Spec Ops Essay

[Agent Fisher]

Just finished this last night and wanted some feedback please.

Keep in meind the teacher has little knowledge of Spec OPS

U.S. Army Special Operations:
A History
The United States military has been a shining sword with which to strike down evil, but not all battles require swords. Some require knives and daggers in dark alleys. That is where Special operations come in. They are those knives and daggers. From the Revolutionary War to Operation Iraqi Freedom, they have fought the dirty fight and have done the things that the traditional military cannot do. They are the brave souls whose valor is seldom heard. They are known as the “Quiet Professionals”, and this is their history.

U.S. special operation groups first appeared in the Revolutionary War. Active during the War of Independence were Dan Morgan’s “Corps of Rangers”, and the Connecticut Rangers, lead by Thomas Knowltons. Morgan’s rangers were expert marksmen while Knowltons rangers were skilled in reconnaissance. But the most famous man to practice unconventional warfare was Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox”, who would bring guerrilla warfare to the British and establish the role of future US special forces. Marion had fought in the French and Indian war and had learned about unconventional warfare the hard way from the Cherokee. When the British took Charleston, Marion decided to escape to the swamps of South Carolina where he and 150 men made life very tough for the British. He and his 150 men would strike from the swamps and hit the British where they least expected. They struck behind enemy lines. They would attack supply lines, ambush British troops and perform hit-and-run raids on enemy camps then fade away into the dark of the swamps. The British tried but failed to stop the “Swamp Fox”. The basic US strategy for the War was to use unconventional tactics. They would target the officers and break down the chain of command. The way war was fought, soldiers would line up and shoot at each other. Battle was a lot like chess. The Americans decided to break the rules and fight to win. The British were furious that the Americans would not fight the way they wanted them to. America basically invented guerilla warfare, which won the Revolutionary War.

During the Civil War, both sides used special operations, guerilla, and unconventional warfare. The Union had Mean’s Rangers and the Confederacy had Ashby’s Rangers. Yet the best-known unconventional warfare unit was Mosby’s Rangers. All three of these ranger units conducted some of the same missions that had been done back in the Revolutionary War. They snuck behind enemy lines. Once behind enemy lines, they would strike at supply lines and raid supply camps and depots. The reason behind all the strikes at supply lines and camps is that an army fights by its stomach. If the soldiers cannot get ammo or food they cannot fight. They would also strike at railroads and command bases. Mosby’s Rangers began with a four-man team in 1862. By 1865 he had eight full companies, about 800 men, under his command. Mosby and his men used reconnaissance, aggressive action, and surprise attacks. They are most famous for their amazing capture of Union General Edwin H. Stoughton by bluffing their way into and removing him from his own home. Due to his stealth, Mosby earned the nickname the Gray Ghost. During the war both sides did things that most people didn’t know about. When the opportunity presented itself, the unconventional warriors of both sides would attempt to assassinate the high-ranking officers and political leaders of their enemy. The reason was simple; it would demoralize the enemy and remove the experienced leaders. This however was not done regularly. In the years following the Civil War, American cavalry had to fight the hostile Indians. Knowing the hostile forces could not be easily tracked, the US decided to form a special operations unit known as the Indian Scouts. These scouts were members of the Pawnee, Navajo, and Seminole tribes who were skilled at tracking and hunting. These skills were of great use to the US soldiers while hunting hostile Indian tribes. With many of the skills that modern Special Operation units posses, these Indian Scouts were skilled in such military traits as tracking, field craft, physical courage, and boldness. They were the forerunners of US special operations.

While the history of US military Special Operations of today can be traced to pre-revolutionary times, a more direct lineage can be drawn from the unconventional units of World War II. Special operation units were active in all theaters of operations; from the jungles of the Pacific islands, Burma, and China to the mountains, woodlands, and towns of Europe. WWII added the term Army Rangers to the U.S. military. Major General Truscott had the idea to form a unit similar to the British Commandos. The War Department approved the idea. He had his unit, now he needed a name. Truscott looked back at the history of unconventional warfare and focused on American soldiers that had met the highest standards of courage, motivation, tenacity, fighting spirit, and ruggedness. The groups that inspired him the most were the Rangers of the past, who he felt embodied these ideas. Thus the modern US ARMY RANGER was born. Truscott and his aide, Major Darby, looked for soldiers who had the skills of the unconventional warriors of past. On June 19, 1942 the 1st U.S. Army Rangers Battalion was formed under the command of Major Darby. Darby and the 1st headed to the Commando Training Center in Achnacarry, Scotland, where they, under the guidance of combat veteran commandos, learned the tactics of death dealing and unconventional warfare. After training, Darby’s Rangers saw action all throughout Western Europe. But they received their greatest recognition on June 6, 1944, known as D-DAY, when they climbed the cliffs of Point du Hoc as part of the Normandy invasion and disabled the costal defense guns there.

