In their latest of a series of videos, the Silent Warrior Foundation takes us through an early Delta Force Custom Made Assault Vest with hosts Dave Hall and Retired Delta Force Veteran Sergeant Major Phill Hanson.
The Silent Warrior Foundation is honoring Operation Eagle Claw during their upcoming Whiskey and War Stories event in August. This will include an auction of artifacts signifigant to the mission.
The MG Eldon Bargewell Delta Park Challenge Coin is a fundraising effort for the MG Eldon Bargewll Foundation (EBF) to assist in the completion of the Delt Park project.
The purpose of the MG Eldon Bargewell Foundation (EBF) is to honor Hoquiam native Major General Eldon Bargewell USA (ret.) by building Delta Park. Our goal is to raise $300,000 to erect a statue of Eldon and three plaques showing his service to our country, his leadership and the honors he earned, including the Distinguished Service Cross (our nation’s second highest award for valor), 6 bronze stars (3 with V for valor and 3 for his service), and 4 purple hearts.
With permission from MG Eldon Bargewll family and the MG Eldon Bargewll Foundation (EBF), Special Operations Group (SOG) www.norbay.com – History of MACV-SOG, www.sogsite.com, has minted the MG Eldon Bargewell Challenge Coin.
The coin is 1.75″ with a diamond twist cut. One Side MG Bargewell picture, the other side MG Bargewell’s units and commands. Years that he served enlisted and years as an Officer with the United States Army. The cost of the coin is $20.00. $15.00 goes to the park project. $5.00 cost and Admin fees. So far $120.00 has been raised for the park.
Donations will also be used to landscape the park and provide a fund to maintain the park in the future.
100% of donations go to the Delta Park Project and are tax deductible.
We will post monthly on this site the amount of funds raised for this project.
You can purchase this coin on: www.norbay.com
?AGAN, POLAND — U.S. Army Soldiers with the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division participated in a guided tour at the Great Escape museum in ?agan, Poland, July 5, 2021.
The Great Escape was a massive escape attempt from Stalag Luft III, a prisoner of war (POW) camp in ?agan, Poland, controlled by Nazi Germany during WWII.
The Troopers walked approximately three miles through the woods to get the chance to learn about an essential piece of military history. Upon arrival, the Troopers were provided with a guided tour from the curator around the remains of Stalag Luft III.
The curator began the tour by leading the troopers to the memorial near the entrance of the museum. He explained the history behind the monument and the dedication to the Soviet prisoners that perished at Stalag Luft III. Outside, Troopers were able to see a replica of an old wooden watchtower and an exit to one of the three underground tunnels.
Once inside, the Troopers saw a miniature model of the camp and where the three tunnels — known as Tom, Dick, and Harry — were dug. This miniature model gave the Troopers a visual of the camp’s diversity. The museum displayed multiple flight suits from different countries.
The curator explained all the planning that went into the escape attempt and mentioned a few facts that aren’t commonly known. The camp was nearly impossible to escape from because of the elevated prisoner housing, loose, collapsible soil, and seismograph microphones in the ground around the perimeter of the camp. The prisoners had to be extremely cautious while preparing to escape under the guards’ watch.
The Troopers were able to explore a barracks replica outside the museum that would have housed prisoners of war. To their surprise, the living conditions in the barracks were much better than expected. There’s a common misconception that Stalag Luft III had living conditions similar to those of a concentration camp.
Although it was a prison camp, the Germans had to follow the rules set by the Geneva Convention according to the curator of the museum, so there was a standard of living that the prison had to uphold.
Staff Sgt. Noah Hill, a brigade religious affairs noncommissioned officer with 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, set up the guided tour. He said he enjoys seeing the Troopers get off base and learn more about the Polish culture near their area of operation.
“We went through our training rotation,” Hill said. “However, I also wanted them to be able to talk about the good that’s in Poland and build that trust with the Polish people who we’re working with.”
Troopers of 1st Cavalry have had the opportunity to partake in a few military history tours like this one. They have also toured Auschwitz concentration camp and been given a Polish military history presentation to understand Poland’s culture better. The 1st ABCT is currently undergoing redeployment operations before heading back to its home station in Ft. Hood, Texas.
By PFC Michael Baumberger
NELSONVILLE, Ohio — Ralph Borja, a national military account manager for Rocky Boots, has been selected for induction into the National Ranger Association’s Ranger Hall of Fame. Borja is one of 15 members of the 2021 Hall of Fame class and will be honored in a ceremony July 21st at Fort Benning, Ga.
“Ralph embodies every quality you would expect of a former Army Ranger, and Rocky has been fortunate to have him as a part of our sales team,” said Mark Dean, Vice President of Rocky’s Commercial Military division. “We thank him for his service to our country and salute him for his induction into the Ranger Hall of Fame.”
