Eldon A. Bargewell
Born(1947-08-13)August 13, 1947
Hoquiam, Washington, U.S.
DiedApril 29, 2019(2019-04-29) (aged 71)
Eufaula, Alabama, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1967–2006
RankMajor General
Unit2nd Ranger Battalion
5th Special Forces Group
MACV-SOG
Delta Force
Commands heldSpecial Operations Command Europe
Delta Force
Joint Special Operations Command
5th Special Forces Group
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group
Battles/warsVietnam War
Operation Just Cause
Operation Acid Gambit
War in Afghanistan
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal (2)
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal (6)
Purple Heart (4)

Major General Eldon Arthur Bargewell (August 13, 1947 – April 29, 2019)[1][2] was a United States Army officer. He served as commander of the U.S. Army's Delta Force unit.

Early life and education

Bargewell was born in Hoquiam, Washington and graduated from Hoquiam High School in 1965, enlisting in the United States Army in 1967.[3]

Military career

Bargewell completed the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1968. During the Vietnam War Bargewell was accepted into MACV-SOG where he served at the "Command And Control North (CCN)" Forward Operating Base 4 at Da Nang and served as Non-Commissioned Officer Team Leader for Reconnaissance Team "Viper" (all CCN teams were named for states or snakes). While serving with CCN, Bargewell earned the Distinguished Service Cross in September 1971 for his actions in combat in saving his team and getting them to safety.[4]

Bargewell graduated from Officer candidate School and received his commission in 1973.[5][6] In addition, he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in resource management at Troy State University.[7]

Bargewell's first assignment was as a member of the 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Washington, where he later served as rifle platoon leader and executive officer. As a captain, Bargewell was assigned as Rifle Company Commander with 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment.[8] In 1981 Bargewell volunteered for and completed a specialized selection and operator training course for assignment to Delta Force where he would serve as Operations Officer, Squadron Executive Officer, Troop commander, Squadron Commander (twice), Deputy Commander and unit commander from July 1996 to July 1998.[9][10]

While in Delta Force Bargewell participated in Operation Acid Gambit during the invasion of Panama, including the daring rescue of American citizen Kurt Muse from the Modelo prison.[11] After the successful extraction of the hostage the MH-6 Little Bird transporting Muse as well as several Operators crashed behind enemy lines wounding many of them; however, they managed to seek cover in the city until they were recovered by an APC.[12]

He commanded a Delta Force Squadron (A Squadron) during Operation Desert Storm in western Iraq.[11] In 1998 Bargewell became Commanding General of Special Operations Command Europe,[13] followed by assistant chief of staff for SFOR military operations in Sarajevo.[14] Bargewell returned to the continental United States, and served as director of the center of operations, plans, and policies of United States Special Operations Command.[15] In 2005, Bargewell became Director of Strategic Operations at Multinational Force Iraq.[16] While serving as the Operations Officer, Bargewell pursued an outside administrative investigation as to how knowledge of the Haditha incident in Iraq passed up the Marine chain of command and whether or not any commanders lied in their reports. The informal investigation, pursuant to Army regulation AR 15-6, began on March 19, 2006, and was expected to examine how servicemembers and their commanders were trained in the rules of engagement.[17][18] The completed report was sent to Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the second-ranked US commander in Iraq, on the morning of June 15, 2006. This was separate from a criminal investigation being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Beret flash of SOCEUR for U.S. Army.

