Trident's First Gleaming: A Special Operations Group Thriller (25 page)
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Authors: Stephen Templin
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) was founded in 1980 as the Colonel Arthur D. “Bull” Simons Scholarship Fund to provide college educations for the seventeen children surviving the nine special operations men killed or incapacitated at Desert One. It was named in honor of the legendary Army Green Beret, Bull Simons, who repeatedly risked his life on rescue missions.
Following creation of the United States Special Operations Command, and as casualties mounted from actions such as Operations “Urgent Fury” (Grenada), “Just Cause” (Panama), “Desert Storm” (Kuwait and Iraq), and “Restore Hope” (Somalia), the Bull Simons Fund gradually expanded its outreach program to encompass all Special Operations Forces. Thus, in 1995 the Family Liaison Action Group (established to support the families of the 53 Iranian hostages) and the Spectre (Air Force gunship) Association Scholarship Fund merged to form the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. In 1998 the Warrior Foundation scholarship and financial aid counseling were extended to cover training fatalities as well as operational fatalities since the inception of the Foundation in 1980. This action immediately added 205 children who were now eligible for college funding.
The Warrior Foundation’s mission is to provide a college education to every child who has lost a parent while serving in the US Special Operations Command and its units during an operational or training mission. The special operations forces covered by the Foundation include, but are not limited to, Army Rangers and Special Forces personnel, Navy SEALs, Marine Corps, and Air Force special operations personnel. These personnel are stationed in units throughout the United States and overseas bases. Some of the largest concentrations of Special Operations forces are at military bases at Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Hurlburt Field, Florida; Coronado Naval Station, California; Dam Neck, Virginia; MacDill AFB, Florida; Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Little Creek, Virginia; Fort Carson, Colorado; Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico; Royal Air Force Base, Mildenhall, United Kingdom; and Kadena Air Base, Japan.
The Warrior Foundation also provides immediate financial assistance to special operations personnel severely wounded in the war against terrorism.
Today, the Warrior Foundation is currently committed to providing scholarship grants,
not loans
, to more than 700 children. These children survive more than 600 Special Operations personnel who gave their lives in patriotic service to their country, including those who died fighting our nation’s war against terrorism as part of “Operation Enduring Freedom” in Afghanistan and the Philippines as well as “Operation Iraqi Freedom.”
To date, 121 children of fallen special operations warriors have graduated college. Children from all military services have received or been offered Warrior Foundation scholarships.
Contact information:
Special Operations Warrior Foundation
P.O. Box 13483
Tampa, FL 33690
E-mail:
[email protected]
Toll Free Phone: 1-877-337-7693
In memory of John Koenig (Commander, Navy)—who taught me marksmanship, demolitions, and small-unit tactics during the land warfare phase of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. Commander Koenig served in many classified operations, including as a SEAL in Vietnam, MILGRU advisor in El Salvador, and SEAL Team Six operator in Grenada and Panama. In Grenada, his team rescued Governor General Paul Scoon’s family from house arrest. Commander Koenig’s leadership and instruction were straightforward, his dark sense of humor brought high points during many long hours of training, and his experiences were invaluable. I will always be grateful.
Last year, Larry Vickers (Master Sergeant, Army) instructed me in handgun and assault rifle shooting for my preparation of this book series. Larry served as a Green Beret and Delta Force operator in many classified operations, including Panama, Desert Storm, Somalia, and Bosnia. Most notable among these operations was the rescue of CIA agent Kurt Muse from imprisonment by forces under the command of dictator Manuel Noriega.
I greatly appreciate Carol Scarr, Danielle Poiesz, and Amy Knupp for their editorial advice on early drafts of this book. Most of all, I am thankful for the support of my wife, Reiko, and children, Kent and Maria.
AUTHOR PHOTO BY SILVY TOMPKINS
STEPHEN TEMPLIN
completed Hell Week, qualified as a pistol and rifle expert, and blew up things during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. After the Navy, he volunteered as a missionary, attended college, and lectured as a tenured university professor in Japan for fourteen years, where he also practiced the martial art aikido. Currently, he lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Visit Steve’s official website and sign up for his free newsletter to catch the hottest Intel — freebies, latest books, appearances, and more at
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