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Special Forces today are still all volunteer and organized into "A teams," as Bank organized his men in the 10th
Special Forces group in 1952, with two experts in every specialty. They still undergo an arduous training process in which large numbers of men fail or quit, as Bank required of the men of
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crossed the Mekong from their base in northeast
Thailand and were surrounded by an armed Viet Minh patrol, who demanded the surrender of a French lieutenant. The Viet Minh assassinated the French lieutenant, even though he was under the protection of the British. An American OSS officer, Lt. Reese,
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In late 1944 and early 1945, Bank led "Operation Iron Cross," which evolved into a plan to capture or kill Adolf Hitler. The OSS recruited German POWs who were opposed to Hitler, finding many volunteers among former German soldiers, primarily former German
Communists, and German Jews who had taken
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Using the training and strategies and the lessons learned during World War II, Bank created an elite unit of men skilled in foreign languages (to interface with foreign insurgents), the arts of sabotage and stealth tactics, the use of explosives for demolition, amphibious warfare, rock climbing,
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with Ho and was impressed with Ho's manifest popularity among the
Vietnamese population. Bank advised the OSS of Ho's great popularity, recommended that Ho be allowed to form a coalition government, and predicted that Ho would win a popular election overwhelmingly if one was conducted.
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immigrants. His father died in 1904 and his widowed mother raised him while earning a living by teaching French, German, and piano. As a young man, Bank worked as a life guard on Long Island, NY and in the
Bahamas and later on he was chief life guard at an upscale resort in
501:" (the Allied invasion of Southern France about six weeks after the D-Day invasion at Normandy), Bank and his French partisans drove the German forces away from the beachhead ahead of the Allied troops, liberating a number of French towns before the regular forces arrived.
691:, warning of the dangers of terrorist sabotage at San Onofre. As one of the world's leading experts on the sabotage of electric generating facilities, Bank spoke with great authority, but the AEC ultimately ignored these efforts and did not change the policy of the plant.
626:, a number which was selected to confound the Russians with suspicions of nine more such units. In establishing the 10th, he was as flexible as he had been with "Iron Cross", drawing upon former members of the "1st Special Service Force" known as the
703:, to act. The U.S. nuclear power industry was ordered to spend billions of dollars implementing anti-terrorist security measures at commercial nuclear reactors nationwide, including on-site security squads with automatic weapons, remote
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was with Kemp and the French officer and stood aside, stating that he was "neutral". Kemp believed that had Reese shown some mettle the French officer would not have been killed. Bank and the OSS mission were recalled by authorities in
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refuge in the
Wehrmacht, posing as Gentiles. They formed a special forces unit trained as parachute infantry. Outfitted with SS uniforms and trained for "raid and snatch" missions, they were intended for insertion into the expected "
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in 1974. This led to a
Congressional investigation and further secret testimony by Bank before a Congressional committee. This time, Bank's testimony was heeded, and Congressional pressure forced the AEC and its successor, the
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divisions were advancing so rapidly they were expected to capture the non-existent Alpine
Redoubt before "Iron Cross" could be executed. (Bank's enemy-uniformed volunteers would also be prime targets for allied forces.)
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He enlisted in the Army on August 19, 1942, then volunteered for special operations work. He was in his late thirties, and thought "too old" for combat, but he was an unusually athletic man and so was accepted into the
559:" military forces remained in Indochina, and the United States now consented to the use of these residual forces to block Ho and reinstate Indochina as a French colony. President Truman and later President
555:, but American policy was contrary: Ho was a long-time Communist, having joined the party in the 1920s in Paris, and therefore was considered unacceptable as leader of a coalition government. Some French "
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He served in the late 1970s as the chief of
Security for the Capistrano Bay Community Services District on Beach Road, a private community of homes along Capistrano Beach, next to Dana Point, California.
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capabilities (to take control of the plant from a distance and shut it down in the event of an attack) and the use of "red teams" to probe defenses and thereby eliminate vulnerabilities.
