FORT LIBERTY, N.C. -- Thousands of footsteps cross Shachnow Lane each day as special operations students head to class at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (SWCS) at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.
The lane, in the very heart of the SWCS campus, is named for Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow, a revered Army Special Forces officer and former SWCS commander.
“We celebrate the legacy of Major General Sydney Shachnow, whose influence remains critical in everything we do here at the Special Warfare Center and School and across the Army SOF community,” said Maj. Gen. Jason C. Slider, the SWCS commanding general, during a lane unveiling ceremony in late June. “Shachnow Lane, dedicated in his namesake passes through the Special Warfare Center and School campus. Sitting on one edge of it, I’m sure you’ve noticed all around you, where we train our future special operators, and it’s appropriate that the path that they travel bears the name of Major General Shachnow.”
Shachnow was born in Lithuania in 1934, during the turbulent years leading to the breakout of World War II. He survived three years in a concentration camp during the Holocaust as a child. After he was liberated, he immigrated to the United States in 1950. He found his calling in the U.S. Army and as a Special Forces Soldier. He enlisted in the military in 1955 and served for more than 39 years, including 32 in the Special Forces community.
The ceremony brought together senior leaders, guests, families, and friends from across the SOF enterprise for a pivotal occasion.
“Syd Shachnow, I’m grateful to say, was my grandfather,” said Maj. Alex Smith, an officer in 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. “Truly the ultimate American Dream built on grit – from prisoner to refuge to immigrant to American to U.S. Soldier to Green Beret leader. From being oppressed to ‘free the oppressed.’”
He added that “as wonderful as it’ll be, what the plaque won’t show was that he was fun, and he was funny. He taught me a lot of life lessons.”
Smith shared an anecdote from his childhood about Shachnow.
“I recall an early understanding of an ‘okay plan that was well briefed but violently executed will work in a pinch,’” Smith said. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget being about seven or eight years old and helping Major General Shachnow, or what I referred to him as pops, on his horse farm in Southern Pines. We were doing some sort of chores on the farm likely designed to keep him company and me out of the house, but we had a problem. There was a pretty good size wasp nest in a bird feeder near the farm. We couldn’t have wasps buzzing around while my mother and father were riding on horses. Further, we had places to be, and we needed to fix it right now.
He added that “pops had him on hand to help for careful consideration and gathering equipment.”
“I got my assignment and an overview of our three-step plan,” Smith said. “Step one would be handled by pops and involved spraying the wasp nest with some sort of bug killer. The funnel did feel a little light, so we might not have enough spray. That was concerning but, overall, a pretty good start, I thought. Step two, re-establish deterrence of the wasp and account for a possible lack of bug spray. I would use my piece of equipment, a broom handle. Smack the wasp nest onto the ground and, this is important, hit it a few extra times for good measure. A very important step sounded a bit risky, though, but I trusted pops implicitly. Step three, he assured me, it was the most important part, and I quote ‘then we’re going to run like hell.’”
Smith shared that his grandfather influenced him to join the special operations community and the lasting impact his grandfather has had on his life.
“Opportunity for reflection, commitment and service to a great man,” he said.
Roxanne Merritt, Special Warfare Museum director, remarked about Shachnow’s time in command at the ARSOF schoolhouse.
“No matter where he went, he set a very, very high bar,” Merritt said. “I want to believe that the young man once known as Schaja Shachnow is looking from above at this gathering and exclaiming, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ upon realizing that his legacy will be perpetuated daily. So, every time somebody sets a map, reads GPS, or goes anywhere on this campus, they have to go by here first. I think he’d appreciate that.”
Shachnow passed in September 2018, but his legacy still burns bright as a trailblazer and a pillar of the special operations community.
Gen. Bryan Fenton, commanding general of the U.S. Special Operations Command, sat among the distinguished guests at the ceremony. He shares a past with Shachnow that greatly impacted his military career.
“Major General Shachnow is the reason I became a Green Beret,” Fenton said. “I was his aide at a pivotal time in my Army career, and he taught me so much about his commitment to our nation and taking care of people.”
Fenton added that “Major General Shachnow’s grit propelled me into my service in special operations. As his aide-de-camp, I saw firsthand what real leadership was, and I’m ever grateful for his example.”
The lane that passes through the heart of the SWCS campus, where we train and educate SOF Soldiers, celebrates his legacy and his influence, that remains critical to Army Special Forces. It honors the Shachnow family and the years of dedicated service not only to ARSOF but the nation.
To read more about Maj. Gen. Sydney Shachnow, visit https://www.army.mil/article/217379/major_general_shachnow_brief_history or https://arsof-history.org/icons/shachnow.html.
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