Many thanks and much appreciation to all those who made this Special Forces Honor Guard Ceremony for Major General James A. Guest possible.
Major General Lawrence G. Ferguson, Commanding General 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) attended.
POC/MSG – Robert “Bob” Charest coordinated with all military-related Special Forces Honor Guard services was in attendance.
Representation from the Special Forces Association, and representation from Special Forces in the area were in attendance including Chris Wilkerson – President, Special Forces Association, Garon Strong – Special Projects, Special Forces Association. Pete Tingstrom – Special Forces Association provided much support and services.
MSG Scott Fagan was there with his Junior Army ROTC cadets providing support as needed.
Honor Guard Team from the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) performed the Honor Guard services including, 21-gun salute, TAPS, and playing of the Ballard of the Green Beret.
Doug Elwell Regimental Bagpiper performed family-requested music including Amazing Grace.
Peter Kelley was the guest speaker at the Detachment “A” Berlin Brigade Get Together 12 – 15 September 2024.
This video presents former Detachment “A” Berlin Brigade member Peter Kelley who served in Detachment “A” from 1975 to 1979; an incredibly significant and consequential period in Detachment “A” Berlin Brigade’s History/Legacy 1956-1984.
Version 2 contains dozens of additional personal photos from Pete’s career and personal life.
Top Row L-R: Fred Bremer, Wolfgang Kaiser, Ron Cornell, John Leuthje, Jon Phipps, Thomas Bevier Front Row L-R: Brad Cooper, Ron Bruce, Hans White, Fred Lynch, Ed Murdock
Inputs by Detachment “A” members Fred Bremer, John Phipps who provided the narrative and presentation of this photo to Danny Goldman, Ron Bruce with additional narrative, Ric Patrick, and James Stejskal.
This iconic photo was presented to Detachment “A” member Danny Goldman on behalf of Team 4, by John Phipps along with a personal note signed by Team 4 members.
In April of 1980, Detachment “A” Team 4, dressed in civilian clothing, boarded a commercial flight in Berlin Germany, and traveled to Fort Bragg, NC to undergo Special Operations Urban Commando Training at the Mott Lake facility located on Fort Bragg.
The photo was a spur-of-the moment thing – they had flown over commercial so they had the civvies. Ron Cornell, pictured, and Horst Duchow (not in photo) were augmentees from the “B” team and participated in all the training.
The dog belonged to Mike Brown, who was one of the instructors assigned to the site.
The team thought it would be humorous to dress in their “Det A fatigues” and take the photo, cigars and all.
Team 4 was the first Detachment “A” unit to go TDY for an Urban Commando course.
The team went thru “Blue Light”, which was an anti-terrorism course, and was heavy on marksmanship. That was right before “Eagle Claw”, and the team thought they would be the primaries for that mission, but it was not to be.
The only one of the team members who went was Brad Cooper.
Two or 3 teams from other units were also there for 3 weeks. Much shooting ensued. Rushing of occupied buildings. A final test of an assault. Records were kept of everything which could then be tabulated.
Unbeknownst to Team 4 at the time, when the scores were added at the end of the training course Team 4 was named best team.
They enjoyed themselves, of course. One series of odd events: the weather was absolutely fine, yet each week it would rain on Sunday night. The first morning of each Monday, they all wallowed in a muddy pit for hand-to-hand training. Hence, they would get their set of fatigues for the week totally dyed with Carolina-red mud. Oh, the horrors.
Danny Goldman
Another minor quirk out there: since it somewhat removed from the Fort Bragg flagpole, the occasional oddity occurred. On the classic army training schedule was, maybe once a day: “Debris removal & Relocation.” Only our adjutant, Danny Goldman could have topped the Mott Lake moniker for Police Call.
Team 6 went the next go-round, also won Best Team, and one-upped Team 4 in their photo, as they had a red convertible as a prop, Bonny & Clyde-style. At least 1 more team, or more also went and came up Number 1 as well.
Detachment “A” Berlin Brigade 1956 – 1984 and the MAC-V SOG Connection.
This video represents a compilation thumbnail look at Detachment”A” Berlin Brigade and the connection between Detachment “A” and MAC-V SOG presented by former member of both units, Bob Charest.
