Northern Connection magazine is proud to salute the men and women from the North Hills area who are serving in the military.

February 2008: A Salute to a Green Beret “A Soldier's Story” Wounded Warriors Project: Soldier Ride Pedals for Wounded in 2008

By Paula Green

The Green Beret is “a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom.”

—John F. Kennedy

When I was growing up there was a song “The Ballad of the Green Beret.”  The verse in the song goes – “Silver wings upon their chest – These are men America’s best – One hundred men will test today – But only three win the Green Beret.”

A Green Beret is part of the United States Army Special Forces.  It is an elite special operations force.  Few are selected and achieve inclusion in this specialized unit, but one local man recently completed this feat.

For security purposes we are not permitted to reveal his name, tell you where he is stationed or display his photograph.  We do, however, want to detail his story. 

Here is what it takes to be a Green Beret in the words of our unnamed Green Beret:

“I have always wanted to do this ever since I could remember.  This is how I envisioned the Army before I signed up.  I was assigned overseas.  I got to work with some Green Berets, and I saw how they operated.  I went to a retirement party for a member of the Special Operations Community and after talking with him and his team, that was it, I was going to Selection. 

Special Forces Selection and Assessment (SFAS) is the first part of the training.  There are certain standards you must first meet.  I spent time carrying a 75 lb. ruck sack (backpack) up and down a mountain in preparation.  SFAS is no joke whatsoever.  It’s basically like trying out for the football team.  The instructor had us doing all kind of crazy stuff and weather never was a factor in letting up on the punishment.

I was dropped because I was not very strong at Land Navigation.  I was upset, but I was invited back for the next class.  I was getting married, and I had to put my Green Beret dreams on the backburner.

In March 2006, I was able to go back to SFAS training.  This time I was carrying a 75 lb. ruck sack up and down a different mountain overseas in a country that I was assigned to.  To let you know how badly I wanted to be selected, I walked 26 miles through the hills of North Carolina in 7 and half hours with a stress fracture in my left foot.  Land Navigation at this point was second nature to me.  Of the 430 people that started, 120 were selected. I was one.  It was definitely one of the best feelings in the world.

  At Fort Bragg, I started the Q-course.  This course is broken down into different phases.  The first month is a preparatory course that just gets you ready for the course.  The next two and half months were spent learning Small Unit Tactics and working with a 12-man team, as well as Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE).  The next four months are spent learning whatever job you are assigned. 

The job I was assigned was my selection.  The next months I had language training, and last but not least is the Robin Sage exercise which tests you on everything you have learned.

The thing that separates those in the Special Forces community is our ability to work with and train indigenous forces to fight and take back their country.  We specialize in this, and one has to look no further than the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq for examples.  Green Berets were in those countries months before conventional forces hit the ground.  That is my primary job.

It is an awesome feeling to be a part of the Green Berets.  Over the years of my life, I have unknowingly been training to be in the top 1 percent of the military.  Everybody has their place in life.  Mine just so happens to be on a 12-man team with the best America has to offer.  I am proud of my military career and even more proud to serve my country when it is needed the most.”

Northern Connection magazine salutes this brave soldier, and we congratulate him on his admission into the Green Berets.

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Support Our Troops Archives - click to read about the service men and women previously honored in Northern Connection magazine.

Wounded Warrior Project
Soldier Ride Pedals for Wounded in 2008

By Jennifer Boyce

Soldier Ride is back on two (and three!) wheels in 2008, offering injured service members the opportunity to further their recovery through bicycling. While previous years have been single cross-country rides, this season will offer a series of regional challenges in select cities across America. The regional rides will make it easier for more warriors to get involved with the group, without the extensive commitment of a full cross-country ride.

The June ride marks the fourth year of cycling for Soldier Ride, which began as one man’s quest to show his support for injured soldiers. Although Chris Carney wasn’t in the service, the Montauk, NY, resident biked from the Montauk lighthouse to San Diego in 2004, raising money and awareness for injured soldiers. The 2004 ride was so successful that Carney repeated the ride in 2005 and 2006 with more wounded warriors joining the ride each year. Soldier Ride was born.

Around 20 to 50 riders participate in each event, many of whom use enabling bikes to accommodate amputations and other serious injuries. This year’s rides will include stops in many major U.S. cities, including New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Nashville, and more. Highlights of the rides include visits to area attractions, such as Ground Zero and the Hoover Dam, with escorts by fire and police departments and dinners hosted by community groups.

Soldier Ride is hoping to serve as a model program for other groups around the world. Five injured soldiers from the Israel Defense Force (IDF) joined the June ride and are hoping to found a similar program in Israel to help injured soldiers and get them active in the community. Soldier Ride representatives have also been talking with the British Limbless Serviceman’s Association, who are also interested in founding a similar program in the United Kingdom.

This season of Soldier Ride will carry through the rest of 2008, and rides will include cities such as Las Vegas, San Antonio, Memphis, Miami, and others. Information about upcoming rides is available online at woundedwarriorproject.org. 

Support Our Troops Archives - click to read about the service men and women previously honored in Northern Connection magazine.

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