In 1961, President Kennedy planned to visit Fort Bragg. He sent word to the Special Warfare Center commander, Brigadier General William P. Yarborough, for all Special Forces soldiers to wear their berets for the event. President Kennedy felt that since they had a special mission, Special Forces should have something to set them apart from the rest. Even before the presidential request, however, the Department of Army had acquiesced and teletyped a message to the Center authorizing the beret as a part of the Special Forces uniform.

In an April 11, 1962, White House memorandum for the United States Army, President Kennedy showed his continued support for the Special Forces, calling the green beret :

"a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom."

To honour his memory, Special Forces soldiers pay their respects to late President Kennedy by laying a wreath and green beret on his tomb every November twenty-second, the date of his assassination.

A breed apart, a cut above the rest. Another kind of soldier. Mature. Highly skilled. Superbly trained. Unquestionably the world's finest unconventional warfare expert. A teacher first, and fighter of uncommon physical and mental calibre. Ready to serve anywhere at any time.

Special Forces demands a tremendous amount of inventiveness and self-reliance. As its name implies, it deals with special combat situations you won't find in most textbooks. The mission: unconventional warfare operations and counter-insurgency.

You have to be resolute, resourceful and resilient to earn your place on a Special Forces "A" team. Each team member is a highly-skilled specialist - and cross-training ensures the multiple utility of each soldier on the team.

... A CUT ABOVE THE REST

If scaling mountain tops, parachuting from airplanes and rappelling down sheer cliffs sounds like an adventure, then you're Special Forces material.

If moving undetected through jungle undergrowth, infiltrating deep into enemy-held territory and striking with a force of a lightning bolt is your kind of challenge, then we may have a job for you. Among the elite, the distinct, the proud...the Special Forces.

Special Forces involves the most rigorous, intensive and challenging training you'll ever tackle. You'll learn guerrilla warfare techniques and strategic intelligence collection. Field exercises will include aerial resupply, extraction, small boat operations, infiltration, raids, ambushes and intelligence collection.

ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH?

Special Forces training is the most difficult training challenge the Army offers. So you've got to be good to begin with because training builds on what you already know.

Special Forces requires raw guts, unwavering determination and dedication to duty. The stuff highly-motivated professionals are made of. Because only the best wear the distinctive emblems of the Special Forces. Do you have what it takes to wear the Green Beret?

NO PLACE FOR AMATEURS

Special Forces soldiers are the Army's cutting edge. Only the most technically proficient and highly-motivated non-commissioned officers will ever wear the Special Forces's tab. If you want to be challenged like you've never been challenged before, Special Operations is the field for you.

Special Operations Sergeants must be experts in their individual MOS plus other related duties and specialties important to their far-reaching missions. If being a technical expert weren't enough, the Special Forces soldier must be able to teach these related skills to the people with whom he works. In the jungle, the desert or on a frozen glacier. Wherever duty calls.

SFAS

Every prospective "Green Beret" must successfully complete the three week Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) Course.

The SFAS course assesses and selects soldiers for attendance at the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC).

SFQC

The Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) teaches and develops the skills necessary for effective utilization of the Special Operations Sergeant.

WEAPONS SERGEANT (MOS 18B)

The weapons expert. Capable of firing and employing most weapons in the Army's vast arsenal. Including foreign weapons like pistols, rifles, automatice weapons and mortars.

ENGINEER SERGEANT (MOS 18C)

Uses explosives for both sabotage and underwater demolitions. He destroys targets and constructs buildings and bridges.

MEDICAL SERGEANT (MOS 18D)

The life-saver. Employs the latest in field medical technology and limited surgical procedures. The Special Forces medic in an integral part of civic action programs in bringing medical treatment to native population.

COMMUNICATION SERGEANT (MOS 18E)

Transmits and recieves International Morse Code at a rate of 15 five-word groups per minute or better. Responsibilities include operation, employment and maintenance of team lightweight radios and communication equipment.

SPECIALIZED TRAINING

If you qualify, you'll be eligible to receive additional training in underwater operations (SCUBA), military freefall (parachuting), language training and jungle warfare, just to name a few. As a Special Forces soldier, you'll also be eligible to attend ranger, pathfinder, sniper and other joint service schools.

Special Forces places emphasis not only on unconventional tactics, but also on knowledge of conventional light infantry doctrine and low intensity conflict. Missions can include participation in waterborne, desert, jungle, mountain or artic operations.

Special Forces is not just a challenge, it's a way of life. As a highly skilled, superbly trained professional the word "impossible" isn't in your vocabulary. We dare you to dare. In every possible terrain, under every imaginable condition.

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