Professor Ken Ebel used to sit on his porch with Matthew V. Thompson and three other students discussing life, books, girlfriends and love over beers.
Such a dialogue continued even after Thompson graduated from Concordia University Irvine and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2011, said Ebel, who retired from the school last year as a biology professor. Thompson hosted a Bible study for his fellow soldiers, discussing with them how to be a man of God while fighting in a war, he wrote in an email to Ebel dated Aug. 9, 2016. "He was dealing with violence, dealing with evil, and how do you bring love in that situation," Ebel said. "He wanted to be a man of God in the situation where he found himself in a violent world. That's been Matt ever since I knew him."
That email would be the last time Ebel heard from Thompson. The 28-year-old Green Beret was killed by a roadside bomb on Aug. 23 in Afghanistan.
Ebel was among more than 100 people who gathered at the Concordia campus Monday morning for a flag-lowering ceremony. Campus security guards raised the flag to the top and then slowly lowered it to half-staff. The flag will remain there for the rest of the week to remember and honor Thompson.
Thompson, a Green Beret (Special Forces) Medical Sergeant, was patrolling in Helmand province as part of Operation Freedom Sentinel when an improvised explosive device detonated. Thompson died from his injuries. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.
Thompson, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in theological studies in December 2010, is believed to be the first Concordia University Irvine alum killed in military service, said Steve Leader, the school's veterans resource center manager.
Thompson came to Southern California in 2008 after he transferred to Concordia from Marquette University in Wisconsin. Josh Geisinger has known him since the first day Thompson arrived at Concordia. He was among those who used to chat on Ebel's porch and called Thompson by his nickname, Tito. "Tito's a kind of guy that if you'd never met him before, he would come and sit with you and have a meal with you, even if you didn't know him," Geisinger said. "He wanted to love people as they needed to be loved -- not what was convenient, not what was easy, but what took sacrifice, what took courage. He was very good at loving people."
Life was always an adventure for Thompson, Geisinger said. One time, they took a group of students on a hike up Mount Whitney after the first snow. Thompson led the group, with Geisinger right behind him. Without any proper gear, Thompson slipped on ice every few steps for about two miles, but Geisinger caught him each time until they reached the summit. There was only joy in Thompson's eyes and no fear, Geisinger said.
Their friendship was about pushing each other, he said. "Whenever I was going through a decision, it seemed difficult at the time, but you talk to Tito and he's like, 'You know what to do, you know what's important. You just don't want to do the hard thing,'" Geisinger said. "It was like, 'You're right.'"
Thompson chose to serve in the special forces because he wanted to try something he wasn't sure he could accomplish, challenging himself physically, mentally and emotionally, Geisinger said. Thompson met his wife, Rachel, at Concordia. The two got married five years ago just before Thompson started his military training. "He knew it would be difficult, but he wanted that growth, he wanted that challenge so that he knew what it meant to have pain and knew what it meant to sacrifice," Geisinger said.
Thompson's wife lives in Washington state and couldn't attend Concordia's ceremony on Monday.
Thompson was posthumously awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, according to the U.S. Army. Other decorations he had earned included the Army Commendation Medal and National Defense Service Medal. The deployment was Thompson's first to Afghanistan. He had previously been in Iraq for Operation Inherent Resolve.
Upon hearing of Thompson's death, Ebel, Geisinger and the other members from the porch dialogue got together to talk about their friend over beers and Wisconsin bratwursts. "I hope that we all become more like Matt," Geisinger said.
