{"id":1840,"date":"2022-05-01T16:41:46","date_gmt":"2022-05-01T20:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.specialoperations.org\/soa\/?page_id=1840"},"modified":"2025-12-11T10:26:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T15:26:06","slug":"founders-message","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/founders-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Founders Message"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"1840\" class=\"elementor elementor-1840\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e36f0bd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default creativo-sticky-disabled\" data-id=\"e36f0bd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;enable_creativo_sticky&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6004031\" data-id=\"6004031\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e31ffee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e31ffee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>HISTORY OF THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS ASSOCIATION<\/strong><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2730920 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default creativo-sticky-disabled\" data-id=\"2730920\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;enable_creativo_sticky&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7082a6e\" data-id=\"7082a6e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1261a59 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"1261a59\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-65018c6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default creativo-sticky-disabled\" data-id=\"65018c6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;enable_creativo_sticky&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-90d650a\" data-id=\"90d650a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca78e27 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"ca78e27\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1dfd7e8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default creativo-sticky-disabled\" data-id=\"1dfd7e8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;enable_creativo_sticky&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-30871c8\" data-id=\"30871c8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2e8509c elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"2e8509c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fcfb0f5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"fcfb0f5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"126\" height=\"147\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/soc_macvsog.png?fit=126%2C147&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-14008\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6e5f6d6\" data-id=\"6e5f6d6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7e641c elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"b7e641c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;vimeo&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<iframe class=\"elementor-video-iframe\" allowfullscreen allow=\"clipboard-write\" title=\"vimeo Video Player\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/904213300?color&amp;autopause=0&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;title=1&amp;portrait=1&amp;byline=1#t=\"><\/iframe>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-82ad04f\" data-id=\"82ad04f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fd35107 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"fd35107\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-02439a8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"02439a8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"92\" height=\"135\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2018-small-SOA_LOGOS_ORIGINAL-2016-final-2.png?fit=92%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-10832\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-09b4838 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default creativo-sticky-disabled\" data-id=\"09b4838\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;enable_creativo_sticky&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d24820f\" data-id=\"d24820f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa6cd61 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"fa6cd61\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be9f6f3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"be9f6f3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">History of the SOA<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">By Jim Butler, SOA\u00a0 Founder<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The early SOA composed only of recon team personnel &amp; the personnel who worked for MACVSOG and supported their missions. Our association would encompass all four services as well as certain government entities to include the chopper pilots who flew for us, the Air Force personnel who directed and supported us, as well as the few Marines and Naval personnel that worked in SOG as well as in our operations.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We had a special kind of brotherhood\u2026 We would have given our lives for each other and in some cases, we did.\u00a0 I did not want to lose those relationships that I had, and we have not to this day.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Due to the highly classified nature of our SOG unit, we were not allowed to converse with others about our missions, not even to other Green Berets, and we found that we were the only ones on this planet who understood what each other have gone through. The SOA offered a way to preserve these relationships.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">At our first reunion we had 13 men get together at the Fort Devens Rod and Gun Club. The stories were great &amp; the camaraderie was back between all of us. At this meeting on Christmas Eve, 1971 we reaffirmed our commitment to each other and knew that, regardless of where life took us, we would always be there for each other. It was this moment that I recognized the value of an \u201cofficial\u201d Special Operations Association to both the men and to the family of those lost. I felt the need to set up the SOA in order to obtain coverage for our unique veteran concerns and to take care of \u201cOur Guys\u201d. \u00a0The Special Operations Association established a secure line of communication that was needed for me &amp; my men.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We all agreed that we would make an effort to get together at least every five years regardless of where we were in the world.\u00a0 From that moment on, each and every one of us knew that we had friends closer than brothers and should the need arise all we had to do was declare a PRAIRIEFIRE EMERGENCY and a BRITELIGHT would launch immediately. These relationships are still in place today.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The second reunion grew to 28 men who flew in from all over the world. Thus, the memo of our reunion continued to pass by word-of-mouth. As men sent me contact info to each of them I started building the telephone tree; then in 1976 I incorporated the SOA as a charitable organization and shortly after we became a national organization. The only membership criteria was to be SOG personnel or SOG support activities personnel and we had the men on board who could attest to who were SOG and not.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">All of these men that I contacted were to try and locate other people who were either C&amp;C Recon or supported our activities. At first it was to be a One-Zero organization, with projects\/plans and directions dictated by One-Zeros. During the course of the next 10 years other C&amp;C\/SOG personnel directly contacted me and were interested in joining the organization.