&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Question_book-new.svg){kind=small} | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2009) |
| 8th Special Forces Group | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:US_Army_8th_SFG_beret_flash.svg) 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Beret Flash | |
| Active | 1963–1972 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Type | Special operations force |
| Role | Counter-Insurgency training for Latin American armies[1] |
| Part of | &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:SpecialForces_Badge.svg){kind=icon} 1st Special Forces Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Gulick |
| Nickname(s) | Green Berets, Quiet Professionals,[2] Soldier-Diplomats, Snake Eaters, Bearded Bastards[3] |
| Motto(s) | Lo Que Sea, Cuando Sea, Donde Sea |
| Insignia | |
| 8th SFG(A) recognition bar, worn by non-Special Forces-qualified soldiers, in lieu of a beret flash[4] | &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:US_Army_8th_SFG_Recognition_Bar.svg) |
| 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) shoulder sleeve insignia, worn by all 1st SFC(A) units | &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:United_States_Army_Special_Forces_SSI_(1958-2015).png) |
| US Special Forces Groups | ||||
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The 8th Special Forces Group of the United States Army was established in 1963 at Fort Gulick, Panama Canal Zone. The primary mission of the 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne) [(SFG(A)] was counter-insurgency training for the armies of Latin America. Some training was performed under the sponsorship of the School of the Americas, also located at Fort Gulick.[5][6]
In May 1962, the advance party from Company D, 7th SFG(A) departed from Ft. Bragg, NC to Fort Gulick, Panama, at that time in the Panama Canal Zone, to establish the 8th SFG(A). Three months later, in August 1962, Major Melvin J. Sowards, Commander of Company D, 7th SFG(A) moved the main body of the company to the Canal Zone. They would be followed by augmentation detachments. Upon their arrival, the basic organization of the Special Action Force (SAF) was completed and Lieutenant Colonel Sawyer assumed command. The legendary Lieutenant Colonel Arthur D. Simons, aka "Bull", then took command of Company D, 7th SFG(A) 18 January 1963 and LTC Sawyer became the Executive Officer. On 12 April 1963, under the command of LTC Simons, the SAF elements of the 7th SFG(A) were officially redesignated, as authorized by the Department of the Army and the 8th SFG(A) was activated.[7][8]
- ^ Birtle, Andrew J. (2005). United States Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine, 1942–1976. Washington, DC: United States Army Center of Military History. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-16-072960-7.
- ^ Stanton, Doug (24 June 2009). "The Quiet Professionals: The Untold Story of US Special Forces in Afghanistan". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009.
- ^ Gentile, Carmen (9 November 2011). "In Afghanistan, special units do the dirty work". USA Today. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011.
- ^ Rottman, Gordon L. (2012). US Army Special Forces, 1952-84. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1782004462. OCLC 813846700. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ Sincere, Clyde (1990). USA Airborne 50th Anniversary Commemorative History. Nashville, Tennessee: Turner Publishing Company. pp. 324–347. ISBN 978-0-938021-90-2.
- ^ Loveman, Brian (2010). No Higher Law: American Foreign Policy and the Western Hemisphere Since 1776. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-0-8078-3371-1.
- ^ "History – 8th Special Forces Group". Retrieved 7 August 2013.[permanent dead link]