View complete article and references at Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina at: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/47

Description: A bronze sculpture of a Green Beret Special Forces non-commissioned officer from the Vietnam War stands from a height of 22 feet in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command's Memorial Plaza at Fort Bragg. He is alert and at the ready with his finger above the trigger of his M-16. His hand is extended, and his foot crushes a snake to represent the end of oppression. The statue itself is 12 feet of bronze, standing atop of a green granite pedestal. Inside the statue's base is a time capsule with a Spacial Forces uniform, a Green Beret, John F. Kennedy's speech to the Green Beret soldiers, and a bust of JFK. The platform that has an inscription. The statue faces an American flag and the USASOC Memorial Wall Marker, which has the names of soldiers killed in combat.

Nickname: Bronze Bruce

Inscription:
Welcome Kinsman, Comrade, Friend. / Recorded here on this humble Wall are the / names of our fallen Heroes. They were / and will always be cherished Soldiers of / Army Special Operations, our comrades in arms. / Know that they eagerly sought and accepted / our Nation's most difficult missions against / our most dangerous enemies. Know that / they willingly endured hardship and danger / and, at the end, sacrificed all for us. / With solemn pride, know that in doing so / they proved true to their oath to the Constitution and / duty to the Citizens of the United States of America. / To them, their example and their memory / we humbly dedicate this Memorial.

Dedication date: 11/1/1969

Creator: Donald De Lue, Designer, Sculptor

Materials & Techniques: Rare green granite base, Italian golden bronze statue

Sponsor: Monument funded with $5,000 donations from John Wayne and Barry Sadler, $1,000 from Robert McNamara, and the remainder from global Special Forces soldiers. USASOC (United States Army Special Operations Command) Soldier, Family and Command Support Association.

Cost: $100000

Post dedication use: The Memorial Plaza hosts celebrations and memorial ceremonies for Memorial day and other events.

Landscape: The monument overlooks Fort Bragg's Memorial Square. As of 2010, Bronze Bruce faces the Fallen Special Operations Soldiers memorial wall.

City: Fort Bragg

County: Cumberland

Subjects: Vietnam War