Borja, a native of Agana, Guam, served a total of 31 years in the military in numerous special operations roles. He entered the Ranger Indoctrination Program immediately after basic training and then joined the 75th Ranger Regiment in January 1980. During his career, he served as a Ranger instructor, Sergeant Major at multiple battalions, Brigade Command Sergeant Major with the 10th Mountain Division, and Command Sergeant Major at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
He is also a Master Parachutist with two combat jumps, first into Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury in 1983 and again into Panama as a part of Operation Just Cause in 1989. For injuries sustained in Panama, he was awarded a Purple Heart. He later deployed to Afghanistan twice, earning a Bronze Star during one of those tours.
Borja holds several other awards and decorations including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit award.
After concluding his military service, Borja joined Rocky in July 2013 and has demonstrated incredible acumen and leadership as a sales manager. He is a highly valued conduit to the world’s largest tactical distributors and has played an integral role in establishing Rocky’s Commercial Military Brand domestically and abroad.
The Ranger Hall of Fame was formed in 1992 to honor and preserve the spirit and contributions of America’s most extraordinary Rangers. The Ranger Hall of Fame takes particular care to ensure that only the most extraordinary Rangers are inducted, a difficult mission given the high caliber of all nominees. Inductees are impartially selected from the Ranger community and represent all units and eras of Ranger history.
A few weeks ago I participated in an unboxing of a modified M65 field jacket and other gear worn on Operation Eagle Claw, the 1980 raid into Iran to attempt to free American hostages held by Iran.
Since then, several unit veterans have come forward to allow Dave Hall, President of the Silent Warrior Foundation charity to examine their jackets. In this second video, Dave meets with retired Sergeant Major Phil Hanson.
We’re fortunate that they produced not just one video during this visit, but two.
In the first unboxing video there were some surprises like the dog tags and watch cap. This time we get to see the non-issue boots worn by SGM Hanson in Iran along with some other items. You have got to watch these videos, if just to see the rigger modification to the Bianchi holster to make it a drop leg.
The information gleaned from these videos isn’t just of historical significance. The Silent Warrior Foundation is working Bergspitze Customs and Alpha Industries to recreate 10 examples of these jackets for a charity auction as part of their upcoming Whiskey and War Stories honoring Operation Eagle Claw event in August.
The jacket reproductions and many other items will be available for auction on www.auctionfrogs.org during the event.
I always try to do posts that have something to do with the Navy, being on the water, diving, or subjects like that. But I read about this a couple of years ago, and I have always wanted to post about it. The more I read about WWI, the more I am amazed at the plain disregarded for life.
The attack on Fromelles on July 19-20, 1916, was Australia’s first significant action on the Western Front. The 5th Division, which led the attack, was made up of veterans of the Gallipoli campaign and recently trained reinforcements. The operation was intended to keep the German reserves away from the Somme, where the main Allied attack had begun on July 1. This battle is considered Australia’s worst 24 hours in their military history.
The British 61st and the Australian 5th divisions were deployed at Fromelles. Both had just arrived in France without combat experience; for the Australians, it was their first battle on the Western Front. They were up against the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division, which had just won the battle of Aubers the year before. To make matters worse for Commonwealth troops, the pre-battle bombardment, which lasted eleven hours, was poorly executed.
With skillfully placed German observation positions, some camouflaged within trees, viewing the troop assembling locations, the battle was never going to be the surprise the Allies planned. Second Lieutenant Waldo Zander, a 30th Battalion officer from Sydney, remembered being perplexed by inconsistent information sent to him and his soldiers before the Fromelles attack. He also mentioned that, despite requests for confidentiality, he had overheard French folks at the local establishments inquiring about the “big day”.
The infantry onslaught, which began at six o’clock in the morning on July 19, 1916, was met by intensive machine gun fire and bombardment in a large stretch of no man’s land (over 300 meters). The four waves of troops were slaughtered one by one; while a few Australian soldiers managed to get through German lines, they were rapidly isolated and exposed to counter-attacks. The bodies of dead and wounded Australians littered No Man’s Land, with some comparing the gruesome scene to a big butcher’s shop. Despite the failure of the first attempt, a second attack was launched at 9 a.m. The Australian survivors of the first onslaught, completely isolated after a night in the German trenches, sought to reclaim their lines on the morning of July 20. Still, they were met by the enemy’s machine guns once again.
The Australians then began an attack based on intelligence regarding the German lines to capture the third and last German line. The attacking Australians were met with the fact that the German third and final lines were missing. Aerial reconnaissance revealed that the third line was nothing more than empty ditches. In an undefendable situation, the attacking Australians formed their defensive positions as best they could.
The Australians were nearly annihilated within 15 minutes of leaving their lines when they attacked the ‘Sugar Loaf’ defensive feature, which was characterized as an “elevated concrete stronghold bristling with machine guns”. The 59th Battalion’s Corporal Hugh Knyvett stated.
