The American Patriot and War Hero, Col. Robert L. Howard

Col. Robert Lewis Howard
United States Army Special Forces
Green Berets
July 11, 1939 – December 23, 2009



H/T: Carol's Art

In honor of the august and intrepid warrior Col. Bob Howard:

The Green Berets

Long Live The Green Berets, I salute their valor, their intrepid nature, their pure guts...

De Oppresso Liber

Hat Tip: Richard Munro

Read more about Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler here.

Learn or read more about the US Army Special Forces here, US Army recruitment site here, US Special Operations Command here, JFK Special Warfare Center here and US Army Special Forces Command here.

Video Clips below from the one of my favorite movies, "The Green Berets" , starring that quintessential American patriot, John Wayne.





Finally, it was President Kennedy who confirmed their most currently accepted status.

"When visiting the Special Forces at Fort Bragg on 12 October 1961, President John F. Kennedy asked Brigadier General William P. Yarborough to make sure that the men under his command wore green berets for the visit. Later that day, Kennedy sent a memorandum which included the line: "I am sure that the green beret will be a mark of distinction in the trying times ahead".

By America's entry into the Vietnam War the green beret had become a symbol of excellence throughout the US Army.

On 11 April 1962 in a White House memorandum to the United States Army, President Kennedy reiterated his view: "the green beret is a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom." Previously, both Yarborough and Edson Raff had petitioned the Pentagon to allow wearing of the green beret to no avail, but the President did not fail them."