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Cheney passes out praise
The vice president honored MacDill-based SoCom, which oversees the nation's elite military commandoes, for the role it has played in the war on terror.
By PAUL DE LA GARZA
Published June 10, 2005
TAMPA - Vice President Dick Cheney helped to wrap up International Special Operations Forces Week by awarding medals of heroism Friday in a ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base.
Later in the day, Cheney closed the conference, sponsored by the U.S. Special Operations Command, or SoCom, at the Tampa Convention Center.
The vice president praised MacDill-based SoCom, which oversees the nation's elite military commandoes, for the role it has played in the war on terror, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"In the Cold War, national security required massing large forces at borders, and a year-after-year stand-off," Cheney told about 300 special operations forces from around the world.
"Today's security environment often requires small teams of men searching caves, going over mountain peaks, and walking along narrow ledges in the pitch-black night. And for that kind of work," he said, "we turn to the silent professionals."
SoCom sponsors Special Operations Forces Week every year, bringing defense contractors and military officials together. This is the first year SoCom invited special operations forces from other countries to participate.
[Last modified June 10, 2005, 16:34:02]
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