Rotary Report
by Jodie Cook
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) is a charitable, non-profit organization begun in 1980 to provide college scholarship grants, along with financial aid and educational counseling to the children of Army, Navy, Air force and Marine Corps Special Operations personnel who have been killed in training accidents or operational missions. In addition to donations of money through various fund raising activities, the Foundation receives substantive support from SOAR – Special Operations Adventure Race- events.
Buck Trott, Bill Horwitz, Steve Perry, Bill Bathurst among others in the Highlands-Cashiers community have diligently and tireless worked to bring SOAR-Highlands to the forefront of revenue sources for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Col. Trott, USAF, ret. had the honor of introducing Capt. Daniel L. Magruder, USAF Special Ops and his wife Jennifer to the Highlands Rotary Club.
Capt. Magruder is a 2003 graduate with Distinction of the US Air Force Academy. Since completing various combat and tactical operations schools, he has served four tours overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and Columbia, SA in operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and SouthCom.
In these assignments Capt. Magruder served as a Special Tactics Liaison Officer whose function is to coordinate air support/attacks with on-the-ground special operations forces. This is an incredibly complex task that makes blindfold-chess look simple. Air power support for special ops means taking inventory of aircraft types in the air, potentially available and potentially divertible; joining and shaping these assets with the combat situation as radioed by a special ops warrior often under attack.
Tactical decisions require an immediate understanding of the battlefield or combat arena; potential airpower efforts to multiply the special op force and gain the battlefield to produce the most advantageous tactical result, minimum loss of friendly life and maximum attrition to the enemy. Special Ops forces are always substantially out-numbered and consider a “David versus Goliath” type battle to be a fair fight.
Special Ops combines from time-to-time with elements of the Afghan National Army or indigenous forces of another country as a force multiplier. Liaison officers may find themselves three hundred miles from the fight or assigned to the Special Ops detachment and part of the fight.
In a particular Special Ops engagement, Capt. Magruder related, the liaison officer with the Special Ops group assigned to an Afghan National Army mission was directing a French Mirage fighter on bomb and gun strafing runs then a F-15 Eagle. As he directed the air strike he was shot. Showing more annoyance than concern at taking a bullet, he continued to direct the F-15 on bombing and strafing runs. Later, the pilot of the F-15, a brigadier general, insisted that the liaison officer be awarded medals and a commendation. Capt. Magruder said this was pretty much just another day for this boy from Texas – but wondered where do all these brave, young men come from.
Unfortunately, Special Ops forces do fall in combat. The Special Ops Warrior Foundation steps up to provide scholarship grants – not loans - for the children of those who have fallen. One hundred nineteen children of special operations warriors have graduated from college and the Foundation is presently committed to providing scholarships to more than 700 children of 500 Special Operations personnel who gave their lives in service to their country.
SOAR Highlands will sponsor on June 12th a silent and live auction at 5:30 pm at the Highlands Community Center with dinner and live music. The 6th Annual Special Operations Adventure Race will be held June 14th. On June 16th the Special Operations Warrior Foundation Charity Golf Tournament will be held at Burlingame Country Club at Sapphire Lakes. Proceeds from these events will go to the Foundation. For information contact Bill Horwitz at (828) 526-0224 or visit: