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Thompson’s Rifle Battalion: The Original Unit of the Army of the United Colonies (Now the United States Regular Army)

Saturday, June 14th, 2025

Although 1775 is indisputably the birth year of the US Army, two events occurred on June 14 of that year to which the Army can credit its birthday. One is the adoption by the Continental Congress of the collective militia forces from several colonies outside Boston to form a Continental Army, of which Congress appointed George Washington the commander in chief on June 15, 1775. In addition, the US Regular Army officially dates its beginning to June 14, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress directed 10 companies of expert riflemen to be raised immediately in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.

William Thompson’s commission as the colonel of the Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion was dated June 25, 1775, and made him the first colonel of what would eventually become, through George Washington’s Continental Army, the US Regular Army. But William Thompson has not found a prominent place in the American pantheon of revolutionary heroes for a variety of reasons. In addition, Thompson’s Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion later became the 1st Continental Regiment and ended the American Revolution as the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, but its lineage has not continued in the modern US Army.

The Army War College Press presents this monograph focusing on this unit pivotal in the creation of the United States Army.

Written by John A. Bonin

Download your copy here.

Posted in Army, Guest Post, History | Comments Off on Thompson’s Rifle Battalion: The Original Unit of the Army of the United Colonies (Now the United States Regular Army)

AUSA Presents: The Birth of the U.S. Army: Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of America’s First National Institution

Saturday, June 14th, 2025

The Association of the United States Army is proud to announce the release of a new graphic novel in honor of the Army’s 250th birthday celebration: The Birth of the U.S. Army.

The Birth of the U.S. Army

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s first national institution

The U.S. Army was established on June 14, 1775—more than a year before the Declaration of Independence. Under civil authority, militia from separate colonies unified under a new commander to form a national force to fight for independence. The history of the Army is intertwined with the history of America itself.

Script: Chuck Dixon (Batman, The Punisher, The ’Nam)

Artwork and Cover: Wayne Vansant (The ’Nam, Savage Tales, All Quiet on the Western Front)

Lettering: Troy Peteri (Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men)

The Association of the United States Army celebrates this milestone of American history with its latest graphic novel. This full-color digital book was created by a talented team of professionals drawn from the comic book industry, and the details were vetted by professional historians.

Information on the AUSA Book Program can be found at www.ausa.org/books.

To read The Birth of the U.S. Army or to download a free copy, please visit www.ausa.org/the-birth-of-the-us-army

Posted in Army, AUSA, Guest Post, History | Comments Off on AUSA Presents: The Birth of the U.S. Army: Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of America’s First National Institution

What a Horrible Way To Save a Buck…Army to Close Museums

Sunday, June 8th, 2025

NEWS FLASH *** ARMY MUSEUMS SET TO CONSOLIDATE AND CLOSE FACILITIES ***

In support of Army transformation and a focus on directing resources toward readiness and lethality, the Center of Military History has begun a consolidation and reduction of Army museums, a process that will continue through Fiscal Year 2029.

The Army Museum Enterprise (AME) will reduce from 41 museum activities at 29 locations to 12 field museums and four training support facilities at 12 locations.

In the current AME, a substantial maintenance backlog and insufficient staffing prevent our museums from reaching their fullest potential as educational and historical resources. These challenges also pose significant risk to our ability to care for the Army’s priceless artifact collection, which is one of the world’s largest.

The future Army Museum Enterprise is designed to best support Soldier training and public education within our available budget and professional staff. The consolidation plan ensures the widest possible access to the highest quality museums within available Army resources.

Specific closure dates and procedures have not been determined. CMH is committed to maintaining communications with affected local communities and commands, and to addressing stakeholder concerns.

As soon as a timeline of closures and consolidations of specific museums is set, the Army will provide the information.

Editor’s Note: Sounds like it’s time to privatize those Division and Separate Unit Museums before the Army destroys our heritage.

Via @armyhistory

Posted in Army, As Seen On Instagram, History | 5 Comments »

Celebrating 40 Years of Arktis

Friday, June 6th, 2025

I’ve been an Arktis customer for 35 of their 40 years. To celebrate these four decades of service, they have set up a special page on their website to showcase the high points of their history as well as offering several exclusive 40th anniversary products.

I’m (re)sharing an article I wrote in 2021 recalling how I became an Arktis customer.

