Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow, a Holocaust survivor who went on to join the United States Army and become an iconic Special Forces leader, died Friday at age 83.
Shachnow, a MOAA Life Member who had been a guest speaker at Sandhills Chapter meetings in North Carolina, began his 40-year military career as a private. He is part of the Commando Hall of Honor and the honor roll in the Infantry Officers' Hall of Fame, and has received the United States Operations Medal for outstanding contribution to special operations.
“Maj. Gen. Shachnow cast a long shadow, and we will miss him,” according to a statement released by the Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. “Even in retirement, Maj. Gen. Shachnow remained committed to the Special Forces Regiment, serving in a variety of volunteer roles and serving on a number of boards. As the Honorary Colonel of the Special Forces Regiment, he continued to provide sage guidance and sound counsel to commanders throughout the enterprise, and specifically here.”
Shachnow, who retired to Southern Pines, North Carolina, near Fort Bragg, is survived by his wife Arlene, four daughters and 14 grandchildren, according to the Fayetteville Observer.
He was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1934. When he was 6 or 7 years old, he was imprisoned by German forces a German concentration camp.
Retired Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow, center, poses for a photo during a Regimental Week banquet at Fort Bragg, N.C., in April 2011. (Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika/Army)
Three years later, Shachnow was liberated by the Soviet Army. He lived in Europe until 1950, when he immigrated to the United States.
Shachnow enlisted in the Army as a private and was assigned to the infantry. When he was a sergeant first class, he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an infantry lieutenant. He served as a rifle platoon leader, executive officer and company commander with the 50th Infantry, 4th Armored Division in Europe.
In 1962, Shachnow volunteered for Special Forces. He would go on to serve more than 30 years as a Green Beret, retiring in 1994 after time in Vietnam and in Germany as the head of Detachment A, a Special Forces unit stationed in Berlin during the Cold War.
He left service with two Distinguished Service Medals, two Silver Stars, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
In 2004, Shachnow wrote “Hope and Honor,” a memoir describing his upbringing in Lithuania and years of military service. The book received the Colby Award, which is given to influential pieces of military literature.
Amanda Dolasinski is MOAA's staff writer. She can be reached at amandad@moaa.org. Follow her on Twitter @AmandaMOAA.