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Bank retired from the Army in 1958, and remained a vigorous man well into his eighties, swimming several miles a day in the
Pacific Ocean near his home in
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519:"Iron Cross" was canceled almost on the eve of execution because intelligence showed that Hitler had remained in Berlin. (He committed suicide in his
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Bank became alarmed at the recklessness of the civilian operators of San Onofre, and actively lobbied, then testified before a closed session of the
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Hitler was expected to flee from Berlin and retire to the Alpine Redoubt before the Soviets could enter the capital city, so General
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Bank then shared his concerns with an investigative journalist, who wrote an exposé of poor security at San Onofre for the
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With the capitulation of Germany in May 1945, Bank was reassigned to the Pacific theater, where he was inserted into
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Aaron Bank standing alongside German defectors recruited for Operation Iron Cross. Bank is at left in the first rank
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which describes his exploits in France and Indochina and his role in founding the Special Forces and then
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After the war Bank remained in the Army and became a leading advocate for the formation of a professional
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nationalist groups. These events reached a climax on September 27, 1945, when a British party, led by
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In 1952, Bank became the first commander of the Army's first Special Forces unit, called the
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1150:"Special Force Behind U.S. Special Forces : Retired Colonel Is Father of Green Berets"
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Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
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In the early 1970s, Bank began a personal investigation of the lack of security at the
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Bank was accused by French officials of proliferating anti-French propaganda amongst
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Bank married German-born Catherine Suzanne Wagner on August 4, 1948, in
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Origins of the American War in Vietnam: The OSS Role in Saigon in 1945
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482:) for sabotage and guerrilla warfare. Bank was assigned to SO and the
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607:) division, equivalent to the SO branch of OSS. Along with Colonel
1217:"Aaron Bank, 101; OSS Officer Became 'Father of the Green Berets'"
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A false French identity card using his cover name "Henri Marchand"
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It is not known whether Bank's recommendations reached President
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provided financial support to the French, thus leading to the
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1282:"Green Berets Project: COL (Ret) Aaron Bank Video Interview"
976:"Col. Aaron Bank, 101, Dies; Was 'Father of Special Forces'"
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Department of France and linking up with French Resistance.
1369:"Aaron Bank and the Early Days of U.S. Army special forces"
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Post-war activities and the founding of the Special Forces
1301:"In Memory of Col. Aaron Bank, "Father of Green Berets""
1004:"In Memory of Col. Aaron Bank, "Father of Green Berets""
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Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
1320:"Colonel Aaron Bank: Founder of US Army Special Forces"
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Aaron Bank and the Early Days of US Army Special Forces
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From OSS to Green Berets: the Birth of Special Forces,
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jungle warfare, mountain fighting and as ski troops.
1127:. Mystery Grove Publishing Company. pp. 34–46.
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421:and organizing an operation intended to capture
398:(November 23, 1902 – April 1, 2004) was a
1344:"Colonel Aaron Bank – Father of Special Forces"
911:European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
634:units, and guerrilla elements in the Pacific.
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1402:United States Army personnel of World War II
62:Learn how and when to remove these messages
1417:People of the Office of Strategic Services
454:Bank grew up in New York City, the son of
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19:For other persons with similar names, see
173:Learn how and when to remove this message
155:Learn how and when to remove this message
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474:The OSS conducted espionage operations (
118:This article includes a list of general
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1427:Burials at Riverside National Cemetery
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630:, as well as veterans of the OSS, the
523:on April 30, 1945.) Additionally, the
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1148:McLellan, Dennis (January 11, 1987).
739:, at the age of 101. He is buried at
674:San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station
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649:in 2002, the year he celebrated his
1412:Jewish American military personnel
1215:McLellan, Dennis (April 2, 2004).
124:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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1442:Recipients of the Soldier's Medal
1354:from the original on May 22, 2010
696:Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
43:This article has multiple issues.
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1079:Gunn, Geoffrey (March 9, 2009).
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735:. He died on April 1, 2004, in
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51:or discuss these issues on the
932:National Defense Service Medal
906:Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
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701:Nuclear Regulatory Commission
689:U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
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469:Office of Strategic Services
309:Office of Strategic Services
21:Aaron Banks (disambiguation)
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1241:Riverside National Cemetery
1058:. Independently Published.
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1194:Special Forces Association
922:World War II Victory Medal
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1028:Ricketts, Bruce (2014).
944:Senior Parachutist Badge
937:China War Memorial Medal
927:Army of Occupation Medal
877:Combat Infantryman Badge
667:San Clemente, California
642:"Operation Iron Cross".
361:Catherine Suzanne Wagner
281:United States of America
901:American Campaign Medal
678:Chernobyl-type accident
139:more precise citations.
751:Awards and decorations
737:Dana Point, California
605:unconventional warfare
514:William Joseph Donovan
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561:Dwight D. Eisenhower
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1034:Mysteries of Canada
567:and ultimately the
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981:The New York Times
972:Goldstein, Richard
950:Special Forces tab
651:hundredth birthday
632:Parachute Infantry
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304:United States Army
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1196:Chapter XII. 2015
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1125:Alms for Oblivion
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