In the Spring of 1990, I was on the downhill side of a two year tour in Germany that had been involuntarily extended to 30 months due to lack of retainability. Rather than extending my enlistment and accepting an involuntary assignment to Fort Carson, I was waiting for my re-enlisted to window to open so I could go to Bragg. At the time I was working outside my SIGINT MOS as a radio operator in 3rd ID’s Long Range Surveillance Detachment and preferred to go to an airborne assignment rather than another heavy division.

I had picked up this copy of Soldier of Fortune magazine featuring a story about the British Pathfinders at Leighton Kaserne’s Stars and Stripes bookstore. In the story was a sidebar about the members’ kit with a couple of photos and it mentioned a company in Exeter named Arktis.

I was already highly interested in British aftermarket gear having obtained two books entitled, “Combat” and “Survival” which had been published in Great Britain and based upon the weekly serialized imprint called “Combat & Survival,” also on post.

Now that I had a company name, the real fun began. This was 1990, there was no internet to look things up, and I was relying on the very expensive German phone system to make overseas calls to the UK to track Arktis down.

I used phone booths during my search because it was easy to track how many German Marks I used for calls. You inserted as many as were needed for the call in the phone’s slot.

I eventually got on the phone with Arktis’ founder and proprietor at the time, former Royal Marine Major David Ross, OBE, who had served in the Falklands. He explained that he had started the company due to his dissatisfaction with issue kit. And for me, his military service explained the location of the company in Exeter. Fortunately, I lived off post in an apartment so I could use the German Post for shipments rather than the US mail which would have resulted in any parcels heading from the UK to NY and then back to Germany and the unit mailroom.

David sent me a catalog and I shared it with the other members of my LRSD. I bought a 42 pattern chest rig and a few pouches. A few of the other guys bought 45 pattern chest rigs. At the time we could get away with wearing either OD or DPM pouches. DPM blended in pretty well with Woodland, but I always felt self conscious about it. Regardless, the gear was only worn in the field.

A few years later, David Ross sold the company and it has changed hands a couple of times, becoming Arktis Outdoor Products and now Arktis Limited. These days, it seems that they concentrate more on clothing than kit but they still produce a few of the original items that put the company on the map.

store.arktis.co.uk

Posted in History | 4 Comments »

Saturday Night Feature: Phantom Fighters (Green Berets) in Color

Sunday, May 25th, 2025

This episode of “The Big Picture” depicts the Green Berets and features the legendary Larry Thorne (Lauri Törni).

Colored using DeOldify algorithm.

National Archives and Records Administration

Posted in History, SOF | 1 Comment »

Medal of Honor Recipients Offer Insights at SOF Week

Thursday, May 15th, 2025

TAMPA, Fla. — Of the 3,536 Medals of Honor presented since its establishment in 1861, only 61 recipients are alive today, and only a handful of them come from the U.S. special operations forces community.

Yesterday, three of those SOF recipients attended a panel discussion at Special Operations Forces Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida.

Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas P. Payne, retired Army Master Sgt. Earl D. Plumlee and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew O. Williams shared experiences and lessons learned from their heroic actions during an hourlong conversation that emphasized the importance of trust, mentorship and resilience in leadership.

All three men explained what being a Medal of Honor recipient means to them on a personal level.

“Every time we put the medal on, it’s a gracious gift to sit here and talk about it,” said Williams, who received the medal for his actions of valor during Operation Commando Wrath in Afghanistan in 2008.

He added that a surprising number of people are unaware of the medal’s significance.

“And that significance has nothing to do with the guy wearing it, or the action that they took; but it’s the idea that you’re willing to put yourself and your life on the line for the guys [to the] left and [to the] right of you,” he said.

Plumlee, who received his medal for saving numerous lives by mounting a successful counterattack under heavy fire against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan in 2013, explained that he shared his ceremony with two other recipients, both of whom received the medal posthumously.

“That really brought some gravity,” he said.

He also explained that, with credible eyewitness testimony being a requirement for receiving the medal, many SOF personnel may be just as deserving of such an award but will never receive the recognition.

“I know a lot of guys who have done very heroic things, but it’s not captured and provable, [so] there’s no medal for it,” Plumlee said.

“It’s humbling, and I like to say that I’m wearing [the medal] for [the U.S. Special Operations Command] and vast amounts of operators who have done very heroic things for very little recognition, and [who] just went back to work the next day,” he added.

