15 April 1960, the entire SF establishment was formally brought under the Army’s new Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS). This paper scheme initially provided for a maximum of 24 SF Groups, initially all in the Active Component (AC).
77th SFG(A) was deactivated and the unit was reflagged as the 7th SFG(A) on 20 May 1960.
The 7th SFG(A) was organized under TO&E 33-105D, dated 21 Mar 60. This new TO&E brought the Special Forces units in line with the US Army unit organizations and terminology.
The 7th SFG(A) would be the sole unit responsible for training the Soldiers volunteering for Special Forces, until the Special Warfare Center opened in 1962.
7th SFG(A) CDR: Col Donald D. Blackburn
A Co CDR: MAJ Ludwig Faistenhammer
B Co CDR:
1LT Blackburn was an adviser the headquarters battalion of the 12th Infantry Regiment when the Japanese invaded the Philippines on 8 Dec 1941. LT Blackburn and Major Russel Volckmann evaded to Northern Luzon and spent the next 3 years organizing and leading a Guerrilla force until the liberation of the Phillipines in 1944. COL Blackburn commanded the 7th SFG(A) from April to Aug 1960.
BG Donald Blackburn
From Tulsa Oklahoma, LT Edwards served in the 517th PIR, 17th ABN in WW2. MAJ Edwards served in the 7th ID during the Korean War. LTC Edwards was 77th SFG(A) Commander, when he was replaced by COL Blackburn in Dec 1958. COL Edwards would then replace COL Blackburn as 7th SFG(A) Commander in Aug 1960.
COL Irwin A Edwards
7th SFG(A) Operation ZAPATA-1961
On 17 March 1960, President Eisenhower authorized a 4-part program the CIA had developed to bring about the replacement of the Castro regime by covert means. In the summer of 1960 the concept for the operation began to change from a covert operation to more of an overt military invasion, operation ZAPATA was born. The CIA Task Force were the first to entertain the thought of a Cuban exile strike-force to land on the Cuban coast in addition to guerrilla actions. The CIA officers began to consider the formation of a small force of infantry (200-300 men) for contingency employment in conjunction with other paramilitary operations, and in June began to form a small Cuban tactical air force.
While CIA agents provided a large part of the paramilitary training, US Army Special Forces also conducted training of the Cuban exiles. Initially the 7th SFG(A) provided training to the Cuban exiles, which consisted of communication, guerrilla operations and sabotage at Fort Randolph in the Panama Canal Zone. Several teams from 7th SFG(A) went to Ft Knox, Kentucky to conduct small arms, heavy weapons and tactics for the Cubans. When the operation grew from guerrilla warfare to a larger more conventional operation, the training moved to Guatemala in December 1960. To support the training in Guatemala, twenty-one additional agents and five staff personnel joined the project and the CIA requested additional trainers from the US Army Special Forces. On January 13, 1961, LTC David Crowe and 38 Soldiers from 7th SFG(A) arrived in the training camp in Retalhuleu, Guatemala, to support the training of the 2506 Brigade. The 7th SFG(A) under the guise of providing training to a “Guatemalan Battalion” to “deter the revolutionary activities against the Ydigoras Government.”
Three months later, the operation began on 15 April 1961 and five days later failed, resulting in 1,197 prisoners and 89 dead from the 2506 Brigade.
4 Americans were killed during the failed operation. Thomas Willard “Pete” Ray, Leo Francis Baker, Major Riley W. Shamburger and Wade C. Gray. These men were part of the 130 men, many from the Alabama Air National Guard, contracted by the CIA and brought to Guatemala in January to train the Cuban pilots and ground crews on the B-26. On the morning of 19 April, six B-26s, four with volunteer American crews, flew a bombing mission against Castro's troops. During the mission 2 American-crewed B-26s were shot down.
The failed Bay of Pigs invasion in was a catastrophic foreign policy failure that deeply embarrassed President John F. Kennedy and strained his confidence in his military and intelligence advisers. President John F. Kennedy forced the resignation of top CIA leadership and stripped the CIA of sole operational authority for major paramilitary actions, demanding much tighter civilian and military oversight for future covert plans.
