This saying carries profound implications. However, to truly appreciate them, one must have a sense of the history leading up to his existence. For Special Forces soldiers, such history is so often emphasized that it often becomes an afterthought. Still, understanding the context behind the creation of the Green Berets reveals lessons as relevant today as ever. Retired Col. Aaron Bank’s memoir, From OSS to Green Berets: The Birth of Special Forces, offers just such an understanding. As such, this book should be required reading for every Green Beret in the formation today.

Aaron Bank is known as the father of Special Forces. He was the first Director of Special Forces and was the first Commander of 10th Special Forces Group when it was activated in 1952. Before standing up Special Forces as the Army’s premier unconventional warfare capability, Col. Bank served in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) as a Jedburgh during WWII. In writing the book, Col. Bank wanted to tell the story of the OSS’s operational groups conducting unconventional warfare in WWII, and of the subsequent development of the Green Berets. His purpose in telling this story was to emphasize that the OSS and its legacy are intrinsically tied to that of the Green Berets as the “operational predecessor” of U.S. Army Special Forces.

There is no grandiose introduction in this book. Instead, Col. Bank lets his experiences speak for themselves. From the first sentence, he dives right into the fascinating story of how he applied for a position with the OSS to get out of a boring position as a training officer for a tactical railroad battalion in Camp Polk, Louisiana. He wanted to liven up his career and exercise his foreign language capabilities, which the unit required. Needless to say, he had little idea of what lay in store for him. The memoir covers his training in clandestine activity, weapons and explosives, tradecraft, sabotage, and small unit tactics, which became the backbone of the Jedburgh’s skills. From there, he recounts his operational successes aiding resistance groups and guerilla networks in operations against the Nazis behind enemy lines in France.

After France’s liberation, Bank recalls an attempt to commence an unconventional warfare campaign in Germany, including a vague directive from “Wild Bill” Donovan, the head of the OSS, to capture Hitler. However, the OSS canceled the mission just before it began. Equally fascinating are Bank’s vignettes from postwar Indochina. He details the complexities of a changing world order, his relationship with Ho Chi Minh, and their discussions about Vietnam’s future. He also describes run-ins with the French and British, highlighting uncertain alliances and shifting policies after the war.

Bank’s detailed account of the Army’s force development of an unconventional warfare capability provides valuable context on the process that led to the creation of Special Forces. These sections of the book are as close to the horse’s mouth as you can get, offering valuable insight into what Bank and his contemporaries were thinking. Interestingly, Bank went to great lengths to differentiate Special Forces from the Rangers, which senior leaders at the time consistently conflated. He painstakingly explained at every opportunity that, while Rangers offered a limited, direct-raid capability into enemy lines, Special Forces operated in the deep, behind enemy lines for extended periods to develop, train, and fight alongside guerilla forces.

 Additionally, Bank faced a myriad of challenges from senior leaders using doctrinal terms interchangeably, which obscured his vision for the branch. He lamented the fact that “the terms unconventional warfare, clandestine operations, unorthodox warfare, and special operations were being used interchangeably” (Bank 1986, 151). The incorrect use of doctrinal terms and definitions still plagues special operations today and will be a problem for Conventional Forces and Special Operations Forces Integration, Interoperability, and Interdependence (CF-SOF I3) in large-scale combat operations (LSCO) without sufficient SOF integration into plans and operations before crisis.

From OSS to Green Berets is both entertaining and informative. The book’s first part, detailing Bank’s operations during and after WWII, reads like a military adventure novel. The section on Special Forces’ development is drier but packed with relevant insights for the regiment and the broader special operations community. One disappointing aspect is the lack of mention of the First Special Service Force, from which Special Forces claims official Army lineage. This may have been intentional as the First Special Service Force had little in common operationally with the OSS, whom Bank used as the model for the Special Forces Groups.

Ultimately, all Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations interested in expanding knowledge of unconventional warfare and special operations history should read this book. For newly-minted Green Berets, I would consider this required reading. One must know an organization’s past to effectively chart its future. For the modern Special Forces regiment, I believe this will be an enlightening addition to one’s own professional library.

Note: Currently, this book is out of print. Copies are available online, but they are somewhat expensive. I recommend searching for copies of the book at local or professional libraries. It is also a worthy collector’s item if you have funds available.

Major John Byrnes is a pseudonym for an active-duty Regular Army Soldier and Civil Affairs Officer with a background in Infantry and Special Operations. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and the National Defense University, and he currently serves as an editor for the Special Warfare Journal. The views, opinions, and analysis expressed do not represent those of the U.S. Army or the Department of War.
 

Book Details:
Title: From OSS to Green Berets: The Birth of Special Forces
Author: Col. (ret.) Aaron Bank
Number of Pages: 216
Publisher: Presidio Press
Date: 1986