Tag Archives: ODA

ODA Then and Now

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The structure of the 12-man Special Forces Operational Detachment – Alpha has remained the same almost since its inception– and echoed the old 15-man OSS Detachments of 1944.

Contrast the look of the early Vietnam-era  “A-Team” in 1965, in the below period recruiting poster, to what it looks like now in a modern recreation.

The 12-man ODA from 1963-1970 had a commander (O-3), an XO (Lieutenant), an Operations Sergeant (E-8), a Heavy Weapons Leader (E-7), an Intelligence Sergeant (E-7), a Light Weapons Leader (E-7), a Medical Specialist (E-7), and Radio Operator Supervisor (E-7), an Assistant Medical Specialist (E-6) and Demolitions Sergeant (E-6), and a Chief Radio Operator (E-5) and Combat Demolition Specialist (E-5).

Today you have a detachment commander (18A), detachment warrant/XO (180A), Ops SGT (18Z), Intel SGT (18F), two Weapons SGTs (18B), two Engineer/Demo SGTs (18C), two Medical SGTs (18G), and two Commo SGTs (18E).

More here.

The Shok Valley sounds like a nice place to never go

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U.S. Army Master Sgt. Matthew Williams was presented with the Medal of Honor at the White House on Wednesday. Williams earned the award for his actions in Shok Valley, Afghanistan, on April 6, 2008, while a weapons guy on an SF A-team, Operational Detachment Alpha 3336.

“It was kind of quiet, then all of a sudden everything exploded all at once – machine gun fire, some RPGs started going off. [The insurgents] had some pretty good shooters and a lot of people up there waiting for us.”

Originally recognized with the Silver Star, which was ugraded in September, he is still on active duty.