Special Forces Association Chapter 7

07/19/2026

Today we remember Staff Sgt. Eric Caban, 28, who died of his wounds on 19 July 2006. He was injured the previous day during a fire-fight when enemy forces engaged his unit during a combat reconnaissance patrol in Southern Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Eric Caban was born on March 28, 1978 in Manhattan, N.Y. He joined the Army in September, 1997. After attending Infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment where he served as a sniper platoon member and team leader. In October 2001, he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and participated in a combat jump to overtake Kandahar Airfield. He then left
active duty to attend college in February 2002.

Due to his patriotism and undeniable calling to serve, Caban returned to active duty in September 2003 and was assigned as a Sniper Instructor at Company C, 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.
In December 2004, he attended the Special Forces Qualification Course and graduated in March 2006 as a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant. He was subsequently assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N. C.

Caban was a graduate of the Special Forces Engineer Course, Sniper School, the Special Operations Interdiction Course, the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Course, the U.S. Army Ranger School, the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, the Primary Leadership Development Course, and Airborne School.

His military awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, three Army Achievement Medals, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Basic Parachutist Badge with a Service Bronze Star.

He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal for valor, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

He was survived by his father Efren and mother Iris, and his brothers Efren Caban Jr. and Edwin Caban.

07/14/2026

WHO: SFA7 Members and Associates
WHAT: SFA7 Breakfast
WHERE: Blue Collar Cafe, Niceville FL
WHEN: 0800hrs, Saturday, 18 July 2026
WHY: To Build Camaraderie, and Organize for Community Purposes
Come Join Us, and Help Us Support Our Community!
La Familia is Always Welcome

07/14/2026

Come Support The July SFA7 Meeting
Who: All SFA7 Members, Associates, and 7th SFG(A) La Familia
What: SFA7 Meeting
Where: American Legion Post 221 Niceville, FL
When: Thursday, 16 July 2026 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Why: To Support The Community. Discuss Chapter Updates, Upcoming Events, and Share in Camaraderie
De Oppresso Liber!

07/13/2026

Today we remember, Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young, 39, who was killed in action on July 13, 2008 while conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol in the vicinity of Kajaki Sofla, Helmand province, Afghanistan, while serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2008 as a member of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan. This was his fourth deployment in support of the Global War on Terror and third deployment to Afghanistan. He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha team sergeant.

Young, a native of Jonesboro, Ga., volunteered for military service and entered the Army in January 1991 as an infantryman. After basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to Co. A, 3rd Bn., 27th Infantry Regiment at Fort Ord, Calif. In 1993 he became a squad leader when he moved to 3rd Bn., 502nd Inf. Regiment. at Fort Campbell, Ky. In 1995 he moved to Germany and was assigned to Co. B, 1st Bn., 4th Inf. Regiment. Young began the Special Forces Qualification Course and he earned the coveted “Green Beret” in 1999 and was assigned to 2nd Bn., 3rd SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, N.C., as a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha communications sergeant. He left 3rd SFG(A) in 2004 to become a team sergeant at the United States Army Tactical Review Board, Fort Bragg, N.C. He was assigned to his current position at 1st Bn., 7th SFG(A) in October 2007.

MSG Young’s military education includes; the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Jumpmaster Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Warrior Leaders Course, and Special Forces Qualification Course.

His awards and decorations include three Bronze Star Medals, Purple Heart Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, four Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medial, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge and the Special Forces Tab.

Mitch was survived by his mother, two siblings, and his wife, Robyn Young.

– DE OPPRESSO LIBER –

07/09/2026

1st Battalion will hold a memorial for MSG Mitchell W. Young of SFOD-A 7126 at 0900hrs on Monday, 13 JUL 2026 (KIA 13 JUL 2008) at the 1st Battalion Rock Garden.

- Everyone is invited - Must have valid DoD ID Card for base access.

WHO: 1st BN, 7th SFG(A)

WHAT: Conducts Rock Garden Memorial for MSG Mitchell W. Young

WHEN: 0900hrs on Monday, 13 JULY 2026

WHERE: 1st BN Rock Garden

WHY: IOT Honor our legacy

**Note – If you would like to speak at this event, or you would like to attend via a Zoom Meeting, please contact 1SG Rosario, Brian by COB Friday, 10 July 2026 at 850-945-6116**

07/08/2026

From 1960 through today, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of Army Special Forces has been a honored emblem that ties our culture and mission to our history and heritage!
- De Oppresso Liber-

On this day in U.S. Army SF history.....08 July 1960: The Department of the Army approved the Special Forces (SF) Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI). The DUI’s crossed arrows were first worn by Native American U.S. Army Indian Scouts from 1890 to 1926. During WWII, the arrows were worn by the WWII Canadian-American First Special Service Force (FSSF), the lineage unit of today’s SF. The DUI also incorporates the distinctive shape and pattern of the V-42 fighting knife, carried by the FSSF. Inscribed with "DE OPPRESSO LIBER,'' Latin for ''From Oppression We Will Liberate Them,'' the insignia reminds all of the original SF mission, unconventional warfare. The SF DUI remains a powerful symbol of SF history and lineage.

