First Special Service Force
6th CO, 3rd REG
Living History Group Member: HRS

Joint Task Force 2, Canada
This Article is from the Ottawa Citizen Newspaper of Canada, Dated December 31 2003
by David Pugliese

   A plan by the Canadian Military's Special Forces unit to carry on the tradition of the famed wartime army formation the 'Devil's Brigade," has been scuttled by bureaucrats because the modern commando group contains members of the navy and air force. 

   Joint Task Force 2, whose troops saw cambat in Afghanistan, had hoped to get permission to display the Second World War battle honors of the First Special Service Force, a unit immortalized in the 1968 Hollywood film "The Devils Brigade".

   The proposal had the support of Canadian Veterans of the First Special Service Force, since those retired soldiers view JTF2 as the natural successor to their group  But department of National Defense historians vetoed JTF2's proposal since the unit contains members of all branches of the Canadian military.

   The First Special Service Force was officially classified as an army unit.

"Given the JTF2 is a joint special operations unit and therefore is represented by members of the army, navy and air force, it's been deemed not appropriate to pursue a former army unit's battle honors, said military spokesman Maj. James Simiana.

   Battle honors are carried with pride by military formations and are seen as having a subtle but important role in influencing a unit's warrior spirit.

   Bill Story, a Canadian veteran of the First Special Service Force, described the defense department decision as ridiculous.  He said JTF2 has acknowledged its lineage from the First Special Service Force through the design of its unit crest.  Prominent in that crest is the same type of commando knife used by the men in the First Special Service Force.  "I'm disappointed with the attitude of the history department,"  said Mr Story, Executive Director of the First Special Service Force Association.

   He added that there were no Canadian commando units from the Second World War that were made up of members from all three service's.

   Formed in 1942, the First Special Service Force was made up of soldiers from the U.S. and Canada who were originally trained to conduct attacks in Nazi-occupied countries.  It was used in operations in the Aleutian Islands and later fought major battles in Italy.  the unit also fought in France before being disbanded.

   JTF2, established in 1993, is Canada's only special operations unit.  Its members have served in the former Yugoslavia, Haiti, East Timor and Afghanistan.  A small number of JTF2 commandos are now in Afghanistan, providing security for Canadian officers and other VIP's there.

   Mr Story said his unit's Canadian Battle Honors are on a flag that is now in a Petawawa Museum.  But he said the First Special Service Force wanted those honors to be transferred to a serving Canadian military unit.

   Maj. Simiana acknowledged that JTF2 does trace its lineage from the Canadian element of the First Special Service Force and is proud to maintain that linkage.

   But he added:  "There are no plans for JTF2 to officially perpetuate the honors of any other former Canadian forces honor-bearing unit.  The historical lineage of JTF2 and what form it will take is an important issue for the Canadian forces and will address in-due course".

   Mr Story said he has visited the JTF2 base at Dwyer Hill and was impressed with the caliber of the unit's commandos.  He spent 45 minutes answering questions from the soldiers, whose main knowledge of his unit came from the Devils Brigade film.

   That movie, starring William Holden and Cliff Robertson, is viewed by First Special Service Force Veterans as a glamorized version of their exploits that touched little on historical fact.  In the films, the American troops were portrayed as drunken, brawling misfits while the Canadians were seen as spit-and-polish professional soldiers.

   In reality.the unit was created from select and highly skilled volunteers.

   Mr Story said that the U.s. Army's Green Berets also trace their lineage in the First Special Service Force.