The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) has a long, proud history that dates back to 1952 when the group was activated in Fort Bragg, N.C. They maintain high standards in physical fitness, training, daily performance and personal appearance. As such, you are expected to arrive highly motivated and physically fit. To succeed, the total dedication of every member of the unit is required.
Lineage
The heritage of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, commenced on July 9, 1942, with the activation of the 4th Company, 1st Regiment, 1st Special Service Force, a joint American and Canadian organization. It was during World War II that this unit earned a Distinguished Unit Citation and the French Croix de Guerre with Silver Gilt Star for exceptional valor.
The heraldry of the Special Forces shoulder patch draws from the fundamental, yet sophisticated, characteristics that mark the soldiers who bear it. The teal blue arrowhead alludes to the American Indian's basic skills in which Special Forces personnel are trained to a high degree.
The dagger represents the unconventional warfare nature of Special Forces Operations, and the three lighting flashes reflect their ability to strike rapidly by air, land or water. The Special Forces Motto "De Oppresso Liber" more fully translated means: "From oppression we will liberate them."
The Trojan Horse Crest was worn by members of the group on their berets during the 1950s. On Dec. 10, 1982, the 1st Special Operations Command (Airborne) adopted the Trojan Horse part of this crest as its official emblem. The Trojan Horse remains the symbolic, if unofficial, 10th Special Forces Group (A) crest.
History
The 10th SFG was activated on June 19, 1952, at Fort Bragg with Col. Aaron Bank in command. Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 10th SFG, were activated on May 19, 1952, preceding the activation of the group proper.
The first class of the Special Forces Course graduated in 1952, and the group grew to an aggregate strength of 1,700 personnel over the next year. In September 1953, after intensive individual and team training, 782 members deployed to Germany and established group headquarters at Lenggries in Bavaria. An additional 99 personnel deployed to Korea, where they were assigned to the 8240th Army Unit that was training anti-Communist North Korean partisans (called the United Nations Partisan Forces Korea) on the offshore islands.
The remaining personnel stayed at Fort Bragg, where they formed the core of the 77th Special Forces Group. In 1968, the majority of the group redeployed to Fort Devens, Massachusetts. The 1st Battalion remained in Germany as part of Special Forces Detachment-Europe and is located at Panzer Kaserne in Stuttgart. In 1994 and 1995, 10th SFG moved to Fort Carson, Colorado, where three line battalions, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, plus a Group Support Battalion, operate today.
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