Another important date in U.S. Army Special Forces history is 04 June 1971 as Special Forces SSG Jon R. Cavaini participated in actions (4-5 June) in Vietnam, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Staff Sergeant Cavaiani's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
S/Sgt. Cavaiani distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action in the Republic of Vietnam on 4 and 5 June 1971 while serving as a platoon leader to a security platoon providing security for an isolated radio relay site located within enemy-held territory. On the morning of 4 June 1971, the entire camp came under an intense barrage of enemy small arms, automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenade and mortar fire from a superior size enemy force. S/Sgt. Cavaiani acted with complete disregard for his personal safety as he repeatedly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire in order to move about the camp's perimeter directing the platoon's fire and rallying the platoon in a desperate fight for survival. S/Sgt. Cavaiani also returned heavy suppressive fire upon the assaulting enemy force during this period with a variety of weapons. When the entire platoon was to be evacuated, S/Sgt. Cavaiani unhesitatingly volunteered to remain on the ground and direct the helicopters into the landing zone. S/Sgt. Cavaiani was able to direct the first 3 helicopters in evacuating a major portion of the platoon. Due to intense increase in enemy fire, S/Sgt. Cavaiani was forced to remain at the camp overnight where he calmly directed the remaining platoon members in strengthening their defenses. On the morning of 5 June, a heavy ground fog restricted visibility. The superior size enemy force launched a major ground attack in an attempt to completely annihilate the remaining small force. The enemy force advanced in 2 ranks, first firing a heavy volume of small arms automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade fire while the second rank continuously threw a steady barrage of hand grenades at the beleaguered force. S/Sgt. Cavaiani returned a heavy barrage of small arms and hand grenade fire on the assaulting enemy force but was unable to slow them down. He ordered the remaining platoon members to attempt to escape while he provided them with cover fire. With one last courageous exertion, S/Sgt. Cavaiani recovered a machine gun, stood up, completely exposing himself to the heavy enemy fire directed at him, and began firing the machine gun in a sweeping motion along the two ranks of advancing enemy soldiers. Through S/Sgt. Cavaiani's valiant efforts with complete disregard for his safety, the majority of the remaining platoon members were able to escape. While inflicting severe losses on the advancing enemy force, S/Sgt. Cavaiani was wounded numerous times. S/Sgt. Cavaiani's conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
He was captured and spent the next two years as a prisoner of war. Jon R. Cavaiani was released by the enemy on April 27, 1973.
Cavaiani was born in Ireland, moved to England and came to the United States in 1947. Jon was sent to Vietnam in 1970 with Special Forces and by June 4, 1971 was serving as a Staff Sergeant in Task Force 1 Advisory Element, USARV Training Advisory Group. This unit was formerly known as Command and Control North, MACV-SOG.
He served basically all over the world - with tours of duty in the Middle East, South America, Europe and Southeast Asia. A little known fact about Jon is that he graduated with honors from the culinary arts program in Columbia, California, where he and his wife Barbara lived.
His numerous military decorations include the nation’s highest award for valor, the Army Medal of Honor, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with 'V' for Valor device and one Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 'V' for Valor device and three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Prisoner of War Medal. Additionally, he was entitled to wear the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Pathfinder Badge and Master Parachutist Badge. Cavaiani was a freefall (HALO) and static line jumpmaster with over 5,000 jumps all over the world. He retired as a Sergeant Major in 1990.
Cavaiani died on July 29, 2014 at the age of 70 in Stanford, California. The world is a smaller place with Jon's absence.
President Barack Obama is increasingly calling upon Special Operations forces to carry out so-called "small wars" across the Middle East and Africa to challenge both ISIS and al Qaeda in places where the U.S. maintains a footprint beyond Syria and Iraq.
In his first trip overseas since taking command of U.S. Special Operations a month ago, Gen. Raymond Thomas told a Middle Eastern audience recently that "complex" fails to adequately describe the current security environment. That complexity is leading the Obama administration to expand the use of small teams of Special Operators in various terror hotspots.
Thomas previously served as head of the secretive Joint Special Operations Command -- the unit that includes Navy SEALS, the Army's Delta Force and other covert Special Operations units. "We are attempting to identify opportunities to expand [Special Operations'] global presence, forward access and relationships to leverage opportunities short of crisis," Thomas said.
He did not offer additional details, but many military officials privately have noted that ISIS came to power and began controlling large swathes of territory, posing a major terror threat, faster than the U.S. could respond. They don't want to see it happen again.
