at this time didn t use designators like battalion A Special Forces company which later became a battalion was commanded by a Lt Colonel and was designated as a C team The 8th had 2 C teams Each C team had 3 B teams and each B team had 5 A teams The 8th SAF also operated the NCO Academy Airborne School and Underwater Operations School for the United States Army South USARSO They also provided support for the Jungle Warfare School at Fort Sherman later renamed the Jungle Operations Training Center Subordinate units EditCompany A of the 8th Group was tasked with developing and maintaining a High Altitude Low Opening HALO team Detachment A 13 that was prepared to make covert free fall entry to denied airspace by jumping from altitudes in excess of 30 000 feet The team trained at the abandoned airstrip at Rio Hato Panama and conducted the first HALO school outside of Ft Bragg North Carolina at Fort Gulick Canal Zone in the late 1960s and 70s The HALO team also had a good will mission as the Jumping Ambassadors and conducted exhibition parachute jumps at carnivals festivals and other public events throughout Latin America Notable operations EditA Mobile Training Team MTT from the 8th Special Forces Group trained and advised the Bolivian Ranger Battalion that captured and killed Che Guevara in the fall of 1967 10 11 Prior to that time MTTs from the 8th Special Forces Group trained counter insurgent units in Venezuela Colombia and Ecuador that killed three of Che Guevara s best friends and Lieutenants that he had personally dispatched to those three nations to foment revolutions 1 MTTs were sent to Argentina from 1962 to 1970 to provide training in recoilless rifles to their army road construction maintenance logistics as well as English language skills 12 MTTs from the 8th Special Forces Group also assisted the Venezuelan Army in the construction of their jump school They trained the first students and the cadre for following classes They also assisted the Dominican Republic by training a Dominican Army mountain battalion in counter guerrilla warfare At the US Army Airborne School at Ft Sherman in the US Canal Zone a team of the 8th Special Forces Group trained Guatemalan airborne personnel Deactivation and Reorganization EditColonel Robert J Bobby Joe Pinkerton 21 August 1927 15 October 2002 13 was the final commanding officer of the 8th SFG A from 20 August 1971 to its deactivation on 30 June 1972 He arrived in Panama directly from Vietnam faced with the task of deactivating the 8th Special Action Force for Latin America and the 8th Special Forces Group Airborne Upon retiring the colors of the 8th Special Forces Group Airborne he became the commander of the Security Assistance Force and became dual hatted as the commander of the Atlantic Garrison On 30 June 1972 Lieutenant Colonel Tom Owens was the commander of Company A 8th Special Forces Group Airborne and became the first commander of the 3rd Battalion 7th Special Forces Group Airborne When he retired his company guidon he exchanged it for the colors of this Special Forces battalion Additionally he assumed the responsibilities of carrying on the traditions of his 8th Special Forces Group Airborne predecessors and set the standard for other commanders to follow 7 One of the reasons for the deactivation of the 8th SFG A in 1972 was the draw down during the waning years of the Vietnam build up At the same time Special Forces was reorganizing into Battalions rather than Companies It made sense that the 8th became the 3rd Battalion of the 7th SFG A because it was an element of the 7th that began the set up of the 8th SFG A in 1962 14 Upon reorganization the 3rd BN 7th SFG A consisted of 3 SF line companies B Teams with 5 A Teams and a Headquarters Company which provided support including a rigger detachment A 5 A Company was designated as The Airborne School Team A 10 B Company was the HALO Team and The Jumping Ambassadors and A 15 C Company was the SCUBA Team See also Edit7th Special Forces Group United States References Edit a b Birtle Andrew J 2005 United States Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine 1942 1976 Washington DC United States Army Center of Military History p 298 ISBN 978 0 16 072960 7 Stanton Doug 24 June 2009 The Quiet Professionals The Untold Story of US Special Forces in Afghanistan Huffington Post Archived from the original on 5 July 2009 Gentile Carmen 9 November 2011 In Afghanistan special units do the dirty work USA Today Archived from the original on 12 November 2011 Rottman Gordon L 2012 US Army Special Forces 1952 84 London Osprey Publishing ISBN 978 1782004462 OCLC 813846700 Retrieved 29 March 2019 Sincere Clyde 1990 USA Airborne 50th Anniversary Commemorative History Nashville Tennessee Turner Publishing Company pp 324 347 ISBN 978 0 938021 90 2 Loveman Brian 2010 No Higher Law American Foreign Policy and the Western Hemisphere Since 1776 Chapel Hill NC University of North Carolina Press p 294 ISBN 978 0 8078 3371 1 a b History 8th Special Forces Group Retrieved 7 August 2013 permanent dead link Briscoe Charles H 2008 Sidebar 8TH SPECIAL FORCES GROUP Veritas 4 1 ISSN 1553 9830 Archived from the original on 17 July 2021 Loveman Brian 1999 For La Patria Politics and the Armed Forces in Latin America Rowman amp Littlefield Publishers 1999 p 170 ISBN 9780842027731 Retrieved 12 April 2013 Finlayson Kenneth 2008 THE 2ND RANGER BATTALION and the Capture of Che Guevara Veritas 4 4 ISSN 1553 9830 Archived from the original on 11 May 2022 Retrieved 27 July 2022 Capture of Che Gueverra Wayne Kirkbride Retrieved 12 April 2013 permanent dead link Operations in Argentina Wayne Kirkbride Retrieved 12 April 2013 permanent dead link In Memory of Bobby Joe Pinkerton Memorial Networks Archived from the original on 2 December 2013 Retrieved 7 August 2013 U S Army Special Forces THE GREEN BERETS Special Forces History and Origins SpecialOperations com Archived from the original on 19 July 2013 Retrieved 7 August 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 8th Special Forces Group United States amp oldid 1106435270, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
