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3rd Special Forces Group (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) – abbreviated 3rd SFG(A) and often called simply "3rd Group" – is a U.S. Army Special Forces (SF) unit active in the Vietnam Era
(1963–69) and reactivated in 1990. Its area of operations (AO) is now Sub-Saharan Africa
, North Carolina
. The four colors of the quadrants of 3rd Group's distinctive unit flash
derive from the flashes of the pre-existing SF units from which members were initially drawn. These colors are (clockwise from upper left): yellow (1st SFG (A)
), red (7th SFG (A)
), black (5th SFG (A)
), and white (Special Forces Training Group (A)).
3rd Group had a Mideast and Africa orientation during the 1960s. The unit trained the armed forces of Mali
, Iraq, Ethiopia
, the Congo
and Jordan
– in addition to supporting the Gemini 6 and 7
space shots. It also supported 5th Group operations in Vietnam, losing the 403rd Army Security Agency Special Operations Detachment and the 19th PSYOP Company to 5th Group in 1966. With the "vietnamization
" of the conflict in Southeast Asia, 3rd Group was deactivated in 1969 and members transferred back to various other SF groups.
as well as the western part of Africa. At the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War
(August 1990), 3rd Group had only one functioning battalion (1st BN). This battalion deployed to Dhahran
, Saudi Arabia, for three months, during which time it sent detachments forward into denied areas of Iraq and Kuwait for reconnaissance
and sabotage
missions. Ultimately, in late February 1991, it was given the mission of securing and occupying the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City
.
The 2nd BN and 3rd BN of 3rd Group were reactivated in 1991 and 1992, respectively. 3rd Group took part in the restoration of democracy in Haiti
in 1994.
excepting the Horn of Africa. However, since the mid 2000s 3rd Group's area of responsibility has primarily been Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia.
Two of 3rd Group's battalions spend roughly six months out of every twelve deployed to Afghanistan as part of a Combined Joint Task Force. In 2008 an ODA from the 3rd Group was cited for ten Silver Stars in the Battle of Shok Valley, the largest set of citations for a single battle since the Vietnam War
.
_recon_shok_valley,_afghanistan,_dec._15,_2008.jpg)
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(1963–69) and reactivated in 1990. Its area of operations (AO) is now Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
History
1960s
3rd Group was first activated on 5 December 1963 at Fort BraggFort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The four colors of the quadrants of 3rd Group's distinctive unit flash
US military beret flash
-References:*...
derive from the flashes of the pre-existing SF units from which members were initially drawn. These colors are (clockwise from upper left): yellow (1st SFG (A)
1st Special Forces Group (United States)
The 1st Special Forces Group is a U.S. Army Special Forces unit that was activated on 24 June 1957 at Camp Drake, Japan.-Unit history:It was among the first groups of the Special Forces to be officially formed. The group is responsible for operations in the Pacific...
), red (7th SFG (A)
7th Special Forces Group (United States)
The 7th Special Forces Group, an operational unit of the United States Army Special Forces, was activated on 20 May 1960. It was reorganized from the 77th Special Forces Group, which was also stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Its purpose is to conduct guerrilla operations and train friendly...
), black (5th SFG (A)
5th Special Forces Group (United States)
The 5th Special Forces Group is a United States Army Special Forces unit that was activated on 21 September 1961 during the Cold War.-Unit history:...
), and white (Special Forces Training Group (A)).
3rd Group had a Mideast and Africa orientation during the 1960s. The unit trained the armed forces of Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Iraq, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
– in addition to supporting the Gemini 6 and 7
Gemini 7
Gemini 7 was a 1965 manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the 4th manned Gemini flight, the 12th manned American flight and the 20th spaceflight of all time . The crew of Frank F. Borman, II and James A...
space shots. It also supported 5th Group operations in Vietnam, losing the 403rd Army Security Agency Special Operations Detachment and the 19th PSYOP Company to 5th Group in 1966. With the "vietnamization
Vietnamization
Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard M. Nixon administration during the Vietnam War, as a result of the Viet Cong's Tet Offensive, to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnam's forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S....
" of the conflict in Southeast Asia, 3rd Group was deactivated in 1969 and members transferred back to various other SF groups.
1990s
3rd Group was reactivated in 1990 and, until the mid '90s, was given responsibility for the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
as well as the western part of Africa. At the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
(August 1990), 3rd Group had only one functioning battalion (1st BN). This battalion deployed to Dhahran
Dhahran
Dhahran is a city located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935 Standard Oil of California drilled the first commercially viable oil well...
, Saudi Arabia, for three months, during which time it sent detachments forward into denied areas of Iraq and Kuwait for reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
and sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
missions. Ultimately, in late February 1991, it was given the mission of securing and occupying the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City
Kuwait City
-Suburbs:Although the districts below are not usually recognized as suburbs, the following is a list of a few areas surrounding Kuwait city:Al-Salam ""السلام"" -Economy:...
.
The 2nd BN and 3rd BN of 3rd Group were reactivated in 1991 and 1992, respectively. 3rd Group took part in the restoration of democracy in Haiti
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was an intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide...
in 1994.
2000s
Prior to the war in Afghanistan, 3rd Group was responsible for operations in sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
excepting the Horn of Africa. However, since the mid 2000s 3rd Group's area of responsibility has primarily been Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia.
Two of 3rd Group's battalions spend roughly six months out of every twelve deployed to Afghanistan as part of a Combined Joint Task Force. In 2008 an ODA from the 3rd Group was cited for ten Silver Stars in the Battle of Shok Valley, the largest set of citations for a single battle since the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Organization
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
- 3rd Battalion
- 4th Battalion – activated on 18 August 2009
- Group Support Battalion
Notable 3rd Group soldiers
- Captain Daniel W. Eggers, namesake of Camp EggersCamp EggersCamp Eggers is a military base in Kabul, Afghanistan. located near the US Embassy and the President of Afghanistan's Palace. The camp is named after Capt. Daniel W...
, Afghanistan - Master Sergeant Stan GoffStan GoffStan Goff is a writer, activist, and United States Army veteran having served from 1970 to 1996. He has been an anti-imperialist activist, feminist, socialist, and is now a Christian and a pacifist. He is the co-author of the weblog Feral Scholar, along with D. A...
, former SF Ops Sergeant and political activist - Staff Sergeant Robert James MillerRobert James MillerRobert James Miller of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group was a United States Army Special Forces soldier who posthumously received the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on 6 October 2010....
, Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient - Major George W. Petrie, first on the ground during the Son Tay Raid, helped plan the evacuation of Saigon, last SF soldier out of South VietnamSouth VietnamSouth Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
(30 April 1975).