FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Decades-old portraits line the walls of Bank Hall, paying homage to those distinguished members of the regiment who have been recognized for their individual contributions to the unparalleled and illustrious history of Special Forces. Current employees at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School may recognize some of these men who have continued servicing our nation by bringing that level of excellence to the training at SWCS.
One of the most unique elements of the intertwined history of SWCS and the special operations Soldiers who have trained here is the return of so many of those Soldiers to serve as civilians on the school's staff and faculty.
Korean War veteran, Joe Lupyak, volunteered for Special Forces becoming one of the first to join the ranks of the 77th Special Forces Group. In 1955, Lupyak became the Group chief at the Pisgah National Forest training grounds. Troops undergoing training at the schoolhouse parachuted into Pisgah to receive extensive mountain and unconventional warfare training. They participating in the culminating field training exercise called Cherokee Trail, known today as Robin Sage.
By 1960, Vietnam had quickly become a major concern to the United States. Soldiers of the 7th SFG were deployed to Laos and conducted a clandestine operation called "White Star." Under the command of Lt. Col. Arthur "Bull" Simons, the unit trained part of the Royal Lao Army and the Civilian Irregular Defense Group.
One of those Soldiers was Ernest Tabata. "We got them out of the barracks and into the mountains and fields where they belonged and started training," said Tabata.
Over the next few years Tabata trained Green Berets in demolitions with the Special Forces Training Group before returning to Vietnam. In addition to training troops in Okinawa and Korea, Tabata served two more combat tours assigned to the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observation Group conducting dangerous, top-secret missions code-named "Shining Brass."
On the other side of the world, David Clark volunteered for Special Forces in 1966. Clark deployed to Vietnam with the 5th SFG. Lupyak and Clark served in adjacent units and both returned safely. After his tour, Clark was assigned to the Special Forces Training Group's Specialized Techniques Training Department and eventually became the command sergeant major at the John F. Kennedy Center for Military Assistance.
In 1970, Lupyak was selected to return to Vietnam. On Nov. 21 of that year, under the command of Simons, 56 Special Forces Soldiers participated in the joint Army/Air Force "Operation Ivory Coast" on the Son Tay prison camp in North Vietnam. The 70 prisoners they were attempting to recover had been moved prior to their arrival, but to this day the "Son Tay Raid" is praised for its execution.
The success of the joint operation eventually would lead to the creation of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
In 1980, Lupyak, then the command sergeant major of the 5th SFG, decided to retire after 30 years of service. Tabata retired from 7th SFG the following year with more than 30 years of service. In 1984, Clark retired after 35 years of service.
In 1983, the center began hiring former SF Soldiers to fill its ranks as civilians. Less than three years into retirement, Lupyak was one of the first hired and is currently the branch chief of the Training Development Division.
"I enjoy this type of life. I'm a firm believer in SF. It's what I've done, it's a way of life," said Lupyak on his reason for returning as a civilian. "We can change training all we want, but those guys are still going to be the best in the world - bar none."
The following year Tabata returned to work, and now serves as an instructor with the 1st Special Warfare Training Group.
According to Clark, "Every engineer, every single 18C in SF, has been trained by Ernie."
Serving in a training capacity for much of his 56 years of service, Tabata continually sees the results of his work.
"You see these guys being trained, then they start to think for themselves, and then you see them take the leadership," said Tabata.
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