DMCA PROTECTED AND MONITORED

© COPYRIGHT – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This site is protected and monitored by DMCA.COM - ANY UNAUTHORIZED Reproduction, Duplication, Distribution of any kind is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. All original content is created by the website owner, Barron Shepherd, including but not limited to text, design, code, images, photographs and videos are considered to be the Intellectual Property of the website owner, Barron Shepherd, whether copyrighted or not, and are protected by DMCA Protection Services using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act Title 17 Chapter 512 (c)(3). Direct linking, reproduction or re-publication of this content is prohibited without permission. Under 17 U.S.C section 101 et seq. those who violate the DMCA could be liable for statutory damages as high as 150,000.00 as set forth in section 504(c)(2) therein.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

THE ALAMO SCOUTS 76th ANNIVERSARY


One of the things I am most proud of is that I am a supporter of the Alamo Scouts Historical Foundation, here in Florida. Last month, November 28th, marked the 76th anniversary of which the unit was formed. The Alamo scouts were taught judo in their specialized training. The Scouts also got specialized training in hand to hand combat in Judo. Judo in the military in those days was much different than the sport of judo most a familiar with  nowadays. The Judo instructor was, 1SG Stephen J. Mrozinski, pictured above training the First class of Alamo Scouts. (Picture from private collection)

The following is from a 2018 article from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Historian Office.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- November 28, 2018 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of one of the most daring U.S. Army Special Operations units of World War II: the Alamo Scouts.

U.S. Army LTG Walter Krueger, commander of the U.S. Sixth Army (also known as the 'Alamo Force'), established the Alamo Scouts in the Southwest Pacific Area in late 1943. With an area of responsibility composed more of water than land, Krueger realized he needed a small unit of skilled men with specialized reconnaissance expertise to provide him with information needed to defeat the Japanese. As a result, on November 28, 1943, he directed that select soldiers be trained in the special skills of amphibious reconnaissance, jungle warfare, and clandestine operations behind enemy lines. They would become known as the Alamo Scouts.

An Alamo Scouts Training Center was established and an innovative assessment and selection process was developed. An evolving program of instruction incorporated both internal and external evaluations throughout the course to ensure only the best soldiers were selected for Alamo Scouts training. Combat veteran volunteers for the course were given intensive training in weapons, communications, intelligence reporting, physical conditioning, amphibious reconnaissance skills, and extended patrolling techniques. Students also learned to infiltrate enemy territory employing a variety of means, ranging from swimming and operating rubber boats to Patrol Torpedo Boats, submarines, and Catalina flying boats. Students trained for six weeks, unaware of their status until they graduated. Of the several hundred students who attended the course, only 138 were selected as Alamo Scouts.

After graduating, Alamo Scouts were organized into ten teams of five-to-ten men and assigned to tasks ranging from special reconnaissance to direct action and prisoner/hostage rescue. Their patrol reports contained valuable information that higher units used in the field, as part of the larger military campaign. 
By war's end, the Scouts conducted more than 100 missions behind enemy lines, a remarkable feat. The Alamo Scouts were to provide amphibious reconnaissance on Kyushu Island for the invasion of mainland Japan when the dropping of two atomic bombs forced Japanese surrender. After a short time as security for key officers during the occupation of Japan, the unit was disbanded in Kyoto in November 1945.


Several members of the Alamo Scouts found their way into the ranks of Army Special Forces later in their careers. Aspects of Alamo Scout training, including their use of peer evaluations during training, were incorporated into the Special Forces Qualification Course and continue impacting Army Special Operations Forces to this day.(5) Moreover, the Alamo Scouts clearly demonstrated they are "value-added" and how Special Operations Forces can provide unique skills to conventional forces in major theaters of operation.
-----
Author:
The Deputy U.S. Army Special Operations Command Historian, Dr. Michael E. Krivdo, earned his PhD in Military and Diplomatic History from Texas A&M University. He is a former Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance Officer with varied special operations research interests.
-----
Note: This modified article originally appeared in Veritas: Journal of Special Operations History 14:2 (2018): 48. Veritas is a publication of the United States Army Special Operations Command History Office, Fort Bragg, NC.

No comments: