 The first people to arrive in what is now Salt Lake City in Utah came the hard way over heat-baked prairies and nearly impassable mountain ranges. Their endurance and the love of freedom from which they drew the strength to go on is not forgotten. For here in the foothills near Salt Lake City is a lasting reminder. This monument stands on the spot from which Brigham Young first looked out over the newly discovered valley and said, This is the place. The year was 1847. His people brought with them only the essentials, seeds, tools and a stony determination to make this desert valley into a fruitful haven. They and their descendants have done just that. And in the Salt Lake City headquarters of the Utah National Guard today, you'll find the same devotion to the concept of individual liberty strongly and quietly in evidence. This is the home of the 19th Special Forces Group, First Special Forces. It is a crack unit of the Utah National Guard and its mission is expressed in a brief motto, De opresso liber, the mission of every Special Forces unit to liberate from oppression. The motto is a statement not only of intent but of capability, for the men of the Special Forces are unquestionably among the most highly able in the profession of arms today. The shoulder patch is appropriate in detail. An arrowhead background recalling the silent and deadly Indian warriors of our own west and on it a dagger with three flashes of lightning, swift unconventional striking power by land, sea or air. The National Guardsmen wear this patch proudly and they take their mission seriously. They are without exception dedicated men, giving far more than the required time to training and other National Guard activities. The men of this United States Army group truly fit the description citizen soldiers. Some are executives, some farmers, some mechanics, but all are outdoorsmen, hunters, mountaineers. Every man is airborne qualified, a prerequisite for Special Forces. There are other requirements as well, many of them. For instance, communications specialists must be able to send and receive 18 words per minute in Morse code and may be called on to build a transmitter from parts available. Every man must be able to send and receive at least five words per minute and to set up and operate the radio equipment. This cross-training principle applies to each phase of the operation. Every man must be a capable demolition specialist with a thorough understanding of various explosive materials, their composition and capabilities and exactly how much is needed for a specific job. Army Special Forces troops must know every part of every weapon used by our own ground troops and in addition must be able to operate and maintain many types common to overseas localities. The Special Forces medic is trained and equipped to perform minor surgery and even basic dental work and every man is thoroughly trained in first aid techniques because in the field the Special Forces unit is almost completely on its own. Under top-level instruction, each man learns to make of his own body and bare hands a deadly weapon. In practice, every blow must be stopped short of its mark. Any one of them can bring instant disablement or worse. Underwater demolitions is yet another phase of the intensive training program followed by Special Forces. Each man must learn to be at home under the water and familiar with all devices which allow him to work in this hostile environment. From the bottom of a pool, he may be called on to make his way up a sheer cliff of rock and the rugged Wasatch Mountains which surrounds Salt Lake City provide an ideal training ground for the mountain climbing phase of Special Forces training. Here a grocery clerk may find himself called on to put his trust in the slender ropes of the mountaineer as he discovers that for the Special Forces there is no such thing as impossible terrain. The thing that makes this unit truly unique is its use of the modern hunting bow as a weapon of unconventional warfare. In certain situations, nothing can match the bow. It's accurate and extremely powerful. It can strike with swift silence over considerable distances and without the position revealing muzzle flash and smoke of a firearm. In enemy territory where silence is essential, a team can use the razor sharp hunting broad head to kill game for food and various types of explosive heads have been devised by the unit for specialized use. The penetrating power of this weapon is amazing. For instance, take standard infantry small arms to the range. For a target, set up a cardboard carton and fill it with earth. Partitions inside will show the depth of penetration by each weapon. The stage is now set for a rather surprising demonstration. First, the 45 caliber automatic. Now the 30 caliber carbine. Next, the M1 rifle. All three weapons pierced the first partition as you'd expect. Only the M1 penetrated the second. The carbine slug merely denting it. None of these standard infantry firearms penetrated the full depth of the earth filled target. Now watch closely. The point, as unit members bring out with a pardonable pun, is clear. For these citizen soldiers, training is necessarily a part-time affair. Even so, actual fieldwork is extensive. You don't learn how to rig a three-rope bridge and cross it by class instruction alone. As one instructor puts it, theory is important but without practice it's only talk. Each man willingly gives more time than is strictly required because each one knows that in this line of work anything short of total preparation for any eventuality will not suffice. This line of work means guerrilla warfare. And the natural home of guerrilla forces is the mountains. Rocks and snow will be the only highways open to them. Even in summer, when the snow in Utah is high up and hard to come by, the men find a way to practice their skills. In winter, there will also be intensified training on skis and snowshoes. Even what might appear to be high-spirited fun is a calculated exercise in controlled and swift descent over crusted snow. Rugged tests of all these skills are frequent. Here in a highly detailed and realistic briefing, an operational team gets the word. They will make a night airdrop deep inside enemy territory, rendezvous with friendly civilians for further briefing, and then make a two-day trek across nearly impassable terrain to their objective. The target, a simulated enemy communications relay station. This they must totally destroy without being seen or leaving any clues to their identity. Light army aircraft will transport the team to the remote drop zone. Everything they will need must be taken with them. They won't be resupplied once they drop in. Weapons and ammunition. Demolitions which have already been tested on materials equivalent to their objective. The standard tools of the trade. The silent and deadly bows go along too. All the items they'll need, but not one ounce of anything else. No man carries identification. On