---Mud

07/07/2026

Today we remember Master Sergeant Andrew “Andy” Christian Marckesano, 34 who died as a result of su***de on July 7, 2020. Andy was a highly decorated Special Forces Noncommissioned Officer. Throughout his 15-year military career, MSG Marckesano served with distinction across multiple elite units and combat deployments.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, MSG Marckesano graduated from San Luis Obispo High School in 2004 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2005 as an Infantryman. Upon completion of Infantry One Station Unit Training and Airborne School, he was assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He served in every key leadership position from Rifleman to Squad Leader.

MSG Marckesano deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 and 2009 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His 2009 deployment to the Arghandab Valley remains one of the most arduous and deadly combat tours of the Global War on Terror. For his valor in combat, he was awarded the Silver Star. In 2011, MSG Marckesano was assigned to Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, and deployed again to Afghanistan in 2013. Later that year, he successfully completed Special Forces Assessment and Selection and entered the Special Forces Qualification Course. In 2015, he graduated as a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant (18B) and was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. While with 7th SFG(A), MSG Marckesano deployed as the Senior Weapons Sergeant on Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 7223 to Afghanistan in 2016 and to Colombia in 2017. He returned to Afghanistan as the Operations Sergeant for ODA 7235 in 2018. His final duty assignment was at the Pentagon, where he had recently reported in July 2020.

MSG Marckesano’s military education included Ranger School, Special Forces Qualification Course, Military Freefall School, Advanced Leader Course, Senior Leader Course, and numerous other advanced tactical and technical programs.

His awards and decorations include the Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal (multiple awards), Army Achievement Medal, Valorous Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with campaign stars), Global War on Terrorism Service and Expeditionary Medals, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, Parachutist Badge, and Military Freefall Parachutist Badge.

Andy was is survived by his wife, Erin; his three children Riley, Andrew, and Madeline; his parents, Patrick Marckesano and Kathryn Marckesano Drury; and his sister, Michele Marckesano.

- De Oppresso Liber -

07/06/2026

SGT John Lucius Houston, Special Forces Detachment Alpha-726, KIA 06 JUL 1964. SGT Houston was assigned to Detachment A-726, based in Nam D**g, South Vietnam.
The hamlet of Nam D**g lies in a valley just east of the Laotian border and 32 miles west of the coastal city of Da Nang. Nam D**g was important for only one reason: it sat astride an infiltration route which connected to the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. A CIDG camp was established in Nam D**g, stiffened by the presence of a twelve-man Special Forces Detachment led by Captain Roger Donlon. Warrant Officer Kevin G. Conway, Royal Australian Army, was attached to the team, and Master Sergeant Gabriel Alamo was the senior enlisted team member.

At about 2:30 AM on the morning of 6 July 1964 the camp was taken under attack by two reinforced battalions, an attack which lasted until well after daybreak. Although the camp's perimeter was breached in several places, the South Vietnamese irregulars and the Special Forces troops held out - but at a very high cost. Most of the local force was killed in action, and so too were WO2 Conway, MSGT Alamo, and Sergeant John Houston.

All of the Special Forces personnel were decorated for heroism under fire - the Medal of Honor for Captain Donlon; posthumous Distinguished Service Crosses for MSG Alamo and SGT Houston; four Silver Stars (including WO2 Conway); and five Bronze Stars

07/06/2026

MSG Gabriel R. Alamo, Special Forces Detachment Alpha-726, KIA 06 JUL 1964
Gabriel R. Alamo entered the military before World War II and served with the 82nd Airborne Division during the war. After the war's end he completed a variety of military courses, finishing the Chemical Corps School in 1950, following which he served in the Korean War. He did overseas tours in occupied Germany and Japan, and eventually volunteered for and qualified in the Special Forces. In 1964, Master Sergeant Alamo volunteered for duty in Vietnam, arriving in late spring. He was assigned to Detachment A-726, based in Nam D**g, South Vietnam.

The hamlet of Nam D**g lies in a valley just east of the Laotian border and 32 miles west of the coastal city of Da Nang. Nam D**g was important for only one reason: it sat astride an infiltration route which connected to the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. A CIDG camp was established in Nam D**g, stiffened by the presence of a twelve-man Special Forces Detachment led by Captain Roger Donlon. Warrant Officer Kevin G. Conway, Royal Australian Army, was attached to the team, and Master Sergeant Gabriel Alamo was the senior enlisted team member.
At about 2:30 AM on the morning of 6 July 1964 the camp was taken under attack by two reinforced battalions, an attack which lasted until well after daybreak. Although the camp's perimeter was breached in several places, the South Vietnamese irregulars and the Special Forces troops held out - but at a very high cost. Most of the local force was killed in action, and so too were WO2 Conway, MSGT Alamo, and Sergeant John Houston.
All of the Special Forces personnel were decorated for heroism under fire - the Medal of Honor for Captain Donlon; posthumous Distinguished Service Crosses for MSG Alamo and SGT Houston; four Silver Stars (including WO2 Conway); and five Bronze Stars

07/05/2026

Happy Birthday to our Amazing Nation! Born by our Founders, protected and handed down by generations, ours to defend.