Detachment “A” was a highly classified clandestine Green Beret Special Forces unit operating during the Cold War in Berlin Germany; its mission: urban unconventional warfare, counter terrorism, conducting the most intense clandestine operations.
This group of elite members operated in Berlin Germany from
1956 – 1984.
It features some of the early ‘original’ Detachment “A” members including Lodge Act folks, those who established and created the Detachment “A” Special Forces history and legacy. It touches on the beginnings, missions, training, tradecraft, exercises, and more.
Also highlighted is the historical connection between Detachment “A” and the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MAC-V SOG) 1964 – 1972, another highly classified clandestine unit operating in Vietnam and beyond conducting the most dangerous clandestine, covert, and black operations. MAC-V SOG received the Presidential Unit Citation award.
Many members of Detachment “A” also served in MAC-V SOG.
Detachment “A” and MAC-V SOG remained classified and thereby unknown for many decades.
This video is dedicated to all Detachment “A” and MAC-V SOG members.
We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History
On a clear night in 1983, a U.S. Special Forces team is issued a backpack nuclear weapon at an airfield where two men in black appear and declare that they now have operational control over the team for a real life mission. Issued live ammo, the team rigs the nuke for a parachute insertion and takes off to hit a strategic target in Cuba.
This is one of the many vignettes in We Defy which covers the “lost” and previously unpublished chapters of Special Forces history. Meet the holocaust survivor who led a Special Forces unit that included former Nazis conducting undercover assignments in Berlin, or the first woman assigned to a Special Forces team way back in 1977. Read about little known rescue missions and the history of specific capabilities developed by Special Forces from hostage rescue to nuclear sabotage.
Chapters of this lost history included in We Defy are Special Forces Detachment A, the undercover Green Beret sabotage teams in Berlin during the Cold War,Detachment K which is a Special Forces resident team stationed in South Korea playing a low key but vital role in checking North Korean aggression. Blue Light: America’s first counter-terrorism team that existed before Delta Force. The Special Forces Commanders In-extremis Force (CIF), their creation, secret missions (before and during the Global War on Terror), and where they are today. Finally, Green Light: the Special Forces nuclear sabotage teams poised to turn off entire parts of the world if the Cold War went hot.
Based on dozens of primary source interviews with the men and women who lived it, We Defy blows the doors off previously highly classified Special Forces units and missions.
Jack Murphy is a Army Special Operations veteran who served as a Sniper and Team Leader in 3rd Ranger Battalion and as a Senior Weapons Sergeant on a Military Free Fall team in 5th Special Forces Group.
Murphy is the New York Times Bestselling author of REFLEXIVE FIRE, TARGET DECK, and DIRECT ACTION. He also co-authored the non-fiction work, BENGHAZI: THE DEFINITIVE REPORT which exploded the true story behind what really happened when the US consulate in Libya came under attack.
Having left the military in 2010 after serving three combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, he graduated with a BA in political science from Columbia University. He has penned numerous non-fiction articles about Weapons, Tactics, Special Operations, Terrorism, and Counter-Terrorism. He has appeared in documentaries, on national television, and on syndicated radio.
Peter Kelley was the guest speaker at the Detachment “A” Berlin Get Together 12 – 15 September 2024.
This video presents former Detachment “A” Berlin member Peter Kelley who served in Detachment “A” from 1975 to 1979; an incredibly significant and consequential period in Detachment “A” Berlin’s History/Legacy 1956-1984.
Peter served as a Team Leader and later S3, primarily under COL Stan Olchovik’s Command and with his good fellow Native German friend, CSM Jeff Raker.
Peter takes us through his experiences growing up in Germany, his passage to America, his entry into US Army Special forces and his career to include Detachment “A” for which he states: “I was born for that job.”
Peter commanded the first composite team which trained with Colonel Ulrich Wegener’s German GSG 9 Counter-Terrorist Unit & with Berlin SEK. He also served as Commander of the Winter Warfare Training in Berchtesgaden two consecutive winters.
Detachment “A” 39th Special Forces Berlin 1956 – 1984 and the MAC-V SOG Connection
This video presents a Thumbnail look at Detachment “A” from former member Bob Charest.
