April 16, 2012 marked the 25th Anniversary of USSOCOM. Having spent many years of my career in Army, Air Force, and Joint SOF units, I have a special affinity for the command and its personnel.
However, today marks a different anniversary. In the early morning hours of 25 April, 1980 President Carter announced to a stunned world that the United States had undertaken an ambitious raid into Iran to liberate 52 American hostages held at our Embassy. Unfortunately, that raid, named Operation Eagle Claw was unsuccessful and we lost 8 American servicemen. Remember their sacrifice.
But, this failure was the watershed event that created, over the next several decades the world’s preeminent Special Operations capability; USSOCOM and it’s components.
For additional details on USSOCOM’s amazing history, visit www.socom.mil/News/Pages/USSOCOMmarks25thanniversary.aspx
