2025 Event Info - the 10th annual !!

Colonel Jack Jacobs, who entered military service through Rutgers ROTC, earned the Medal of Honor for exceptional heroism on the battlefields of Vietnam. He also holds three Bronze Stars and two Silver Stars.

Jacobs was an adviser to a Vietnamese infantry battalion when it came under a devastating fire that disabled the commander. Although bleeding from severe head wounds, then-First Lieutenant Jacobs took command, withdrew the unit to safety, and returned again and again under intense fire to rescue the wounded and perform life-saving first aid. He saved the lives of a U.S. adviser and 13 allied soldiers.

Jacobs served on the faculty of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the National War College in Washington, D.C. After retirement, he founded and was chief operating officer of Auto Finance Group. As a managing director of Bankers Trust Co., he led Global Investment Management to $2.2 billion in assets and later co-founded a similar business for Lehman Brothers. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a director of the Medal of Honor Foundation. He is also a military analyst for NBC/MSNBC.Thomas retired from active duty on March 29, 2019. 

Robert J. O’Neill is one of the most highly decorated combat veterans of our time.  He served at SEAL Team Two, and SEAL Team Four and eight years at the legendary SEAL Team Six.

Having taken part in and leading over 400 combat missions. He was decorated 53 times, including two Silver Stars for gallantry in action against the enemy, four Bronze Stars with Valor to denote heroism against the enemy,

Three Presidential Unit Commendations and three Combat Action ribbons to name a few.

Rob took part in the rescue for Operation Red Wings, which extracted the Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell.

He was the lead jumper for the rescue operation that saved Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates and a Team Leader for Operation Neptune’s Spear, the mission to kill Osama bin Laden.

Rob is the co-founder of Special Operators Transition Foundation, which assists Special Operations Forces veterans with the successful transition from the service into their next great career in corporate America.

He is the author of the Best Selling Memoir THE OPERATOR: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior.

Rob is a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN, CBS, Newsmax and others.

General Raymond Anthony Thomas III (also known as Tony Thomas; born October 6, 1958) retired general officer of the United States Army and former commander of the United States Special Operations Command. He participated in numerous combat operations during his career, such as Operation Urgent Fury 1983, Operation Just Cause in 1989, Gulf War in 1991, and since 2001 the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every year between 2001 and 2013 (minus his time in Iraq with the 1st Armored Division in 2007), Thomas deployed to Afghanistan as part of various special operations units.   After commanding special forces units in Afghanistan, Thomas was promoted to lieutenant general and was reassigned to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia where he served as the Associate Director of the Central Intelligence Agency for Military Affairs.  In August 2014, Thomas replaced Joseph Votel as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command.  In a ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, on March 30, 2016 Thomas took command of USSOCOM and received his fourth star. General Thomas retired from active duty on March 29, 2019. 

specialops.org

Al, callsign Razor 03, led a team of MH-47E helicopters and armed MH-60s on a series of clandestine special operations, some still too classified to talk about in an open forum (another reason to talk to him in person!).

Our special Guest of Honor is:

• The Lead pilot of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) who pushed the limits of specially modified Chinooks in operations including:
  • The “Horse Soldier’s” infiltration into Afghanistan in the opening days of the War on Terror, made famous in the movie “12 Strong”
  • The hunt for Usama Bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora
  • Operation Anaconda, the largest combat operation since the 9/11 attacks
  • The chase for Bowe Bergdahl, Hostage rescues in Iraq, and the rescue of Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell from the Kunar Valley
• A Master Aviator with more than 6700 hours of flight time
• Awarded: Legion of Merit, 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 3 Bronze Star Medals, 3 Meritorious Service Medals, 10 Air Medals; one with Valor device, Combat Action Badge, and the Army Broken Wing award
• He held one of the rarest ranks in the US Army, Chief Warrant Officer 5.  CW5 is given to those displaying unsurpassed mastery of all aspects of their craft

Will Chesney, a Navy SEAL who participated in the May 2, 2011 raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.  Navy Seal Will Chesney got an unexpected call: He was to grab his dog and head to Virginia, immediately.  What came next were weeks of exhaustive training as the Navy SEAL and his military working dog, Cairo, prepared for one of the most significant special operations missions in history: Operation Neptune Spear. By May 2, 2011 Cairo and Chesney were on the ground in Abbottabad, Pakistan, taking part in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. 

April 21, 2020 Chesney published his memoir, No Ordinary Dog. Co-authored by Joe Lyndon, the book is framed as a tribute to the operators Chesney served alongside during his 13-year career in the Navy and to Cairo, the Belgian Malinois who joined him on the Bin Laden raid.

Danny R. McKnight  is an American retired colonel who served in the United States Army. He is best known for his role as commander of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in the Battle of Mogadishu. His participation in the battle was also heavily portrayed in the film Black Hawk Down, where his role was played by Tom Sizemore

Born and raised in Milwaukee Wisconsin, Rick joined the U.S. Navy at age 17. He attended Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) training Class 109 in Coronado, CA. Rick was assigned to SEAL Team TWO in Little Creek, VA in 1980. He served at SEAL Team TWO from 1980 until 1985, specializing in winter warfare, combat diving, and sniping until he was selected for duty at SEAL Team SIX in 1985.

In 1993, Rick received the Silver Star Medal for Valor during the Battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down). He served at ST-6 from 1985 through October of 2012. During his time at ST-6, Rick acted as sniper, explosives expert, lead training Chief, sniper team leader, and Deputy Operations Officer.

Rick continues to serve his country and fellow SEALs by helping to educate others about this unique special operations force and further the Frogman heritage as the Chief Operating Officer of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. Rick is married to Barbara Kaiser and has two children, Emily and Eric. Rick and Barbara currently reside in Vero Beach,
Florida.