“Just letting the medal be a part of my life [has] required me to grow up,” said Payne, who received his MOH for saving 70 hostages with little regard for his own life during a 2015 rescue operation in Iraq.

“It’s just a process to live up to the standard of wearing the Medal of Honor, which is hard — every single day — and so, it’s a ‘beautiful burden,'” Payne added, quoting his friend and fellow recipient, retired Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter.

The three men also spoke about their shared passion for continued service following their time in uniform.

Plumlee said he gets the most out of inspiring others to serve their country.

“I love talking to people [who] were not thinking about serving — or if they’re dabbling in it — and really, you know, mentoring [them] and lighting that fire,” Plumlee said, adding that the country is always in need of men and women to sign up for military service and “take ownership of the country.”

“Every politician’s speech and every successful business is built on the bedrock of the security that the [Defense Department] provides,” he said.

Williams also said he enjoys encouraging others to serve, if not in the military, then in some other manner that benefits the country.

“One thing that really shocked me when I received the medal … was how much I enjoyed talking to other people about it and just perpetuating the values that we stand for … especially service, and how important service actually is,” Williams said.

“I like just talking about that — engaging specifically with kids and students — and going to schools and hoping to provide a little bit of a glimmer of hope for our country,” he added.

Payne said SOF operators like himself and the others on stage have lots of friends buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and that he and his fellow SOF veterans are fortunate to be alive.

“I’ve just tried to live an extraordinary life in honor of my teammates … We’re on ‘plus time’ now,” he said, adding that, despite having been medically retired from the Army, he continues to find ways to serve his country.

“There’s a passion to serve still [and] I’m going to continue to serve in different ways,” Payne said.

By Matthew Olay, DOD News

Posted in Army, Guest Post, History, Profession of Arms, SOF Week | Comments Off on Medal of Honor Recipients Offer Insights at SOF Week

45th Anniversary of Operation Eagle Claw

Friday, April 25th, 2025

America woke up on the morning of 25 April, 1980 to hear President Carter announced to a stunned world that overnight our nation had undertaken an ambitious raid into Iran to liberate 52 American hostages held illegally at our Embassy compound in Tehran. The assault force of what was known as “Operation Eagle Claw” can be seen here, loading C141s on their way to an Intermediate Staging Base in preparation for the operation.

Unfortunately, the plan was complicated and the task force was made was made up of forces which hadn’t trained together long. The weather was problematic as well, and as the task force began to organize a withdrawal from Iranian territory after one-too-many helicopter failures, disaster struck.

We lost eight American servicemen in a horrible aircraft ground collision during refueling operations where a hovering SH53 helicopter turned into a C130 full of fuel bladders.

However, their deaths were not in vain. The hostages were eventually repatriated and the accident was the watershed event that created, over the next several decades, the world’s preeminent Special Operations capability; USSOCOM and its components. Forty-five years later, we wouldn’t be where we are without the determination of that fledgling task force.

Join me in remembering those who had the guts to try; legends to a man.

Posted in History, SOF | Comments Off on 45th Anniversary of Operation Eagle Claw

JFK’s Legacy Endures with Induction as Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025

In an honorable and dignified ceremony marked by historical significance, former President John F. Kennedy was officially inducted as a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment in Pinehurst, North Carolina, April 11.

The U.S. Army Regimental Honors program recognizes individuals who have significantly contributed to the welfare, strength, and legacy of a regiment. The ceremony honored Kennedy posthumously, recognizing his visionary support for Special Forces and his enduring influence on modern warfare.

Jack B. Kennedy Schlossberg, Kennedy’s grandson, accepted the official acknowledgement of Kennedy’s induction into the regiment from Maj. Gen. Jason C. Slider, commanding general of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, the Special Operations Center of Excellence (SOCoE).

“Today, I’ll never forget it,” Schlossberg said, who accepted the distinction on his family’s behalf. “I can’t think of a better way to honor President Kennedy by teaching new generation to live by the values that he did and to hold them to the same high standard that history holds them to. The Special Warfare School is a living tribute to all that my grandfather stood for.”

In addition to Kennedy’s contribution to Special Forces history stood the former schoolhouse commander at the time, Lt. Gen. William P. Yarborough, whose determination parallelled the vision in establishing what would become the next generation of lethal warfighters, the Special Forces Soldier.

“Yarborough was a warfighter,” Slider said. “He fought and commanded in World War II with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was a leader of men, and he cared for them. He created the silver wings many of us are wearing tonight. He also designed the paratrooper jump boots. He was an infantryman, but his legacy is “the father of the modern Green Berets.”

