Somebody who most everybody knows.
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story....&Story=6925133
Pete
Published on: Friday, April 1, 2005
Special Forces legend bids farewell
By Kevin Maurer
Staff writer
Jim Hargraves, a legend in the Special Forces community, retired Thursday after more than 50 years of service.
''I don't know of any other person that has served as long as Jim Hargraves," said Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger Jr., commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He was the ceremony's keynote speaker.
Hargraves served more than 30 years in the Army before retiring and taking a civil service job. He started as the deputy operations officer for the U.S. Army Special Forces Command in 1990. He retired as its deputy assistant chief of staff for operations.
Kensinger said Hargraves was the epitome of a Special Forces soldier.
''The sacrifices you made in your career really paved the way for the success of Special Forces soldiers today," Kensinger said.
Hargraves helped create the Special Forces branch and career field in 1983.
Before 1983, Special Forces soldiers transferred between the regular Army and special operations units, but Hargraves created a separate military specialty for the six classes of Special Forces soldier.
He said the new branch allowed soldiers to stay in Special Forces units, which improved training and created more proficient units. Special Forces soldiers have been instrumental in fighting the war on terrorism, a testament to their training and tight-knit units.
''The soldiers we have today are better qualified, better equipped to do the job than we were," Hargraves said. ''They are stronger, smarter and well motivated. They're good."
Hargraves started his military career in the Washington National Guard. After earning his sergeant stripes, he served in several airborne units, including the 505th Airborne Battle Group in Mainz, Germany.
Germany is where he met his wife, Inge. The couple has been together for more than 44 years. They have two children, and Hargraves calls her the best military wife in the world.
He said during the ceremony that Inge celebrated a birthday earlier this week. He told the audience that he got her a special present.
''Do you know what I gave her for her birthday?" Hargraves asked.
''Me, guys. I'm retiring."
In 1963, Hargraves joined the Special Forces. He did two tours in Vietnam in 1965 and again in 1969.
''If you are going to be a soldier, you've got to be where the action is. That is where the war was," Hargraves said.
Hargraves would bounce between Fort Bragg, Vietnam and Germany. He served several years with the 10th Special Forces Group in Germany and with the then secret Detachment ''A" of the Berlin Brigade. The detachment's mission was to sabotage roads and rail lines in the event of a Soviet attack. The soldiers often carried out missions on the other side of the Berlin Wall, Hargraves said.
In 1981, Hargraves was selected as the command sergeant major of the 1st Special Operations Command, where he would make his greatest contribution.
Hargraves was asked by the chief of staff of the Army to determine the future of special operations. He and a small committee of senior officers and noncommissioned officers put together a plan to expand Army Special Forces, make the Ranger Regiment part of the command and add aviation and support elements. When they were done, U.S. Army Special Operations Command was born.
Hargraves retired from the Army in 1987, but he returned in 1990 after trying his hand at financial management.
Hargraves became the deputy operations officer for U.S. Army Special Forces Command. It was a new position at the command, and he was the first person to hold it. Within months of taking the job, U.S. forces deployed to Saudi Arabia for Desert Storm.
After two tours in Vietnam, several years in Berlin during the Cold War and spending the last three years making sure soldiers had what they needed to fight the war on terrorism, Hargraves is ready for a break.
''I am going to play golf, do 'Honey-dos' and travel with my wife," he said in an interview Tuesday.
David Clark, a civilian worker at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School, said it was sad to see Hargraves retire.
''We all have to go. We are all getting older. It is time to go," Clark said.
He served with Hargraves in the 5th Special Forces Group and in Germany.
Hargraves said he will miss working with the Special Forces Command staff. He urged the Special Operations Command staff to keep the welfare of the soldiers a priority.
''I think everybody that walks into this building should think about what they are doing for a soldier," Hargraves said. ''If they didn't do anything, they shouldn't get paid."
Laughter and thanks
Hargraves kept his comments light at the ceremony, making the standing room only crowd of about 200 laugh several times.
He thanked his colleagues and the soldiers, but most of all he thanked his wife for supporting him and raising their two boys.
''You know what they say about old soldiers. Well, I did that in 1987," he said. ''I am just going to hang around."
His speech and career ended with a standing ovation.
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