USASOC Memorial Wall Marker

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Fort Bragg in Cumberland County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

USASOC Memorial Wall
In Memory of Our Fallen Special Operations Soldiers
— United States Army Special Operations Command —

USASOC Memorial Wall Tribute Photo, Click for full size

By Robert Cole, June 3, 2010

1. USASOC Memorial Wall Tribute

Inscription. Welcome Kinsman, Comrade, Friend. Recorded here on this humble Wall are the names of our fallen Heroes. They were and will always be cherished Soldiers of Army Special Operations, our comrades in arms. Know that they eagerly sought and accepted our Nation's most difficult missions against our most dangerous enemies. Know that they willingly endured hardship and danger and, at the end, sacrificed all for us. With solemn pride, know that in doing so they proved true to their oath to the Constitution and duty to the Citizens of the United States of America. To them, their example and their memory we humbly dedicate this Memorial.

Erected 2010 by USASOC Soldier, Family and Command Support Association.

Location. 35° 6.609′ N, 79° 0.146′ W. Marker is in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in Cumberland County. Marker is on Kuwait Street ¼ mile west of Yadkin Road & Reilly Street intersection when traveling east. Click for map. Located at the southwest corner of the USASOC headquarters building facing Memorial Plaza and the Special Warfare Memorial Statue, also known as "Bronze Bruce.". Marker is at or near this postal address: 2929 Desert Storm Drive, Fort Bragg NC 28310, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles

USASOC Memorial Wall & Plaza Photo, Click for full size

By Robert Cole, June 2, 2010

2. USASOC Memorial Wall & Plaza

of this marker, as the crow flies. Meadows Memorial Parade Field (about 300 feet away, in a direct line); T-8 90mm Antitank Gun (approx. 1.7 miles away); M-56 Scopion Self-Propelled Antitank Gun (approx. 1.7 miles away); Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar" (approx. 1.7 miles away); M-551A1 Sheridan Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle (approx. 1.8 miles away); UH-1A Iroquois Utility Helicopter (approx. 1.8 miles away); 328th Infantry Rock (approx. 1.8 miles away); 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion (approx. 1.8 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Fort Bragg.

Also see . . .
1. USASOC Fallen Heroes - We Will Not Forget. (Submitted on June 3, 2010, by Robert Cole of Angier, North Carolina.)
2. USASOC News Service: Army Special Operations honors fallen heroes with new Memorial Wall. (Submitted on June 3, 2010, by Robert Cole of Angier, North Carolina.)
3. SocNet: New USASOC Memorial Wall. (Submitted on June 3, 2010, by Robert Cole of Angier, North Carolina.)
4. Fayetteville Observer: USASOC Memorial Wall ceremony video. (Submitted on June 3, 2010, by Robert Cole of Angier, North Carolina.)
5. Fayetteville Observer: USASOC Memorial wall unveiled. Observer photos from the unveiling of the new USASOC memorial wall at Fort Bragg May 27, 2010. (Submitted on June 3, 2010, by Robert Cole of Angier, North Carolina.)

USASOC Memorial Wall Marker Photo, Click for full size

By Robert Cole, June 2, 2010

3. USASOC Memorial Wall Marker

The new wall, which borders the plaza outside the U.S. Army Special Operations Command headquarters building on Fort Bragg, was dedicated on May 27, 2010 during an annual ceremony honoring special operations soldiers killed in combat. The original wall opened in 1995 with three bronze plaques. Every year since, a ceremony near Memorial Day has added the names of soldiers killed in the previous year. Seven plaques were added to the first wall as the casualty list grew from wars in the Middle East. Last year, Gen. John F. Mulholland, commander of special operations, ordered an upgrade for the wall. The new granite wall is reminiscent of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It bears the names of 1,078 special operations soldiers killed in conflicts since the Korean War. There's space enough for another 20 years of casualties based on current rates, according to the command. The wall is topped with a sculpture called Eagle Rising. The eagle-edged shield was fashioned out of the bronze plates from the original wall by Oregon-based sculptor and veteran Lorenzo Ghiglieri.

USASOC Memorial Wall Photo, Click for full size

By Unknown, May 27, 2010

4. USASOC Memorial Wall

The new wall, which borders the plaza outside the U.S. Army Special Operations Command headquarters building on Fort Bragg, was dedicated on May 27, 2010 during an annual ceremony honoring special operations soldiers killed in combat. Commanders and Sergeants Major from each of USASOC's subordinate commands presented wreaths in front of the memorial wall.

By Robert Cole, June 2, 2010

5. USASOC Memorial Wall

Regarding the inscriptions which are etched into the wall, “I think they speak perfectly to its purpose and together say all that needs to be said,” General Mulholland said. “One is from John, which reads, ‘Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ No other words could possibly make it clear the ultimate purpose behind the sacrifice made by our fallen heroes: their love for their fellow man, and their love for their country.”

By USASFC Public Affairs, May 31, 2010

6. USASOC Memorial Wall

The Special Forces color guard stands on the Army Special Operations Forces Memorial plaza during the SF Memorial Day Ceremony, May 31, 2010. The ceremony honored 18 SF Soldier killed in action and more than 90 association members who died this past year.

USASOC Memorial Wall Commemoration Photo, Click for full size

By Robert Cole, May 27, 2010

7. USASOC Memorial Wall Commemoration

Commemoration by families, friends and fellow Soldiers of those who sacrificed their lives and are memorialized on the wall. When the black curtain was pulled back Thursday afternoon to unveil a new wall honoring slain Special Operations Soldiers, some relatives touched the names of their loved ones. Some placed red roses at the foot of the wall. Some had their photographs taken next to the names. Others just stood and wept. For all of them, the shiny granite edifice was a permanent reminder that people care about the sacrifice they made.

USASOC Tribute Bell Photo, Click for full size

By Robert Cole, May 27, 2010

8. USASOC Tribute Bell

The solemn ringing of the tribute bell followed the reading of each name of the Soldiers who fell during the past year, honored during the Special Operations Soldier Memorial Ceremony held at USASOC Memorial Plaza on Fort Bragg, NC on May 27, 2010.

By Trish Harris, USASOC PAO (U.S. Army), June 2, 2010

9. USASOC Memorial Wall Marker

Adm. Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, looks at the names of fallen Special Operations Soldiers on the recently unveiled memorial wall that stands in the plaza of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Headquarters building, during his visit to Fort Bragg, N.C. to meet with Special Operations Soldiers and command on June 2, 2010.

Credits. This page originally submitted on June 3, 2010. This page has been viewed 2,171 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on June 3, 2010, by Robert Cole of Angier, North Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.