Another unconventional warfare unit was the 1st Special Service Force established at Fort William Henry Harrison, Montana, on 9 July 1942. The men of the 1st SSF were a mix of Canadian and American soldiers under the command of Colonel Robert T. Frederick. The 1st was about the size of three battalions, 60% of the troops were Americans, apportion of whom were troublemakers that were “volunteered” by their commanders. However as one 1st SSF veterans put it, “Many people think the American soldiers were roughnecks and yard birds. The truth was, some of these men were more at home in the field than in garrison. What regular Army commanders saw as troublesome actually turned out to be some of the best operators.” Col. Frederick devised a training plan for his men that would stress physical fitness, hand-to hand combat, weapons training, demolitions, infantry tactics, and mountain work. The men of the 1st were also trained to jump out of planes, and schooled in skiing and other winter operations. Their specialty was close-quarters combat with a numerically superior force. The 1st SSF would fight in the Pacific and Europe. It was while fighting in Europe that the 1st SSF got its nickname, the Devil’s Brigade.

While Darby’s Rangers and the Devil’s Brigade were making their mark in Europe another group was writing it lessons into the book of unconventional warfare in the Pacific. The men of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) brought the fight to the Japanese in the jungles of Burma. The 5037th was led by and named after General Merrill. Their name was Merrill’s Marauders. The 5037th was 3000 men strong. Their mission was to operate deep behind enemy lines and strike at the “jugular”, their communications and supply lines. Also they could harass and attack the Japanese at will. One of the Marauders’ greatest undertakings was the capture of Myitkyina Airfield. Merrill and his men infiltrated through the disease- and insect-ridden Burmese jungle. And that was the easy part. They were always outnumbered and had very little support.

Two other unconventional units were the Alamo Scouts and the OSS. The Alamo Scouts were brave men, never numbering more than 70. They conducted more than a 100 mission and never lost a single man. The Shadow Warriors another type of unconventional warfare. They could sneak behind enemy lines and gather intelligence, locate targets, and aid resistance groups. Their unit was officially known as the Office of Strategic Service or OSS. They were crucial to helping win the war. . All of these units were the elite of the US Army. They embodied the principles of unconventional warfare. Strike hard; strike fast, and disappear; do the unexpected; tackle the impossible and succeed.

After WWII, the US Army Rangers were not disbanded like the other units of the war. The other ones were broken down and the men sent to other units. The Rangers were kept as an elite infantry unit. The need was seen for a new unit. One that combined all of the lessons of unconventional warfare. This unit would be like the OSS of WWII. They would slip behind enemy lines and wreak havoc and confusion. In theory a small group of men could hamper, disrupt, and paralyze a larger conventional force, in particular the Soviets. This group would be officially known as US ARMY SPECIAL FORCES, a.k.a. the Green Berets. The US Army Special Forces and almost all of the modern Special Operations groups received their baptism by fire in a small country in Southeast Asia, known as Vietnam. Vietnam was the proving ground for many of today’s special operations units. The US army Special Forces, in the beginning of the conflict, trained the South Vietnamese Army in counter-insurgency. But as the war progressed, the “Green Berets” and other special operations units took a new approach. They would establish base camps deep into the jungle, and from these base camps, they would form teams of Special Operations units and groups of civilians equipped with weapons, strike targets of opportunity. From these bases the Special Operations units would carry out raids and strike supply lines whenever possible. Vietnam proved the worth of Special Operation groups and secured their place in the US military.