Michael Yarborough, Lt. Gen. Yarborough’s grandson, attended the ceremony on his family’s behalf.

“This letter marked the milestone in the transformation to the Army as it responded to a wide variety of new and emerging threats that included unconventional warfare in faraway places like Vietnam,” said Yarborough, during his remarks at the induction ceremony. “Six months before he penned that letter, Kennedy visited Fort Bragg and my grandfather at the Special Warfare School […] I’m confident that President Kennedy, if he visited Bragg today, would look to Special Forces to bring any capabilities and moral character the Army needs as it continues to defend our country.”

The significance of the ceremony reflected a milestone in Special Forces history, the 63rd anniversary of Kennedy signing the memo that authorized the wearing of the Green Beret on April 11, 1962.

Because of Kennedy and Yarborough’s deep-rooted legacy in paving the path for Army special operations forces, the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School stands as a living legacy of their contributions and a pillar of excellence in the world of special operations military training and force generation.

Kennedy’s military history traces back during his time as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Kennedy’s actions spoke to his character when he commanded a PT boat in the Pacific. In 1943, his boat, PT-109, was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer. Despite his own injuries, Kennedy led his crew to safety. After World War II, Kennedy would go on to be elected as a democratic congressman for Massachusetts, serving three terms, and eventually becoming the 35th President of the United States of America in 1960.

During his presidency, in October 1961, after watching a demonstration of Special Forces capabilities at McKellar’s Lodge, Kennedy approved the Green Beret as the official headgear of Army Special Forces during his visit to Fort Bragg.

Following his visit on April 11, 1962, Kennedy penned an official White House Memorandum stating, “The Green Beret is again becoming a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom.”

Shortly after Kennedy’s assassination, as a tribute to his support, Yarborough added Kennedy’s name to the U.S. Army Center for Special Warfare, the previous name of the SOCoE. Named in his honor, the institution reflects Kennedy’s unwavering belief and executive sponsorship of unconventional warfare. His contribution to the fabric of Special Forces history was filled with many accomplishments and honorable service in the military, leading to his induction into the regiment.

While the induction falls on the anniversary of the signing of the memo, the induction references an action taken when Kennedy was first interred into Arlington.

At that time, moments after the assassinated president’s casket descended into the ground, boughs of pines were laid on the mound, and his 47-man Special Forces contingent that supported his internment was leaving, former Command Sgt. Maj. Francis Ruddy, the U.S. Army Center for Special Warfare command sergeant major, overcome by emotion, laid his beret down on the grave site.

“It was pretty much a reflex,” Ruddy said 14 months later with a New York Times reporter. “I stood there with a feeling of complete helplessness. I felt we lost a truly great person.”

When Robert F. Kennedy and Jackie returned to Arlington at midnight, they found Ruddy’s beret among the pine boughs that laid on top of the piled dirt. Ruddy explained to the Associated Press days after the funeral that “we considered it appropriate that it be given back to him.”

“President Kennedy’s confidence in our formation, his investment in our force, and his understanding of unconventional warfare leads us to stand as ready to respond to our nation today as we did 60 years ag,” said Lt. Gen. Jonathan P. Braga, commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, during the induction ceremony. “As past Green Berets were able to stand guard over President Kennedy and honor his leadership in his family’s time of need; today, we Green Berets codify his legacy as one strongly intertwined with our own.”

During the ceremony, Schlossberg presented Gen. Bryan P. Fenton, commanding general of the U.S. Special Operations Command, with a page of Kennedy’s famous West Point speech in 1962 that included President Kennedy’s notes and edits from over six decades ago.

“On behalf of all of us, we formally welcome you to the Special Forces family,” Fenton said, during closing remarks.

Kennedy remains the only American president officially inducted into the Special Forces Regimental Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member of the Regiment. His image, depicted in Special Forces halls and classrooms, continues to inspire generations of warriors. The ceremony not only honored his past contributions but also reaffirmed that his ideals remain firmly embedded in the heart of special operations.

To read President John F. Kennedy’s biography from the ceremony, visit www.swcs.mil/Portals/111/DMOR_2025_SF_JFK

By Elvia Kelly, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School

Posted in Army, Guest Post, History, SOF | Comments Off on JFK’s Legacy Endures with Induction as Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment