[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10571-10575]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         50TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNITED STATES ARMY SPECIAL FORCES

  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 364) recognizing the historic 
significance of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United 
States Army Special Forces and honoring the ``Father of the Special 
Forces'', Colonel Aaron Bank (United States Army, retired) of Mission 
Viejo, California, for his role in establishing the Army Special 
Forces, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 364

       Whereas on June 22, 2002, the Special Forces Association 
     will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of 
     the first permanent special forces unit in the United States 
     Army;
       Whereas such unit was created in response to the advocacy 
     of Colonel Aaron Bank (United States Army, retired), known as 
     the ``Father of the Special Forces'';
       Whereas Colonel Aaron Bank's service in the Office of 
     Strategic Services and his experience leading resistance 
     fighters against Nazi Germany convinced him of the need for 
     permanent, elite units in the Armed Forces that would 
     specialize in small unit and counterinsurgency tactics, 
     intelligence operations, and the training of indigenous 
     soldiers;
       Whereas in 1952 the Army created its first special forces 
     unit, the 10th Special Forces Group, at Fort Bragg, North 
     Carolina, which would later be known for the distinctive 
     green berets worn by its soldiers;
       Whereas Colonel Aaron Bank was assigned as the first 
     commanding officer of the 10th Special Forces Group;
       Whereas the success of the United States Army Special 
     Forces encouraged the incorporation of principles of force 
     multiplication into the military doctrine of the United 
     States and paved the way for the revitalization of special 
     operations forces in the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps;
       Whereas these special operations forces have helped 
     revolutionize the conduct of modern warfare;
       Whereas special operations soldiers have served with 
     bravery and distinction in every major military conflict in 
     which the United States has been involved in the last 50 
     years and in innumerable covert operations;
       Whereas special operations soldiers are sometimes called 
     upon to conduct missions

[[Page 10572]]

     so secret that their bravery cannot be fully recognized;
       Whereas special operations soldiers are playing a critical 
     role in the war against terrorism; and
       Whereas thanks to Colonel Aaron Bank and the thousands of 
     United States Army Special Forces soldiers who have followed 
     him, the Armed Forces are better prepared to conduct 
     unconventional warfare and to protect the United States from 
     developing threats: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the historic significance of the 50th 
     anniversary of the founding of the United States Army Special 
     Forces;
       (2) honors the ``Father of the Special Forces'', Colonel 
     Aaron Bank (United States Army, retired) of Mission Viejo, 
     California, for his role in establishing the United States 
     Army Special Forces;
       (3) recognizes the sacrifices and accomplishments of United 
     States Army Special Forces soldiers and of all other special 
     operations soldiers in the Armed Forces;
       (4) expresses deep gratitude for the continuing sacrifices 
     of United States Army Special Forces soldiers and of all 
     other special operations soldiers in the Armed Forces now 
     fighting throughout the world in defense of the freedoms 
     challenged by the heinous events of September 11, 2001; and
       (5) honors the sacrifices made by United States Army 
     Special Forces soldiers who have trained hard and acquitted 
     themselves with honor by serving valiantly in battle, with 
     many making the ultimate sacrifice to their country, many 
     times in missions so secret that their valor may never be 
     fully acknowledged.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Sanchez) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).


