SFQC Class Number

[Mitch]

First, I just read the comments from SGM Baer that he made in his Speech to the 247th Graduating Class of SFQC, as published in the latest "Drop." Reading that gave me a slight smile as he stated that it was "Just 28 years ago" when I sat where you sit, seems like yesterday.” I smiled because even though for me it was over 40 years ago - it still seems like yesterday.

He said that he could not even remember what the speaker said all those years before - strangely enough, I do remember what our speaker said - he was. An 0-5 from JFK Center – don’t remember his name or what his job was. But, what I remember best from his speech was not, how great our accomplishments were, or how proud we should be, etc. It was more along the lines of: "You think you have accomplished something? It is just beginning. For those of you who think you can relax, who think you can kick back and take it easy, who think you can back off and forget to be a soldier - you will be gone. You will not make it........"
He went on for another 10 minutes like that. For those of us who had just survived up to a year at Bragg at SFTG and had put up with all the chicken shit, most recently handed out to us at Echo Company or HHC - SFTG (where we were assigned for Phase 3). This was more of the same old song - a major disappointment. I was glad that I had no family there to hear that.

This SGM got it right - he pulled the families in, he allowed the guys to feel some pride for their accomplishments - he pointed out that you still had to keep up with your PT stay strong - but I could see that you could walk away from that ceremony and feel like a Man. Good Job Sergeant Major!

Secondly - when did they start numbering SFQC classes? Was it from Day 1, if so, what class would I have been in, graduating on May 29th, 1969? These days, how many classes do they have per year?

[Pete]

I remember cleaning weapons out at Camp MacKall after Ph III, Robin Sage. The poggy truck showed up and the TACs didn't care that we wandered over and bought stuff and ate while cleaning weapons. Relaxed, nice.

Got on the trucks and the rest was an out of focus movie at fast forward until we stood for our class photo in front of Bronze Bruce. Photo taken and with orders in hand about 10 of us walked up the hill to 5th Gp HQ and were assigned to the various companies.

Went to the Company, was assigned a room in the barracks, went back to the Training Bn Barracks and moved my stuff to the other side of the sidewalk and up one building to the 5th Gp Barracks. Got moved into an eight man room with 4 beds, three made so I took the open one and settled in. Got finished and it was dark outside. Sat down on the bed and started wondering "Just what have I gotten myself into?"

Door bursts open, three scruffy looking characters walk in dressed in a mixture of civilian and military cloths with rucksacks, "Heyhowareya'whatsyournamegladtoseeya" pats on the back, other guys come into the room, handshakes, more intros, everybody gets cleaned up and we're off to Hay Street.

Felt like home.

Have no clue what the Nov 1974 class number was. Dropped my Jump School, SFQC and CDS diplomas off at my folks house for safe keeping were they disappeared. Everything else I kept in my briefcase.

[Mitch]

Pete said:

Door bursts open, three scruffy looking characters walk in dressed in a mixture of civilian and military cloths with rucksacks, "Heyhowareya'whatsyournamegladtoseeya" pats on the back, other guys come into the room, handshakes, more intros, everybody gets cleaned up and we're off to Hay Street

.


Not quite the same experiance for me and Rodney (Tolentino). We both walked into the Orderly Room of A Company, 6th - the CQ said that the entire company was out at Lake Nantahala in western NC - for EDH Support. The CQ said that he did not know what B Team or A Team we would be assinged to but he had been told that as soon as we showed up he was to get us all our CIF Issue stuff and put us on a Duce-in-half and send us on out to Nantahala so that we could pull KP and act as Isolation Area Guards.

And so it began....

(Just a note - back then, the B-Team is what we now call the "Company," the Company is now called the "Battalion" - so A-Company would now be called 1st BN)

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Mitch

.....Not quite the same experiance for me and Rodney (Tolentino). ..............

