Peter Kreuziger, owner of
Dunedin’s Bon Appétit,
helped establish the
Special Operations Memorial
at MacDill Air Force Base.
The Special Operations Memorial recognizes the troops who participate in highly secretive missions on
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 95
On the drive back to Tampa Bay, Leandri
asked Kreuziger for a favor, due to his
failing health. “I want you to do for the
Special Operations Command at MacDill
what I have done for the U.S. Army Rangers
in Fort Benning.” Intrigued by the project
but skeptical of his own ability, Kreuziger
retorted, “I hardly know the difference
between Army and Navy.” But in the end,
with guidance from a newfound friend and
respect for service, Kreuziger accepted the
challenge, and the two men went to work.
Their first stop was to meet with four-star
General Wayne Downing, Commander-in-
Chief of the Special Operations Command
at MacDill Air Force Base. The highly
decorated general, whose chief hobby
was jumping from airplanes, explained to
Kreuziger that active military personnel
would be unable to serve on this project.
It would have to be civilians and retired
military who would create a Special
Operations Memorial. With a plan in
motion, Kreuziger and Leandri established
a civilian battalion along with special
operations retirees Major General Joseph
Lutz and Geoff Barker to begin fundraising.
This proved to be a greater challenge than
anyone anticipated. Most potential donors
had never heard of the Special Operations
Command at MacDill (SOCOM) or its
motto as “the quiet professional” team.
Troops operating in this highly secretive
unit had been instructed to withhold
details of their mission from friends and
family, and be ready for deployment at a
moments’ notice. Sometimes for a matter
of hours, sometimes for days and weeks,
the “quiet professionals” would disappear
to a corner of the earth, complete a mission
with surgical precision and return home.
The group’s fundraising efforts made
steady, albeit slow progress. They were
required to raise 100% of the funds before
being permitted to design and construct
the memorial. They hit this milestone in
1999 after years of cold calling and door
knocking. At long last, the memorial
foundation received approval from Bill
Clinton’s Secretary of the Air Force, Sheila
Widnall, and the first SOCOM Memorial
was built at MacDill Air Force Base in
Tampa. The memorial honored thousands
of Special Operations troops who had
made the ultimate sacrifice, beginning
with personnel lost in the Iran hostage
crisis in 1978. The listings began with 1980.
The Special Operations Memorial
Foundation continued to meet after the
completion of the memorial in 1999.
They continued to raise money to cover
ceremonies and events, maintenance, and
new plaques. On-base personnel were
amazed to see these engaged civilians
leading the charge to honor special
operations servicemen and women.
Years later in 2006, local businessman
John Cox was being shown around base
when the tour stopped at the SOCOM
memorial. In the aftermath of the
9/11 terrorist attacks and the ensuing
deployment of troops to Iraq, it was clear
that the memorial needed to be expanded.
Cox got in touch with the SOCOM
Memorial Foundation and offered to
provide all construction services at-cost.
Twenty-six days after the groundbreaking
of the second memorial, it was completed
and open to the public.
The original memorial, which listed 137
names spanning the Army, Navy, Air Force
and Coast Guard, grew into a magnificent
piece of architecture. The new memorial
was modeled after the SOCOM spear,
with the interior walls listing the Special
Operation troops killed-in-action or killedin
training, and the surrounding walls
honoring the donors who came together
to erect such a monument.
The many years of quiet, persistent
effort paid off as the first interservice,
international special operations memorial
honoring those “quiet professionals” was
completed. The memorial can be viewed
in its location in front of the U.S. Special
Operations Command at MacDill Air Force
Base in Tampa, thanks to the efforts of
Peter Kreuziger and many others in order
to honor those who helped defend and
protect the United States, Kreuziger’s
adopted country, which willingly accepted
him years ago. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: To contribute to the
memorial’s upkeep and maintenance,
or to designate a remembrance, please
visit specialoperationsmemorial.org/
contribute.
behalf of our country.