Special Operations Monument
at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, All Airborne Circle
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Additional Units added, new language submitted to the VA National Cemetery Adminstration Histroians, currently awaiting approval
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A Brief History of the Special Operations Monument
at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, All Airborne Circle, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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The Fort Snelling cemetery was established in 1870 to serve as a burial ground for the soldiers who died while stationed at the post. Following World War I, as new legislation expanded the eligibility requirements for burial in a national cemetery, the citizens of St. Paul organized a petition to designate a national cemetery in their area. In 1937, Congress responded with legislation that authorized a portion of land at Fort Snelling Military Reservation for this purpose. Fort Snelling National Cemetery was established in 1939 with the first burial on July 5, of Capt. George H. Mallon, whose acts of heroism at Meuse-Argonne in France were recognized with the Congressional Medal of Honor. Following the dedication of the new cemetery, arrangements were made for the exhumation of the remains of those buried at the older post cemetery and the reinternment of the 680 soldiers who served from 1820-1939 buried in Fort Snelling National Cemetery. The 1930s were also a major boom era for national cemetery growth. Fort Snelling National Cemetery is one of seven NCA properties developed during the period between World War I and World War II to serve large veteran populations in cities across the country.
In May 1960, Fort Snelling Air Force Station transferred 146 acres of land to the national cemetery. One more land transfer of 177 acres followed in 1961, bringing the cemetery to its present size. Because of the frigid winters, about 1,000 graves are dug each fall to be used for winter interments.
Fort Snelling National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
History of the Cemetery: https://www.mnhs.org/fortsnelling/learn/military-history/national-cemetery
Map: https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/maps/FtSnelling894.asp
Find a grave: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/82339/fort-snelling-national-cemetery
In May 1960, Fort Snelling Air Force Station transferred 146 acres of land to the national cemetery. One more land transfer of 177 acres followed in 1961, bringing the cemetery to its present size. Because of the frigid winters, about 1,000 graves are dug each fall to be used for winter interments.
Fort Snelling National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
History of the Cemetery: https://www.mnhs.org/fortsnelling/learn/military-history/national-cemetery
Map: https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/maps/FtSnelling894.asp
Find a grave: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/82339/fort-snelling-national-cemetery
All Airborne Circle, Fort Snelling National Cemetery
All Airborne Circle is a twenty monement section located in the center of Fort Snelling National Cemetery. It was established by The Mid west All Airborne Alliance to honor those Airborne American units who performed duties in defense of freedom and America throughout the world.
https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?id=231
https://mnlegion.org/wp-content/uploads/Fort-Snelling-Site-Visit-Report.pdf
https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?id=231
https://mnlegion.org/wp-content/uploads/Fort-Snelling-Site-Visit-Report.pdf
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Special Operations Monument
Special operations are defined as actions performed in hostile, denied or politically sensitive environments and require covert, clandestine, or low visibility capabilities. They may be performed independently or in conjunction with conventional forces.
This monument is dedicated to those soldiers and their units who served the United States of America clandestinely in those conflicts around the world in defense of freedom. lt was the last monument installed in All Airborne Circle and is the only monument to include American Allies who served along side them.
This monument is dedicated to those soldiers and their units who served the United States of America clandestinely in those conflicts around the world in defense of freedom. lt was the last monument installed in All Airborne Circle and is the only monument to include American Allies who served along side them.
Dedication
The SOG monument was dedicated in 2014 by the United States Army Airborne Veterans which included Lao, Khmer, and Hmong Allies in attendance. Airborne Veterans Trudell Guerue, Jack Running, and Brad Nichols dedicating the monument. United States Department of Veteran Affiars Natioanal Cemetery Director John Knapp officiated the dedication..
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Casting
The monument plaque was cast and officially installed in 2015.
Installation
On April 18th, 2015 the monument was officially installed in the All Airborne Circle at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
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Today the Monument has become a destination for our allies and has been in continuous use on many days of commemoration.
The monument is a destination to our Special Forces and Operations Veterans on many commemorative days. It has served as a destination to our Allies on many Commemorative Days.. To our Allies and those who served with them it is a revered site as it is the first and only monument dedicated to Allies who served with the United States in any United States Department of Veteran Affairs National Veteran Cemetery. Today the monument is destination for United States Military and or allies including those from The Republic of Vietnam, Kingdom of Laos, Khmer Republic, Kingdom of Thailand, Republic of Korea and most recently Afghanistan.
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The United States Special Operations Veterans have proposed adding new Allied units to the monument. The new language was submitted in March of 2024 and we are awaiting approval from the United States Veteran Affairs National Cemetery Administration's Historians.
New units added
SPECIAL OPERATIONS
SPECIAL OPERATIONS ARE PERFORMED IN HOSTILE, DENIED, OR POLITICALLY SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTS
AND REQUIRE COVERT, CLANDESTINE, OR LOW VISIBILITY CAPABILITIES, THEY MAY BE PERFORMED INDEPENDENTLY
OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONVENTIONAL MILITARY FORCES.
