1961 – The U.S. Army’s 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, is activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Special Forces were formed to organize and train guerrilla bands behind enemy lines. President John F. Kennedy, a strong believer in the potential of the Special Forces in counterinsurgency operations, visited the Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg to review the program and authorized the Special Forces to wear the headgear that became their symbol, the Green Beret. T

The movie 12 Strong depicts one of the most successful Unconventional Warfare events in recent history. A team from 5th Special Forces Group was inserted into the mountains of Afghanistan in response to 9/11. Upon discovering no other way to get around, the team utilized horses as their primary mode of transportation. The insertion alone took three attempts, but within five days of initial planning, they and the Northern Alliance took Mazar-i-Sharif and toppled Taliban Rule. Video courtesy U.S.