2021 Bull Simons Award: CSM Mel Wick

Command Sergeant Major Mel Wick has been a force in U.S. special Operations since the mid-1960s, when he first volunteered for the Army. He served with Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (Studies and Observation Group), then went on as an adviser and trainer for the Thai Ranger School. Personally recruited by Colonel Charlie Beckwith in 1977 to lead up the selection and assessment process for the newly formed Delta Force, he was among the original six operators that established and developed the Delta Force Operator Training Course. His combat experience includes Vietnam, Operations Eagle Claw/Desert One in Iran, Urgent Fury in Grenada, Just Cause in Panama, Gothic Serpent in Somalia, Joint Endeavor / Forge in the Balkans, Desert Shield / Storm in Iraq, and many other classified operations. He served as the senior enlisted leader at all levels of Special Operations Forces: Delta, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and U.S. Special Operations Command. In retirement he continues to serve the SOF community through training programs, senior leader conferences, and professional development seminars. CSM Wick's leadership legacy and selfless service to SOF has helped forge the enterprise into the extraordinary operational fighting force it is today.