Wikipedia

Texas special operations units

Texas special operations units of the Texas Military Forces conduct special operations for the Texas Military Department via the Domestic Operations Command (DOMOPS) while under Title 32 command, and via United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) while under Title 10 command.[1][2][3]

History

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Origins

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Established in 1823 and officially organized in 1835 by Stephen Austin and Moses Morrison, the Texas Rangers served as the first special operations unit of the Texas Military Department until 1935 when they were re-designated to the Texas Department of Public Safety as a State Bureau of Investigation.[4][5] Their Special Operations Group was reestablished in 2011, consisting of six units.[6][7] However, the Rangers did not begin conducting special operations until the Texas—Indian Wars via their Frontier Forces and Special Forces companies, among others.[8][9][10]

The first special operations conducted by Texas Military Forces occurred during the Texas Revolution by ad-hoc units that executed reconnaissance, rescue, and demolition missions. They were primarily directed by Deaf Smith whom William Travis described as "the Bravest of the Brave in the cause of Texas" and Sam Houston as his "stay in my darkest hour...a man more brave, and honest, never lived".[11] Smith was instrumental in advising Houston in the controversial strategy that mirrored Comanche guerrilla tactics in evasion and selective attacks against Santa Anna's forces.[12][13][14] The strategy resulted in the Runaway Scrape, mutiny, and accusations of cowardice, but ultimately victory at the Battle of San Jacinto.[15]

Current units

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Texas Army National Guard

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Main article: Texas Army National Guard

Texas Air National Guard

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Main article: Texas Air National Guard

Former Units

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Texas Rangers

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Main article: Texas Ranger Division

Texas Brigade

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Main article: Texas Brigade
  • (1862-1864). Shock troops that received advanced training and equipment and conducted unconventional methods and tactics in direct action assaults.[26] When the first units reached Virginia, Jefferson Davis reportedly greeted them by declaring: "Texans! The troops of other states have their reputations to gain, but the sons of the defenders of the Alamo have theirs to maintain."[27]

Texas Army National Guard

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Main article: Texas Army National Guard
 
MARS Task Force shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) worn by 124th Cavalry (Special) in Burma.
 
Ranger Company Scroll shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) worn by the Rangers of G Co 143rd Infantry 1980-1987.

Texas Air National Guard

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Main article: Texas Air National Guard

Training centers

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Special Forces Day

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Special Forces Day is an annual memorial holiday on June 28 that "honors the men and women who have served in the special operations forces..to be regularly observed by appropriate ceremonies." It was established on May 16, 2023, during the Eighty-eighth Texas Legislature in House Bill 2499 sponsored by Cecil Bell and Brandon Creighton.[43]