December 1962, Castro and the Kennedy Administration agreed to exchange the 1,113 prisoners for $53 million in food and medicine, to be raised through private donations and corporate sponsorships
Brigade 2506 Training
Source: latinamericanstudies.org
2506 landing on the Cuban coast at Playa Girón-Bay of Pigs
Source: CIA Report on Bay of Pigs Vol 2
2506 Brigade prisoners
CSM Robert "Bob" Mulcahy
Born in Boston Massachusetts, SSG Mulcahy served as tank mechanic with the Massachusetts National Guard’s 182nd Tank Unit. SSG Mulcahy volunteered for active-duty in 1950, being 505th. In 1957 SGT Mulcahy volunteered for Special Forces in 1957 and served with 77th SFG(A) and 7th SFG(A). SGT Mulcahy's team trained Cuban exiles in Ft Knox, KY.
LTC David Crowe
David B Crowe served in WW2. CPT Crowe was serving with the 82nd Airborne, when he volunteered for Special Forces in 1952, where he served with the 10th SFG(A). Major Crowe served with 10th SFG(A) in Bad Tolz Germany. LTC Crowe served with 77th SFG(A) and 7th SFG(A).
CPT Grayson Lynch
Grayson Lynch, was born in Victoria, Texas. Grayon joined the United States Army during WW2 and was wounded during the D-Day landings and during the Battle of the Bulge. LT Grayson served in the Korean war. CPT Grayson served with 77th SFG(A) on the 2nd rotation of HOTFOOT in Laos. Grayson Lynch, worked for the CIA after retiring from the US Army. Lynch against orders, landed with the initial wave during the Bay of Pigs operation.
7th SFG(A) Gallery-HOTFOOT / WHITE STAR-1961
With the French withdraw from their former IndoChina colony and the growing Communist threat, the US DOD and CIA developed a plan for Laos. Project HOTFOOT under the President Dwight D. Eisenhower administration and later under the John F. Kennedy administration. The objective of the CIA/ DOD plan was to improve the capabilites of the Laotian military. Seven U.S. Army Special Forces rotations from July 1959 to October 1962, were the basis of this plan. These SF soldiers came from the 77th SFG(A), 7th SFG(A), and 1st SFG(A). Project HOTFOOT from July 1959 to April 1961, non-uniformed SF teams, worked for Programs Evaluation Office a covert CIA paramilitary mission. Operation WHITE STAR opened April 1961 under the establishment of Military Assistance and Advisory Group Laos. From April 1961, until Oct 1962, uniformed US Special Forces troops trained the Lao military and the Laotian tribes.
Troops deployed to Laos during April 19, 1961, to October 6, 1962, the last 2 rotations, were authorized to be awarded the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) and Combat Medic Badge (CMB), if they met the reqirements.
Four soliders from 7th SFG(A) were killed in support of Project WHITE STAR. SFC Gerald Biber, SGT Theodore Berlett, SFC John Bischoff, CPT Warren Moon.
7th SFG(A) troops in Laos during Operation White Star
Courtesy of Paul Miraldi
SGT Theodore J. Berlett
From Plattsmouth, Nebraska, SGT Theodore Berlett was killed in a tragic training accident on 28 Jan 1962. SGT Berlett was the Engineer Sergeant on FTT , during the sixth rotation of HOTFOOT/WHITE STAR mission. SGT Berlet was assigned to B Co, 7th SFG(A).
