How to make the "Devil's Brigade"/JTF 2 link
A sensible compromise: keep the JTF 2 name while making the symbolic links to the First Special Service Force. And David Pulgiese did not recycle his "SS" slur.
Canada's special forces command wants to honour the famed Devil's Brigade by accepting the Second World War unit's battle honours and lineage, hopefully in time for a reunion of veterans this summer in Ottawa.
Col. David Barr, commander of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, said his group is keen to formally take on the lineage and battle honours from the Devil's Brigade.
The brigade, known as the First Special Service Force, was a joint U.S.-Canadian unit that fought with distinction during the Second World War, earning itself a reputation as a hardened and professional fighting formation.
Veterans of the service force also want to pass on the lineage and battle honours to Col. Barr's command and discussions have been ongoing for several years. Some inside the Defence Department, however, have questioned whether that can be done since the First Special Service Force was not entirely a Canadian unit.
But Col. Barr said he is hopeful that some kind of compromise can be reached.
"As we transform the Forces, surely we can transform our processes associated with battle honours and lineage," he said. "The First Special Service Force wants to pass it on. I believe the minister's office sees great value in that lineage being passed on and we want to receive the lineage. So surely there's got to be a way to do it."
Col. Barr said he doubts the process would be entirely completed when the First Special Service Force Association holds its reunion in August, but he would like to be in a position to confidently tell the veterans that the lineage would be passed to his command.
The command, known in the military by its acronym, CANSOFCOM, includes Joint Task Force 2, the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, the 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron and the Joint Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Co.
The special operations command is also dealing with a proposal from the government to change the name of JTF2 and the other units.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor is looking at renaming the Ottawa-based Joint Task Force 2 and the special operations regiment in Petawawa as a way of honouring the Devil's Brigade. Mr. O'Connor's plan would see JTF2 and the special operations regiment referred to as the 1st and 2nd battalions of the First Special Service Regiment.
But the name change is widely opposed in JTF2 and among members of special operations command who argue that the existing unit names are well known among allies. JTF2 members also argue that they have worked hard over the last 14 years to establish the reputation of their unit and it doesn't make sense to change the name now...
posted by Mark, Ottawa at 9:14 a.m.
2 Comments:
Does anyone know the rational behind the JTF2 name change? It has the feel of the byproduct of a senseless busy work meeting designed to keep some medium level goofs from getting at anything important.
Haven't there been other mixed nationality units that have gone on to become single nationality units at a later date? There must be some precedent for that within the UK.
Note to self: read the damn article.
"The military looked into renaming JTF2 in 2002 after Liberal MP David Pratt suggested the special forces unit be called something more descriptive. The name Joint Task Force 2, he said, was confusing to some parliamentarians as it gave little indication that the unit was a special forces organization.
To add to the confusion, the Canadian military has a tendency to dub various organizations as a "joint task force" even though they are unrelated to the elite unit.
Mr. Pratt, then chairman of the Commons defence committee, wrote Liberal defence minister John McCallum with the suggestion that JTF2 be called the Canadian Special Service Force or the Second Special Service Force. The names were in reference to the First Special Service Force of the Second World War."
I honestly have found the Joint-task force thing a bit confusing when reading articles about various other ones as well, and I like the idea of the naming being placed in a historic context, but it still seems like a bureaucratic make work project.
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