From the President — October 2026

From the Editor — October 2026

SFA Chapter 78’s Sentinel Voted SFA Best Newsletter of 2025-2026

Remembering John Joyce— November 21, 1962 – September 6, 2026

John founded the Sentinel in 2010 and, for many years, supported the Special Forces community as a member, designer, businessman, and friend. In remembering John, we return to the 2011 profile he wrote for the Sentinel and add the story of the work and friendships that followed.

PATHS ONCE TAKEN: A Vietnam Journey of Remembrance, Connection & Discovery—March 16–27, 2027

Some places never leave you. This journey through Vietnam, led by the Special Operations Association Foundation, is designed for Special Operations and Special Forces veterans, their families, and supporters who are ready to revisit them with people who understand. See the itinerary, the details, and the pricing available through December 7, 2026.

Primum Non Nocere

Sentinel reader David Daugherty reflects on becoming an 18D through the Special Forces National Guard and adjusting to training alongside more diverse and experienced active-duty soldiers. When his team deployed to Afghanistan, he put those lessons to work, developing and leading a successful humanitarian mission that brought his “Warrior Diplomat” ideal to life—with plenty of help from his teammates.

Book Review: Cry Havoc: A Terminal List Thriller by Jack Carr

From its experimental beginnings to the Armed Forces Network remembered by generations of service members, frequent Sentinel contributor Marc Yablonka traces AFN’s evolution through World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. This nostalgic tribute honors those who brightened millions of military days—including Chris Noel, who continues serving veterans today.

From a Standing Start: U.S. Army Psychological Warfare and Civil Affairs in the Korean War

After WWII, the United States dismantled most of its intelligence, psychological warfare, and irregular warfare organizations. When North Korea invaded South Korea, those capabilities had to be rebuilt “From a Standing Start,” as Kenneth Finlayson recounts in Veritas, the Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) publication produced by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and the USASOC History Office. With the CIA already handling many intelligence functions, the Army focused on rebuilding psychological warfare and Civil Affairs under the direction of BG Robert A. McClure—efforts that would lay the groundwork for the creation of Special Forces.

Welcome Home, Sister: The Forgotten Story of Vietnam’s Donut Dollies

“I never expected that my one year in Vietnam would follow me for the last 55 years.” Penni Evans was one of 627 Donut Dollies who traveled into Vietnam’s combat zones to lift the spirits of American troops. Now she faces cancer alone in a remote Colorado valley, without the benefits given to the men she served beside. Welcome Home, Sister asks why these women were forgotten. Read her story and help bring this film to the audiences it deserves.

SFA Chapter 78 August 2026 Chapter Meeting

Our August guest speaker, Ben Ruzicka, served on the same team as Medal of Honor recipient Earl Plumlee and Chapter President James McLanahan. Ben joined the Army in 2003 at age 19, later earning his Green Beret and serving as a Bravo Team Medic. He shared his experience of transitioning to civilian life after a medical retirement following 17 years of service, and how that journey eventually led him to pursue a career as a professional artist.

Visit Ben’s website benruzicka.com to learn more about him.

From the Archive:

The Battle of SF Camp A-102, Tien Phuoc, Vietnam: The Story of a Navy Seabee and an SF Medic

Originally published in the October 2015 Sentinel, then-editor Lonny Holmes wrote: “Thanks to Jim Duffy (LTC, ret.), this issue of the Sentinel has a feature article on the 1969 Battle of Tien Phuoc, Vietnam. Jim called me from the Special Forces National Convention in Washington and suggested this might be a good piece of SF History to relate to our readers.

“He then put John Cleckner (Major, ret.) on the phone, who was the Team Leader of A-102, and we discussed the history of his camp. The story features two men, one a Green Beret Medic and the other a Navy Seabee. Both, as well as all team members, played a significant role in defending the A-Camp from NVA assaults. Little did I know at the time, but back in 1967, prior to both of these SF officers’ deployments to Vietnam, CPT Cleckner was the CO of SF Company A in Training Group, and LT Duffy was his Executive Officer.”