7th SFG(A) Operation WHITE STAR-FTT-59
In early March Pathet Lao troops drove Laotian goverment forces back toward Vang Vieng. Capt. Walter Moon’s four-man Field Training Team FTT-59, of the 7th SFG(A) was attached to the 6th Bataillon d’infanterie (Lao) at Ban Pha Home, about thirty miles north of Vang Vieng. On April 22, 1961, the battalion was subjected to a heavy and accurate artillery barrage from NVA troops supporting the Pathet Lao, and was rapidly flanked at Phou Tesao. The perimeter collapsed and the Pathet Lao quickly overran the battalion positions. CPT Walter Moon, was captured in the initial attack. SFC Bischoff , SGT Biber, were killed in an attempt to breakout. SGT Orville R. Ballinger, escaped through the jungle and linked up with some Lao soldiers. They found a boat and were going downriver when they were surprised and captured by the Pathet Lao seven days later. Capt. Moon tried to escape twice during his confinement, and on the last attempt was wounded in the chest and head. According to Ballinger, Moon’s head injury caused him to be come mentally unbalanced, and after several months of persecution, he was executed in his prison quarters at Lat Theoung by a Meo guard and a Pathet Lao officer on July 22, 1961. SGT Ballinger were eventually released in August 1962.
FTT 59-Team moon, 7th SFG(A) troops in Laos during Operation White Star
Courtesy of Paul Miraldi
MAJ Walter H Moon
CPT Walter Moon from Rudy, Arkansas, was assigned to B Co 7th SFG(A), he commander of FTT 59 in Laos.
SFC John M. Bischoff
From Mountain Rest, South Carolina, SFC John M. Bischoff was assigned to B Co 7th SFG(A), he was the medic on FTT 59.
Sgt. Gerald M. Biber
SGT Gerald M. Biber, from Benkelman, Nebraska, was assigned to B Co 7th SFG(A), he was the Radioman on FTT 59 in Laos.
7th SFG(A) HOTFOOT / WHITE STAR-1961
7th SFG(A) Soliders during White Star operations in Laos.
Photo: Paul Miraldi
US Special Forces troops test fire M-1919 LMGs and BARs
MAJ Cooper, BN Surgeon with 2 Laotian Soldiers
MAJ Faistenhammer with UKN MAAG-Laos officer and Special Forces Soldier
COL Ludwig Faistenhammer
SGT Faistenhammer served as a tank commander in WW2 with the 80th ID, from Aug 1944 to the end of the war. Lt Faistenhammer served as a platoon leader and later Company Commander for the 7th Ranger Company in the Korean war. Major Faistenhammer would serve in Laos, during White Star. LTC Faistenhammer would serve with 5th SFG(A) in Vietnam and 10th SFG(A) Germany.
7th SFG(A) troops in Laos during Operation White Star
Courtesy of Paul Miraldi
LT Paddock during Operation White Star
Source: USASOC Veritas Magazine
SFC Ernie Tabata with Laotian troops during Operation White Star
Source: USASOC Veritas Magazine
SGM Ernie Tabata
Born on Oahu, Hawaii, the son of Japanese immigrants. Ernie Tabata enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1949, and served with the 1st Cavalry Division during the Korean War. In 1961, he began his Special Forces (SF) career with 7th SFG(A). SFG Tabata deployed to Laos with WHITE STAR, later he served three tours of duty in Vietnam, including MACVSOG, and four years in the Republic of China on Taiwan.
COL Alfred Paddock
Born in Moscow, Idaho, and grew up in Bogalusa, LA. LT Paddock graduated OCS in 1958. LT Paddock reported to the 77th SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, NC, in 1959. He graduated the Special Forces Officer Course in May 1960 and deployed with 7th SFG to Laos in 1961, supporting Operation WHITE STAR. From 1962 to 1963, he commanded a Detachment A-323, Company C, 1st SFG, in the Republic of Vietnam, initiating a Civilian Irregular Defense Group program in the Tra Bong district.
7th SFG(A) Documents-HOTFOOT / WHITE STAR
7th SFG(A) troops were sent TDY to Laos from Sep 1961 - Mar 1962, in support of Operation White Star. This was the 6th rotation of Special Forces troops to Laos.
The deployment of 63 troops, consisted of 4 B-teams, supporting 9 FA/FTT teams working with the Loatian Army and the Hmong tribes, in the fight against Pathet Lao and their North Vietnamese allies.
The FA teams in the field operated as split teams, teams divided in half, with 5-7 men per team.
The teams working with the Hmongs in the mountains, stayed in the field for the entire deployment. Their only contact, with the outside world was the CIA-Air American H-34 flights, and their team radios.