Have not seen T in many a year. In my double slotted exile off the SCUBA Team to 576 I was on the same team as T and another cast of characters in 1975. At least two others post here. Doc was comin' as I was goin' so I don't really remember him - but T? Never will forget him. Not doing too well the last I heard through the grapevine.

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by Pete

Have not seen T in many a year. In my double slotted exile off the SCUBA Team to 576 I was on the same team as T and another cast of characters in 1975. At least two others post here. Doc was comin' as I was goin' so I don't really remember him - but T? Never will forget him. Not doing too well the last I heard through the grapevine.

Small world, ain't it bro . . . I never called him anything but Rodney - we were in commo school together - guess we just got on a first name basis. I have mentioned this before, but the last time I saw him was on Tiger Island - Bay of Fonseca, 1984. By then, he only had One Eye – wore an Eye Patch like Capn Jack Sparrow.

By the way, there may be more than one Tolention - I saw a mention of one on page 27 (picture at the bottom) of this same "Drop” But no way that guy is Rodney - Rodney is a small dude, Filipino from LA. If the seating order in that picture is correct - the big guy with dark framed glasses is not Rodney (the guy next to him very well could be though) hard to tell.


Mitch

[Pete]

Here he is

We were all so young.

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by Pete

Here he is

We were all so young.

Yes we were - like i said, it was over 40 years ago when he and I wallked out of Training Group and into the rest of our lives. . . .


And yes that is Rodney T - can't see the Eye Patch? Where was this taken?

[The Reaper]

Yep, that is Rod.

Saw him down at the Fayetteville VA Hospital a couple of years back, he was not doing very well.

Hope he got it sorted out.

TR

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Mitch

.....And yes that is Rodney T - can't see the Eye Patch? Where was this taken?

He wore a glass eye most of the time, only wore the patch every now and again. The picture was taken around 1976ish at a place you have to carry a protective mask all the time. A 2 qt Canteen, mask on your left hip and a C in your cargo pocket - all set for a day's training.

Also, field hats were more personal choice - wouldn't be until the 80s where uniformity realy kicked in.

I carried one of those 110 instamatics for years. Lots of pictures but most of poor quality. Good picture of the cammies though. A little more "green" tint than the BDUs of a few years later. Old faded out sets worked well in deserts with some vegitation.

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Secondly - when did they start numbering SFQC classes? Was it from Day 1, if so, what class would I have been in, graduating on May 29th, 1969? These days, how many classes do they have per year?

Hate to go back and quote myself - but I would like to see if anyone knows the answer to my original question?


Also thanks for all the info on my old friend

[greenberetTFS]

(Just a note - back then, the B-Team is what we now call the "Company," the Company is now called the "Battalion" - so A-Company would now be called 1st BN)
__________________
Mitch

1952-1960,The Psywar Center labeled the first echelon SF Teams as "FA Teams and based there strength on the 15-man OSS Operational Groups (OG) of World War 2"
FA Teams were numbered beginning at 1 and continued in order until all teams were designated, FA Team 1 to FA Team 70 (10th SFG in 1952)......

1960-1971,Reduced the size of the FA Team to 12 men and removed the "F" prefix designation for all SF Teams. (FC to C,FB to B,FA to A)
Assigned 4 ODAs(Former FA Team)to each ODB (Former FB Team)for a total of 12 ODAs per SF Company(ODC),the former FC Team. Each ODA was now identified by 3 numbers that specified the company(ODC),the (ODB) in the company,and the specific team in that ODB. For example in 1963,ODA 312 indicated:
3 C Company,1st SFG
1 ODB 31
2 The second ODA assigned to ODB 31.

Veritas PB31-05-2 Vol.5,No. 4,2009.......

Big Teddy

[1stindoor]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Hate to go back and quote myself - but I would like to see if anyone knows the answer to my original question?


