State Guardsman receives Special Forces Association Award
July 30, 2012
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
July 30, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – MAJ Mike Mika – the assistant operations officer for the S.C. State Guard and a retired Sgt. Maj., U.S. Army Special Forces –received the coveted Special Forces Association (SFA) national Man ofthe Year award, June 16, during SFA’s annual convention inFayetteville, N.C.
Major Mika is an extraordinary individual whose extensive militaryexperience in both the infantry and special operations communities hasenabled him not only as leader, but a leader-standard in the StateGuard, says Maj. Rowland H. Farkas, assistant division operationsofficer, S.C. State Guard, and a retired U.S. Army infantry officer. It is no wonder he is the recipient of this lofty award from one of themost respected military associations in the world.
SFA is the official association of U.S. Army Special Forces, and MAJ Mika is the association’s chapter pres. for S.C.
Several former and retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers serve – or have served – in the S.C. State Guard, including retired State Guardcommanders Maj. Gen. F. Eli Wishart and Maj. Gen. John Lenti.
The S.C. State Guard is the all-volunteer state defense force component of the S.C. Military Dept. (SCMD). The SCMD also includes the S.C. Army National Guard, the S.C. Air National Guard, and other elements.
– W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a former U.S. Marine rifle-squad leaderand counterterrorism instructor who writes about military/defense issues and has covered war in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. He directsthe U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team. He is a field-grade officer inthe S.C. Military Dept. He is the author of six books, a New York Timesbestselling editor, and his articles appear in a variety ofpublications. Smith’s website is uswriter.com.
