20th Anniversary of 9/11

Strength from Tragedy

Twenty Years of ARSOF at War

Introduction

Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense called on ARSOF to spearhead the Global War on Terrorism. In Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, ARSOF soldiers took the fight to Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization responsible for the 9/11 attacks. ARSOF also supported operations in the Middle East, the Philippines, Africa, and Latin America in the years that followed.

Over the past two decades, USASOC expanded to meet increased operational demands. It added the 1st Special Forces Command, U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, 528th Sustainment Brigade (Special Operations), 8th Psychological Operations Group, and additional battalions activated under existing units. The U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School also adapted training to meet the continuously evolving requirements of the modern battlefield.

This commemorative webpage features videos of ARSOF soldiers, veterans, and civilians sharing their accounts of how 9/11 impacted them. It also includes a selection of USASOC History Office articles on the post-9/11 era, and images demonstrating why ARSOF remains the weapon of choice to fight violent extremism.

Sine Pari!

Addressing a Nation

President George W. Bush Remarks at Emma E. Booker Elementary School.
President George W. Bush’s Address to the Nation.
President George W. Bush’s Remarks at Ground Zero.

ARSOF Fallen

Burial flag
7,290 Days
A Salute to the ARSOF Fallen of the Post-9/11 Era

Interviews with ARSOF Personnel

Richard Holcomb
Headquarters, USASOC
1SG Michael Dean
1st Special Forces Command
Chaplain (CPT) Stephen Roberts
1st Special Forces Command
SSG Laura Cook
USAJFKSWCS
1SG Casey Klein
USAJFKSWCS
CPT Jason Baker
1st Special Forces Command
MAJ (Ret.) Kurt Cook
U.S. Army Special Forces
SFC Apollo Stoewer
USAJFKSWCS
CPT Jared Leibold
1st Special Forces Command
Jeffrey Robinson
Headquarters, USASOC

USASOC Ceremony Guest Speaker

Krista Simpson-Anderson
“2,977 people were lost between NYC, PA and the Pentagon. Over 1,100 remains are still unidentified.”

Mrs. Krista Simpson-Anderson, speaking at USASOC’s 9/11 ceremony. (U.S. Army photo)

READ TRANSCRIPT

Articles: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM

Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan A Short History | 2002-2014
CJSOTF-A
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan A Short History | 2002-2014
The Special Operations Resuscitation Team in Afghanistan
SORT(ing) Out the Casualties
The Special Operations Resuscitation Team in Afghanistan
A Collective Effort
A Collective Effort
Army Special Operations Forces in Deh Rawod, Afghanistan
Nili Experiment
Nili Experiment
ODA 7224 - Village Stability Operations
The U.S. Army Cultural Support Team Program
The U.S. Army Cultural Support Team Program
Historical Timeline

Articles: Operation IRAQI FREEDOM

Little Bird Support at Hadithah Dam
“The Beer’s On Us!“
Little Bird Support at Hadithah Dam
Psychological Operations in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
Reaching Out
Psychological Operations in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
The Jump at Objective Serpent
The Jump at Objective Serpent
3/75th Rangers in Iraq
Holding Back the Flood at Hadithah Dam
Holding Back the Flood at Hadithah Dam
Logistical Support to Task Force Viking
Logistical Support to Task Force Viking
Task Force Support in Northern Iraq
Operation VIKING HAMMER
Operation VIKING HAMMER
3/10 SFG against the Ansar Al-Islam

Images from the last 20 years

President George W. Bush addresses first responders at the site of the collapsed World Trade Center buildings, just days after the 9-11 attacks.
An aerial view of the Pentagon, taken two days after 9-11, reveals the extent of the damage.
Afghan villagers share cookies and tea with Civil Affairs and 101st Airborne Division soldiers in 2002.
Joint Special Operations Task Force – North Commander, Colonel John F. Mulholland, Jr. meets with Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld in December 2001.
A 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH-47 <i>Chinook</i> conducts a training flight over New York Harbor in September 2003.
A PSYOP soldier distributes pamphlets to Filipino villagers in November 2003.
Special Forces soldiers observe the Iraqi village of Ayn Sifni in April 2003.
A Civil Affairs soldier greets a local imam at the grand opening of a medical center in Baghdad, Iraq, January 2004.
Special Forces soldiers engage targets from a ground mobility vehicle during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, 2004.
An MH-47 <i>Chinook</i> from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment navigates a tight space in Afghanistan, 2006.
A Gold Star parent etches the name of his loved one from the USASOC Memorial Wall, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 2007.
A Special Forces soldier builds rapport with a local Afghan child, 2007.
A Special Forces soldier and his Iraqi counterpart prepare to raid a suspected Al Qaeda in Iraq location in September 2008.
Special Forces soldiers are extracted from a mountain pinnacle in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, by a UH-60 <i>Black Hawk</i> helicopter in 2010.
Psychological Operations, Civil Affairs, and Cultural Support Team members question an Afghan female through an interpreter during a Special Operations mission in Afghanistan, 2011.
Suspected insurgents are exfiltrated by Army Special Operations soldiers in Afghanistan, 2011.
A veterinarian serving in Civil Affairs trains his Afghan counterpart in 2013.
A Special Forces soldier makes a new friend at a medical clinic in Afghanistan, 2013.
A Special Forces soldier and U.S. Marine Corps Joint Terminal Attack Controller brace for the debris cloud from an approaching CH-53 <i>Super Stallion</i> during a March 2014 tactical recovery exercise.
An MH-60 <i>Black Hawk</i> from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment conducts aerial refueling, 2013.
Rangers and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment soldiers rehearse infilling via MH-6 helicopters in July 2018.
A Ranger pulls security during a 2019 combat operation in Afghanistan.