The heritage of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, commenced on July 9, 1942, with the activation of the 4th Company, 1st Regiment, 1st Special Service Force, a Joint American and Canadian organization. It was during WWII that this unit earned a Distinguished Unit Citation, and the French Croix De Guerre with Silver Gilt Star for exceptional valor.

The birth of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), as it is presently known was on June 1, 1952, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In 1953, the Group was relocated to Bad Toelz, Federal Republic of Germany, where it remained until redeployed to Fort Devens, Massachusetts, in September 1968, minus the 1st Battalion, which is now located at Stuttgart, Germany. By August 1995, the Group relocated once again to Fort Carson, Colorado.

The heraldry of the Special Forces shoulder patch draws from the fundamental, yet sophisiticated, characteristics that mark the soldiers who bear it. The teal blue arrowhead alludes to the American Indian’s basic skills in which Special Forces personnel are trained to a high degree. The dagger represents the unconventional warfare nature of Special Forces Operations, and the three lightning flashes reflects their ability to strike rapidly by air, land or water. The Special Forces Motto “De Oppresso Liber” more fully translated means: “From oppression we will liberate them.”

The Trojan Horse Crest was worn by members of the Group on their berets during the 1950s. On Dec. 10, 1982, the 1st Special Operations Command (Airborne) adopted the Trojan Horse part of this special crest as its official emblem. The Trojan Horse remains the symbolic, if unofficial 10th Special Forces Group (A) crest.