That explains why -- although much of the U.S. response is clearly focused on Iraq and Syria -- Special Ops forces are being asked to prevent both ISIS and al Qaeda from gaining a stronger foothold in places like Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The military characterizes many of the operations as "advising and assisting" local forces with intelligence and overhead surveillance to help identify targets. But in reality there are also many instances of the U.S. conducting direct attack operations on terror targets.
Among the places where "small war" activities are underway:
Somalia
About 50 U.S. troops operate at undisclosed locations across southern Somalia advising and assisting Somali, Kenyan and Ugandan forces in their fight against Al-Shabaab, the local al Qaeda affiliate.
This week, U.S. personnel helped those forces plan an operation against illegal checkpoints. The U.S. headquarters for the effort remains at the airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, but the fact that the troops are at times in the field shows how far the U.S.-Somali military relationship has come since the 1993 U.S. battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, often referred to as the "Black Hawk Down" battle, in which several U.S. troops were killed.
Al-Shabaab has conducted a number of attacks in Kenya against Western interests in recent years, raising concerns for the U.S. about its ability to recruit more fighters in the region and the growing influence of al Qaeda on the group. The U.S. has also conducted counter-terrorism operations against Al-Shabaab, both in raids on the ground and from drone and aircraft strikes. In March, the Pentagon said it conducted a large-scale airstrike against an Al-Shabaab camp in Somalia, killing some 150 fighters there.
West Africa
The U.S. has sent up to 300 military personnel to Cameroon. Many are involved in drone operations there from Garoua to help provide intelligence in the region to assist local forces. There are additional drone operations based out of Niger. A U.S. military official said a major concern remains Boko Haram inside Nigeria and its declared affiliation with to ISIS. The U.S. sees ISIS increasingly trying to recruit fighters from West Africa, the official said.
Yemen
The Pentagon will offer few details, but recently a small number of U.S. troops went back into Yemen to help Saudi and United Arab Emirates forces in their battle against the al Qaeda affiliate there. The U.S. troops are providing intelligence assistance and advice, according to several U.S. military officials.
Libya
A small number of U.S. forces occasionally travel into Libya, according to several U.S. officials. A few months ago, the Pentagon had to acknowledge the presence of U.S. personnel in Libya when photos showing them appeared online. The Pentagon said they were there trying to meet with locals but left the country at the request of local authorities.
The current U.S. troops are trying to connect with political and security officials in Libya to get more information so if a national government is formed, the U.S. will be ready to provide additional military assistance. The Pentagon recently acknowledged there is a "concept of operations" for Libya that includes continued airstrikes against ISIS targets when they can be located.
National Congressional Medal of Honor Day on Friday, March 25, is a special memorial day when recipients of the
Medal of Honor gather each year at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate
their fallen brethren. Among those warriors who have received our nation’s highest award for valor in combat is
retired Army Colonel Roger Donlon, who’s considered a legend. This exceptional article is by Alex Quade and
posted on the Daily Caller.
The first Medal of Honor recipient for the Vietnam War, Donlon is also the first Special Forces commando to
receive the award. Now 82 years old and suffering from Parkinson’s disease due to his exposure to Agent Orange,
Col. Donlon invited this reporter into his home in Leavenworth, Kansas, for an exclusive, wide-ranging and
straight-talking interview on his life’s lessons: the importance of values, character, mentoring, Special Forces,
and the Medal of Honor. Some surprises came up during the interview, including an impromptu, close quarters knife
lesson.
Col. Donlon even shared a story never told: how he almost made national headlines in 1965 for a comment about
Vietnam War protesters at the White House and his AR-15, which at the time — as he surmises — members of the press
did not understand, so they didn’t publish it. This three-part special video interview contains never before seen
historical photographs as well.
