They climbed the cliffs of Normandy and prowled the jungle trails of Burma. They mastered the hills of Korea and waded through the rice paddies of Vietnam. They weathered the cold political climates of the 1970s and emerged stronger than ever in the 1980s.

They are the Army's special operations forces, and for more than 40 years they have been America's elite spearhead. They include such fabled units as Special Forces (SF) and Rangers, and such relatively obscure ones as those involved in Psychological Operations (PSYOP) and Civil Affairs (CA). But no matter how famous or obscure they are, they all have one thing in common. They are the one of the Army's main weapons for waging unconventional warfare in an age when conventional conflicts have become increasingly rare.

In the future as in the past, American special operations forces will be called upon to conduct crucial missions in the face of overwhelming odds. It is a task they can look forward to with confidence, because the tradition of Army special operations is one of excellence. It is because of this record that present- day unconventional troops have adopted as their motto the Latin phrase "Sine Pari" -- "Without Equal."

Special Forces Teams are among the most specialized combat forces in the Army. They experience rigorous mental and physical training in order to carry out their missions in a quick and extremely effective manner. The Special Forces Weapons Sergeant is a crucial member of this team and must be ready to perform a variety of tasks anywhere in the world on a moment's notice.

Special Forces Soldiers in the Army conduct offensive raids, demolitions, intelligence, search and rescue and other missions from air, land or sea. Special Forces Weapons Sergeants are the weapons specialists. They're capable of operating and maintaining a wide variety of U.S., Allied and other foreign weaponry.  For more information, check out the Special Forces Qualification Course section.

Here are some duties of a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant:

• Going behind enemy lines to recruit, train and equip friendly forces for guerrilla raids
• Clearing mine fields, both underwater and on land
• Carrying out demolition raids against enemy military targets
• Employing warfare tactics and techniques in infantry operations
• Conducting offensive raids or invasions of enemy territories
• Maintaining proficiency with all foreign high-density light and heavy weapons
• Evaluating terrain
• Selecting weapons placements and sites
• Assigning targets and areas of fire
• Reading, interpreting and preparing combat orders

Special Forces Combat Gear
Camel Bak ACU Gear	Army Desert Boots	Under Armour Tactical

Special Operations Command, United States Joint Forces Command has the mission to train conventional and special operations joint force commanders and their staffs in the employment of Special Operations Forces (SOF) to enhance warfighting readiness and interoperability.

Special Operations (SO) are those operations conducted in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments to achieve diplomatic, informational, military and/or economic objectives employing military capabilities for which there is no broad conventional force requirement. These operations often require covert, clandestine or low-visibility capabilities. SO are applicable across the range of military operations. They can be conducted independently or in conjunction with operations of conventional forces or other government agencies and may include operations by, with or through indigenous or surrogate forces.

The United States maintains special operations forces capable of performing these difficult, complex, and sensitive missions on short notice, in peace and war, anywhere in the world.

In support of the national military strategy, special operations forces are currently organized and trained in nine principal mission areas:

U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) has evolved through a spirited heritage - spanning three centuries and threading itself through numerous organizations.Its soldiers trace their lineage to the 1st Special Service Force (Devil 's Brigade) and derive their heritage from elements of the Office of Strategic Services (Jedburghs, Operational Groups and Detachment IO 1).

Special Forces soldiers have earned the title of "Quiet Professional." They have been involved in peacetime operations and armed conflicts around the world over the past five decades.  In addition to service in Vietnam, Special Forces were deployed in Panama during Operation Just Cause, during Operations Desert Shield and Storm. Recently deployed in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Desert Storm Commander, Gen.  H. Norman Schwarzkopf, described Special Forces as the "eyes and ears" of conventional forces and as the "glue that held coalition forces together."  Special Forces soldiers continue to serve at home and abroad providing humanitarian assistance and assisting with foreign internal defense in friendly foreign nations.  Recent humanitarian assistance missions include Promote Liberty, Provide Comfort, Sea Angel, Guantanamo, Cuba, Hurricane Andrew, and Restore Hope. They continue to willingly undertake difficult missions in order to help those who are less fortunate.  They are quiet professionals, living by their motto "De Oppresso Liber" - To Free the Oppressed.

On November 27, 1990, the U.S. Army 1st Special Operations Command was re-designated the U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne).  Its mission: to train, validate, and prepare Special Forces units to deploy and execute operational requirements for the war-fighting commanders-in-chief.  Special Forces Command exercises command and control over five active component groups.  Additionally, it exercises training oversight of two Army National Guards groups.

Each Special Forces Group is regionally oriented to support one of the war fighting commanders-in-chief (CINCs).  Special Forces soldiers routinely deploy in support of the CINCs of U.S. European Command, U.S. Atlantic Command, U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Southern Command and the U.S. Central Command.

US Army Special Forces History
U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) has evolved through a spirited heritage - spanning three centuries and threading itself through numerous organizations.

Its Soldiers trace their lineage to the 1st Special Service Force (Devil 's Brigade) and derive their heritage from elements of the Office of Strategic Services (Jedburghs, Operational Groups and Detachment 101).

Special Forces Command grew out of the establishment of the Special Operations Division of the Psychological Warfare Center activated at Fort Bragg, NC in May 1952. In June of 1952, the 10th Special Forces Group was established under Col. Aaron Bank. Concurrently with this was the establishment of the Psychological Warfare School, which ultimately became today’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. The 10th Special Forces Group deployed to Bad Tolz, Germany in September 1953. The remaining cadre at Fort Bragg formed the 77th Special Forces Group, which in May 1960 became today’s 7th Special Forces Group. The intervening years saw the number of Special Forces Groups rise and fall.

On November 27, 1990, the U.S. Army 1st Special Operations Command was re-designated the U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne). Its mission: to train, validate, and prepare Special Forces units to deploy and execute operational requirements for the war-fighting geographic combatant commanders.

Special Forces Soldiers have earned the title of "Quiet Professional." They have been involved in peacetime operations and armed conflicts around the world over the past five decades.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Special Forces teams launched to remove the Taliban regime and destroy the Al Qaeda infrastructure within Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Special Forces validated their capacity as the Army’s premier Unconventional Warfare combat force during this time, organizing and fighting alongside a variety of Afghan resistance movements to defeat Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in the harsh mountainous environment of Afghanistan.
Special Forces Soldiers continue to serve at home and abroad providing unconventional warfare expertise, humanitarian assistance and assisting with foreign internal defense in friendly foreign nations. Recent humanitarian assistance missions include Hurricane Katrina and Rita relief. Combat missions are ongoing in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Special Forces continues to willingly undertake difficult missions in order to help those who are less fortunate. They are quiet professionals, living by their motto "De Oppresso Liber" - To Free the Oppressed.  For more information, check out the Special Forces Qualification Course section.