Editor's note: The special forces operators who spoke at the memorial ceremony are not identified at their request for security reasons.

He sought responsibility and volunteered for tough assignments so that others wouldn't have to go. That was the consensus among eulogies by eight Soldiers, most of them special forces teammates of Sgt. Andrew J. Creighton, 23, who with family, friends and fellow warriors, filled the Joint Base Lewis-McChord North Chapel July 13 to mourn his passing.

He died July 1, apparently drowned while crossing a river returning from a patrol in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan. A signals intelligence specialist, Creighton reportedly carried 40 extra pounds of communications equipment. His body was recovered three days later on Independence Day. "A.J. was the warrior who stood tall and said, ‘Send me, I will go. I will fight for those who cannot and defend those who seek our protection,'" said Col. Brian Vines, deputy commander of 1st Special Forces Group, "‘and I ask nothing for myself in return except to serve.'"

A former team sergeant said Creighton had volunteered for duty in Afghanistan when another Soldier broke his arm and couldn't go. It was not his first short, selfless turnaround back to combat. Creighton had previously gone to the Philippines in January 2009, only five months after his return from Iraq, again volunteering in the place of another.

"He was always on the front lines no matter how difficult or dangerous the mission because he knew that was where he was most beneficial to his teammates," said his detachment sergeant. "He led a team in (an area) that was constantly under fire."

To a friend's concerned wife, Creighton had guaranteed that he would ensure her husband returned safely from Afghanistan. He made good on his promise on his final operation.

"On this last mission, I was pinned down in a cornfield in a close ambush behind a tree maybe 8 to 10 inches wide," said the Soldier. "Rounds were snapping and popping around my head. I couldn't move or return fire. A.J. stood up and laid down covering fire on the enemy long enough for me to sprint for better cover. This caused them to orient fire onto his position, but he called out to make sure I was OK, even as the rounds were impacting the berm he was hiding behind. He was more worried that I was out of the line of fire than he was his own safety. It wasn't the first time he had done that for me."

For his professionalism and selfless attitude, Creighton's battalion commander said he had earned the deep respect of his fellow warriors, resulting in a by-name request for him to support Special Operations Team-Alpha 1302. It was an honor bestowed on few - to serve with the close-knit band of SF brothers and become part of the team.

"He was a SOT-A Soldier doing exactly what SOT-A's do," his commander said, "fighting alongside his special forces teammates in the most difficult, dangerous places while carrying heavy loads of technical gear that saves lives of our forces and takes the lives of our enemies."

One fellow NCO took comfort that he had died among fellow warriors, doing what he loved. His brother said he decided to join the Army while he was still in high school. It was no surprise to him that the charismatic Creighton had made an impact on so many, just as he had profoundly influenced his younger brother.

It was a difficult day for friends and family alike.

"Our 1st Special Forces Group family grieves and mourns the loss," Vines said. "Sergeant Creighton will always be remembered as an American Soldier, as a Special Forces enabler, as a signals intelligence professional, a teammate of the men of (Special Operations Team-A) 1302, a combat-proven warrior, a husband, a son, a brother and a friend."

Creighton posthumously received the Bronze Star Medal and Meritorious Service Medal. His awards and decorations include two Army Commendation Medals, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge and Combat Action Badge.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Sgt. 1st Class Mike Fairfax never planned on being injured in battle. But on a fateful day in the summer of 2005, an IED blast would ultimately leave him an above-the-knee amputee. 

He spent months in rehabilitation and endured a number of surgeries following his injury, yet he would return to duty at his unit a year later. 

During his recovery process, however, he realized he would have a hard time getting around once he was home. 

That is because his house wasn't built for an amputee, or a wheelchair, and he needed a home that could better accommodate his condition. 

So an organization stepped-up to help find funding for the roughly $25,000 it would cost to have ramps installed, doorways and hallways widened and a shower expanded at the Fairfax household.

That organization was The United States Special Operations Command "Care Coalition." Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., the Care Coalition began in 2005 and is designed specifically to advocate for and help wounded, ill or injured United States Special Operation Forces' service members and their families.

