7/14/2020 Task Force Viking: Addition to the U.S.

Army Special Operations Command Memorial Plaza

TASK FORCE VIKING

Addition to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Memorial Plaza
by Eugene G. Piasecki

GWO IRAQ SPECIAL FORCES From Veritas, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2016

P
laced in the USASOC Memorial Plaza on 30 June 2015, the Task Force VIKING paver stone pays tribute to the
American and Allied Soldiers, Marines, and Airmen who participated in the opening phases of Operation
IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF).

Task Force VIKING (CJSOTF – North) was formed in March 2003 from elements of the 10th Special Forces Group
(Airborne); 173rd Airborne Brigade; 10th Mountain Division; Company A, 9th PSYOP Battalion; 96th and 404th
Civil Affairs Battalions; 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU); 352nd Special Operations Group, Air Force Special
Operations Command (AFSOC); and the British Special Boat Service (SBS). Spearheaded by a three and a half
hour, low level ingress known as Operation UGLY BABY, TF Viking landed in Northern Iraq; linked up with
Kurdish freedom ghters (Peshmerga); and liberated the cities of Mosul, Tikrit, and Kirkuk as well as the
surrounding oil elds. TF VIKING accomplished all missions while facing a threat from 13 Iraqi Divisions (two of
them Saddam’s elite Republican Guard); Ansar al Islam (who had connections with Al Qaida, Hezbollah, and
Hamas); the Iraqi Intelligence Service; the Special Security Organization; and Iraqi Special Mission Units.

Adopting “Concede Nothing” as their unit motto, seven TF VIKING soldiers were awarded Silver Stars and 52
others received Bronze Stars with “V” device for Valor for their actions from March to April 2003.

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7/14/2020 Task Force Viking: Addition to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Memorial Plaza

Task Force VIKING paver stone

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EUGENE G. PIASECKI
Eugene G. Piasecki, a retired Special Forces officer, is a government contractor who has been with the USASOC History Office since 2006. He
earned his Master’s Degree in military history from Norwich University. Current research interests include Army special operations during the Korean
War, Army special operations in Somalia and the History of Camp Mackall.

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