Background
9th PSYOP was co-located with 8th Special Forces Group, Special Action Force, Panama. The 8th SFG primary responsibility was to train Latin American armies in counterinsurgency to fight the growing communist threat.
The 8th SFG was established at Fort Gulick in the Panama Canal Zone in 1963 from a nucleus of Green Berets from the 7th Special Forces.
The 8th Special Forces Group formed the nucleus of the Special Action Force (SAF) – Latin America. The SAF included :
- The Special Forces Operational Detachment Alphas (SFODAs).
- Medical support.
- Civil Affairs.
- Military police.
- Military intelligence.
- Army Security Agency, and
- Psychological Operations detachments (2nd Lt. Hansen was on this operations).
This SAF organization provided all the necessary assets for the conduct of a large counterinsurgency or unconventional warfare mission or operation.
The men of the 8th Special Forces Group were responsible for unconventional warfare, counterinsurgency, mobile training team missions, and special operations in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Some of the notable missions they took part in were the 1969 ‘Soccer War’ between El Salvador and Honduras and the capture (and killing) of Che Guevara.
The deactivation of the 8th Special Forces Group took place in 1972.
“Watch a 6-minute U.S. Army video about 8th Special Forces Group conducting High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) parachute training at Fort Gulick, Panama Canal Zone -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCqPFLl1T-g “
https://sofrep.com/news/8th-special-forces/
The 9th Psychological Warfare Company and activated on 1 April 1963 in the Panama Canal Zone. It was reorganized and re-designated on 1 April 1967 as the 9th Psychological Operations Battalion and inactivated on 31 December 1974 in the Panama Canal Zone.
Shirt
This sateen shirt it’s attributed to 2nd Lt. Bruce Hansen, 9th PSYOPS, 8th SFG. Luckily I got it from a large grouping of my friend’s collection in France.
The grouping consist of 1 beret, 1 service uniform and 3 sateen shirts.
It’s a rare early OG107 Type II sateen shirt with:
- US-made black/gold U.S. Army woven tape.
- Classic stamped black-ink on white cloth name tape.
- Typical configurations for 60s Special Forces SSI, US-made cut-edge.
- Jump wing, collar ranks and branch, US-made as well.
- Nomenclature tag reads DSA-1-4848-65-C, dated 1965 fiscal year.
Shirt has a trace of repair below left SSI since it’s field used. I’m very happy owning an identified piece with clear background. Cheers!
8th SF in action
Credits, Source and Courtesy of:
- Special Forces Association Chapter LX.
- https://sofrep.com/news/8th-special-forces/
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