1st Special Forces Group ( United States ) The 1st Special Forces Group is a U . S . Army Special Forces unit that was activated on 24 June 1957 at Camp Drake , Japan . Unit history . It was among the first groups of the Special Forces to be officially formed . The group is responsible for operations in the Pacific . Currently , the First Battalion is stationed at Okinawa while the 2nd , 3rd , and 4th Battalion s are stationed at Joint Base Lewis - McChord , Washington with a 4th Battalion standing up in the summer of 2009 . 1st Special Forces Group holds the distinction of having the first , Captain Harry Cramer killed 21 October 1957 , and last , SGT Fred Mick killed 12 October 1972 , Special Forces men killed in Vietnam , as well as the first man , SFC Nathan Chapman killed 4 January 2002 , in Afghanistan . Captain Cramer ' s name was left off the Vietnam Memorial when it was opened in 1982 due to the secretive nature of his mission and that the extent of America ' s involvement in Southeast Asia was not known in 1957 . However , his son appealed to the National Park Service , and in 1983 Captain Cramer ' s name was added to the Memorial . Following the war in South Vietnam , and the withdrawal of American military forces in Southeast Asia , the emphasis on military actions shifted away from the Pacific theater and focused more on Europe and the NATO Allies . Special Forces , which had grown to a total of seven groups in 1963 , faced severe cuts in the peacetime army , as a result 1st Group was De - activated 28 June 1974 at Ft . Bragg , NC . After a 10 - year hiatus the need for an Asian unconventional warfare force was recognized and Alpha Company , 1st Battalion was reactivated at Fort Bragg on 15 March 1984 . This company and the remainder of 1st Battalion were assembled and deployed to Torii Station , Okinawa during the spring and summer of 1984 . The 2nd and 3rd Battalions , along with Headquarters and Service Company were officially reactivated 4 September 1984 at Fort Lewis , Washington . Brought back to life as part of an overall growth in the support to U . S . strategic efforts in Asia , the unit focused on the Pacific Command area of operations but were routinely deployed out of Asia to support unified commanders throughout the world . Unit members supported theater security engagement within the PACOM area of operations , contingency operations in Haiti , Central Asia , and Bosnia . Operational Detachments " Alphas " deployed to Haiti to conduct Coalition Support Team missions in 1993 – 94 in support of U . S . Joint Task Force 190 and Multi - National Force operations supporting OPERATION UPHOLD DEMOCRACY . Additional ODA s conducted Humanitarian Demining Operations in Laos , Thailand , Cambodia , and Vietnam earning Humanitarian Service Medals for their efforts in both Laos and Thailand . Elements from the 1st SFG ( A ) conducted training with military units from newly created states from the former Soviet Union that supported development of the Central Asian Battalion ( CENTRASBAT ) , a regional peace keeping force in the mid - 1990s . By the end of the millennium , 1st SFG ( A ) soldiers had deployed in support of OPERATION JOINT GUARD . Following the September 11 attacks , members of the 1st SFG ( A ) were quick to answer President George W . Bush ' s call to action deploying individual soldiers to support OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM in Afghanistan and deploying back - to - back battalion rotations to the Republic of the Philippines . Starting in February 2002 , elements of the 1st SFG ( A ) deployed to conduct unconventional warfare in the Southern Philippines by and with the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP ) in order to assist the Government of the Philippines ( GOP ) in the destruction of terrorist organizations and the separation of the population from the terrorist organizations . Over the next three years , 1st SFG ( A ) members built an admirable record in the Philippines training six light infantry battalions , three light reaction companies from the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP ) , treating over 31 , 000 Filipinos in MEDCAP events , helping to professionalize the AFP and providing operations and intelligence fusion teams to actively assist the AFP in targeting terrorist cells . Due to its efforts , the Province of Basilan was no longer a haven for terrorists , and the AFP continues to make progress against terrorist groups in the Southern Philippines . For its tremendous efforts , the 1st SFG ( A ) was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation on 24 January 2004 for its outstanding meritorious performance in a difficult and challenging mission while supporting the Global War on Terrorism in Asia . Throughout 2003 – 2004 , the 1st SFG ( A ) deployed many soldiers in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM and OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM in Afghanistan . By November 2004 the unit deployed an entire battalion to Afghanistan as part of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan ( CJSOTF - A ) . Today , 1st SFG ( A ) continues to support the Global War on Terrorism with operations in the Philippines , Iraq and Afghanistan as well as maintaining US security relationships with partner nations throughout the Pacific . Area of responsibility . The following is a list of countries in Asia that fall into the 1st Group Area of Responsibility : Lineage . Constituted 5 July 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 2d Company , 1st Battalion , First Regiment , 1st Special Service Force , a combined Canadian - American organization Activated 9 July 1942 at Fort William Henry Harrison , Montana Disbanded 5 December 1945 in Menton , France Reconstituted 15 April 1960 in the Regular Army ; concurrently consolidated with Company B , 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion ( activated 19 June 1942 ) , and consolidated unit re - designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company , 1st Special Forces Group , 1st Special Forces Consolidated 30 September 1960 with Headquarters and Headquarters Company , 1st Special Forces Group ( constituted 14 June 1957 in the Regular Army and activated 24 June 1957 in Japan ) , and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company , 1st Special Forces Group , 1st Special Forces ( organic units concurrently constituted and activated 4 October 1960 ) Group inactivated 28 June 1974 at Fort Bragg , North Carolina Activated 4 September 1984 at Fort Lewis , Washington Campaign participation credit . " * signifies Earned Credit " World War II : Aleutian Islands * , Naples - Foggia * , Anzio * , Rome - Arno * , Southern France ( with arrowhead ) * , Rhineland *