SFA Chapter 29 - Special Forces Association Chapter 29

SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29"
FEB, 2014
SFA Chapter 29
UPCOMING CHAPTER EVENTS
This year our chapter is planning
various new events to promote
more opportunities for members
and SF non-members to interact,
hone old skills and learn new ones,
and have some fun. "
The first new event will be “SF
Range Night” which will be held
every Tuesday at OMB Range on
Olathe and will be open to all SFers
and their family and friends.
Range fees and targets for all
will be half-off regular prices."
Another event being planned
is an SF group of
motorcyclists whose purpose
will be to get together
occasionally and ride. We have
several riders in our chapter.
And there are several KC SF bikers not in our chapter. "
Another type of event being
planned are hunting weekends.
These would entail getting away to
hang and hunt with SF brothers,
from our chapter and possibly from
other chapters. What, birds or deer,
and where, would depend on
preferences. Let us know yours."
SFA CHAPTER 29"
Got Any Ideas?
Do you have any ideas
for chapter events, any
topics or skills you want
to present or hear about
at chapter meetings? !
• Shooting ranges!
• Happy hours!
• Hunting Weekends!
• Motorcycle rides!
• Fishing jaunts!
• CCL presentations!
• Missions, past or
present.!
If you have an interest
in hunting, fly fishing,
concealed carry, buying
a motorcycle, or
whatever, and have
questions, there is
probably someone in our
chapter who has
answers.!
If you have any
questions about or ideas
for events, contact Jeff
Forker:!
[email protected]!
or 913.558.5650!
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SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29"
PISTOL RAFFLE
The Chapter 29 pistol
raffle is off like a shot.
Members are raffling a
Colt Model 1911 .45
caliber semi-automatic
pistol to help underwrite
Roy at 816-320-3887. MAJ Kelly
costs of the Special
Pajak is running point on CGSC
Operations Ball in March. "
ticket sales. "
To get your tickets to
We need to sell a lot of tickets this
sell, see or contact Roy
year due to off-set the increased
Williams, either at a
costs of the SOF Ball, which is
chapter meeting, or call
coming up fast, in March."
FEB, 2014
CALENDAR
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February 3 - Board of Directors
Meeting, Delta Systems
February 8 - Chapter breakfast
meeting, Hilton Garden Inn, Kansas
City, KCK
March 3 - Board of Directors
Meeting, Delta Systems offices
March 8 - SOF Ball, Argosy Casino
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Other SOF Dates:
Feb 24, 2006 - MARSOC activated
April 9, 1987 - SF Branch activ’d.
April 15, 191960 - SF Regt. activ’d.
April 17, 1987 - SOCOM activ’d.
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RENEWALS FOR 2014
ARE NOW
DELINQUENT
If you have or know of events
that need to be posted in this
newsletter, send that information
in an email to the editors at
[email protected]
If you have not renewed your
SFA membership for 2014
then you are now delinquent.
You have until January 31st of
each year. After that you deal
with Fluffy."
Chapter Officers"
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To renew late, send your
check and renewal form to: "
10820 W 64th Street,
Suite 202
Shawnee, KS 66203"
TERRY BUCKLER"
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JON MEIGS"
You don’t want to miss them
or in any way be out of the
loop. "
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Reinstatements, after 31 Jan,
cost $35.00. Trips to the Late
Renewal Penal Platoon are
negotiable, depending on how
late your renewal."
Chapter President"
Fluffy, our new Late Renewal
Coordinator and Morale Officer
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Incidentally, Fluffy, above, is
our new Late Renewal
Coordinator."
Vice President"
TED WHITE"
Treasurer"
RON SIMMONS"
Secretary"
JEFF FORKER"
Membership and
Newsletter Editor"
Let’s all stick together and
keep the regiment, and each
other, strong."
There are a lot of plans and
events in the works this year.
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SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29"
FEB, 2014
KOREAN WAR PARTISAN ADVISOR DETAINED
BY NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT
Merrill E. Newman was held since 26 October,
2013, and released and returned to the United
States on 7 December. Of interest to this Special
Forces chapter is that Newman served as an
advisor in the 6th Partisan Infantry Regiment
(PIR) , 8240 Army Unit (AU), Far East Command/
Liaison Detachment, Korea, with headquarters in
Seoul. According to unit rosters, Army 2LT
Newman was in the PIR from 10 March 1953 until
1 September 1953. Also shown on those rosters is a
familiar name, Ted White, Chapter 29 member. "
Newman was in North Korea this past fall as
part of a tour group. According to news reports
and a statement of apology, he returned to North
Korea to look for partisans he had advised during
the war. The North Korean government saw his
actions as “look[ing] for spies and terrorists who
conducted espionage and subversive activity.” The
government charged that he was “slandering”
North Korea."
