http://news.soc.mil/releases/News Archive/2009/March/090313-01.html
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, March 13, 2009) - Seasoned Green Berets are once again able to purchase a tangible, and serial numbered, connection to the Special Forces regiment.
Soldiers graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course have been presented a Green Beret, and as part of a tradition since August 2002, a knife. Not just any knife, but the Yarborough knife, a combat field knife specifically designed by renowned knife maker William Harsey – which serves as a link to the brotherhood of unconventional warriors.
Beginning March 15, current and former Soldiers who can prove their membership in the Special Forces Regiment will be able to once again buy their Yarborough knife through the JFK Special Warfare museum here.
“We are thrilled that we can again provide our brothers in the Special Forces Regiment the ability to purchase the Yarborough knife,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Csrnko, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School commander. “This isn’t just a well-made knife; it’s an outward expression of the uniqueness of being a Green Beret and the warrior-spirit that we embody.”
The new batch of knives will start with serial number SF-0001.
Lt. Gen. Bryan D. Brown, then commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command originated the idea in 2002, naming the knife for Lt. Gen. William P. Yarborough , the “father of modern Special Forces.” Yarborough championed the need for a knife that would continue the tradition of Special Operations units using, and being identified with, effective edged weapons. In World War II, the First Special Service Force, a joint American-Canadian unit, was equipped with the V-42 knife and the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner to Special Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency, made use of the Fairbairn-Sykes knife.
Made by Chris Reeve Knives of Boise, Idaho, the serial-numbered Yarborough knife is available for purchase only by qualified members of the Special Forces Regiment including active duty, reserve, National Guard, honorably separated or retirees.
Requests for authorization to purchase the knife should be addressed to Commander, USAJFKSWCS, ATTN: AOJK-CS-Y (Yarborough Knife), Fort Bragg, NC 28310 or can be dropped off at drop boxes located at JFK Museum or Bryant Hall lobby. Applications can also be faxed to 910-432-4062 or emailed to yarboroughknife@soc.mil.
Each request must be accompanied by a copy of photo identification and at least one of the following qualifying documents:
Copy of orders awarding an 18 series military occupational specialty
Copy of orders awarding the Special Forces Tab
Copy of diploma indicating successful graduation from the Special Forces Qualification Course
Copy of orders or an affidavit establishing successful completion of standard or nonstandard training or former wartime service for which a retroactive award of the Special Forces Tab would be authorized
Copy of Special Forces Association membership card showing they are a Decade or a General member in good standing
Copy of an Enlisted Records Brief or Officer Records Brief annotating the awarding of the Special Forces Tab
Copy of DD214 showing service, and, after 1952, the qualifying suffix of (3) or (S).
When a request has been verified, a letter of approval will be sent to the requestor noting the total purchase price, including the cost for shipping. The letter of approval must then be mailed, with payment, to the JFK Special Warfare Museum gift shop at PO Box 70060, Fort Bragg, N.C., 28307. The Yarborough knife will then be mailed within 4-6 weeks via certified mail.
Requests from Family members or estates of deceased, qualified Special Forces Regiment members who can prove their Soldier’s qualification will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Special Forces Soldiers who have been previously issued the knife as a result of graduating the SFQC, have already purchased a knife under the previous resale program, or those who have had their Special Forces Tab revoked, are not eligible to purchase the knife.
A version of the Yarborough knife, marketed as the ‘Green Beret’, is available for purchase by the general public.
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, March 13, 2009) - Seasoned Green Berets are once again able to purchase a tangible, and serial numbered, connection to the Special Forces regiment.
Soldiers graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course have been presented a Green Beret, and as part of a tradition since August 2002, a knife. Not just any knife, but the Yarborough knife, a combat field knife specifically designed by renowned knife maker William Harsey – which serves as a link to the brotherhood of unconventional warriors.
Beginning March 15, current and former Soldiers who can prove their membership in the Special Forces Regiment will be able to once again buy their Yarborough knife through the JFK Special Warfare museum here.
“We are thrilled that we can again provide our brothers in the Special Forces Regiment the ability to purchase the Yarborough knife,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Csrnko, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School commander. “This isn’t just a well-made knife; it’s an outward expression of the uniqueness of being a Green Beret and the warrior-spirit that we embody.”
The new batch of knives will start with serial number SF-0001.
Lt. Gen. Bryan D. Brown, then commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command originated the idea in 2002, naming the knife for Lt. Gen. William P. Yarborough , the “father of modern Special Forces.” Yarborough championed the need for a knife that would continue the tradition of Special Operations units using, and being identified with, effective edged weapons. In World War II, the First Special Service Force, a joint American-Canadian unit, was equipped with the V-42 knife and the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner to Special Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency, made use of the Fairbairn-Sykes knife.
Made by Chris Reeve Knives of Boise, Idaho, the serial-numbered Yarborough knife is available for purchase only by qualified members of the Special Forces Regiment including active duty, reserve, National Guard, honorably separated or retirees.
Requests for authorization to purchase the knife should be addressed to Commander, USAJFKSWCS, ATTN: AOJK-CS-Y (Yarborough Knife), Fort Bragg, NC 28310 or can be dropped off at drop boxes located at JFK Museum or Bryant Hall lobby. Applications can also be faxed to 910-432-4062 or emailed to yarboroughknife@soc.mil.
Each request must be accompanied by a copy of photo identification and at least one of the following qualifying documents:
Copy of orders awarding an 18 series military occupational specialty
Copy of orders awarding the Special Forces Tab
Copy of diploma indicating successful graduation from the Special Forces Qualification Course
Copy of orders or an affidavit establishing successful completion of standard or nonstandard training or former wartime service for which a retroactive award of the Special Forces Tab would be authorized
Copy of Special Forces Association membership card showing they are a Decade or a General member in good standing
Copy of an Enlisted Records Brief or Officer Records Brief annotating the awarding of the Special Forces Tab
Copy of DD214 showing service, and, after 1952, the qualifying suffix of (3) or (S).
When a request has been verified, a letter of approval will be sent to the requestor noting the total purchase price, including the cost for shipping. The letter of approval must then be mailed, with payment, to the JFK Special Warfare Museum gift shop at PO Box 70060, Fort Bragg, N.C., 28307. The Yarborough knife will then be mailed within 4-6 weeks via certified mail.
Requests from Family members or estates of deceased, qualified Special Forces Regiment members who can prove their Soldier’s qualification will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Special Forces Soldiers who have been previously issued the knife as a result of graduating the SFQC, have already purchased a knife under the previous resale program, or those who have had their Special Forces Tab revoked, are not eligible to purchase the knife.
A version of the Yarborough knife, marketed as the ‘Green Beret’, is available for purchase by the general public.