7th SFG(A) 180 day TDY Orders, from Sep 1961 - Mar 1962
Courtesy of Art Walker
7th SFG(A) Exercises-1961
In 1961, the 7th SFG(A) supported a number of exercises.
Exercise WILLOW FREEZE: A STRAC exerise conducted in Feb 1961, The 10-day exercise in Alaska, where 7th SFG(A), the Eskimo Scouts and troops from the 23rd Infantry were the aggressors against the US the 187th, 82nd ABN.
Exercise UWHARRIE FOREST: Conducted in February 1961, in the Uwharrie National Forest. The 7th SFG(A) detachments infiltrated by parachute and established guerrilla bases from which they organized and trained guerrillas.
Exercise SWIFT STRIKE I: A joint exercise conducted in August, 1961 by the Strategic Army Corps (STRAC), 82nd ABN, 101st ABN, and the USAF to test rapid deployment and Combat readiness of the units. Guerrilla forces figured prominently in this huge exercise that stretched into both North and South Carolina. 7th SFG(A) detachments infiltrated by parachute and established guerrilla bases from which they organized and trained guerrillas.
Exercise UWHARRIE FOREST II: Conducted in June-Aug 1961, 7th SFG(A) provided support for the annual active duty for training of reserve component units. Detachments were sent throughout the country to support the USAR Groups: 9th SFG(A), 13th SFG(A), and National Guard Groups 16th SFG(A), 20th SFG(A) in their summer training programs.
MSG Marcel Neault
From Biddeford, Maine SGT Neault served with the 11th ABN during WW2, serving in the Pacific. SFC Neault joined Special Forces in 1955, serving with 10th SFG(A) in Bad Tolz. MSG Neault served with the 77th SFG(A) in 1957. On 17 Feb 1961, during exercise WILLOW FREEZE, MSG Marcel Neault and SGT Charles Williams, both serving with 7th SFG(A), rescued an USAF Crew Chief during a leaflet drop. The Crew member had mistakely opened the door incorrectly and the door flew off and Airmen were pulled out by the prop blast, the two soldiers jumped onto the legs of the airmen as he was pulled out the door.
7th FG(A) soldiers in Swift Strike I
7th SFG(A) Exercises-1962
In the early 1960s, the US Army went through some major changes. In April 1961, an entirely new concept called ROAD (Reorganization Objective Army Divisions) was introduced, replacing the short-lived Pentomic system that had been integrated in 1957 for the atomic battlefield. The ROAD system offered greater flexibility and improved compatibility with NATO allies. The first ROAD units were organized in February 1962 under draft TOEs, this reorganization was required to be completed across both the Regular Army and reserve components by the end of June 1964. Additionally, on January 18, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed National Security Action Memorandum (NSAM) 124. This directive mandated that the U.S. military elevate counterinsurgency training, organization, and doctrine to a level equal with conventional warfare.
As the US Army units conducted exercises for newly their reorganized units, the Special Forces Groups at Ft Bragg supported the counter-insurgency component, by operating as guerrillas during the exercises, and the detachments conducted pre-exercise instruction in guerrilla and counterguerrilla techniques for the Active-Duty and Reserve Component unit exercises. In 1962, the 7th SFG(A) supported a number of these exercises.
Exercise GREAT BEAR: The 10-day exercise in Alaska, where 7th SFG(A), the Eskimo Scouts and a company of Canadian Airborne troops were the aggressors against the US Army Alaskan (USARAL) 9th Infantry and the supporting 2nd Infantry Brigade. LT Roger Donlon, future MOH recipent, was a Platoon leader in the E Company, 9th Infantry during the exerise GREAT BEAR.
Exercise SHERWOOD FOREST: Conducted in June in an isolated 200 square mile piece of mountainous rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State; with the 32nd Infantry Div, Wisconsin National Guard, which had be activated for Berlin Crisis. 2 weeks prior to the start of the exercise, 4 detachments from the 7th SFG(A) parachuted in to organize and train the Gerlach's guerrillas, the 202 volunteers from the 32nd Division. Brig. Gen. William P. Yarborough, commanding general of the Special Warfare Center at Ft. Bragg, NC, observed Exercise SHERWOOD FOREST and was personally involved in the training.
