News / Military
Column
By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / February 27, 2019
It’s the 5th Annual Global SOF Foundation Symposium and the end of an era for a local barbecue joint opened to honor a fallen soldier
This is a time of transition for the nation’s Special Operations Forces.
They are still at the tip of the spear in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria and continue to make frequent deployments. And last year marked a 7-year peak in the number of commandos who died by suicide with 22, according to U.S. Special Operations Command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base.
But at the same time, the military is continuing to shift emphasis toward potential conflicts against Russia and China. And at the end of March, Army Gen. Tony Thomas will turn over command of SOCom to Army Gen. Richard Clarke at a ceremony March 29 (The outgoing U.S. Central Command leader, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, will turn over command to Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. a day earlier).
So with all this change churning, the timing of the Global SOF Foundation’s annual symposium could not be better.
Now entering its fifth year, the event, which runs between March 5 and 7 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay Hotel, is one of the best places to get a finger on the pulse of the commando world.
The organization and its symposium are the brainchild of Stu Bradin, a retired Army colonel who last served as one of former U.S. Special Operations Command leader William McRaven’s top aides. I’ve covered it since the beginning and over the years, I’ve interviewed McRaven, the head of Iraq’s commando operations and many other domestic and foreign spec ops leaders, who have provided invaluable insight and enduring guidance. I even got to meet Princess Aisha bint Al Hussein of Jordan, daughter of the late King Hussein and sister to the current King Abdullah.
This year’s topics include the weaponization of social media, innovations in modeling, simulations and training, Special Operations Forces training for multinational operations and the nexus of law enforcement in modern warfare. In addition, it will feature the “SOF for Life” transition program that helps commandos and their families make the move into the civilian world.
The only way to address deaths by suicide is “to do so as a community,” said Bradin. “The government is not going to solve this problem alone. We are working to build a SOF network that pulls the entire community together.”
As for the pivot to great power competition, Bradin offers a strong reminder.
“We cannot allow a shift in focus to great power competition translate to a weakening of special operations capabilities,” he said.
For more information, or to register, go to visit https://www.globalsofsymposium.org/us.
This is also a time of transition for Craig Gross, whose son, Army Spc. Frank Gross, was 25 when he was killed in Afghanistan on July 16 2011.
Back in 2013, Gross decided to honor his son’s memory by opening Frankie’s Patriot BBQ, originally at a location in Tarpon Springs and then at a spot on Ulmerton Road. Since then, Gross and his food have become fixtures at charity events, Memorial and Veterans Day celebrations and other venues honoring service members, veterans, first responders and their families.
Saturday, Feb. 23, Gross, 64, served his last portions of ribs and brisket and other delectables at the restaurant, which I swung by after judging an American Legion oratory contest that awarded college scholarship money to participants. I first met Craig and his wife Toni shortly after their son was killed and have written often about their efforts on behalf of the all-too-many Gold Star families in the region.
It’s a tough business and even more so for barbecue joints. Besides, Gross said he is getting tired of the grind while pushing 65.
“It was time,” said Gross of his decision to close the restaurant. “I felt like I achieved a dream and I am not looking back.”
The decision, a long time in coming, has opened up a new door for Gross, who pays annual visits to his son, buried at Arlington National Cemetery. And, like many a loved one, he would “chat” with his son.
Around Christmas, he had another of those graveside conversations and vowed to Frankie that he would get back into creating art. Since then, he has produced nearly two dozen water colors, mostly landscapes and animals. It was something I first noticed as he posted the work on Facebook. As I told him, the guy’s got chops.
And, for fans of his barbecue, Gross will still be smoking meat, but only for a burgeoning catering business. For more information, call him at (813) 317-6977.
The Pentagon announced no new deaths in ongoing operations last week.
There have been 2,347 U.S. troop deaths in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan; 61 U.S. troop deaths and one civilian Department of Defense employee death in support of the follow-up, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel; 56 troop deaths and two civilian deaths in support of Operation Inherent Resolve; one troop death in support of Operation Odyssey Lightning, the fight against Islamic State in Libya; one troop death in support of Operation Joint Guardian, one death classified as other contingency operations in the global war on terrorism; one death in Operation Octave Shield and six deaths in ongoing operations in Africa where, if they have a title, officials will not divulge it.
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