Over the next 15 years, the Special Operations community would see plenty of action in small-intensity conflicts in Grenada and Panama. Also during this time Special Operations would take on a new role, battling the world’s terrorist, and hostage rescue. It was for this reason that the 1st Special Operations Detachment (DELTA), known to many as DELTA FORCE, was formed. They are the leading Counter Terrorist (CT) force in the US Army.
In 1991, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, Special Operations units were the first into the desert for Operation Desert Strom. One of their goals was to locate and destroy Iraqi scud missile launchers, which were a threat to nearby friendly countries. They would slip into the area of operations and find the Scuds. Once they found the Scuds, they would call in an air strike.
After DESERT STORM, a situation developed in Somalia. In 1993, the United Nations and US had dispatched peacekeepers to the African country of Somalia to stop the decades old civil war. Because of this war, the general population was starving. With the presence of a multinational force, including 20,000 US Marines, order was restored and the famine ended. Mohamed Farrah Aidid, warlord and leader of the Habr Gidr clan, waited for the 20,000 US Marines to leave the region. He then declared war on the remaining UN peacekeepers. He stole the food shipments to feed his army. When he killed 24 UN peacekeepers in July 1993 Washington decided he had to be stopped. They sent a multi-unit force named Task Force Ranger to stop him. Task Force Ranger was comprised of a company of US Army Rangers, a squadron of DELTA troopers and members of an elite helicopter unit known as Task Force 160. They conducted raids to remove the command structure of Aidid’s army. On October 3, 1993 Task Force Ranger launched a mission to capture two high-ranking members of the Habr Gidr clan. During the mission, two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down and 18 men lost their lives in combat. About 5 months later, Task Force Ranger, which after the October third mission was seen as a failure, was removed from Somalia.

The men of Special Operations units everywhere would be called into action again on 9-11. When they heard of the attacks on the World Trade Center they new right away that whoever did this would pay, and that they would be the first to go fight. When the President decided to attack Afghanistan, the men of the Special Operations were ready. They infiltrated the country and helped train the resistance groups to fight the Taliban, the government of Afghanistan. They also conducted some of the same mission that had been done since the beginning of warfare, raiding and hit-and-run attacks. They also captured members of Al Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the attacks of 9-11, and the Taliban. They searched the caves of Afghanistan for Osama Bin Laden.
When in the spring of 2003, it was decided to take out Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, and Special Operations would lead the way. Special Operations units and CIA paramilitary officers infiltrated the country and attempted to locate chemical weapons facilities and any weapons of mass destruction. They also struck at vital targets such as communications and supply bases as the rest of the US military advanced through Iraq. Once the ground war was over, Special Operations would continue to scour the country for Saddam and his weapons of mass destruction.

The history of Special Operations began in ancient times. It is as old as war itself. It has been in almost every conflict and war since the beginning of time. It was used by the US in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, used it in the battles with the Indians, WWII and every conflict since then. As long as there is war there will be those brave soldiers who intentionally go into harm’s way, attempt the impossible, and succeed where normal soldiers would fail. They are those that win the silent wars. They shun recognition and fame. They fight the dirty fight and are rarely publicly rewarded. They are the knives and daggers of the US Military. They are the very point of the spear. They are the ultimate warriors, the best of the best. They are “Quiet Professionals.”

[Agent Fisher]

can I have some real typed out feedback

[Raptor 597]

I think you flesh out some more areas. Especially about the various tactics used in Vietnam and the mental effects on the Spec Ops and the defenders. also, I think you should include some of Morgan's raids in the north(Civil War) and the Union raid on Mississippi in 1863. This gave an example of how to conduct large behind the line ops and infiltration via dress.

[aerius]

Well, you left out SEALs and Frogmen/UDT. Do some research on them and work that info into the essay. Start with their roles in Vietnam and then go into how SEALs are used in counterterrorist ops.

[Agent Fisher]

yeah but the topic for my Essay was US ARMY spec ops. And this essay is eight pages long when it should be five. But thanks for the feedback.

[aerius]

Ah, didn't see that part, this is what happens when you get up at 6am, go to school, and then work a 9 hour shift.

[Agent Fisher]

Ah, didn't see that part, this is what happens when you get up at 6am, go to school, and then work a 9 hour shift.

Thats okay. It orginally had a page long prehistory but was cut for length reasons