Nominations sought for
honorary regimental leadership

USASOC News Service

The U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and Schools is seeking recommendations for the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment, Honorary Warrant Officer of the Regiment and Honorary Sergeant Major of the Regiment, as well as Distinguished Members of the Regiment.

The Special Forces Regiment installed its first honorary leadership position in 1986, when Command Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Calvin Thomas was selected to be the regiment’s first honorary leader. Since Thomas’ time, eight other Green Berets have served in honorary leadership positions including Col. Aaron Bank, the father of Special Forces and the first Honorary Colonel of the Regiment.

The Honorary Colonel, Warrant Officer and Sergeant Major of the Regiment are appointed for three years, with the next contingent scheduled to be recognized and assume their duties during the next Special Forces Symposium scheduled for April 12 to 16, 2010.

The leadership will be appointed Distinguished Members of the Regiment simultaneously with their appointment if they are not already designated as such.

The HCOR oversees other honorary position programs and may also act as a liaison between the Special Forces Association and the active duty regiment.

The duties of the honorary leadership are ceremonial and do not conflict or compete with the chain of command.

Attendance at regimental functions is by invitation and participation is encouraged. Examples of activities for which their presence would be desirable include change of command ceremonies, award ceremonies, speaking engagements at unit functions, formal events and assisting in historical professional development programs for officers and NCOs.

All recommendations for the Special Forces Regiment’s honorary leadership positions and the DMOR program should include an 8-by-10 photo (if digital, 300 dpi) and a letter of recommendation to the president of the board. Please include a contact phone number for the recommender and the DMOR nominee.

A selection board will determine the next honorary regimental leadership in January 2010.
Distinguished Members of the Regiment are those Special Forces Soldiers who have been singled out by fellow members of the Regiment as pillars of the Green Beret community – their service to the nation worthy of emulation by current and future Special Forces Soldiers.

Criteria for a Distinguished Member of the Regiment include:

• To have graduated the Special Forces Qualification Course and/or been awarded the SF Tab and served in the Special Forces Regiment.
  
• To have made significant contributions to the regimental success on the battlefield and/or to the training and qualification of new members of the Regiment.
  

An individual’s nomination will further highlight contributions the nominee has made to the Regiment and/or the local community upon separation or retirement from the Army. Continued service to the Regiment after separation from the military is particularly important to the program and can be through both formal and informal activities.

All recommendations should be either emailed to pao_swcs@soc.mil or mailed to: U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
Attention Secretary General Staff (DMOR)
3206 Ardennes St., Stop A,
Fort Bragg, N.C. 28310-9610.