RELEASE NUMBER: 140917-01
DATE POSTED: SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
Cadets meet SOF during Branch Week
WEST POINT, N.Y. (USASOC News Service, Sept. 17, 2014) - Cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point were introduced to members of the Special Operations Forces Sept. 9-12 during Branch Week.
Soldiers from 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne), 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Military Information Support Group (Airborne), the 75th Ranger Regiment and Special Operations Recruiting Battalion (Airborne) met cadets and discussed their unique duties in the Army and to bring awareness to the SOF community.
“The opportunity to engage cadets at such a formative stage in their Army career to the ARSOF missions, units, and career opportunities will have a direct impact on sustaining the operational force in the years to come,” Maj. Jason Hetzel, Delta Company Commander, Special Operations Recruiting Battalion (Airborne) said.
While SOF is not one of the 16 branches the cadets can commission into from West Point, the engagement increased cadet awareness of Special Operations and the career opportunities available to them and the interoperability opportunities with Army SOF in theater as they lead conventional forces.
Of note, there was an overwhelming interest by female cadets on the career opportunities available to them in ARSOF. Many female cadets were unaware they could join the civil affairs and psychological operations forces.
The detachment met more than 2,500 cadets during the four-day event.