FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 25, 2002
Contact Patrick Tremblay, ptremblay@asomf.org (910) 483-3003 ext. 229
DE OPPRESSO LIBER:
US
Army Special Forces, 1952-2002
FAYETTEVILLE, NC.
The Airborne & Special Operations Museum (ASOM), working in
conjunction with several military and civilian organizations, is pleased to
present a special exhibit entitled De Oppresso Liber: US Army Special
Forces, 1952 – 2002. The exhibit traces the development of the Special
Forces, or “Green Berets”, from the activation of the 10th
Special Forces Group in the summer of 1952 to today’s Operation Enduring
Freedom. The most ambitious special exhibit mounted by the ASOM to date, De
Oppresso Liber will be a focal point of the 50th anniversary
of the Special Forces celebration being held in Fayetteville and Ft. Bragg in
June. The exhibit will open to the
public at 9:30 AM on Friday, March 15.
Special Exhibit
Featured artifacts will include
World War II special operations equipment, rare early photography of the 10th
Special Forces Group, and uniforms and equipment of modern Green Berets. The
exhibit is being mounted with the assistance of the US Army Special Operations
Command (USASOC), the JFK Special Warfare Center and the US Army Special Forces
Command. Lieutenant General Bryan Brown, commanding general of USASOC, and
Lieutenant General (Retired) William Yarborough are scheduled to make remarks.
LTG Yarborough is a pioneer of Army airborne and special operations, and is a
past commander of the JFK Special Warfare Center. The ceremony is open to the
public, and all active duty, retired and veteran Special Forces soldiers are
encouraged to attend. The exhibit
was designed by museum staff and created with the assistance of graphic designer
Don Henderson of the Greensboro Historical Museum and John Oberholtzer of
Southern Graphic Sales. De Oppresso Liber will be open during regular
museum hours, and will remain on display through September 15.
In the Beginning…
Modern Army special operations
trace their roots to the special units of World War II. These units, with names
like the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the American-Canadian First Special
Service Force and Merrill’s Marauders, performed daring parachute raids and
assisted resistance fighters in German and
Japanese occupied countries.
After the War, most of these units were de-activated, but their successes were
…and Today
Today, Special Forces Groups are
stationed around the world to conduct highly specialized missions, their potency
proven once again with recent actions in Afghanistan. Ft. Bragg remains the
command center for Army special operations, the Special Forces Command and two
of the Army’s seven Special Forces groups. The Airborne & Special
Operations Museum, along with Ft. Bragg’s JFK Special Warfare Museum, tells
their story.
Sponsored by:
US
Army Special Operations Command, LTG Bryan D. Brown, Commanding
US
Army JFK Special Warfare Center, MG William G. Boykin, Commanding
US
Army Special Forces Command, MG Geoffrey C. Lambert, Commanding
The
Talking Phone Book
Special
thanks to:
US
Army JFK Special Warfare Museum
Special
Forces Association
North
Carolina Museum of History
Major
General John Singlaub
The Museum
Located
at 100 Bragg Boulevard in downtown Fayetteville, the Airborne & Special
Operations Museum is part of the U.S. Army Museum System and tells the story of
Army airborne and special operations units from 1940 to the present.
Museum hours: 10am – 5 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays, Noon – 5 pm
Sundays. Closed Monday; open Federal holiday Mondays.
Admission is free; there is a charge for the Vistascope Movie and
Vista-Dome Motion Simulator.
For More Information
On the web:
ASOM, www.asomf.org
USASOC, www.soc.mil
Media inquiries may be directed
to Patrick Tremblay, at (910) 483-3003 ext. 229 or ptremblay@asomf.org.
Electronic photography, brochures and additional literature are available.
All media inquiries regarding current Army special
operations missions may be directed to USASOC Public Affairs at (910) 432-6005.
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