Exercise SWIFT STRIKE II: Swift Strike II was a yearly joint exercise conducted in June by the Strategic Army Corps (STRAC), 82nd ABN, 101st ABN and 2nd ID, and the USAF to test rapid deployment and Combat readiness of the units. Guerrilla forces figured prominently in this huge exercise that stretched into both North and South Carolina. 7th SFG(A) detachments infiltrated by parachute and established guerrilla bases from which they organized and trained over 100 soldiers acting as guerrillas. Teams from the 5th SFG(A), and the British 22nd SAS also participated in the exercise.
The summer months of 1962, the 7th SFG(A) provided support for the annual active duty for training of reserve component units. Detachments were sent throughout the country to support the USAR Groups: 2nd SFG(A), 11th SFG(A), 12th SFG(A), 13th SFG(A), and National Guard Groups 16th SFG(A), 20th SFG(A) in their summer training programs.
PVT Ray Nitschke
PVT Paul Hornung
MAJ Gustave "Gus" Kocos
In Nov 1961 PVT Raymond Nitschke was called to active-duty, when the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 32nd Infantry Division, was activated for the Berlin Crisis. PVT Nitschke was assigned to the division's quartermaster company. PVT Nitschke was also a Line backer for the Green Bay Packers and they were in the middle of season. Coach Lombardi and the 32nd Commander worked out a deal where Nitschke could fly to the games on the weekends. The Green Bay Packers won the National league Championship in 1961.
PVT Paul Hornung was also called to active duty during the Berlin Crisis, Hornung reported Nov. 14 to Fort Riley, Kan., where he served as a truck driver with the 896th Engineer Company. PVT Hornung who won the Heisman Trophy in 1957, was a Running Back for the Green Bay Packers. Hornung found himself in danger of being AWOL for the Championship game, due to a leave policy. Hornung requested an exception to policy to allow him to play- a request denied by his Commander. Despondent, Hornung called Lombardi with the news. Lombardi, in turn, reached out to President Kennedy, who called Hornung's Commander. "Paul Hornung isn't going to win the war on Sunday," Kennedy said of arranging the leave, "but the football fans of this country deserve the two best teams on the field that day." Hornung scored 19 points that day.
PVT Boyd Dowler was called to active-duty, with the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 32nd Infantry Division, was activated for the Berlin Crisis in Nov 1961. PVT Dowler was assigned to Headquarters Battery, 32nd Division Artillery PVT Dowler was also a Wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers and they were in the middle of season. Coach Lombardi and the 32nd Commander worked out a deal where Dowler could fly to the games on the weekends. The Green Bay Packers won the National league Championship in 1961, demolishing the New York Giants 37-0.
Born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. PVT Kocos served with the 11th ABN in occupation duty in Japan at the end of WW2. SGT Kocous served with the 187th RCT in Korean war, making both combat jumps with the unit. During the SHERWOOD FOREST exercise, then LT Kocos led one of the 4 guerrilla bands, Koco's Mountaineers. Gus Kocos was the Author's High School teacher,
7th FG(A) soldier with Eskimo Scout
Source: US Army Photo
SSG Donald Witt of the Guerrilla Force, wearing a beret-a modifed US Army Utility cap with the brim removed.
Source: Wisconsin National Guard
PVT Boyd Dowler
7th SFG(A) Project BLUE ARROW-Panama-1962
By the end of 1961, Special Warfare Center began to develop an operation under the code phrase, "Project Blue Arrow." to bring a Special Forces unit to permanently to Latin America. The plan was for Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, and Company D, and other selected augmentation units from the 7th SFG(A) to move from Fort Bragg to the Canal Zone in order to be come the basis for the 8th SFG(A)/8th Special Action Force (SAF) . In January 1962, a Special Forces survey team arrived in the Canal zone to inspect several potential sites for the establishment of the planned Special Action Force. This team considered different locations such as Coco Solo Naval Base, Ft Gulick on the Atlantic side of the Isthmus and Fort Clayton on the Pacific side. The team recommended Fort Gulick, this choice being the most logical because, Fort Gulick was the home of the School of the Americas. The survey team made its recommendation to General Yarborough, the Commanding General of the Special Warfare Center in Fort Bragg, N.C., who agreed with the team’s choice.