Detachment “A” was a highly classified clandestine Green Beret Special Forces unit operating during the Cold War in Berlin Germany; its mission: urban unconventional warfare, counter terrorism, conducting the most intense clandestine operations. This group of elite members operated in Berlin Germany from 1956-1984.
It features some of the early ‘original’ Detachment “A” members including Lodge Act folks, those who established and created the Detachment “A” Special Forces legacy. It touches on missions, training, tradecraft, exercises, and updated member interviews.
Also highlighted is the historical connection between Detachment “A” and the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MAC-V SOG) 1964-1972, another highly classified clandestine unit operating in Vietnam and beyond conducting the most dangerous clandestine, covert, and black operations. MAC-V SOG received the Presidential Unit Citation award.
Many members of Detachment “A” also served in MAC-V SOG.
Detachment “A” and MAC-V SOG remained classified and thereby unknown for many decades.
This video represents Bob’s personal insight of Detachment “A” and the MAC-V SOG connection based on his eight years in Detachment “A” 1969-1972, and 1973-1978, and his time in B-56 Project Sigma, SOG Vietnam 1967-1968.
This is boots on the ground information.
This video is dedicated to all Detachment “A” and SOG members.
Folks, our own low-profile Detachment “A” Berlin family member Roxanne Merritt, recently received a prestigious and much deserved award. She has been inducted as an Honorary Member of the following three regiments:
Special Forces
Civil Affairs
Psychological Operations
This high honor bestowed on Roxanne recognizes her lifetime work and achievements.
A ceremony was held April 26, 2024, at Fort Liberty.
Roxanne has worked at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center since 1981 currently serving as the Director of the JFK Special Warfare Museum.
When Detachment “A” Berlin came in from the cold, she collected numerous artifacts contributed by Detachment “A” Berlin members, cataloged them, and created a small but significant display in the JFK Special Warfare Museum.
Roxanne continues today keeping Detachment “A” Berlin in the Special Forces History.
Roxanne will be a guest speaker at our upcoming Detachment “A” Berlin function 12-15 September 2024 in Greenville, SC.
Roxanne Merritt HMOR
by Bob Charest – The man who brought Detachment “A” Berlin in from the cold.
What: The 6th Battalion/2nd SWTG is creating a heritage room dedicated to those who served in Berlin which will be named after our own former Detachment(A) CSM Jeff Raker tentatively to be named:
The 6th Battalion “CSM Jeffery H. Raker” Heritage Room
When: The preliminary schedule for the dedication of the “CSM Jeff Raker Heritage Room” is set for May 22, 2024 which is a Wednesday on Fort Liberty/Bragg.
The Heritage Room to be named after Detachment(A) member Jeff Raker; is a well-deserved honor to one of the most respected Sergeant Majors to have ever existed in Special Forces.
For those of us serving in Detachment(A) in the late-70s, we remember well the dark time in Detachment(A) when the Deputy Brigade Commander relieved our commander in front of our morning formation inside of the Detachment(A) building. He then proceeded to order us to wear uniforms, get haircuts, and placed a big Detachment(A) airborne sign outside of building. He replaced the CO and XO with individuals that had no Special Forces experience, but novice airborne qualified who were available within the Berlin Brigade.
During this dark period in Detachment(A) history we lost all our Safe Houses and everything we all did to achieve our mission. Instead, we became the training cadre for the 6th Infantry – EIB training, Scout Swimming etc. Detachment(A) had no real Seargeant Major to fight for us at the time.
Then along came SGM Jef Raker. Bottom line: he immediately assessed the situation, saw the problems, and took over working with the Berlin Command SGM himself and Terry Swafford, gave briefings to the new Berlin Brigade Commander, and overnight we were back in civilian clothes doing our real mission. He restored our unit.
After this ordeal, SGM Jeff Raker’s efforts made Detachment(A) history up to Eagle Claw along with Colonel Stanley Olchovik.
The 6th Battalion/2nd SWTG have requested attendance by former unit members (i.e. those who served in Berlin) in order to break the site in correctly.
We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History
About the author
