The colors are presented during the USASOC Regimental First Formation; the first event reunion-goers were invited to attend on Day 1. The Formation event served as a sort of “capping” ceremony for USASOC trainees who were allowed to don the Green Beret for the first time. Their formal graduation was the next day.

Chairs were lined up beneath an overhang and reserved for members of the OSS 101 Association to view the USASOC Regimental First Formation.

A portion of the Special Forces exhibit at Fort Bragg’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare and School Museum reflects the foundation that the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services provided. This is the first of two panels dedicated to Detachment 101 of the OSS.

A second panel dedicated to OSS Detachment 101 includes weapons, a map, and a captured flag of the Empire of Japan.

A sculpted bust and wood-painted portrait of Saddam Hussein, confiscated by USASOC Special Forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Members of the Special Forces also confiscated these gold-plated weapons in one of the Iraqi palaces of Uday Hussein during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

A sculpture of Colonel Arthur D. “Bull” Simons points to Ardennes Street outside the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare and School Museum.

Veterans of Detachment 101 and special reunion guest British Lord Sir John Slim (second from right) gather to pose beneath the statue of Colonel Arthur D. “Bull” Simons. The Association held a reunion at Fort Bragg in 1991 that included about 100 veterans of the tiny fighting unit. Only eight veterans healthy enough to participate in the reunion made their way to Fort Bragg in 2007.

The statue of Colonel Arthur D. “Bull” Simons is accented by the setting sun.

Veterans and their families are shown the Detachment 101 memorial stone located at the Meadows Parade Field outside USASOC Headquarters.

Mr. Aman (right), “The Voice of USASOC,” guides Detachment 101 veterans and guests through the Meadows Parade Field memorial plaza. Earlier, Aman narrated a presentation inside the USASOC Headquarters building and Association members were greeted by USASOC Commander, Lieutenant General Robert W. Wagner.

101ers John Dempsey (left) and Sam Spector are interviewed by a journalist from NBC’s Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill affiliate.

The leader of the USASOC “Black Dagger” Demonstration Parachute Team leaves a trail of red smoke over the Meadows Parade Field during his freefall demonstration.

The Black Dagger’s leader makes his controlled landing just feet from the 101 reunion-goers on the Meadows Parade Field memorial plaza.

Four additional members of the Black Dagger team make their decent to the crowd awaiting at USASOC Headquarters.

The Black Daggers make public appearances at a multitude of venues, including regional air shows. Two members of the team made a freefall appearance at Notre Dame Stadium, in South Bend, IN, to deliver the game ball for the team’s game against the University of Southern California on October 25.

Veterans of Detachment 101 and Viscount John Slim pose for photos in front of the Special Warfare Memorial Statue “Bronze Bruce” outside USASOC Headquarters.

A Special Forces sniper kicks up dust and causes the ground to shake while giving a demonstration with his M82 Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle. Firing at a car several hundred yards away, he hits the vehicle’s gas tank with several consecutive incendiary-tipped .50 caliber rounds, causing the automobile to become engulfed in a rolling fire.

A Special Forces sniper ejects a shell from his SR-25 semi-automatic sniper rifle that’s been outfitted with a silencer.

Reunion attendees were given a birds-eye view of a Special Forces team demonstration of Close-Quarters Battle (CQB) training, where “friendlies” and “enemies” both fire super lightweight rounds at each other to closely mimic battle situations.

After a demonstration of indoor virtual training, I’m given the opportunity to fire live rounds from an M4 semi-automatic rifle, the Army’s current replacement of the M16. Indoor live-fire exercises are made possible because of black insulation bricks that line the walls and ceiling of the room. Made from recycled tires, they can take hundreds of direct hits before needing to be replaced.

Sergeant First Class Watson instructs my father, Patrick, on the loading, unloading, and safety measures of the German-made MP5, one of four weapons the Special Forces allowed their guests to test fire at one of their target ranges.

The table at the firing range displays two sets of the four weapons we were allowed to “play” with – from left to right, the MP5, Glock, Beretta, and M4.

Sergeant First Class Watson gives tips to my father as he aims the MP5 at his target down range ...