Distinguished Service Cross

Eldon A. Bargewell
General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 3391 (November 30, 1971)
Action Date: 27-Sep-71
Service: United States Army
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Company: Command and Control (North), TF 1, SOG
Regiment: 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Division: 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne)

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Staff Sergeant Eldon A. Bargewell, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Command and Control (North), Task Force 1, Studies and Observations Group, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, attached to U.S. Army Vietnam Training Advisory Group (TF1AE), U.S. Army Vietnam Training Support Headquarters. Staff Sergeant Bargewell distinguished himself on 27 September 1971 while serving as a member of a long range reconnaissance team operating deep in enemy territory. On that date, his team came under attack by an estimated 75 to 100 man enemy force. Staff Sergeant Bargewell suffered multiple fragmentation wounds from an exploding B-40 rocket in the initial assault, but despite the serious wounds, placed a deadly volume of machine gun fire on the enemy line. As the enemy advanced, he succeeded in breaking the assault and forced them to withdraw with numerous casualties. When the enemy regrouped, they resumed their assault on the beleaguered team, placing a heavy volume of small arms and automatic weapons fire on Staff Sergeant Bargewell's sector of the defensive perimeter. Again he exposed himself to the enemy fire in order to hold his position and prevent the enemy from overrunning the small team. After breaking the enemy assault, the team withdrew to a nearby guard. At the landing zone, Staff sergeant Bargewell refused medical treatment in order to defend a sector of the perimeter, and insured the safe extraction of his team. Staff Sergeant Bargewell's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Death

Bargewell died near his home at the age of 71.

Awards and decorations

Combat Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge with USSOCOM background trimming
Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge
Special Forces Tab
Ranger tab
French Parachutist Instructor Badge
United States Special Operations Command Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Army Special Forces Command Distinctive Unit Insignia
7 Overseas Service Bars
Distinguished Service Cross
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
V
Silver oak leaf cluster
Width-44 scarlet ribbon with width-4 ultramarine blue stripe at center, surrounded by width-1 white stripes. Width-1 white stripes are at the edges.
Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and silver oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Purple Heart with three oak leaf clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
V
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal with "V" device and oak leaf cluster
Army Presidential Unit Citation
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Valorous Unit Award
Army Meritorious Unit Commendation
Army Outstanding Civilian Service Award
Army Good Conduct Medal
Bronze star
Bronze star
National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars
Arrowhead
Bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Arrowhead device and service star
Silver star
Bronze star
Vietnam Service Medal with six service stars
Southwest Asia Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
NCO Professional Development Ribbon
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon
NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia
French commemorative medal
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal Unit Citation
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Bargewell was inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 2011.[19]

References

  1. "Florida Voters, Bargetto, Allison Anne thru Barginda, Charlene". FLVoters.com. Nashua, NH: Tom Alciere. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  2. Army Times Staff (May 1, 2019). "Retired Army major general dies after lawnmower accident". Army Times. Springfield, VA.
  3. "Gray's Harbor's Culture of Success". Archived from the original on 2006-06-17. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
  4. "List of Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross". Archived from the original on 2006-04-27. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
  5. "Stars and Stripes". Archived from the original on 2005-01-24. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
  6. "Biography, Eldon A. Bargewell" (PDF). Distinguished Members of the Special Forces Regiment. Ft. Bragg, NC: U.S. Army Special Operations Command. April 5, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-07-16.
  7. Special Operations Association. Nashville, TN: Turner Publishing. 2006. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-59652-156-8.
  8. "75th Ranger Association Roster". Archived from the original on 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
  9. "Discover Fayetteville". Archived from the original on 2006-06-13. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
  10. Department of Defense
  11. 1 2 Fury, Dalton. Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2008 ISBN 978-0-312-38439-5 p. 40-41.
  12. Hunter, Thomas B. (29 November 2013). "Operation Acid Gambit – The Rescue of Kurt Muse". SpecialOperations.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2013.
  13. Department of Defense
  14. Department of Defense
  15. "Special Operations Warrior Foundation News Archive". Archived from the original on 2006-06-29. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
  16. "Release".
  17. "No direct link ties Marine to deaths" by Denver Post Staff Writers, Denver Post.
  18. "Haditha probe finds false reports" by Thomas E. Ricks, The Washington Post.
  19. "U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame" (PDF). Worldwide Army Rangers, Inc. June 12, 2015. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
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