The program will soon set up shop at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"What the Care Coalition did for me meant a lot," said Fairfax, a Special Forces operations and intelligence Soldier with Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne). "The renovations offer a better quality of life for me and my family."

The Care Coalition supports SOF members, and support-service members attached to SOF units, from every branch of service. 

Sgt. Maj. Daniel K. Thompson, senior liaison for the Care Coalition, said the organization was originally set up to help those wounded in war. But over time they realized there were those who needed help after succumbing to injuries outside the battlefield.

"There were guys hurt in training accidents, getting sick downrange such as having an appendicitis or cancer, and we needed to take care of them too," said Thompson, a 32-year veteran and former Army Special Forces medic. 

Providing for and looking out for those wounded, ill or injured service members are the coalition's liaisons and advocates.

Liaisons are spread out across the country at specific medical facilities that handle war injured and at military installations with special operations forces.

"The liaisons are hands-on with the service members; they take care of the wounded as inpatients and as outpatients," Thompson said. 

Most liaisons are military members - some being formerly wounded. 

Advocates step in once the wounded, ill or injured service member is ready to transfer back to duty.

"The advocates stay in contact with the service member and let them know when benefits change and what benefits are available to help out the family," Thompson said. "It's a lifelong program."

Fairfax can attest to the longevity of the program. He said he still gets contacted and updated regularly. Several Care Coalition members know him by first name, including Thompson, who works from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

"They don't treat you like a number," Fairfax said. "They take it personally. You have an advocate by your side and it gives you peace of mind."

A more in-depth side to the advocacy portion is the Care Coalition Recovery Program, which is designed for the severely wounded and injured.

The program works in three facets, Thompson said: mentorship, wellness and reintegration.

In the area of mentorship, a severely injured service member will be linked up with a mentor that may have already gone through a similar injury.

"We found that it is easier for that newly wounded guy to relate to somebody that has been through it," Thompson said. 

The wellness portion involves getting the service member moving again.

Scuba-diving and sky-diving are some activities which Thompson said the coalition tries to get injured service members involved.

Reintegration helps the service member get back into society. Thompson said that entails some of the following:

- Advocates assist the sevice member still wanting to serve, whether that is on active duty or reserve. "Unit's are very willing to take these guys back," Thompson said. 

- Home modifications and repairs.

- Coordination with the Veteran's Administration, military and non-military organizations for assistance.

- Assisting family members.

These benefits and more are seen at all levels: from the injured and their family, to the Care Coalition director whom Thompson said spends time in Washington advocating for rights and hoping to effect policy change to the leaders of the wounded, ill or injured service members.

"The work of the Care Coalition gives us as leaders a phenomenal feeling," said Lt. Col. Christopher N. Riga, commander, 1st Bn., 3rd SFG. "We know that if something happens to our guys, they will give them the utmost care and respect."

Riga learned about the group while working at the United States Army Special Operations Command. Watching the Care Coalition in action while at USASOC has helped him better utilize the organization at his battalion, he said.

"Whenever something happens to one of our own, I call the Care Coalition, and within an hour I will get a return phone call with them telling how they can help our Soldiers or family members," Riga said. "I just can't say enough good things about the work they do."

Some of the areas in which the Care Coalition has representatives include the following:

Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington; Brook Army Medical Center, San Antonio; Naval Base Coronado, San Diego; Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Tampa, Fla.; and soon to have representatives at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

More information about the Care Coalition can be found at their Web site: http://www.socom.mil/carecoalition.    

Army Times has the story.  Excerpt:

A helicopter attack that killed at least 15 civilians in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province was called in by a Special Forces A-team that did not have "eyes on" their target and resulted in a 48-hour standdown for U.S. special operations forces, said an Army officer familiar with the incident.

In the wake of the incident, the commander of coalition and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and then to the Afghan people in a Feb. 23 television address. "I have instituted a thorough investigation to prevent this from happening again," McChrystal said.

GREENEVILLE (AP) - A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier from Greeneville has died in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Rusty Christian's mother, Donna Ball, of Kingsport, told the Greeneville Sun Christian died earlier this week along with three Afghan soldiers when a roadside bomb exploded near a military truck they were walking beside.