                             General Leave

  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H. Con. Res. 364, the concurrent resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Today, we pay honor and tribute to the fine men and women of our U.S. 
Army Special Forces and commemorate them on the 50th anniversary of 
Special Forces this coming Thursday, June 22.
  Fifty years ago, Colonel Aaron Bank's service in the Office of 
Strategic Services and his experience leading resistance fighters 
against Nazi Germany convinced him of the need for permanent elite 
units in the Armed Forces. He envisioned a force that would specialize 
in small unit and counterinsurgency tactics, intelligence operations, 
and the training of indigenous soldiers. As a result of Colonel Bank's 
efforts, in 1922 the Army created the first permanent special 
operations force, the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North 
Carolina. Colonel Bank became the commander of these soldiers, who are 
known for their distinctive green berets. Becoming a highly specialized 
and effective component of our military, the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, 
and Air Force have all followed suit in creating special operations 
units.
  The Special Forces have helped revolutionize the way we wage war, and 
they are an integral part in prosecuting the war on terrorism. When I 
was in Afghanistan a few month ago, I was not only very impressed by 
the capabilities and effectiveness of Special Forces, but also very 
touched by their professionalism and positive impact on the Afghan 
society. These are the key to the security and the future of 
Afghanistan, and they are doing a fantastic job.
  Today we honor the sacrifices made by the special operations soldiers 
of the Armed Forces who have trained hard, served valiantly in battle, 
and made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, many times in 
missions so secret that their valor may never be fully acknowledged. It 
is right that we also express our deep gratitude for the continuing 
sacrifices of Army Special Forces soldiers, many of whom are based in 
my district at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and of all other special 
operation soldiers in the Armed Forces now fighting throughout the 
world in defense of the freedoms challenged by the heinous events of 
September 11, 2001.
  I call on my friends and colleagues to pass this legislation, sending 
a message loud and clear today to our U.S. Special Forces that your 
efforts are honored, and your sacrifices are appreciated by this 
Congress and a truly grateful Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Cox).
  Mr. COX. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time, and I am very pleased that the committee would bring forth my 
legislation today to honor both Colonel Aaron Bank, my constituent, and 
the Special Forces that he played such an indispensable role in 
founding.
  Colonel Bank is widely recognized as the founder of America's Special 
Forces. This weekend, the Special Forces will be celebrating their 50th 
anniversary. Given this historic anniversary and Colonel Bank's 
contribution to the way in which America successfully conducts modern 
warfare, it is appropriate to honor this man to whom we owe so much.
  Colonel Bank, who is now 99 years old, was an officer during World 
War II assigned to the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to 
the Central Intelligence Agency. He fought in Europe behind enemy 
lines, and after the war he spent time in Southeast Asia searching for 
U.S. prisoners of war.
  Colonel Bank's experience in leading resistance fighters taught him 
the potential of these new tactics in modern warfare. It showed him the 
usefulness of military personnel trained in small unit tactics, foreign 
languages, and subversion. His prescience led him to undertake a new 
mission: The formation of Special Forces within the Army. They would 
specialize in small-unit counterinsurgency tactics, intelligence 
operations, and the training of indigenous soldiers throughout the 
world.
  The idea for such small elite units with specialized training was not 
at first recognized by military thinkers. It was not accepted. The 
United States had just emerged from a war fought with enormous citizen 
armies in which large swaths of territory were occupied and held by 
ground forces. The invasion of Normandy in June 1944 seemed to 
epitomize this military doctrine: the use of overwhelming force and 
numbers to drive back, in this case, the German forces. The military 
successes of World War II and the emerging threat of the massive Red 
Army in Eastern and Central Europe seemed to provide little reason to 
question this line of thinking.
  However, much of the key fighting that secured Normandy for the 
Allies in fact took place not along the beaches there, but behind 
German lines, where American and British paratroopers dropped in and 
operated small units. These men had more specialized training and had 
operated more as teams than the average GI. Here were the ingredients 
for a new thinking on military maneuver, and Colonel Bank himself had 
parachuted behind German lines in occupied France to train German 
defectors in sabotage and other methods of undermining Nazi control.
  These experiences convinced him that with the proper training, 
guerilla forces could effectively fight the enemy from within. They 
could disrupt communications and could conduct special operations to 
prepare the area for conventional forces. Colonel Bank then made a 
career decision. He placed his own prestige and his own reputation 
behind this idea and fought for it. He lobbied the Pentagon intensively 
for the creation of such forces, and his advocacy paid off.
  In June 1952, the U.S. Army Special Forces were created with the 
establishment of the original 10th Special Forces Group. Appropriately, 
Colonel Bank was made the first commanding officer of the unit. That 
unit eventually spawned the Green Berets and provided the impetus for 
the formation of the Navy SEALs, the Marine Corps' Force Recon, and the 
Army's counterterrorism specialists, the Delta Force.
  Over the past half century, Colonel Bank's vision of small-unit 
operations

