12.21.2022 - By Modern War Institute at West Point
In the early 1990s, Greg Banner was sent to El Salvador to assist ongoing counterinsurgency training and operations. As a Special Forces officer, Greg had previous experience in Latin America and with advising missions but had not previously deployed to an active war zone. Supporting US Military Group El Salvador, he, along with a non-commissioned officer, advised an experienced Salvadoran army unit fighting an ongoing communist rebellion. While not there to participate in combat operations, it wasn’t long before he found himself on the receiving end of hostile fire.