In 1962, the 7th SFG(A) was directed to prepare a headquarters detachment and one reinforced Special Forces company for deployment to Panama. This was a permanent change of station (PCS) for the personnel involved and required considerable planning and preparation. Designated as D Company, 7th SFG(A) the advance party departed in May and was followed by three additional increments on 31 July, 15 August and 15 October. An additional 101 officers and enlisted men were trained and deployed in December 1962 to bring the unit in Panama force up to full strength. A section from each of the augmentation detachments was assigned to and accompanied the Special Forces company sent to Panama.
LTC John H Sawyer commanded Company D, 7th SFG(A), until January 1963, when COL Simons took command
On 12th April 1963, D Company 7th SFG(A) would be redesignated as 8th SFG(A) at FT Gulick, Panama Canal Zone with COL Arthur "Bull" Simons as the Commander.
COL Charles "Chuck" Fry
Born in Princeton, Missouri Charles Fry enlisted in the Army in 1951 and served in the Korean War with the 3rd, 25th, and 45th Infantry Divisions. SFC Fry joined U.S. Army Special Forces in 1954, and was assigned to 77th SFG(A). SFC Fry served with 10th SFG(A) in Bad Tolz. in 1957. 1LT Fry was assigned to 8th SFG(A) in Panama in 1963.
COL Simons presenting award to LT Fry
Source: USASOC Veritas
7th SFG(A), D Company Gallery
Orders Reorganizing D Co, 7th SFG(A) into 8th SFG(A)
D Co, 7th SFG(A) unit Guidon
Note: Unassigned Branch Crest, Special Forces wouldn't be a US Army branch until the 1990s.
7th SFG(A) Exercises-1963
In 1963, the 7th SFG(A) conducted three large-scale joint military field exercises plus many unit training missions.
Exercise TIMBERLINE, conducted in Alaska, started in the middle of January and ended in March. It involved more than 8,000 men from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The mission of the 7th SFG(A) was to conduct guerrilla warfare training for elements of the 1st Scout Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, Alaskan National Guard. In addition to successfully completing their training of the Eskimos, men of the 7th SFG(A) gained for themselves extensive knowledge of life and operations in severe winter conditions.
Exercise COULEE CREST involved 40,000 men of the U. S. Strike Command. The mission of the exercise was to achieve effective integration of Army and Tactical Air Force elements under combat conditions. The 7th SFG(A) provided unconventional warfare detachments, supported by aircraft from the 1st Air Commandos.
Exercise SWIFT STRIKE III was by far the largest of the year's exercises. 7th SFG(A) began participating in May and continued operation until the end of August. The Group mission was to apply unconventional warfare tactics in support of conventional military operations. The group commander, designated the Commander, Army Unconventional Warfare Forces, established and operated a Special Forces Operations Base at Laurinburg-Maxton Airfield, North Carolina. From this installation, two operational "B" detachments and seven operational "A" detachments, from 7th SFG(A), A and D Company 20th SFG(A), were clandestinely infiltrated in a night para-drop into the guerrilla warfare area.
Exercise WATER MOCCASIN III and IV, 7th SFG(A) took part in two Special Warfare School exercises held in southeastern Georgia. These exercises gave officer students of the School the opportunity to apply doctrine learned in classrooms. Radio operators and mechanics from the 7th SFG(A) augmented detachments composed of students from the Special Forces Officer Course.
FTX HOT SPOT tested 7th SFG(A) personnel on their night time cross-country marching and their ability to reach a preselected rendezvous point at a given time.
FTX LITTLE FEAR Detachents used fiberglass assault boats used to conduct reconnaissance of bridges on the Little River subsequent to infiltration by parachute.