[[Page 10573]]

has proven prophetic. The Special Forces have played a role in almost 
every major military engagement and, just as importantly, in crucial 
clandestine missions that have never made the headlines. The Special 
Forces have trained counterinsurgency operations and conducted 
diversionary campaigns to distract enemy forces. They have hunted drug 
kingpins throughout Central America. They have secured pathways for the 
distribution of humanitarian supplies in the Horn of Africa.
  Now our Special Forces are engaged in a new challenge: finding and 
destroying the cells of al-Qaeda. Our Special Forces are figuring 
prominently in our war on terrorism. They have operated for weeks at a 
time behind enemy lines, and they have incurred the brunt of U.S. 
casualties in this new 21st century war. Their successes, though, are a 
testament to Colonel Bank's vision, his legacy that has revolutionized 
how America conducts 21st century warfare.
  It is thus fitting, Mr. Speaker, that we should show our appreciation 
for the sacrifices that our Special Forces are currently making on the 
war on terror and in every corner of the world. This measure honors the 
brave men and women who have served in this capacity over the past 50 
years, and especially the man who created these elite units. It is with 
great pride that I ask this body to pass this legislation to honor 
Colonel Bank for his achievements.
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 364, introduced by the gentleman 
from Orange County, California (Mr. Cox) which recognizes the 50th 
anniversary of the United States Army Special Forces. The United States 
Army Special Forces was created on June 20, 1952, when the original 
10th with Special Forces Group commanded by Colonel Aaron Bank was 
activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. From this a permanent force of 
unconventional soldiers serving in small-scale conflicts behind enemy 
lines was formed.
  The success of this group, to be known as the Green Berets, acted as 
a catalyst for the creation of similar special operations units within 
our Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Colonel Aaron Bank, an OSS 
operative who remained in the military after the war, worked tirelessly 
to convince the Army to adopt its own conventional guerilla-style 
force. Bank and Volckmann convinced the Army chiefs that there were 
areas in the world not susceptible to conventional warfare, but that 
would make ideal targets for the unconventional harassment and guerilla 
fighting.
  Special operations as envisioned by Bank were a force multiplier 
where you had a small number of soldiers who could sow a 
disproportionately large amount of trouble for the enemy. Confusion 
would reign among enemy ranks, and the objectives would be accomplished 
with an extreme economy of manpower. It was a bold idea, one that went 
against the grain of traditional concepts.
  In the spring of 1952, Bank went to Fort Bragg to choose a suitable 
location for a psychological warfare/Special Forces center. He then 
went about assembling a group of soldiers who would serve as the 
foundation of the new unit. Bank did not want raw recruits. He wanted 
the best troops in the Army, and he got them. They were a group of men 
who were looking for new challenges to conquer. They were all 
volunteers willing to work behind enemy lines in civilian clothes if 
necessary.
  And that last item was of no small matter. If caught operating in 
civilian clothes, a soldier was no longer protected by the Geneva 
Convention and would more than likely be shot on site if captured. 
These first volunteers were extremely brave, and they did not worry 
about these risks, and after months of intense preparation, Bank's unit 
was finally activated on June 19 of 1952 at Fort Bragg. It was 
designated the 10th Special Forces Group, with Bank as the commander, 
and on the day of activation, the total strength of the group was 10 
soldiers: Bank, 1 warrant officer, and 8 enlisted men.
  That was soon to change, however. Bank began training his troops in 
the most advanced techniques of unconventional warfare, and as defined 
by the Army, the main mission of Bank's unit was to infiltrate by land, 
sea, or air deep into enemy-occupied territory and organize the 
resistance/guerilla potential to conduct Special Forces operations with 
an emphasis on guerilla warfare.
  But there were also secondary missions. They included deep-
penetration raids, intelligence missions and counterinsurgency 
operations. It was a tall order, one which demanded a commitment to 
professionalism and excellence perhaps unparalleled in our American 
military history. But Bank's men were up to that challenge, and by 1958 
the basic operational unit of Special Forces had emerged as a 12-man 
team known as the detachment, or the ``A-team.'' Each member of the A-
detachment, two officers, two operations and intelligence sergeants, 
two weapons sergeants, two communications sergeants, two medics, and 
two engineers, were trained in unconventional warfare and cross-trained 
in each other's specialties, and they spoke, each of them, at least one 
foreign language. This composition allowed each detachment to operate 
if necessary in two six-man teams or basically split the A-team.
  On November 23, Colonel Bank will be 100 years old, and throughout 
his life he has demonstrated unwavering loyalty and willingness to take 
on the most dangerous assignments to achieve the goal of his mission.

