I’m sorry to report that the legendary Billy Waugh, who served his nation for over 50. years in US Army Special Forces, and after his military retirement with the Central Intelligence Agency, has passed away at age 93.

Born William D. Waugh, he hailed from Bastrop, Texas and joined the US Army in 1948. Initially serving as a paratrooper with later service in the Korean War, he eventually joined Special Forces and served there until his retirement in 1972 at the rank of Sergeant Major. In 1977 he joined the CIA as an paramilitary operations officer and retired from that gig in 2005.

Consider this; at age 71, he participated in the opening days of Operations Enduring Freedom, deploying as one of the first Americans going into Afghanistan as a member of a CIA team sent there to destroy the Taliban and Al Qaeda at Tora Bora.

But by that point, he was already a legend. In addition to serving in MACV SOG, he was a pioneer of Military Free Fall techniques, having conducted the first HALO combat jump into Vietnam.

Billy Waugh succumbed today to a prolonged illness.

May He Rest In Peace…

I am saddened to report that MG Gary L Harrell, (USA, Ret) passed away this morning while surrounded by family.

In this photo, he was commander of C Sq, 1st SFOD-D during operation Gothic Serpent. For an extensive biography, visit TaskForceDagger.org.

“If it was complex, if it was difficult or critical to our nation, Gary was there,”

-LTG Robert Wagner, the commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, said during MG Gary Harrell’s retirement ceremony.

I didn’t meet him until after he retired but he brought a lot to every endeavor he undertook.

He was a fine man and respected leader. He will be missed.

May He Rest In Peace.

Earlier this year we lost James Yeager to ALS. Artist Lorin Michki has created a great tribute to his life.

He had this to say, “I was commissioned to make this by a friend of James Yeager. I was actually wanting to do one anyway but I didn’t really want to do it unless the family was okay with it. They will be getting this drawing.”

Lorin is selling prints of this drawing in his Etsy store with half of each print sold donated to a charity of the Yeager family’s choosing.

Last week a nation said goodbye to LTG David E. Grange, Jr (USA, Ret). Most never knew he was, a man who served his nation in silence.

Loved by many, he was a man idolized. I had the opportunity to meet General Grange a couple of times long after his retirement, having been introduced by his son, MG David L. Grange who is also a distinguished Ranger and a legend in his own right.

I’ll share this piece from the National Ranger Association about General Grange.

May He Rest In Peace

“The Ranger mystique is at its best here at Fort Benning. 20 years from now, I’m not going to be around here, but you will be. And if you are in the Airborne & Ranger Training Brigade, you better be turning out Rangers even a lot better than the ones that I saw turned out or the ones like you. I want you to be better! Always.”

-LTG (R) David E. Grange, Jr.

As the namesake of the Best Ranger Competition, he inspired & created something tangible that is meaningful & powerful beyond measure to all involved. As a servant leader, he has taught us all through his example how to survive & thrive through all the different battles within this world & in our own lives with integrity & true grit. He taught us that it is not just what you offer, but how you pave a way for others to give their very best to themselves & to those that surround us. He didn’t run around building his legacy, he “ran around” making a difference.

We are his legacy.

LTG David E. Grange, Jr. was a Veteran of 20 campaigns in three wars as an infantryman. He enlisted in June of ’42, & served as a parachute infantryman in World War II. LTG Grange was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in ’50 & served in Korea with the 187th. He then served in Vietnam in ’63 as an Airborne/Ranger/infantry Advisor to the DODs Research & Development Field Unit. In ’67 he commanded the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He returned to Vietnam for his third tour in ’70 where he commanded the 101st Support Command & the 3rd Brigade. He served as Director of the Ranger Department, & later commanded the 2ID, the U.S. Army Infantry Center, & the 6th U.S. Army.

For 97 yrs, this man gave every ounce of his life back to his family, his community, & his country. Through his dedicated service to others, he in turn designed a legacy for us to receive as individuals, as soldiers, and as an entire community. He is THE Standard. The legend of the game.

Even in our grief of never seeing him on this side of the Earth, his spirit will always be felt and forever revered. To our Airborne Ranger in the sky, rest now. You’ve lead the way.

LTG DAVID E. GRANGE, JR.
9 Apr 1925 -11 Sept 2022.

Never Forget these fine people who were taken from us by evil men. Let’s honor the heroes of Flight 93 who made a fateful decision that they weren’t going to become pawns in a crazed attempt to decapitate our government. They took the enemy on, firsthand. They will always have our respect.

The Crew
Jason Dahl
LeRoy Homer, Jr.
Lorraine Bay
Sandra Bradshaw
Cee Cee Lyles
Wanda Green
Deborah Anne Jacobs Welsh

The Passengers
Christian Adams
Todd Beamer
Alan Beaven
Mark Bingham
Deora Bodley
Marion Britton
Thomas E. Burnett Jr.
Willam Cashman
Georgine Rose Corrigan
Patricia Cushing
Joseph DeLuca
Patrick “Joe” Driscoll
Edward Porter Felt
Jane Folger
Colleen L. Fraser
Andrew Garcia
Jeremy Glick
Lauren Grandcolas
Donald F. Greene
Linda Gronlund
Richard Guadagno
Toshiya Kuge
Hilda Marcin
Waleska Martinez
Nicole Miller
Louis J. Nacke II
Donald and Jean Peterson
Mark “Mickey” Rothenberg
Christine Snyder
John Talignani
Honor Elizabeth Wainio
Kristin Gould White

We will not name the hijackers. May they forever be dishonored.

It’s been 21 years. Many are still processing turning Afghanistan over to the Taliban just one year ago. It’s not going to get better.

There were 2996 immediate deaths on September 11th, 2001. There were people who cheered that day, celebrating an attack on America. I will never forget them. I will never forgive them. Two decades later, I see members of our government trivialize the events of that day, desecrating the dead with their comments. Two decades and America forgets its dead, abandoning its mission.

Regardless of which way the political winds blow, I remain a patriot. But in a greater sense, I will also always honor those from other nations who stood with us on that day and throughout the ensuing decades of conflict. After all, there were victims from 90 countries on 9/11. A sick ideology attacked the world and despite our efforts, it lives on, dug in like a tick.

The crisis remains. Every year we lose more and more to that fateful day. Victims and rescuers alike suffer life threatening medical conditions due to the exposure to toxins during the attacks and continue to succumb to these lingering wounds. As a country, we must stand by them.

Even now, the world is faced with the continued threat of Islamic fundamentalism that targets our ideals in both word and deed. We must oppose them in every case, lest our efforts thus far, be in vain.

Never Forgive, Never Forget