BIG STEP III conducted with USMC and US Army units at Camp Lejune, NC had selected detachments infiltrated into a simulated country to organize counterinsurgency operations against a mythical guerrilla force. Units of all the services were involved. Valuable training in unconventional warfare tactics, in utilization of indigenous forces, in village defense, and in raids and ambushes was received.
FTX CHEROKEE TRAIL 7th SFG(A) took part in the Special Warfare School exercise, this exercise gave students the opportunity to apply doctrine learned in classrooms.
82nd Airborne troops supporting Exercise WATER MOCCASIN III
Source: US Army Photo
7th SFG(A) Vietnam-Nam Dong 6 July 1964
On July 6, 1964, estimated two battalions of VC attacked the Special Forces Camp guarding the 5,000 inhabitants of the Nam Dong valley. In the furious all-night fighting AATTV Warrant Officer Kevin Conway, Master Sergeant Gabriel Alamo, and Sergeant John L. Houston were killed during the action on 6 July 1964. Seven other members of the team were wounded in the battle, but, at dawn, the Viet Cong withdrew, defeated. Alamo and Houston were posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Sergeant Terrance D. Terrin, U.S. Army Green Beret medic, was awarded the Silver Star for his gallantry in the battle.
For his gallantry and heroism in action, above and beyond the call of duty, Captain Roger H. C. Donlon, the detachment commander, was recommended for the Medal of Honor. At noon on Saturday, December 5, 1964, at The white House, President Johnson personally presented this nation's highest award for valor to Captain Donlon. This was the first award of the Medal of Honor for action in the current wave of in surgencies in Asia
MSG Gabriel Alamo
SGT John L. Houston
WO 2 Kevin Conway
COL Roger H Donlon
Det A-726, Company C 7th SFG(A)
SFC Vernon L. Beeson
SSG Keith E. Daniels
SSG Raymond D. Whitsell
SSG Merwin D. Woods
SGT Thomas L. Gregg
MSG Gabriel Alamo was from Lynnhurst New Jersey. CPL Alamo served with the 82nd Airborne World War II, and Korea before volunteering for Special Forces.
Born on Ft Knox, KY John Houston, his father was a retired Major in the US Army. John Houston joined the US Army in 1960. SGT Houston was the Commo Sgt on Det A-726.
Born in Brisbane, Queensland, Kevin Conway joined the army 1947, served 2 years in Hong Kong. Kevin Conway re-joined the Australian Army in 1952 and served in Korea. SGT Conway deployed to Malaya with 1st RAR in late August 1959. In June 1964, Conway part of Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) was attached to a US Special Forces A Team at Camp McBride at Nam Dong, Vietnam. WO Conaway was the first Australian to be killed in action in the Vietnam War
Born in Saugerties, NY Roger Hugh Charles Donlon. Roger Donlon joined the United States Air Force in 1953 and was admitted to West Point in 1955, but resigned for personal reasons. Donlon re-enlisted, this time in the United States Army, in 1958, went to OCS. July 1961. He served as a platoon leader with Company E, 1st Brigade of the 9th Infantry Regiment in Alaska from July 1961 to March 1962. In August 1963 CPT Donlon joined the Special Forces.
DET A-726, 7th SFG (A) at Ft Bragg, NC
CPT Roger Donlan surveying Nam Dong after the Battle
7th SFG(A) Exercises-1964
FTX CHEROKEE TRAIL II, III and IV Conducted in central North Carolina in March. 7th SFG(A) Detachments from played a major role in, personnel set up fortified camps and conducted counterinsurgency operations against guerrilla forces directed by students of the Special Warfare School. A well-balanced program combining aggressive counterguerrilla operations, meaningful civic action projects, and appropriate psychological operations enabled personnel of the Special Forces camps to take a large toll of the guerrilla forces. In addition, team members conducted extensive training in patrolling, defense, weapons, first aid, and communications for members of the 82nd Airborne Division, who acted as irregular counterguerrilla force personnel.