                              {time}  1515

  During World War II, he served at the Office of Strategic Services. 
Under that capacity, he was called on to organize a team of German-
speaking Americans and French soldiers to dress and train as German SS 
soldiers with the mission to assassinate Hitler. Although the mission 
was terminated on the eve of its deployment, Colonel Bank and his 
soldiers risked certain death by agreeing to serve on this incredibly 
dangerous mission.
  He was the commander of the 107th Airborne Infantry Regimental Combat 
Team during the Korean War. He has a rich past. He is respected by many 
military and world leaders. And even recently, leaders of the Special 
Forces contacted Colonel Bank for his advice on military strategy. In 
1997, I spoke and kicked off the Operation Bank to Bank, the Walk 
Across America, which brought the retired members of the Special Forces 
Association who started in Newport Beach, California, to walk across 
America covering eight States and 2,640 miles honoring the Green Berets 
and raising money for a Special Forces museum.
  It was my pleasure on that day when I met Colonel Aaron Bank. Today 
it is my pleasure to call him the Father of the Special Forces on the 
50th anniversary of his contribution to our Nation's efforts to 
preserve democracy and freedom.
  Given their contribution to the war on terrorism, it is even more 
appropriate that we honor the tens of thousands Special Forces alum and 
the more than 8,000 men and women currently serving as Special Forces 
soldiers in defense of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Skelton), the ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for allowing me to 
add my voice to this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, when one walks into the Special Operations Center, in 
the lobby thereof on the right-hand side there will be a portrait of 
the late gentleman from Virginia, Dan Daniels, for it was he on June 
26, 1986, who introduced a bill to establish the National Special 
Operations Agency. We have Special Operations Command as a result of 
his efforts, and the efforts on the other side of the Capitol, 
particularly with the help of Retired Lieutenant General Sam Wilson; 
this command was activated on April 16, 1987. U.S. Special Operations 
Command provides highly trained, rapidly deployable and regionally 
focused personnel to support the combatant commanders. Today, there are 
some 46,000 Special Forces

[[Page 10574]]