schedule they take off at dusk. A handful of men and two light planes. But a formidable airborne invasion in the making all the same. Each man is conscious that in an actual operation this would be a long-term departure for the team. They would drop into enemy territory, organize, train and equip guerrilla forces and remain there for the duration of the emergency. Directing and guiding guerrilla attacks upon the enemy in his own backyard. It could be weeks or years. No man goes into special forces work without knowing that this is what he's training for. In a remote valley ringed by mountains, friendly guerrillas are already awaiting the airdrop. The timetable is set. The mission is underway. Over the drop zone the signal is given. And one by one the men slip silently to the door and out into the moonlit night. Drop zone is in an isolated area, clear of any probable enemy observation. And the darkness gives added security. Nevertheless, no time can be lost in getting the big canopies collapsed and the team reassembled. A slight wind has scattered the landing somewhat. One of the unforeseeable complications common to night landings on unfamiliar terrain. Though equipment gathered together and checked, the team moves out, leaving a local man behind to bury the parachutes. From now on time is a precious commodity. The latest information gathered locally checks out with what they've already been told. The objective lies in relatively open foothills beyond an almost impossibly rugged mountain range. They'll be coming in the back door, so to speak. Six enemy soldiers man the relay station without special security guard because of the isolated location deep in their homeland. However, beyond the mountains, the team must pass uncomfortably close to a small village. Here they must take care not to be seen. Within half an hour of the airdrop, the team is on its way. For Army special forces soldiers, this type of realistic maneuver is practicing what they will preach. For in actual operation, their prime mission would be to teach, to organize and train guerrilla forces in the techniques they themselves have learned the hard way. Thus using their know-how to the greatest possible disadvantage of the enemy forces. By midday, the team is getting into high country and the terrain gives the men ample opportunity to use the techniques they've learned in training sessions. With each man carrying a 50 pound pack, no one needs to be reminded to watch his step. The schedule calls for them to reach the top by the end of this first day. From that point on, the going will not be easy, but at least it will be downhill. That night in a concealed pocket of the high pass, a cold camp is made. No fire can be lit while in the objective area. But a few hours of rest is necessary before tomorrow's descent into the enemy's backyard. The men will not rest again until the mission is accomplished. With first flight, the team is already in position for the descent down the sheer back face of the mountain range. The approach route is risky but deliberately chosen. The enemy is complacently sure that danger from this direction is out of the question. The team hopes to return through this same impassable back door so they take pains to leave no sign of their passing, keeping to rocky ground and stream beds. Now as the team starts into the last leg of its trek, it's time to find a place to leave behind some of their excess weight. A place they'll have no trouble finding again, but well apart from any discernible trail. Every ounce of equipment not needed for the actual destruction of the objective will be hidden to be picked up again when the mission is accomplished. For the next few miles, the team must move with extra caution, remembering the warning about the possibility of a chance meeting with villagers in this area. The team's presence here must remain unknown. If discovered, they would have to strike silently and leave no trace behind. Happily for all concerned, the villagers pay more attention to their footing than to the trees and bushes beside the trail. Late afternoon of the second day, the team is in the open foothills of the objective area. There it is. Exactly as it looked in the briefing officer's photographs back at headquarters. Communication shack, antennas, the complete setup. Much patient work still remains for the team before the actual strike can take place in the hours after midnight. Quickly, positions are assigned and the men disperse. Through the long afternoon, no unusual sound breaks the quiet which surrounds the remote relay station. But with the motionless patience of experienced hunters, the team members are positioned to watch everything that goes on. Each move the enemy makes is mentally checked against the information received in prior intelligence reports. Nothing can be left to chance. After dark, the team regroups for a final review of the strike plan. As all good plans should be, it's a simple one. Three men with automatic weapons will stay back to provide support if needed and to cover the escape route. Four others will be ready to move in fast and set demolition charges on the antenna poles and communication shack. Their signal will be a diversion created when the eighth man blows the fuel dump with an explosive arrow. They've rehearsed the action a dozen times over similar terrain. Now for them and for the enemy installation, the time is growing short. Though the distance to the objective is less than 200 yards, it takes a full half hour for the team to work soundlessly into position. Once the strike starts, however, it will have to be fast. Only a minute and a half is allotted for the demolitions group to get in, set their charges, and get out again without being seen. The enemy soldier is helpfully punctual. Right on schedule for the periodic refuelling of the relay station's gasoline generator and completely unaware that his movements are now part of quite another schedule. Works as planned. Now it's up to the demolitions group who must wait with controlled impatience for the enemy troops to cover 100 yards of ground and begin fighting the fuel dump fire. Once the station area is deserted, things move by the book. 90 seconds in and out. Knowing the sounds of their movement will be drowned out by the roar of flames of the fuel dump, the team covers ground. With 40-second timers on the demolitions, before the enemy crew can think to come back and report the mysterious fire, there'll be no equipment to send a message with. Mission completed. They were not seen, and they left no clue as to who they were or how they came and went. If and when this kind of skill is needed as world tensions mount, many men like these will be ready to organize and direct guerrilla action against the enemy on his home ground. Wherever men long for freedom and are willing to fight for it, the Army's special forces are prepared to go. In pursuit of the goal they've chosen as a motto, to liberate from oppression.