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The term "commando" originated in South Africa in the late 19th century where it was used to describe "a party commanded or called out for military purposes; an expedition or raid: a word applied in South Africa to quasi-military expeditions of the Portuguese or the Dutch Boers."
Commando operations obviously existed long before the word "commando" was coined, but it was during the Boer War (1899 - 1902) that the term was first used. The Boers were the descendants of Dutch settlers in the Transvaal and Orange Free States of South Africa.
During the Boer War, irregular Boer units fought regular British Army forces that were numerically superior, better armed, and better supplied. The Boer commanders realized that they could never defeat the British through conventional warfare. By harassing "hit and run" attacks, they tried to wear down the less mobile conventional British forces. The Boers maintained their mobility by living off the land and carrying only what they needed slung on their backs or saddles. Using their unconventional tactics, they could compensate for the enemy's numerical superiority by tying up large numbers of British troops in baited ambushes and fruitless searches.
Eventually, the British, frustrated at being unable to win a decisive victory in spite of outnumbering the Boers ten to one, formed special "anti-commando" units. These special units fought the Boers using their own tactics. Following the war, the "anti-commando" units were disbanded, but a clear lesson had emerged: Be prepared to adapt to the enemy using his own tactics.
During World War Two, the United States adopted the lessons the British had learned in the Boer War and a new definition of "commando" was coined: "A special fighting force trained for quick raids into enemy territory."
A number of special units were formed by the Allies to conduct commando operations against the Axis powers, the Germans, the Italians, and the Japanese. Most unique among these special units were the special aviation units, the Air Commandos and the Carpetbaggers.
As the Cold War began, the need for units like the Air Commandos was seen and the Air Resupply and Communications wings were formed, serving until the late 1950s. When US involvement in Vietnam began to ratchet up, the Air Commandos were resurrected. Air Force Special Operations today can trace its roots all the way back to the original Air Commandos.
His decorations include the Air Force Commendation Medal with an oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with 2 devices, and the Liberation of Kuwait Medal from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Dale is also an amateur military historian, and has written several articles and columns for magazines and newspapers. In 1994, he co-authored a book entitled Air Commando! 1950 - 1975: Twenty Five Years At The Tip Of The Spear, which was published by the Air Force Special Operations School at Hurlburt Field, Florida. He has also written a 50 year history of the 20th Special Operations Squadron, which has yet to be published. In 1998, he had an article about the 20th Special Operations Squadron in Southeast Asia published in the August 98 issue of Vietnam magazine.