TIMELINE

1942: Devil’s Brigade members scale mountains in winter to defeat surprised Nazi forces at Italy’s Monte Le Difensa.	1961: President Kennedy refers to the green hats worn by the Army’s Special Forces as a fitting emblem of the courage and achievement of the American military. Army Special Forces soldiers become popularly known as Green Berets.	1980s: New testing qualifications make it even tougher to gain acceptance into Special Forces duty.
1957: Special Operations Units begin training South Vietnamese soldiers in tactical combat long before conventional U.S. forces enter the fight. The first American killed in Vietnam is Special Forces Captain Harry Kramer.	1972: The last American to die in Vietnam is Special Forces Sergeant Fred Mack.	1987: Following an extensive military review, all Special Operations Forces are centralized under the leadership of the Special Operations Command.

1989: Army’s Delta Force rescues an American from Panamanian prison during brief U.S. invasion to oust Manuel Noriega.	2001-present: Special Operations Command take leadership role in counterinsurgency efforts after U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.	2011: After a decade-long manhunt, Navy SEAL Team 6 finds and kills suspected mastermind of September 11 attack Osama bin Laden in daring night raid in Pakistan.
2001: September 11 terrorist attacks on U.S.	2009: Navy SEAL snipers shoot and kill Somali terrorists holding an American cargo ship captain hostage at sea. The captain is freed.