December 2010 (6).qxd - United States Special Operations Command
December 2010 (6).qxd - United States Special Operations Command
December 2010 (6).qxd - United States Special Operations Command
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USSOCOM inducts inaugural<br />
class into <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor<br />
By Senior Airman Anna-Marie Wyant<br />
USSOCOM Public Affairs<br />
U.S. <strong>Special</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> <strong>Command</strong> inducted its first<br />
14 members into its <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor at a<br />
ceremony in front of USSOCOM headquarters at<br />
MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., Oct. 27.<br />
The <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor, located in the<br />
USSOCOM headquarters lobby, “will be considered the<br />
most prominent space in the building, remaining<br />
dedicated to ensuring past, present and future warriors<br />
and members of the <strong>Special</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> community will<br />
remember the bravery and innovation of our founding<br />
fathers and significant contributors to <strong>Special</strong><br />
<strong>Operations</strong>,” Lt. Cmdr. Brian Olavin, master of<br />
ceremonies, told the crowd at the event.<br />
After an invocation by Col. Thomas Solhjem,<br />
USSOCOM chaplain, Adm. Eric T. Olson, USSOCOM<br />
commander, addressed the inductees and the crowd,<br />
thanking them for attending.<br />
“Your presence here is the greatest tribute to those<br />
who we are inducting into the U.S. <strong>Special</strong> <strong>Operations</strong><br />
<strong>Command</strong> <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor today,” Olson<br />
said.<br />
The <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor was intended to<br />
honor and recognize accomplishments of individuals<br />
who distinguished themselves through their unique and<br />
prestigious contributions to the <strong>Special</strong> <strong>Operations</strong><br />
community he explained.<br />
“Each of today’s inductees epitomizes the<br />
professionalism, commitment and courage that have<br />
made <strong>Special</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> Forces the world’s most<br />
respected fighting force,” Olson said.<br />
Olson said the first 14 inductees set a high standard<br />
for the <strong>Special</strong> Operators who followed in their<br />
footsteps, and he voiced the command’s appreciation<br />
for their actions that helped shape modern day SOF.<br />
“We owe these men our gratitude, and we must<br />
recognize that we in uniform now live in their shadow,”<br />
Olson said of the honorees, who were each nominated<br />
Adm. Eric T. Olson officially inducts retired Master Chief Petty<br />
Officer Rudy Boesch into the SOCOM <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of<br />
Honor at a ceremony Oct. 27, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.<br />
Boesch was the first senior enlisted advisor for USSOCOM.<br />
Photo by Tech. Sgt. Larry W. Carpenter Jr.<br />
for the <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor by their respective<br />
service components’ commanders from U.S. Army<br />
<strong>Special</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> <strong>Command</strong>, Naval <strong>Special</strong> Warfare<br />
<strong>Command</strong>, Air Force <strong>Special</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> <strong>Command</strong> and<br />
Marine Corps Forces Marine <strong>Special</strong> <strong>Operations</strong><br />
<strong>Command</strong>.<br />
He said the inductees paved the way for SOF<br />
currently fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, and 75 other<br />
Tip of the Spear<br />
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