Sam Graves Helps Introduce Resolution Recognizing October as Special Operations Appreciation Month

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Sam Graves this week joined former Navy SEAL Ryan Zinke (MT-At Large) to introduce a resolution recognizing October as Special Operations Appreciation Month. The month of recognition will give Americans the opportunity to honor members of United States Special Operations Forces for their service and sacrifice on behalf of this country.

"SEAL Team Six's brilliant raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound showcased the awesome capabilities of our nation's Special Forces units," Rep. Graves said. "But these brave men and women have been skillfully executing missions like this for decades, and they continue to do so with a remarkable sense of courage and humility. It is an honor to join Representative Zinke, a former SEAL himself, to introduce a resolution recognizing October as Special Operations Appreciation Month."

"When I was in the SEALs, most of our time was spent training," Rep. Zinke said. "Teams today are at war more than they are at home. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, as well as the National Guard, all have Special Operations Forces located across dozens of states. And each unit has a specialized team assisting them. From the person who puts the fuel in the helicopters to the intelligence analyst, each person adds a critical component to the mission's success."

"The toll that multiple deployments – sometimes as many as a dozen in just a few years – take on the warrior and the family is incomprehensible," Rep. Zinke continued. "Special Operations Appreciation Month is just as much about the heroes at home as it is about the warriors on the field of battle."

October was chosen as Special Operations Appreciation Month due to the significance of the First Special Services Forces, also known as the "Devil's Brigade." This unit, from which modern day Special Operations Forces draw their roots, was called to Italy in October 1943 and went on to complete some of the most daring and death-defying missions in modern military history.

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