Also thanks for all the info on my old friend

I have no idea when the class numbering started...it was way before my time, I was in class 04-89...the funny thing is I was just relating a story about the Q-Course yesterday here at USASMA and someone said, "That was more than 20 years ago...and you still remember those details?"...I replied..."seems like yesterday." Must be on all of our minds.

[Richard]

Never saw any sort of class number going through SFTG when I went through - checked all my orders and certificates and they just indicate units of assignment with dates or official course title (e.g., Co F USAIMA W1EO-1F-X, Special Forces Medical NCO Candidate Course, Special Forces Aidman (Airborne) Course, Special Forces UW Medical Training Qualification Course, Special Forces Advanced Enlisted Course, etc).

If we were a numbered course, we sure weren't aware of it - but we weren't seeking to get 'noticed' much by the likes of Bear Martin, Richmond Nail, Big O, The Hunter, etc, either.

Richard

[ZonieDiver]

Originally Posted by Richard

Never saw any sort of class number going through SFTG when I went through - checked all my orders and certificates and they just indicate units of assignment with dates or official course title (e.g., Co F USAIMA W1EO-1F-X, Special Forces Medical NCO Candidate Course, Special Forces Aidman (Airborne) Course, Special Forces UW Medical Training Qualification Course, Special Forces Advanced Enlisted Course, etc).

If we were a numbered course, we sure weren't aware of it - but we weren't seeking to get 'noticed' much by the likes of Bear Martin, Richmond Nail, Big O, The Hunter, etc, either.

Richard

I agree completely in not wanting to draw to much attention from that list of QP's! However, I think Mitch was talking about the consecutive numbering the SGM referenced:

First, I just read the comments from SGM Baer that he made in his Speech to the 247th Graduating Class of SFQC, as published in the latest "Drop."

I thought my class numbers were on my diplomas, and was surprised they were not. (I didn't find my orders awarding MOS and "S" identifier this a.m. to check them, but will.) I did find my Weapons class number (4-71, graduating on 4 Feb 71) on a "spot report" from SSG Kenneth Holmes for an outstanding wall locker display during a barrack's inspection on 19 Jan 71. My Phase III (SFAEC) class number (6-71, graduating on 29 Mar 71) is on the Bowie knife I was awarded, but not on the letter from Col Bartholomees that came with it. (Again, I thought it was.)

[alright4u]

Originally Posted by Mitch

.


Not quite the same experiance for me and Rodney (Tolentino). We both walked into the Orderly Room of A Company, 6th - the CQ said that the entire company was out at Lake Nantahala in western NC - for EDH Support. The CQ said that he did not know what B Team or A Team we would be assinged to but he had been told that as soon as we showed up he was to get us all our CIF Issue stuff and put us on a Duce-in-half and send us on out to Nantahala so that we could pull KP and act as Isolation Area Guards.

And so it began....

(Just a note - back then, the B-Team is what we now call the "Company," the Company is now called the "Battalion" - so A-Company would now be called 1st BN)

The Company was partly at Robbinsville, NC, and; others were all around Fontana lake, Santeetlah (sp) was there, too. I was back at Bragg as Major W and his 173 RD herd XO damn sure knew all. Frankly, I was not too keen on these officers. Hell, we had a sharp CPT come in as S-3 named T.L. Smith. Maj W, thought a prior SOG CPT was what the S-2 NCOIC needed. WRONG.

Hell, Dale Libbey had been our S-2 in Omega/C-5/CCS. He damn sure did not need my sad ass around him. Dale and I went back to the great INTEL he gave in early Nov 68. We hit an enemy company in their base camp.

Dale was that damn good as the MI Officers basic course was a damn joke next to Dale.

I do recall SFOC classes were numbered by 1-68 for 1st of FY 68 , actual year 1967, and 2-68, which I graduated from on 15 Dec 67 was the class of 67. Colonel Maroney was a fine CPT in that course. He took my sad ass through the E&E phase. He damn sure knew his shit. We also had a Major in our class and so called A team. That was kept very hush hush ,


Smile.