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"12 Strong" Offers A Unique View Into Special Operations
by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Marcus Butler
March 28, 2018
The legacy of the Horse Soldiers comes from the fire, pain, and
ash of the attacks on 9/11. Detached from the grey scenery and dead
silence at that time, Special Operations were fashioning their own
immediate and deadly response. This response came in the form of a
select group of operators composed of Army Special Forces and Air
Force Special Operations to take the fight to the Taliban threat.
A joint effort of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Army
Special Operations Recruiting Battalion and the 1st Special Forces
Group (Airborne) the unique presentation of “12 Strong” was offered
at no charge to promote the collaborative theme of the movie and to
highlight what it means to be a part of Special Operations.
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Inside the theater, Col. Will Beaurpere, the 1st SFG (A)
commander, had an opportunity to explain to the audience the
significance of the mission behind the movie and to pay homage to
those that it represented.
“What you will see here tonight is
an accurate portrayal of the service and sacrifice of our teams and
their families,” said Beaurpere. “It gives a glimpse into what that
experience truly was like as our operators are standing side by side
with our partner forces and sister services to combat a genuine and
dangerous threat.”
Outside of Cary Theater, Green Berets from
1st SFG (A) displayed for the more than 900 in attendance an array
of specialized equipment to include weapons and tactical vehicles.
They used this opportunity to engage the audience and answer
questions about life in Special Forces.
“My grandfather
served three tours in Vietnam, and I think it is great to be able to
see Soldiers and their equipment first hand,” said Michael Strum, a
15-year-old grandson of an Army veteran. “It makes me proud to know
that we have men like these out there fighting for us.”
In
conjunction with the Green Berets, Special Operations Recruiting
Battalion recruiters answered questions for those interested in
pursuing a path in the Special Operations career fields.
“This event is significant to our mission at the SORB. It is going
to help individuals better understand the actual duties of a Special
Operations team, and the integration of the 160th Special Operations
Aviation Regiment,” said Sgt.1st Class Shawn Kroeck, recruiter and
Assistant Station Commander.
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Kroeck added, “Many people are under the impression that all
Special Forces is capable of is blow down doors, and kill people.
When truthfully, that is only a small part of the SOF capabilities.
This movie and event is a great testament to that and was a great
platform to educate and inform people on what it means to be in
special operation.”
Beaurpere shed light on what it means to be a
Special Forces Soldier.
“As Green Berets are often the first
in, we fully understand that it is a team effort. We create time and
space for conventional forces to accomplish their mission, while
simultaneously integrating their skillsets into our overall scheme
of maneuver,” he said.
“What makes Special Operation Forces
so unique is because of the approach is taken to accomplish their
given mission. Special Operations community takes the indigenous
approach,” said Beaurpere. “We partner with our allies to help them
accomplish their objectives with specialized training in language,
weapons, medical, communication, and engineering.”
By
U.S. Army
Staff Sgt. Marcus Butler
Provided
through
DVIDS
Copyright 2018
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