Raiders and others

I recently read an article about the creation of a new Marine Special Operations group to be officially known as Marine Raiders. This is meant to be a Marine equivalent of Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy Seals and Air Force Special Operations. All of these units are assembled as part of the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The name Marine Raiders was first adopted with the creation of new units during World Ware II. Admiral Chester Nimitz had requested commando units for attacks against Japanese-held islands. Several senior-ranking Marine officers objected to the designation of some Marine units as special since, they felt, all Marines were prepared for combat duty, and the designation of special units would be damaging to the morale in the rest of the Marine Corps.

Nevertheless the Raiders were created, and its ranks filled with hand-picked volunteer Marines. They received special training in guerrilla-type operations and jungle operations. As the war progressed, large amphibious operations became the common type of operations in the Pacific, and in January 1944 the disbanding of the Marine Raider units began.

In 2003 the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command unofficially adopted the Raider name and insignia, and in 2014 the units were officially named Raiders.

The special operations units of all military branches have captured the imaginations of the media and the public and have been romanticized in books and films. There is no doubt these personnel take on extremely dangerous missions in enemy territory. At the same time, people should be aware of how tough the training is for these units and the physical demands of missions they are assigned. They deserve all the credit and thanks we can give them for their service to the country.

While special operation units deserve recognition, it should be remembered that there are many troops and sailors in the regular forces who are providing support for them. In addition, while special operations forces were conducting operations against enemy forces in Iraq, large conventional warfare was also being waged.

Never forget that military operations are a team effort involving personnel with a wide range of skills, and a coordination of different forces to accomplish a mission. All who wear the uniforms have accepted some degree of personal risk, which I see as a display of heroism.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.