personnel in the Army, Navy and in the Air Force.
  Today we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Special Forces of 
the Army. I rise to support H. Con. Res. 364. The First Special Service 
Force of the Second World War is considered to be the predecessor to 
the present U.S. Army Special Forces. General George C. Marshall 
determined that an elite force recruited in Canada and our country was 
required to conduct raids and strikes in snow-covered mountainous 
terrain. These men were trained in demolitions, rock-climbing, 
amphibious assault, and ski techniques, and were also provided airborne 
instructions. The First Special Service Forces was known as The Devil's 
Brigade. It was inactivated in the south of France near the end of 
World War II.
  Colonel Aaron Bank, who served in the OSS at the time, proposed a 
permanent, small elite unit to do this counterinsurgency work. So in 
June 1952, the first unit of Special Forces was activated. The 10th 
Special Forces Group was established at Fort Bragg. Let me add my voice 
to that of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez), the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes), and others, and urge that it be 
adopted.
  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Bartlett).
  Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask unanimous 
support of H. Con. Res. 364.
  This Thursday, June 20, will mark the 50th anniversary of the 
founding of the U.S. Army Special Forces under the leadership of Aaron 
Bank.
  The Special Forces are the best of the best. Through their storied 
history, they have achieved popular recognition and acclaim as the 
Green Berets in honor of their distinctive headgear.
  As a Marylander, I am proud to say that the Maryland Army National 
Guard Second Battalion 20th Special Forces Bravo Company makes its home 
at the Gunpowder Military Reservation in Baltimore County.
  At age 99, Aaron Bank is still alive and vigorous. It is without 
reservation that we acclaim him as a living legend. He is indeed the 
father of the Special Forces, and it is right and proper that he is 
recognized as such in H. Con. Res. 364. I urge my colleagues to join me 
in congratulating Colonel Aaron Bank and all of the current and former 
generations of Green Berets for 50 years of outstanding service to our 
country.
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
her leadership on this issue and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Cox) for the sponsorship, with the leaders of the Committee on Armed 
Services; and I rise to support H. Con. Res. 364 and honor the father 
of the Special Forces in such a great leader as Colonel Aaron Bank, and 
to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of this great organization.
  I can speak first hand of the organization only through the 
constituents that I have represented in Texas, so many who have been 
part of the Army Special Forces. I have heard their commitment, 
dedication, but particularly their pride in the service that they have 
given, the extra mile, the challenges that they are willing to accept, 
that no challenge is too great for them to be able to achieve or 
accomplish.
  It is interesting as I have traveled to a number of sites since my 
election to Congress where there have been armed conflict, Bosnia, the 
Albanian ethnic purification that was attempted, we realize that the 
Armed Forces and their Special Services were key to the success of 
ending those conflicts. But now more than ever with the continuing war 
against terrorism and the continuing presence that we will have to have 
in Afghanistan, I can say firsthand that the Special Services are key 
to this country's success in fighting terrorism.
  It is a vision of Colonel Bank's that should continually be admired 
and promoted. I thank him for his thoughts and vision, for thinking 
about that special type of force that is needed to provide the 
leadership, the courage and the refinement of fighting these unique and 
special circumstances. It is with great admiration that I join in 
supporting this particular resolution honoring the Special Forces for 
their 50 years, and to say that we hope that they will succeed and be 
in service for 50 more years on behalf of the United States of America.
  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), who also is a lieutenant colonel, airborne and 
ranger-qualified in the Army Reserve.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be here speaking about what Colonel Bank 
has done for the country. It has been mentioned about the fruit not 
falling far from the tree. I want to mention some of the Special 
Operations Command individuals that had an impact on my life through 
this organization.
  I just briefly remember my first company commander, who is now a 
retired lieutenant colonel in the Army, John Everett, who was an A Team 
leader before he commanded my company, where I was a lowly second 
lieutenant platoon leader. Then there was my brigade commander, Wayne 
Downing, who now is retired Special Operations Command commander, and 
now works for the former governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge, and the 
Agency of Homeland Security; and also my first command Sergeant Major 
Quesada, who was on the raid to Sontay in North Vietnam. All had great 
impacts on my life, along with my friends and classmates in airborne 
class who graduated in July of 1980, and my ranger class that graduated 
in April of 1981.
  The Special Forces are designed around light, lethal mobile, and 
independent operations. A key to that is NCO leadership: proficient, 
trained soldiers who can operate on their own and operate successfully. 
That is really now the mode for the transformation of the Army, and the 
success in Afghanistan just shows that the vision of Colonel Bank has 
produced great fruit.
  As the Army struggles with transformation in this new era when we 
have new enemies, the model of the Special Operations Command of 
lighter, quicker, independent action, more lethal, and junior NCO 
leadership, is a model by which I think we will be well served in the 
defense of this country for many, many years to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I am really honored to have this opportunity to speak on 
the floor in support of my classmates who are still members of the 
Special Operations Command, and all those who have gone before to make 
this country a better place.
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Colonel Bank is a very interesting guy. He will be 100, 
as I said, in November. I want to reiterate that he is still alive and 
kicking and doing a great job for us. I will remind Members that until 
his 75th birthday, he ran several miles a day. In fact, when he had his 
troops, sometimes he had an ambulance follow them during their workouts 
because some of the new young recruits did not know how difficult it 
was going to be in those units. Even today, he rides a stationary bike 
four days a week. He lives in Orange County, California; and we are 
very proud of him, as we are of all our Special Forces from over the 
years.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox) 
for his leadership in helping bring this resolution forward, and also I 
thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez) for her leadership 
and interest in this vital project, and the ranking member of our 
Committee on Armed Services, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton).
  Their efforts and their time spent in bringing this measure to the 
floor expeditiously are most appropriate and appreciated. These folks 
that we honor today, past and present, are first and foremost warriors; 
but they are also engineers, teachers, and medics. They bring stability 
and peace to the regions in the areas that they touch.