The Australians lost 5,533 men and the British 1,400 in a twenty-four-hour period with nothing to show for it. Only 107 of the Australian 60th Battalion’s 887 soldiers survived the conflict. Adolf Hitler, a corporal in the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment at the time, appears to have taken part in the combat.
If you were like me, you learned about the April 24, 1980 US raid into Iran to rescue American hostages on the news the next morning. Commentators spoke of a secretive US military force and an aircraft accident. While the raid itself was unsuccessful, the units involved only became better and more determined.
My introduction to what was worn by the rescuers on this mysterious raid was from a plate in an Osprey Elite book on Special Forces.
The Black Field Jacket with taped US Flag and Watch Cap became an image burnt into my head. Turns out, like most things, it wasn’t quite that simple. A series of photographs released years later, which were taken at the intermediate staging base in Oman prior to infil, depict a wide variety of clothing and jacket mods being worn.
Dave Hall, President of the Silent Warrior Foundation charity had recently contacted me about a fundraiser in conjunction with their upcoming Whiskey and War Stories event honoring Operation Eagle Claw which will focus on the participants and the hostages they were intent to rescue.
One of the Unit members had offered to allow Dave and team access to his modified M65 and Alpha Industries had donated some Field Jackets to be modified in a similar fashion so that they could be auctioned off to benefit the charity. Knowing how much I love kit and SOF history, he asked if I was interested in helping. I jumped at the chance and put him in touch with Kory Brown of Berspitze Customs to discuss doing the actual modification.
Last Friday, I was lucky to be asked to participate in an unboxing video at S&S Precision for the project, along with Dave and Kory. The box contained quite a few surprises including some sand from Desert One.
The jacket reproductions and many other items will be available for auction on www.auctionfrogs.org during the event.
Happy Independent Day. This is indeed one of my favorite holidays. For all my British brothers out there, I have attached a video for you. There is also a bonus one at the end.
For his actions and the way he led his man during the Revolutionary War, John Paul Jones is considered the father of the U.S. Navy.
John Paul was born in Kirkcudbright, Scotland on July 6, 1747. He joined the British merchant marine at the age of 12 and went to sea for the first time as a cabin boy.
In 1766, he was appointed the first mate on a slaver brigantine, but he quickly abandoned the trade due to dissatisfaction. In 1769, he was appointed master. In Tobago, West Indies, he killed the leader of his mutinous crew in self-defense in 1773. He then went to Virginia to avoid justice and was labeled a fugitive by the British. By adding the surname Jones, he was able to hide his true identity.
Now going by John Paul Jones, he moved to Philadelphia and joined the Continental Navy when the American Revolution broke out in 1775. On the first American flagship, the Alfred, he was commissioned a lieutenant. In 1776, Jones was promoted to captain and assigned command of the sloop Providence. On his first time at sea as a captain, he went north to Nova Scotia, wrecked British fisheries, and seized sixteen British prize ships.
In 1777 and 1778, he commanded the Ranger, and he had two definite objectives in mind for this deployment. He wanted to carry out hit-and-run operations against opposing coastal fleets first. Aside from the apparent harm to local shipping, it would cause civilian terror along the English, Scottish, and Irish coastlines, forcing British war planners to redirect some of their marine resources from protecting American ports to defending their own. Second, he sought to kidnap a high-ranking British official and keep him for ransom until imprisoned Americans were released from British prisons or were released from impressment. For his actions, he was given command of five French and American ships. Jones led his squadron off the Scottish coast to capture seven merchantmen. His most famous battle was on September 23, 1779 against the 44-gun Royal Navy ship, Serapis, and one of the bloodiest naval battles in history. That day, even though his ship was burning and sinking, Jones refused to surrender to the British, saying “I have not yet begun to battle”. Serapis surrendered after more than three hours, and Jones assumed charge.
Even being a sailor, he was very well-dressed, wielded a sword, and behaved in a manner of studied decorum, unlike most merchant seafarers. He spoke with a faint Celtic dialect and had a Scottish brogue. He was a severe military master who was obsessive about his honor and obligations, yet surprisingly pleasant. He was a prolific poet and letter writer, knew some French, and was involved in numerous romances while never marrying. No one, above all, questioned his audacity. His maritime operations against the mother country earned him a reputation as a pirate in Britain.
Jones was named rear admiral in the Russian Navy by Russian Empress Catherine the Great in 1788. He participated in the Liman campaign in the Black Sea. Then, in 1789, he quit the Russian service and relocated to Paris. He was then appointed as the United States Consul in Algiers, but he died before his commission arrived. His body was buried in Paris, but after a long search, his perfectly preserved body was recovered and sent to the United States in 1905. Jones’ remains were reinterred in an elegant mausoleum at the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1913, thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt’s intervention.