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The reunion was for the Brotherhood. First, I inducted our dear friend Martha Raye as an honorary member into the SOA. Then I invited the driving forces for\u00a0<em>The<\/em>\u00a0<em>League of Families<\/em>, as I heard that\u00a0<em>The League<\/em>\u00a0was being stonewalled by the Carter Administration and was not receiving any support from the VFW and the American Legion. I allowed their driving forces to address the SOA attendees about the total lack of support for the POW\/MIA issue and after they were done we decided to support them in their endeavors.\u00a0<strong><em>In 1979 the SOA became the first Veterans Group to formally support the League of Families.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>In 1980 with the help of General Jack Singlaub, MACVSOG and its missions appeared for the first time in a documented history of the Vietnam War.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Specific and primary purposes for setting up the Special Operations Association:<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>The goal of the SOA is to unite fraternally all veterans, retired and active duty, who are now or have conducted Special Operations deep in hostile enemy territory, or have been assigned to the United States or foreign military units which conducted such operations;\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>(This was our definition for membership at this time as we could not use the name MACVSOG as it was still classified.)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p><ol><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To unite fraternally all war veterans who are now conducting or supporting classified \u201cSpecial Operations\u201d deep in hostile enemy territory, or have been assigned to the United States or foreign military units which conducted such operations.<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(This was our definition for membership at this time as we could not use the name MACVSOG as it was still classified.)<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"2\"><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To perpetuate the Special Operations espirit de corps<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To commemorate fittingly the memory of those who have given their lives in defense of the Free World.<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Therefore in 1981 we started the\u00a0<em>\u201cSpecial Operations Scholarship Fund\u201d<\/em>\u00a0each scholarship would be given in the name of one of our killed or missing in action. We present these scholarships annually and read a brief bio of the circumstances of the KIA or MIA member\u2019s last mission.<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"4\"><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To educate its members and the citizens of the USA in the proper development of Special Operations and to keep them abreast of new developments in the field of Special Operations as is consistent with security regulations.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To create &amp; compile communication networks for Members<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Our organization would first and foremost support \u201cqualified\u201d membership; To help those who needed it, to get on their feet on the ground and become integral parts of US Society.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To encourage every member of the association toward a closer personal relationship and a friendly spirit of mutual cooperation<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To foster and promote general welfare and prosperity of the members and to improve by all lawful means their status and condition.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To be a source of inspiration for all Special Operations personnel.<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">General Jack Singlaub gave me the greatest compliment when he approached me at one of our reunions with a rhetorical question,\u00a0<strong><em>\u201cDo you have any idea of how many men you saved just by setting this organization up?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>This is the very essence of why I established the Special Operations Association: to recognize our special veterans &amp; their families.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I am honored to have founded an organization with such achievement.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Jim Butler<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Founder, Special Operations Association<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5af581e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default creativo-sticky-disabled\" data-id=\"5af581e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;enable_creativo_sticky&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fcba227\" data-id=\"fcba227\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d9f4a95 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"d9f4a95\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-baff509 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default creativo-sticky-disabled\" data-id=\"baff509\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;enable_creativo_sticky&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-63d48e3\" data-id=\"63d48e3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c98e33 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7c98e33\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"131\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MilitaryLogos.jpg?fit=640%2C131&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-6399\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MilitaryLogos.jpg?w=870&amp;ssl=1 870w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MilitaryLogos.jpg?resize=224%2C46&amp;ssl=1 224w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MilitaryLogos.jpg?resize=800%2C164&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MilitaryLogos.jpg?resize=300%2C61&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MilitaryLogos.jpg?resize=768%2C157&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MilitaryLogos.jpg?resize=444%2C91&amp;ssl=1 444w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-76fea12 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default creativo-sticky-disabled\" data-id=\"76fea12\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;enable_creativo_sticky&quot;:&quot;disabled&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e0c3a50\" data-id=\"e0c3a50\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HISTORY OF THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS ASSOCIATION https:\/\/vimeo.com\/manage\/videos\/904213300 History of the SOA By Jim Butler, SOA\u00a0 Founder The early SOA composed only of recon team personnel &amp; the personnel who worked for MACVSOG and supported their missions. Our association would encompass all four services as well as certain government entities to include the chopper pilots who&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1070,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1840","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1070"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1840"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44915,"href":"https:\/\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1840\/revisions\/44915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/specialoperations.org\/soa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}