50 Years Of Special Forces

I read with great interest your article “Special Forces” in the November/ December 2002 issue, and I wanted to call your attention to two significant anniversaries (plus my own minor brush with history).

This past June, ceremonies were held at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Special Forces. Several thousand active and retired Green Berets and their families turned out, among them Col. (Ret.) Aaron Bank, first commander of Special Forces and considered by many the father of the Green Berets. Colonel Bank celebrated his 100th birthday this November.

I was able to take a picture showing Colonel Bank talking with Maj. Gen. Geoffrey C. Lambert, the current commander of Special Forces. The two men embody a most impressive 50-year tradition.

I was present at Fort Bragg with the colonel’s family (his wife Catherine and daughters Linda and Alexandra; I’m the son-in-law married to Linda).