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
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Adm. Eric T. Olson unveils the official plaque for the SOCOM<br />
<strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor at a ceremony Oct. 27, MacDill Air<br />
Force Base, Fla. Photo by Senior Airman Anna-Marie Wyant.<br />
countries worldwide. He credited them with developing<br />
the tactics, techniques and procedures that make SOF<br />
effective, and he said SOF culture evolved from their<br />
actions. He also noted how the honorees successfully<br />
used unconventional methods and innovation instead of<br />
merely going by the book.<br />
“Their team foresight helped them navigate the<br />
bureaucratic processes of their day, and in some cases,<br />
straddle the line between leading edge, military<br />
innovation, and downright rebellion,” Olson said.<br />
“They’re men who understood the conventional<br />
processes and procedures were templates from which<br />
they should knowingly and carefully deviate, and they<br />
all had the audacity to bring their ideas to fruition.”<br />
He continued, “They all asserted themselves; they<br />
all broke the rules; they all invented and innovated.<br />
They stuck to their guns and to their convictions, and<br />
they broke trade. They are here because they did what<br />
they did, and we are here because they did what they<br />
did. We and our great nation are forever in their debt.”<br />
Before unveiling the official plaque displaying the<br />
names of the <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor’s members,<br />
Olson again voiced gratitude for the inductees leading<br />
the way for SOF.<br />
“The contributions of this inaugural class will be<br />
forever remembered within this Hall of Honor where<br />
they will serve as teachers and role models for us and<br />
those who follow us,” he said. “Lessons of leadership,<br />
of intellectual and operational agility, of physical<br />
prowess and raw courage, are all worthy of our careful<br />
attention.”<br />
The following <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor inductees<br />
were present for the ceremony: retired Air Force Maj.<br />
Gen. John R. Alison; retired Navy Master Chief Petty<br />
Officer Rudolph Boesch; retired Marine Maj. James<br />
Capers Jr.; retired Navy Capt. David Del Giudice; and<br />
retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Michael I. Lampe.<br />
The following <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor inductees<br />
are deceased and were posthumously awarded at the<br />
ceremony: Army Col. Aaron Bank; Army Col. Charlie<br />
A. Beckwith; Marine Brig. Gen. Evans F. Carlson;<br />
Army Brig. Gen. William O. Darby; Army <strong>Command</strong><br />
Sgt. Maj. William R. Grimes; Army Lt. Col. Michael C.<br />
Grimm; Navy Rear Adm. Draper L. Kauffman; Army<br />
Maj. Gen. Robert A. McClure; and Air Force Col.<br />
William E. Takacs.<br />
Lt. Gen. Donald C. Wurster, commander, Air Force <strong>Special</strong><br />
<strong>Operations</strong> <strong>Command</strong>, talks with retired Maj. Gen. John R.<br />
Alison, the first inductee in to the <strong>Command</strong>o Hall of Honor,<br />
before the official ceremony. Alison, 97, a highly decorated<br />
combat ace of World War II and veteran of the Korean War, is<br />
considered the father of Air Force <strong>Special</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>. Photo<br />
by Senior Airman Anna-Marie Wyant.<br />
Tip of the Spear<br />
35