FTX QUICK KICK V, conducted along the Carolina Coast early in April, involved units from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. Company B of the 7th SFG(A) provided A detachments to fill the role of guerrilla force advisors. They were infiltrated into guerrilla war fare operational areas by submarine and aircraft, rendezvoused with guerrilla forces consisting of Marines just out of "boot camp." The Special Forces detachments hurriedly trained their unconventional forces, then directed them in operations to harass and interdict "enemy” supply lines and communications. On D-Day, when conventional forces launched land and air assaults, the guerrilla forces linked up with the friendly assault force from the 82nd Airborne Division and demobilized.
Operation BANDIT, a battalion-sized counterguerrilla exercise conducted by elements of the 101st Airborne Division late in August, saw A detachments from Company C participate on both sides of the problem. While one detach ment trained and directed guerrilla forces operating in the hills of Natchez Trace State Park in Tennessee, another detachment from the Group advised the opposing forces of the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 502nd Infantry, in the conduct of counterguerrilla operations.
Exercise DESERT STRIKE In September, a detachment was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, to train rifle companies of the 2nd Armored Division for action as guerrilla forces in preparation for division counterguerrilla exercises conducted during October. This was the second year in which training teams from the 7th SFG(A) assisted the 2nd Armored Division to prepare and conduct their annual counterguerrilla training.
GOLDFIRE I, a STRICOM joint test October and early November, A detachments from Companies B, C, and D participated in and evaluation exercise conducted in the vicinity of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. After conducting both classroom and field training for guerrilla forces from the 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 28th Infantry, the Special Forces teams successfully directed their bands in extensive harassing and interdictory attacks against other elements of the 1st Infantry Division.
Group Training
In May 1964, 7th SFG(A) conducted month-long, in Pisgah National Forest area of western North Carolina, extended field training exercise. Initiated with a parachute jump into the training area, the exercise included two days of air operations training; seven days of training and practical application in each of three skills: mountaineering, land navigation, and escape and evasion; a seven-day 50-mile cross country land infiltration; and a final parachute jump back at Fort Bragg. This training, which involved nearly 500 men from all companies of the Group, was so successful and so well received that similar training exercises, with increased emphasis upon special warfare tactics, is to become an integral part of future Group training cycles
In September, 48 men from Company C trained for a week aboard the submarine USS Cutlass, near Norfolk, Virginia. The teams received training in small boat handling, debarkation and embarkation drills, submerged towing, and day and night tactical infiltration and exfiltration exercises.
7th SFG(A), Company A assisted members of the 17th SFG(A) (USAR), Seattle, Washington, in the conduct of an unconventional warfare exercise covering a 340-square-mile training area near Fort Richardson, Alaska. Similar activities on a lesser scale had 7th SFG(A) personnel providing additional training in Special Forces skills, tactics, and patrolling at Camp Dahlonega, Georgia, for the benefit of Company A, Jacksonville, Florida, and Company B, Fayetteville, North Carolina, of the 13th SFG(A) (USAR), and at Fort McClellan, Alabama, for the 20th SFG(A) (ARNG), of Birmingham.
USMC troops load up for Air Assualt in QUICK KICK
Source: US Navy
7th SFG(A) troops rigging up for ABN OP in exercise DESERT STRIKE
Source: US Army Photo
7th SFG(A) Legacy
Lao, Hmong, American Veteran Memorial
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
7th SFG(A) Contributors
Sgt Art Walker, 7th SFG(A)
Paul Miraldi
7th SFG(A) Section Notes
1 This is phase 1, of a 5-phase plan, that will cover from activation in 1960 to today.
a. Phase 1: Beginning until 62
b. Phase 2: 1963-1970
c. Phase 3: 1970-1980s
d. 1990s-2000:
e. GWOT-today
2. I am looking for the following from the 7th SFG(A):
a. Photos-preferably with story-dates
b. Stories-that need to be told/remembered
c. Documents
i. Orders, recruiting flyers / posters, unit rosters...etc.
d. FA / ODA Detachment numbers and location
i. Ft Bragg
ii. Panama
iii. Eglin AFB
3. Specific information
a. More information on Teams involved in Bay of Pigs - Operation ZAPATA
b. LTC John H Sawyer Photo and Military BIO