---
category: Paramilitary
location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina
start: 1952
summary: The United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets) are a special operations
  force whose Vietnam veterans Michael Hand and Bo Gritz are central vault subjects
  through their respective roles in Nugan Hand Bank and CIA drug trafficking operations
  in the Golden Triangle.
tags:
- Organization
- USArmy
- SpecialForces
- Military
---

The [U.S. Army Special Forces](/organizations/united-states-army-special-forces/), also known as the Green Berets, are a special operations force of the [U.S. Army](/organizations/us-army/). They are mentioned in connection with several individuals involved in covert operations and intelligence activities.[^1]

[Michael Hand](/people/michael-hand/), co-founder of [Nugan Hand Bank](/organizations/nugan-hand-bank/), was a highly decorated Special Forces Green Beret soldier in [Vietnam](/places/vietnam/). He later moved to the clandestine [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) war in [Laos](/places/laos/).[^1]

[Bo Gritz](/people/bo-gritz/) was also a highly decorated Special Forces Green Beret in [Vietnam](/places/vietnam/). Both Gritz and Hand had special knowledge of intelligence operations in the [Golden Triangle](/places/golden-triangle/).[^1]

An American code-named "Charlie," who allegedly helped [Michael Hand](/people/michael-hand/) escape from [Australia](/places/australia/) to [Fiji](/places/fiji/), was identified as a former member of the [U.S. Special Forces](/organizations/united-states-army-special-forces/) and an ex-[CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) operative.[^1]

[Allan Boyak](/people/allan-boyak/), an attorney who represented [Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/), had a background in the [U.S. Army Special Forces](/organizations/united-states-army-special-forces/) and reportedly did some contract work for the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) during the 1960s and early 1970s.[^1]

---

[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.