Since September 11th, 2001, 188 Green Berets have made the ultimate sacrifice in support of the Global War on Terror. However, as of this month, our team has identified more than 200 #GreenBerets who have passed away due to medical illnesses and cancers, either during or following their service post-9/11 - and these are only the ones we know of.
Of the (known) 204 post-9/11 Green Berets who succumbed to cancer, the average age at the time of death was 49 years old. The youngest is 29 (SFC Stephen Cherneski), and the oldest is 71 (MG Gary Harrell, ret.).
Brain, lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers claimed the most lives. Among these, only two cancers—lung and colorectal—have standardized screening protocols. Lung cancer screening typically depends on smoking status and starts around age 50, while colorectal screening generally begins at 45.
But these elite operators don’t fit the standard profile.
The men who earn the Green Beret are among the top one percent of our nation’s warriors. They are elite athletes, physically conditioned to excel, and they rarely meet typical cancer screening criteria or exhibit common risk factors. And that’s precisely the problem.
We are seeing young, otherwise healthy SOF operators being diagnosed with aggressive cancers—men who, by all medical standards, should not be high-risk. Their exposures, lifestyle, and the physical demands of their careers are not accounted for in traditional screening guidelines, leaving them at greater risk for late-stage diagnoses. This highlights the critical need for tailored screenings that reflect their unique health risks, ensuring early detection and prevention for our nation’s most elite warriors.
This stark reality underscores the long-term health impacts our #SpecialForces face far beyond the battlefield. More importantly, it highlights the urgency of prevention-based support and early cancer identification.
The rising number of cancer-related deaths among these elite warriors emphasizes the need for immediate action—providing comprehensive #CancerScreening and proactive care to detect and address these deadly conditions before they take more lives. Green Berets continue to serve and sacrifice, and we owe it to them to prioritize their health long after returning home.