The 6th PIR was created in April 1953 at Cho-do,
about ten kilometers off the west coast of North
Korea in an operational area known as Leopard
North. The designations of partisan units
conducting operations of the mainland are
confusing. This confusion includes the
organization that Newman was advising."
The 6th PIR consisted of possibly four of what
had been known as “Donkeys,” equivalent to a
battalion. The PIR had several designations prior
to Newman joining the unit as an advisor. The
unit, initially known as the Kuwolsan troop,
appears to have been formed as early as 1920, in
opposition to the annexation of Korea by Japan. "
In December 1950 the Kuwolsan troop and
several other guerrilla bands united into the
Yeonpung Unit to fight the Chinese who had
pushed south toward the 38th Parallel. "
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The term “Donkey” was used by
Americans and partisans to refer to the
partisan units. Its origin is unclear. One
explanation is that it was coined by
COL John McGee, commander of the
Eighth Army guerrilla operations
section, when, in a speech to a partisan
unit, he said they must be as patient as
wise mules, which translated as
“donkeys.” Another is that it is an
Americanized version of dong-il,
Korean for “liberty.” A third is that
Americans characterized operators of
the hand-cranked AN/GRC-9 radio as
riding a donkey. "
Because of heavy losses and the
overwhelming presence of North
Korean and Chinese soldiers north of
Seoul, the unit withdrew from the
mainland to two islands. On 18
December, those two islands were "
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SFA CHAPTER 29"
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SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29"
FEB, 2014
The 2014 KC SOF Ball
The annual SF Ball will be held on March 8, 2014, at the
Argosy Casino in Riverside, MO. This event dates back to the
early 1980s, and in it current iteration to 1987, when Chapter 29
of the SFA partnered with SF officers attending the CGSC at Ft.
Leavenworth to raise the level of the event as well as attendance."
This is the major formal and
social event of the year for our
chapter and the Kansas City
Special Operations community.
Much fun is always had by all.
The food, entertainment and
camaraderie is not to be missed. "
A squad of bag pipers
and Gary Sinise, the
actor, will be joining us
this year, as will Jack
Norma doing a pre-dinner inspection at
Tobin, SFA president.
Some of our guys having a few at last year’s ball.
last year’s ball.
Go here for details about the SOF Ball
and to find the registration form:"
http://www.sfa29.org/sof_ball_menu.htm
Chapter officers talking with hotel management in the
aftermath of last year’s ball.
A Very Special Silent Auction
A very special one-of-a-kind item will be available for purchase during the silent auction
period at the SOF Ball. It is a U. S. Army flag signed by eight Special Operations warriors
representing five different conflicts:
ALAMO SCOUT TEAM LEADER- LUZON, WW II
OSS JEDBURGH- TEAM NOVOCAINE- FRANCE, WW II
MEMBER 8240TH AU-UN PARTISAN FORCES- KOREA
SON TAY RAIDER- REDWINE ELEMENT, VIETNAM
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT-1ST SF SOLDIER TO RECEIVE MOH, VIETNAM
ARMY RANGER- COMBAT PARACHUTE ASSAULT, GRENADA
SPECIAL FORCES “HORSE SOLDIER”- TASK FORCE DAGGER, AFGHANISTAN
SF COMMANDER- COMBAT HALO OPERATION, IRAQ
Go here to see the flag: http://www.sfa29.org/sof_ball_silent_auction.htm
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SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29"
FEB, 2014
HALO and Sport Jumping"
A Panoply of Canopies"
Hopping and Popping Civilian and Military
Chapter members Ron Simmons and Rich Kiper will present on HALO and sport
parachuting at the February chapter breakfast meeting."
Ron has a long history of sport jumping and will present on that. Rich will present on
HALO, High Altitude Low Opening, the military free fall version of the shell game."
So, come for the delicious breakfast and camaraderie, and stay for the titillating
presentations, pictures and discussions on voluntarily exiting perfectly good aircraft while in
flight, which we all have done, but from a wide variety of different aircraft and with a wide
variety of parachutes.
