CSM Jeffrey H. Raker Heritage Room
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.