Donlon received the Medal from President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Here is his citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while
defending a U.S. military installation against a fierce attack by hostile forces. Capt. Donlon was serving as the
commanding officer of the U.S. Army Special Forces Detachment A-726 at Camp Nam Dong when a reinforced Viet Cong
battalion suddenly launched a full-scale, predawn attack on the camp. During the violent battle that ensued,
lasting five hours and resulting in heavy casualties on both sides, Capt. Donlon directed the defense operations
in the midst of an enemy barrage of mortar shells, falling grenades, and extremely heavy gunfire. Upon the initial
onslaught, he swiftly marshaled his forces and ordered the removal of the needed ammunition from a blazing
building. He then dashed through a hail of small arms and exploding hand grenades to abort a breach of the main
gate. En route to this position he detected an enemy demolition team of three in the proximity of the main gate
and quickly annihilated them. Although exposed to the intense grenade attack, he then succeeded in reaching a 60mm
mortar position despite sustaining a severe stomach wound as he was within five yards of the gun pit. When he
discovered that most of the men in this gunpit were also wounded, he completely disregarded his own injury,
directed their withdrawal to a location 30 meters away, and again risked his life by remaining behind and covering
the movement with the utmost effectiveness. Noticing that his team sergeant was unable to evacuate the gun pit he
crawled toward him and, while dragging the fallen soldier out of the gunpit, an enemy mortar exploded and
inflicted a wound in Capt. Donlon’s left shoulder. Although suffering from multiple wounds, he carried the
abandoned 60mm mortar weapon to a new location 30 meters away where he found three wounded defenders. After
administering first aid and encouragement to these men, he left the weapon with them, headed toward another
position, and retrieved a 57mm recoilless rifle. Then with great courage and coolness under fire, he returned to
the abandoned gun pit, evacuated ammunition for the two weapons, and while crawling and dragging the urgently
needed ammunition, received a third wound on his leg by an enemy hand grenade. Despite his critical physical
condition, he again crawled 175 meters to an 81mm mortar position and directed firing operations which protected
the seriously threatened east sector of the camp. He then moved to an eastern 60mm mortar position and upon
determining that the vicious enemy assault had weakened, crawled back to the gun pit with the 60mm mortar, set it
up for defensive operations, and turned it over to two defenders with minor wounds. Without hesitation, he left
this sheltered position, and moved from position to position around the beleaguered perimeter while hurling hand
grenades at the enemy and inspiring his men to superhuman effort. As he bravely continued to move around the
perimeter, a mortar shell exploded, wounding him in the face and body. As the long awaited daylight brought defeat
to the enemy forces and their retreat back to the jungle leaving behind 54 of their dead, many weapons, and
grenades, Capt. Donlon immediately reorganized his defenses and administered first aid to the wounded. His dynamic
leadership, fortitude, and valiant efforts inspired not only the American personnel but the friendly Vietnamese
defenders as well and resulted in the successful defense of the camp. Capt. Donlon’s extraordinary heroism, at the
risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect
great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
Video Interview - Part One. Col. Donlon, who suffers from Agent Orange-related Parkinson’s Disease, invited me to
his home in Leavenworth, Kansas, for an intimate, one-of-a-kind discussion on mentoring, values, finding your
moral compass, and family. He and his wife Norma also shared their private collection of historical photos,
documents, and mementos.
Video Interview - Part Two. Inspiration, impact and leadership — Medal of Honor recipient Col. Roger Donlon
offers exclusive insights in part two of our video discussion ahead of National Congressional Medal of Honor Day,
this Friday. The humble Green Beret received the first Medal of Honor of the Vietnam War, as well as the first for
special operations forces. In this part two of three, we hear Col. Donlon’s candid views on the role of
reporters, faith and the Church, the role of Special Forces, and character development. What we, as an audience
discover from the interview, is a character-driven and courage-driven life with lessons that cross over beyond the
military to the broader public, as well as to school children.
Video Interview - Part Three. Medal of Honor recipient and Special Forces Colonel Roger Donlon emphasizes the
importance of taking the time to mentor each other in Part Three of my exclusive video interview. He also shares
stories publicly for the first time of other Special Forces legends and character development, as part of the lead
up to Friday’s National Congressional Medal of Honor Day.
Col. Donlon discusses the man who mentored him: Col. Aaron Bank, who’d served with the OSS (Office of Strategic
Services) during World War II, which is the precursor to modern-day Special Forces and the CIA. Bank is considered
the father of Special Forces.