SFA CHAPTER 29"
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SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29"
Total Membership
SFA total membership, as reported in the
recent Drop, is at 4,544 Decade members,
3,693 General and 1,285 Associate members,
for a total of 9,522.
Class 279 is the most recent SFQC class to
graduate and depart from the Special Warfare
Center and head to the groups.
Berlin Detachment Reunion
There is a Det A, Berlin Detachment, reunion
of all past members scheduled for this summer
to coincide with the SFA National Convention
in Columbia, SC. For more information go to
the Chapter 34 website: www.scgreenberets.com,
or contact Bob Charest.
Afghanistan
Operation Resolute Support is replacing
Operation Enduring Freedom as troop
withdrawals continue in Afghanistan.
“Commander recommended strengths” by the
end of this year, 2014, are between 8,000 and
12,000, most of which will be Special
Operations troops, and most of those, likely,
will be Special Forces."
The BSA, Bilateral Security Agreement,
between the U.S. and the Karzai government
extends until 2024. But the details are still be
negotiated.
Son Tay Raider Reunion in KC
A reunion of the Son Tay Raiders will be held
here in Kansas City next October. If you are
interested in helping out or attending contact
Terry Buckler, our chapter president.
TALOS Assault Suit
U.S. Special Operations Command issued a
Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for
proposals and research in support of the
development of Tactical Light Operator Suit
(TALOS) TALOS is a USSOCOM effort to
provide special operation forces (SOF) with
enhanced mobility and protection technologies
in a fully integrated assault suit. Some of the
potential technologies planned for TALOS
research and development include advanced
armor, command and control computers, power
generators, and enhanced mobility - Source:
SOCOM: http://www.socom.mil/News/Pages/
USSOCOMSeeksIdeasforAdvancedAssaultSuit
Development.aspx
Military Sleep Studies
A new study found a high prevalence of sleep
disorders and a startlingly high rate of sleep
deprivation among active duty military
personnel. The study suggests the need for a
cultural change toward appropriate sleep
practices throughout the military. - Source:
"Active duty military personnel prone to sleep
disorders and short sleep duration."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 31 January 2013.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/
2013/01/130131154408.htm>.
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SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION (THE GREEN BERETS) CHAPTER 29"
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FEB, 2014
(Continued from page 3)"
captured by enemy forces, and the
unit moved to Cho-do and Chuirado. Apparently, the unit split into
three regiments, one of which
became Donkey 2, another Donkey
15, and the third Donkey 20. In May,
Donkey 15 moved to a different
island. From March until August the
Donkeys were known as the Kuwol
Unit."
In August Donkey 2 was disbanded
and merged into Donkey 20 on Chodo. The history of the Kuwolson
Guerrilla Unit states that it
remained on Cho-do until the
armistice. In April 1953 it became
the 6th PIR and remained so until
being disbanded on 5 March 1954. "
The 12 May 1953 operations plan
for partisan operations assigned the
6th PIR four missions:"
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• Perform such
reconnaissance and
observation missions as are
necessary to develop enemy
tactical situations."
• Report such tactical
information including OB
(Order of Battle) to higher
Headquarters as obtained."
• Make determined effort to
take CCF and NKA
prisoners, enemy clothing,
weapons, and documents."
• Reports as obtained any
unusual increase or decrease
in the flow of troops and
military supplies from
Manchuria."
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SFA CHAPTER 29"
During Newman’s time with the unit, partisan strength
on Cho-do ranged from 2,304 to 3,480, with American
advisors being 27 to 41. As the military situation on the
peninsula stabilized, partisan operations became much
more difficult to conduct. There were too many North
Korean and Chinese forces available to provide rear area
security. The Kuwolson Unit history states that on 15 July
Newman accompanied guerrillas in an unsuccessful attempt
to land a force in North Korea with a mission to collect
information after the truce was signed (27 July 1953). The
month Newman left the 8240 Army Unit it was
redesignated as the UN Partisan Infantry, Korea (UNPIK).
In March 1954, 2,574 partisans from the 6th PIR were
transferred into the ROK Army."
In my files I found an e-mail from me to Mr. Newman,
dated 19 December 2003. He, another Korean War veteran,
and I were exchanging names of men who had served in the
8240 Army Unit."
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Contributed by Rich Kiper, chapter member."
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