1ST SPECAL FORCES + MERRILL’S MARAUDERS + DARBY’S RANGERS + ALAMO SCOUTS + NAVY SEALS UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAMS + OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES + RANGER INFANTRY COMPANIES (ABN) + UNITED NATIONS PARTISAN INFANTRY KOREA + PATROL CRAFT FAST + LONG RANGE RECONNAISSANCE PATROLS (LRRP, LRP, 75TH RANGERS) + US ARMY SPECIAL FORCES PROJECTS DELTA, GAMMA, SIGMA, OMEGA, MIKE FORCE, + KAMPUCHEA KROM MOBILE GUERRILLA UNITS + KHMER SEREI + ROYAL LAO SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNITS + HMONG SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNITS + USAF 20TH TASS, FAC RAVEN, RUSTIC & COVEY + MACV-SOG + OPLAN 34 ALPHA, AIR & NAVAL COMMANDOS + FIRST OBSERVATIONS GROUP STRATA + ARVN RANGERS + DETACHMENT-A BERLIN BRIGADE + 160TH SOAR (ABN) “NIGHT STALKERS” + DELTA FORCE + TASK FORCE DAGGER + TASK FORCE 88 + MARINE FORCE RECON + MARSOC MARINE RAIDERS + 1ST ANGLICO + USAF COMBAT CONTROL TEAMS + USAF PARARESCUE + USCG DEPLOYABLE OPERATIONS GROUP + THAI OPERATION UNITY, UNIT 333 + THAI FORWARD AIR GUIDES + THAI PARU + US MILITARY & SPECIAL OPERATIONS ALLIES OF OPERATIONS ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM & ALLIES REFUGE
THEY SHALL GROW NOT OLD, AS WE THAT ARE LEFT GROW OLD: AGE SHALL NOT WEARY THEM, NOR
THE YEARS CONDEMN, AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SEN AND THE MORNNG,
“THE ODE”
SPECIAL OPERATIONS ARE PERFORMED IN HOSTILE, DENIED, OR POLITICALLY SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTS
AND REQUIRE COVERT, CLANDESTINE, OR LOW VISIBILITY CAPABILITIES, THEY MAY BE PERFORMED INDEPENDENTLY
OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONVENTIONAL MILITARY FORCES.
1ST SPECAL FORCES + MERRILL’S MARAUDERS + DARBY’S RANGERS + ALAMO SCOUTS + NAVY SEALS UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAMS + OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES + RANGER INFANTRY COMPANIES (ABN) + UNITED NATIONS PARTISAN INFANTRY KOREA + PATROL CRAFT FAST + LONG RANGE RECONNAISSANCE PATROLS (LRRP, LRP, 75TH RANGERS) + US ARMY SPECIAL FORCES PROJECTS DELTA, GAMMA, SIGMA, OMEGA, MIKE FORCE, + KAMPUCHEA KROM MOBILE GUERRILLA UNITS + KHMER SEREI + ROYAL LAO SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNITS + HMONG SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNITS + USAF 20TH TASS, FAC RAVEN, RUSTIC & COVEY + MACV-SOG + OPLAN 34 ALPHA, AIR & NAVAL COMMANDOS + FIRST OBSERVATIONS GROUP STRATA + ARVN RANGERS + DETACHMENT-A BERLIN BRIGADE + 160TH SOAR (ABN) “NIGHT STALKERS” + DELTA FORCE + TASK FORCE DAGGER + TASK FORCE 88 + MARINE FORCE RECON + MARSOC MARINE RAIDERS + 1ST ANGLICO + USAF COMBAT CONTROL TEAMS + USAF PARARESCUE + USCG DEPLOYABLE OPERATIONS GROUP + THAI OPERATION UNITY, UNIT 333 + THAI FORWARD AIR GUIDES + THAI PARU + US MILITARY & SPECIAL OPERATIONS ALLIES OF OPERATIONS ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM & ALLIES REFUGE
THEY SHALL GROW NOT OLD, AS WE THAT ARE LEFT GROW OLD: AGE SHALL NOT WEARY THEM, NOR
THE YEARS CONDEMN, AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SEN AND THE MORNNG,
“THE ODE”
Descriptions of new units
We are now adding the US military and naturalized indigenous veterans including the USAF 20th TASS FAC's Rustics and Covey, 5th Special Forces Mike Force, US Marines 1st ANGLICO, The 5th Special Forces recruited, trained and "bothers in arms" ethnic Khmer Serei from III CORPS, The 5th Special Forces and the Kampuchea Krom Mobile Guerrilla Forces from IV & III CORPS they recruited , trained and fought with, The 5th Special Forces and the Vietnamese Civilian Irregular Defence Group (CIDG), which include the White Scarves form IV CORPS, the Nung from III CORPS and other indigenous freedom fighters they recruited, trained and fought with, the CIA, MACV-SOG, 1st Special Forces and the Plan 34A mission specialists and ARVN Rangers, 1st Special Forces and the Thai of Operation Unity and the Border Patrol Police and Arial Reinforcement Unit. (PARU) who served with U.S. Forces during the Vietnam War and Secret War in Laos. We are also including those naturalize Afghans who served with U.S. Forces during the Global War on Terror, Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and Allies Refuge.
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