Donlon, in turn, mentored another Green Beret legend: Col. Robert L. Howard, who was nominated for the Medal of
Honor three times and was one of the most highly decorated soldiers in American history. Col. Donlon also remarks
on how Col. Howard decided to mentor me, a war reporter, and why (a seemingly unlikely candidate, as I was neither
a Ranger, nor Green Beret, nor male).
“I watched him give you polite, and then some more direct guidance at times,” Donlon says with a smile on camera.
“That’s a nice way of putting it,” I reply. “Some people might say not so polite,” Donlon laughs. “It was more
direct. But straight from the heart and straight from his shoulders.”
Donlon admonishes every one of us has that responsibility in life: to mentor others.
“But before you can become a mentor, you become a proven leader. Then you’re able to look in the rear-view mirror
and say, ‘Hey I see some leadership qualities in somebody else,’ and you reach out and mentor them, be pro-
active,” Donlon says.
Donlon also points out the importance of finding your “true North”, and sticking to your “moral compass.” “What we
are is God’s gift to us,” Donlon says. “What we become, is our gift to God.”
The 82-year-old suffers from Agent Orange related Parkinson’s Disease. Donlon was the first recipient of the Medal
of Honor for the Vietnam War, and the first for any special operations forces commando.
The United States Special Forces elements currently stationed in Iraq are engaged in fighting against the Islamic State group, several Kurdish Iraqi fighters have told the British newspaper The Guardian, contradicting President Barack Obama’s assertion that no U.S. personnel were in direct combat with the extremist group.
According to The Guardian, none of the fighters with Kurdish Iraqi army, known as Peshmerga, were willing to publish their photos or video footage for fear of dismissal, but they allowed the newspaper's crew to watch the video and see the images on their cellphones.
A 29-year-old Peshmerga fighter named Peshawa showed a video through his cellphone filmed just after dawn on Sept. 11, showing four Western-looking men in a battle against the Islamic State group in Iraq. “These are the Americans,” Peshawa said referring to U.S. soldiers. He added that such footage and other asserts that Washington has been involved directly in the fight against the Islamic State group.
President Obama announced in June last year the deployment of 3,500 U.S. special forces to Iraq in order to “advise and train” Kurdish fighters in their fight against the extremist group, according to the Pentagon, but denied that this was part of a boots-on-the-ground operation. “The joke going around here is there are no boots on the ground because they’re all wearing sneakers,” an unnamed western volunteer with the peshmerga, told the Guardian.
Major Loqman Mohammed with the Peshmerga force showed another video, dated 11 June, where a U.S. soldier was seen wearing the uniform and badge of a Kurdish counter-terrorism unit and walking with two dozen Peshmerga fighters after several hours of fighting with Islamic State group militants in the village of Wastana and Saddam settlement.
“They fight and they even fight ahead of the Peshmerga. They won’t allow anyone to take photos of them, but they take photos of everyone, ” Karwan Hama Tata, a Peshmerga volunteer, told The Guardian reporter after showing him another video of two U.S. soldiers in the middle of an operation with other Kurdish fighters.
In an Oct. 28 report by Bloomberg, U.S. and Kurdish officials, not authorized to speak about the matter, said that he U.S. was running an operations center in Irbil city staffed by a special operations task force whose work is so classified its name is a state secret.
The Guardian said that when asked about the videos and the testimonies of the Kurdish fighters, the U.S. Central Command in Baghdad said: “No U.S. or coalition SOF [special operations forces] were engaged in any of these events you listed.” It added “we have no reports of any coalition advise and assist teams becoming engaged during the actions you referenced.”
Last month, Reuters reported the Obama administration was considering the deployment of special forces to Syria to “advise moderate Syrian opposition fighters for the first time and, potentially, to help call in U.S. air strikes”, one official had said.
The recent reports cast doubt over the statements by the Pentagon and the White House as well as Obama’s public assertions since he was first elected in 2008 that he did not want to involve the U.S. in wars in the middle east.
In fact, one of Obama’s presidential campaign promises was to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has yet to deliver on that promise and in fact have scaled back on the withdrawal of U.S. personnel from the two war-torn nations.
