Category Archives: History

Articles, History

Ode to Detachment “A” by Dr. Chris “Vinnie” Feudo

Ode to Detachment “A”

Written by: Dr. Christopher V. “Vinnie” Feudo
Served in Detachment “A” from early 1979-1981.
Team leader for Team 5 for two years, and S3 for one year

These are the men of the Green Beret, 
And more so, Detachment “A”. 
America’s best, the chosen band, 
The epitome of the fighting man.

A hundred strong in Berlin’s divide, 
Cold War shadows where they’d hide.
Masters of craft, unseen by sight,
Prepared to strike with lethal might.

One of six most covert known,
Their deeds in silence, seldom shown.
They spoke the tongue, they wore the guise,
Yet carried steel behind their eyes.

They wrote the book on terror’s fight,
Training by day, rehearsing by night.
Through Desert One to missions untold,
Their courage fierce, their spirit bold.

They did what others could not dare,
Beyond the limits few could bear.
Mind and body, heart and soul,
Commitment deep, “A” timeless role.

Men of honor, bound by trust,
Integrity pure, their cause was just.
Brothers in arms, their bond secure,
A way of life, steadfast and sure.

Since ’56 they watched the Wall,
A hundred men defying all.
The Stasi feared “A” phantom host, 
Ten thousand strong - or so they supposed.

Deactivated in ’84,
Their colors cased, their name no more.
Yet missions hidden still remain,
Unwritten lines in history’s chain.

Caches lay where shadows bend,
From western streets to eastern end.
Across the city, kept out of sight,
In East Berlin, prepared by night.

Some survived, while others rest,
In Arlington among the blessed. 
On granite walls, in sacred ground,
Their legacy forever found.

Alive in heart, in soul, in flame,
Detachment “A” endures in name.
For freedom’s price is never free,
It must be fought for - eternally.

So let us honor them, both night and day,
For unseen deeds that lit the way.
They stood in silence, yet made us secure,
Their sacrifice lasting, their memory pure.

Link to Dr. Chris Feudo Interview

 

Articles, History, Taps, Videos

Major General James A. Guest Memorial Service After Action Report

 

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.

History, Videos

Peter Kelley Speech Version 02

Video

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.

Articles, History

Detachment “A” Berlin Brigade Urban Commando Training 1980

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.

 

 

 

 

Articles, DET-A-SOG, History, Videos

The Ghost Units That Really Did Exist

Video

The Ghost Units That Really Did Exist

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.

Articles, History

We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History by Jack Murphy

Jack Murphy has a new book out entitled:

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.

Link on Amazon

Jack Murphy profile imageAbout the author

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.

https://www.facebook.com/JackMurphyAuthor

Articles, History, Videos

Peter Kelley Guest Speaker Detachment “A” Berlin

Video

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.

Articles, History, Videos

Thumbnail Look at Detachment “A” 39th Special Forces Berlin 1956-1984 with MAC-V SOG Connection

Video

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.