Tag Archives: SF

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.

Green Beret dive teams before they were actually Green Berets

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This Big Picture film on Special Forces Amphibious Training in 1956 Okinawa is insightful.

Of note is the fact that the “fighting frogman” detachment receives instruction in conducting water insertion and demolition training off the coast of White Beach aboard a U.S. Naval ship while wearing their floppy Lovat Scouts-style green berets– which was not officially approved for wear by the Army until 25 September 1961 in an evolved, more close-fitting, format.

The tactics covered are classic late WWII/Korean War-era UDT team and Marine recon evolutions. Good stuff regardless.

Those triple tank rigs, tho…

Thanks, Jeff!