Portrayal in media

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "TMD Hosts Lawmakers". Texas Military Department. February 21, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  2. ^ "Joint Force HQ". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Hamilton, Patrick (March 11, 2015). "From The Top: "What the Heck is DOMOPS?" The History and Composition of the Domestic Operations Task Force". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  4. ^ Procter, Ben (January 11, 2023). "Texas Rangers". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Rachel (February 9, 2019). "Moses Morrison". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "Specialized Units". Texas DPS. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  7. ^ "Special Operations Group". Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e Stopka, Christina (2019). "PARTIAL LIST OF TEXAS RANGER COMPANY AND UNIT COMMANDERS" (PDF). Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Cox, Mike. "A Brief History of the Texas Rangers". Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  10. ^ "Frontier Battalion". Texas State Historical Association. August 23, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  11. ^ Cutrer, Thomas (August 3, 2020). "Smith, Erastus [Deaf] (1787–1837)". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Haley, James (2002). Sam Houston. Norman : University of Oklahoma Press. p. 148. ISBN 9780806136448.
  13. ^ "Sam Houston's Notes Before San Jacinto, April 19, 1836". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  14. ^ Denton, Mansal (November 4, 2016). "3 Examples From the Battlefield of Discipline Succeeding In the Face of Adversity". CTPOST. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  15. ^ Haley, James (2002). Sam Houston. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 128–140. ISBN 9780806136448.
  16. ^ "The Texas National Guard Joint Counterdrug Task Force". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  17. ^ Al-Shaikh, Sarah (October 12, 2022). "Texas National Guard speaks with Hays CISD elementary school about drug prevention". KXAN. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  18. ^ Johnson, Stephen (June 11, 1989). "Texas Guardsmen used in clandestine scouting - Two missions with Border Patrol aimed at drug smugglers". Houston Chronicle. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024.
  19. ^ Burns, Ashlee (August 11, 2022). "Nueces County first responders participate in Texas National Guard hazmat exercises". Caller Times. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  20. ^ "Texas Special Forces". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  21. ^ Pena, Elizabeth (October 25, 2019). "Texas Guard Special Forces Soldiers awarded Medals by the Czech Republic". DVIDS. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  22. ^ Meyer, Phillip (December 1, 2015). "Over There". Texas Monthly. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  23. ^ "Special Operations Detachment - Africa". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  24. ^ "147th ASOS exercises war-fighting capabilities domestically to save lives".
  25. ^ a b Phillips, Asiah (May 17, 2023). "Texas Air National Guard Trains in Hawaii". U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  26. ^ Ural, Susannah (February 15, 2019). "Hood's Texas Brigade". Army University Press. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  27. ^ McComb, David (1989). Texas, a modern history (PDF). Austin : University of Texas Press. p. 72.
  28. ^ "Border Operation - Operation Phalanx". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  29. ^ Cole, Merle (Spring 1985). "Mountaineer Green Berets: Special Forces Units in the West Virginia Army National Guard". The Journal of the West Virginia Historical Association. 9 (1): 34.
  30. ^ Olson, Bruce (February 1, 1995). "Houston Light Guards". Texas State History Association. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  31. ^ Bahmanyar, Mir (April 27, 2004). "Airborne Ranger Companies (Army National Guard), 1981". suasponte.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2004. Retrieved April 27, 2004.
  32. ^ Rottman, Gordon; Volstad, Ron (1987). US ARMY RANGERS & LRRP UNITS 1942-87. UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 39, 44–46, 49. ISBN 0850457955. LCCN 87214020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  33. ^ Lemmer, Paul (August 18, 2001). "The Houston Light Guard, A Narrative". Company G 143d Infantry. Archived from the original on October 22, 2002. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  34. ^ Walton, Bill C. (March 1, 1982). "Ranger Museum Gives Unit's History". The Columbus Ledger. pp. B4.
  35. ^ Stolenberg, Dan (May 1983). "CREATING PROVISIONAL LRRPS: It's Possible But Difficult In Today's Army". Soldier of Fortune Magazine Ω. p. 61.
  36. ^ Sacquety, Troy (2009). "RANGERS HISTORY- Over the Hills and Far Away: The MARS Task Force, the Ultimate Model for Long Range Penetration Warfare". U.S. Army Special Operations Command History Office. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  37. ^ Bahmanyar, Mir. "Ranger WWII Burma History". suasponte.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2004. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  38. ^ Rottman, Gordon; Volstad, Ron (1987). US ARMY RANGERS & LRRP UNITS 1942-87. UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 21–23. ISBN 0850457955. LCCN 87214020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  39. ^ "181st Weather Flight conducts Static Line Jumps over Corpus Christi, Texas".
  40. ^ Overton, Kristina (May 23, 2017). "Taking weather to new heights". Texas Military Department. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  41. ^ Gilbert, Elizabeth (September 30, 2011). "181st Special Ops Weather Flight - Mild mannered or 'thrill junkies". 136th Air Wing. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  42. ^ Sumner, Dominique (1998). "Special Operations Weather Teams ( SOWT )". SpecWarNet. Archived from the original on February 3, 2001. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  43. ^ Bell, Cecil (May 16, 2023). "A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT" (PDF). Texas Legislature Online. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
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