10th Special Forces Group Patch U.S. Army 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) holds the distinction of being the first Special Forces unit activated in the United States Army, established on 19 June 1952 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina under the command of Colonel Aaron Bank—the "Father" of Army Special Forces. The group's original mission was to conduct partisan warfare behind enemy lines in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe, and it attracted many former members of the OSS, Rangers, and Airborne units from World War II, as well as anti-Communist Eastern European recruits under the 1951 Lodge Act. In September 1953, 782 members of the Group deployed to Germany, establishing headquarters at Lengries in Bavaria, while remaining personnel at Fort Bragg formed the 77th Special Forces Group (later redesignated the 7th SFG). The 10th Group pioneered the iconic Green Beret, first authorized for wear by Group Commander Colonel William Ekman in 1955—six years before President Kennedy officially recognized it as the "Symbol of Excellence" and official Special Forces headgear in 1961. Throughout the Cold War, 10th Group teams established Jordan's first airborne school, trained 350 guerrilla fighters in Yemen, and prepared Iranian, Turkish, and Pakistani special forces. From 1983 to 1985, the Group deployed seventeen Mobile Training Teams to Lebanon supporting the Lebanese Army. The 10th SFG deployed to Saudi Arabia for the Gulf War in 1991 and has been heavily involved in the Global War on Terror, deploying consistently to Iraq, Afghanistan, Georgia, and North Africa. Today, headquartered at Fort Carson, Colorado with 1st Battalion forward-stationed at Panzer Kaserne in Stuttgart, Germany, 10th Group is responsible for operations within the EUCOM and AFRICOM areas of responsibility, executing unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, and counterterrorism missions. Perfect For: 10th Special Forces Group soldiers and veterans, U.S. Army Special Forces operators, Green Beret community members, EUCOM and AFRICOM special operations personnel, and supporters of America's elite unconventional warfare forces. De Oppresso Liber—honoring the first and finest Special Forces Group, liberating the oppressed from Bad Tölz to Baghdad since 1952.
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