Commando is a member of a military force who is trained to take part in specialized hit-and-run or raiding operations. The word commando was originally a Portuguese term referring to a military unit or command. It was first used in South Africa during the 1830’s to describe surprise attacks of the Dutch and Portuguese settlers against the African people. Prime Minister Winston Churchill suggested the name commandos for the British combined operations units that used guerrilla warfare tactics during World War II (1939-1945). Commando raids destroyed war plants and materials, rescued Allied agents, or tried out invasion tactics.
Commandos in the United States Army are members of the Army Special Forces or of Army Ranger units. There are similar units in the U.S. Air Force that are called Special Operations units (formerly Air Commandos). In the U.S. Navy, such units are known as SEAL (for _s_ea, _a_ir, and _l_and) teams.
Famous commando operations during World War II included a raid on St.-Nazaire, France, in March 1942. Commandos destroyed the largest dock in western Europe. Canadian and British commandos raided Dieppe, France, on Aug. 19, 1942. They fought for nine hours against strong German defenses and suffered heavy losses. The U.S. Marine Corps employed commandos known as Raiders in the Pacific campaign during World War II. United States Special Forces, Special Operations, and Ranger units, as well as SEAL teams, were used during the Vietnam War (1957-1975). In 1976, Israeli commandos in a daring raid freed 103 hostages held by terrorists in Uganda’s Entebbe airport. In 2011, a team of Navy SEALs in Pakistan killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al-Qa`ida terrorist network.