[[Page 10575]]



                              {time}  1530

  They represent us with incredible distinction and make clear the old 
adage that simply says, our citizen soldiers clearly recognize the 
difference between good and evil, and they are not willing to live in a 
world where evil prevails.
  In honor of the Airborne, the Special Forces and for Colonel Shimkus, 
I close by saying simply:

     Stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door
     Leap right out and count to four.
     If your main don't open wide,
     You got a reserve by your side.
     Airborne.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the fog and friction of war 
ruled the day when seven American special operations forces died on an 
isolated mountaintop in Afghanistan. The battle at Takur Ghar took 
place during Operation Anaconda. U.S. military officials sent a special 
operations reconnaissance element to a key piece of terrain. As the 
team reached the 10,000-foot mountaintop, the team's assault helicopter 
took immediate ground fire. In the course of the next two hours, the 
special operations team went back to rescue their mate, who had fallen 
out the back of the assault helicopter. He continued to fight until his 
death. That fight is a microcosm of men and women who are in the Army's 
Special Forces. The military personnel that fought on Takur Ghar, 
displayed dedication bravery, selflessness courage and unity. This is 
who our Special Forces are.
  The Special Forces Regiment uses a twelve-member team concept. It 
assigns multifaceted missions including counter-terrorism, direct 
action, strategic reconnaissance, psychological warfare, civil affairs, 
and training foreign military and para-military forces in counter-
insurgency operations. Special Forces Soldiers are teachers who are 
trained in foreign languages and are called on to teach military skills 
to people around the world. They operate in urban, jungle, desert, 
mountain, maritime, and arctic environments and are sometimes called on 
to survive for months at a time behind enemy lines.
  Special Operations Forces are an elite, specialized military unit 
which can be inserted behind the lines to conduct a variety of 
operations, many of them clandestine. Special Operations Forces are 
characterized by ``combinations of specialized personnel, equipment, 
training and tactics that go beyond the routine capabilities of 
conventional military forces.'' SOF personnel are carefully selected 
and undergo highly demanding training. U.S. Army SOF include 26,000 
soldiers from the Active Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve who are 
organized into Special Forces units, Rangers units, special operations 
aviation units, civil affairs units, psychological operations units, 
and special operations support units. Special operations forces and 
predecessor U.S. units have played a role in most U.S. conflicts. In 
1985, Congress noted that the U.S. SOF provide an immediate and primary 
capability to respond to terrorism.
  Colonel Aaron Bank is truly a legend. If life were like fiction, 
Colonel Bank would be the leading character in one of the most dramatic 
stories of the 20th century. He is called the ``Father of the Green 
Berets.'' Colonel Bank was born in New York City in November of 1902. 
As a young man he lived in Europe and learned French and Russian. He 
enlisted in the U.S. Army in late 1939 and graduated from OCS in 1940. 
He was commissioned in the Infantry and served as the Tactical Officer 
of a railroad battalion at Camp Polk in Louisiana. In 1943, when the 
Army called for linguists to join the newly formed Office of Strategic 
Services (OSS) [predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency], 
Colonel Bank stepped forward. Under the Command of Colonel William B. 
(``Wild Bill'') Donavan, Colonel Bank parachuted into occupied France 
in the Rohne Valley to train and fight with the French resistance. 
Colonel Bank was made Chief of Guerilla Operations. He operated in the 
area of Avignon and Nimes, along with other OSS Jedburgh Teams. Colonel 
Bank was involved with some of the most intriguing operations and 
personalities of that era. He was actively involved with the famous 
Operation ``Iron Cross''--the plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler.
  Following World War II, Colonel Bank served as Commander of Counter-
Intelligence in Bavaria until 1950. He also served in Korea, where he 
was the executive officer of a Regimental Combat Team. From 1951-1952, 
Colonel Bank was assigned to the Special Operations Branch, 
Psychological Warfare Staff at the Pentagon. It was here that the idea 
for the First Special Forces Group took form. On June 19, 1952, this 
idea became reality. This occurred when Colonel Bank activated the 10th 
Special Forces Group, the original Special Forces unit. Colonel Bank 
commanded the Group at Bad Toelz, Federal Republic of Germany until 
1954. In 1986, Colonel Bank was honored with the title of Colonel of 
the Regiment for all U.S. Army Special Forces.
  The Army Special Forces live quietly by their motto ``De Oppresso 
Liber'', Latin for ``To Free the Oppressed''. Therefore, I salute the 
United States Army Special Forces and Colonel Aaron Bank on the 
historic significance of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the 
United States Army Special Forces.
  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
364, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as 
amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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