"You never think this day will come," she said.

Ball said she learned of her son's death Thursday afternoon in a telephone call from his wife, Amber, who lives with the couple's 3-year-old and 11-month old children at Fort Lewis, Wash., where Christian was based before he deployed.

The 24-year-old Green Beret is also survived by his brother, Aaron Christian, of Greeneville, as well as his mother and stepfather, Jim Ball, of Kingsport.

He graduated from Greeneville High School in 2004 and enlisted in the Army shortly afterward. Ball said the Iraq veteran had only been at Camp Cobra in Afghanistan since the first week of January.

The family will receive friends at Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Home in Kingsport next week before Christian's body is taken to Arlington National Cemetery for burial.

"He wanted to come back to Tennessee one more time," Ball said.

The Army announced today the planned activation of the 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group. This force structure action represents a net increase of 432 military authorizations and four civilian authorizations at Fort Lewis, Wash., and two civilian authorizations at Yakima Training Center, Wash. Implementation of these changes is expected to be completed in August 2011.    

The Seattle Weekly and Olympian has the story.

The 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) will celebrate "Menton Week" the week of Nov. 30 - Dec.5, 2009.

The celebration leads up to the 65th annual Menton Day, which commemorates the inactivation of the combined U.S. and Canadian First Special Service Force on Dec 5, 1944. That unit, commonly referred to as the "Devil's Brigade" during its service in WWII, was one of the first special forces units ever activated, and has a distinguished record of unconventional operations behind enemy lines.

WHAT'S ON TAP: Monday, Nov. 30: Special Forces Family members are invited to a demonstration of U.S. Army special operations small-arms weapons. The event is scheduled to feature activities for Special Forces Family members, including a chance to shoot various special operations small arms. 

Tuesday, Dec. 1: At 2 p.m. A combined rendering of honors and wreath laying ceremony is scheduled at the 1st Special Forces Group compound.

Wednesday, Dec. 2: U.S. and Canadian forces are scheduled to conduct a joint airborne operation at Rogers Drop Zone. 

(1st SFG (A) — Soldiers of the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne)

will honor two fallen comrades during a sunrise re-dedication ceremony

at the unit's memorial wall on Veteran's Day.

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 a.m., the names of Sgt. 1st Class

Christopher D. Shaw and Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III will be unveiled

as the most recent additions to the roster of fallen Soldiers

memorialized on the wall.

The 1st Special Forces Group Memorial Wall honors Soldiers who have died

while serving on missions around the world. The wall currently has 164

names memorialized on it.

Shaw and Martin died Sept. 29 on Jolo Island, Philippines when their

vehicle struck an IED.

By Fort Lewis PAO

Cooks with the 1st Special Forces Dining Facility have plenty of reasons to serve with a smile. A team of 32 Soldier and civilian cooks earned the highly sought-after Philip A. Connelly Award at the Installation Management Command-West level. The DFAC won in the small dining facility category, which serves an average of 300 meals or less daily. The objective of the Philip A. Connelly Awards program is to “improve the professionalism of food service personnel, thus providing the best quality food service to Soldier diners,” according to the program’s Web site.

“It really brings the best out of the best,” said Thomas Lara, food service specialist for the IMCOM-West Functional Support Team.

The 1st SFG cooks spent about six months preparing for the competition, squeezing in as much training as possible and paying extra attention to their individual roles on the team.

They were judged on a variety of categories, including food preparation, adherence to recipe cards, sanitation, customer service, food presentation and uniform, said Lara.

“This is a big challenge,” he said. “It’s really an honor for them to make it this far.”

“The cooks worked really hard at it and now here we are, ready to take it to the next level,” said Sgt. 1st Class Paydrick Adams, cook and NCO-in-charge for the team.

First Special Forces Group is no stranger to the Philip A. Connelly Awards. In addition to winning at the IMCOM-West level in 2006, they took home the trophy for being the best Armywide. The DA-level competition is currently under way, but results won’t be released until the end of December.