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. 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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.