Green Berets De Oppresso Liber US Army Enamel Metal Pin

De oppresso liber is the motto of the United States Army Special Forces.

In the United States Army Special Forces, the motto is traditionally believed to mean "liberate from oppression" or "liberate the oppressed" in Latin.

United States Army Special Forces unit insignia; WWII V-42 stiletto combat knife in the center of the unit insignia and 2 crossed arrows pointing up.

The United States Army Special Forces (also known by the nickname Green Berets, due to the distinctive beret derived from a contribution by a young officer, Edson Raff and authorized by President Kennedy) are special forces of the United States Army trained for unconventional warfare and special operations. They were founded by Aaron Bank but are based on the 1st US Special Services Force - Canada created by Colonel Robert T. Frederick during the Second World War, from which they take the symbols (the 2 crossed arrows on the lapel of the jacket and the Indian arrowhead on the sleeve).

Their official motto is De Oppresso Liber, "From oppressed, free," a reference to one of their primary tasks: training and assisting local forces of a foreign country allied to the United States.

Special Forces units have six specific main tasks: unconventional warfare, contributing to the internal defense of foreign countries, special reconnaissance, direct action, combating terrorism and hostage rescue. Other tasks include: search and rescue, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, minefield clearance, psychological warfare and anti-drug operations.