Mercer McAfee Dorsey Jr.

On graduation from high school in 1958, he enlisted I in the United States Marine Corps and served as a Squad member, 81 Mortar Squad, Headquarters & Service Company 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA, until 1960. He was then posted to 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Okinawa as Squad Leader, 81 Mortar Platoon, Headquarters & Service Company and rising to the rank of Corporal.

Ending his Marine Corps enlistment in 1961, he worked as a Track Gang Laborer until he attended the University of Arizona, majored in Law Enforcement and enrolled in ROTC; graduating in 1966 with a BA and being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the U.S. Army.

After completing the Infantry Officers Basic and Airborne courses, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Infantry, (Airborne), Ft Bragg, NC from June 1966-February 1967 as a 4.2 Mortar Platoon Leader and then as the Battalion Assistant S-3 Air.

From February to June of 1967, he attended the Military Assistance Advisor Course (MATA), was promoted to First Lieutenant, and then posted to his first tour in Viet Nam with Advisory Team 87, Military Advisory Assistance Command as the Asst BN Advisor 2nd Battalion, 43rd Infantry Regiment 18TH Infantry Division, Army Republic of Viet Nam (RVN) from July 1967- July 68; then as the Advisor to the 43rd Regimental Intelligence and Reconnaissance Company (RVN) from February - July 1968 and promoted to Captain.

Posting Stateside, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion 3rd Infantry Regiment, (The Old Guard) Ft. Myer, Va. From August 1968 – Aug 1970 initially as Battalion Staff Officer and then, from October 1960- July 1970, as Commander Company E, (Honor Guard Company) where he was responsible for the U.S. Army Drill Team, the Fyfe and Drum Corps, the Sentinels for the Tomb of the Unknowns, and participated in President Eisenhower’s Funeral procession.

Following attending the Marine Corps (as Army Officer) Amphibious Warfare School, Quantico, VA, August from 1970 - June 1971 followed by Ranger Training, he returned for a second tour to US ARMY Vietnam (USARV) in the 1st Battalion, 506th Airborne Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, June - Sep 1971, first as a BN Staff Officer then, from September 1971- March 1972 as Aide de Camp, Deputy Commanding General, US Army Viet Nam (USARV).

His next assignment posted him to the US ARMY Berlin; first as a Brigade Staff Officer in the Berlin Brigade, from March – October 1972; then as Company Commander, Company B, 3rd Battalion, 6th Infantry, US Army, Berlin Brigade from March 1971- February 1974.

While in Berlin, he was personally selected by the Brigade Commander, Colonel and later Major General Sidney Shacknow to be the Commander, Special Forces Operations Detachment 3, Detachment A (DET-A), Berlin Brigade from February 1974 – July 1975. DET-A was little known and highly classified Special Forces unit (with the then classified name of the 39th Special Forces Detachment) that was uniquely skilled in Unconventional Warfare, Intelligence Tradecraft and Counterterrorism operations. In 1975, then Captain Dorsey developed the concept, material and training POI that led to DET-A being the Army’s first certified Counterterrorism unit. When SFOD DELTA was formed in 1977, this POI was accepted into DELTA’s training carte blanche.

Mac was promoted to Major, then attended the US Army Command General Staff College,

Fort Leavenworth KS from August 1975 - May 1976. There he met and wooed Karen Crisp, a nurse from Kansas City. They were married in Leavenworth on 22 MAY 1976.

His follow-on assignment from Leavenworth was to the 10th Special Forces Group, Airborne (SFGA),

Ft Devens, MA from Jul 1976 – Oct 1979; serving as, successively as Commander, Co A 3rd BN, 10th Special Forces Group; then as Operations Officer (S-3) 3rd Battalion, 10th SFGA; and finally, as Operations Officer (S-3), 10th SFGA.

His next assignment was as an Analyst with the Concepts Analysis Agency, Bethesda, MD, from October 1979 – 1980; then he was TDY to the Field Operations Group, Arlington VA Dec 1980 – April 1981 in support of OPERATION Eagle Claw (the Iranian Hostage rescue attempt).

Next, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assigned to U.S. Army Intelligence Support

Activity, Arlington, VA from April 1981 March 1984 as Executive Officer, Director of Operations, and

Support Director where he was key in founding a unit formed to provide worldwide

Intelligence support to DOD and other U.S. agencies specifically relating to terrorist activity.

Mac was then posted as Commander, Physical Security Detachment, (PSSE) Berlin, US Army Europe (with the then classified name of 410th Special Forces Detachment) from March 1984 – August 1986. In this post, he designed the structure, activated and commanded a unique special mission unit. The unit training and employing personnel in a variety of sensitive areas. The unit evaluated the security of sensitive U.S. installations and embassies throughout the European Command improving security at a time of heightened terrorist threat. The unit also remained prepared for sensitive wartime missions, and was the U.S. European Command’s in-extremist counterterrorist contingency force.

He returned Stateside and was promoted to Colonel in August 1986 and served as the Director, Advanced Special Forces Advanced Skills Training, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, NC until July 1988 then as the Deputy Assistant Commandant until June 1990.

Remaining at Fort Bragg, Mac then was the 1st SOCOM G-3 Operations Officer,1st Special Forces Command, Ft Bragg, NC, June to December 1990 and the Chief of Staff, US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Ft Bragg, NC Dec 1990 – Jan 1994 with Temporary Duty (TDY) as the Assistant G3, Task Force Proven Force for OPERATION Desert Storm/Desert Shield from January 1991 –March1991.

Returning from Desert Storm Mac was assigned as Deputy Commandant, US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS) from March 1991 – December 1993 and retiring from the Army on 1 January 1994 after having served the Nation for thirty years.

Colonel Dorsey’s military awards are: Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal (BSM) w/”V” for VALOR w/Oak Leaf Cluster (OLC); BSM w/3 OLC; Purple Heart; Meritorious Service Medal w/ 4 OLC; Air Medal; Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal; Army Commendation Medal w/3 OLC; Army of Occupation Medal- WEST BERLIN; National Defense Service Medal; w/ Bronze Service Star; Vietnam Service Medal w/8 Campaign Stars [w/ Silver Campaign Star(for 5 campaigns and 3 Bronze Campaign Stars (for 3 campaigns)]; Southwest Asia Service Medal w/ 2 Campaign Stars; Humanitarian Service Medal;, Vietnam Campaign Medal; Kuwait Liberation Medal; Combat Infantryman Badge; Expert Infantryman Badge; Master Parachutist Badge; Military Freefall Parachutist Badge; French Army Parachutist Badge; Combat Divers Badge; Ranger Tab; and Special Forces Tab.

Immediately after his military retirement and until September 1995, Mac became the Chief of Security, United Nations Protection Forces (UNPROFOR) , Former Republics of Yugoslavia and was responsible for the personal security of the U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary General, the development of NEO evacuation plans and the security of U.N. civilian personnel, property and installations in a region that included Croatia, Yugoslavia (Serbia), Bosnia and Macedonia while hostilities were ongoing. He supervised a security unit of over 135 personnel located in small detachments throughout the crises area. This required daily interface with Senior UN civilian and military officials and close coordination with the warring parties in a very challenging mission in a dynamic, and hostile environment. This came to an abrupt end when Mac was riding in a Russian aircraft over Sarajevo and had been hit in the thigh by a 51 caliber round and was badly wounded and being treated in the Czech Dressing Station at Sarajevo. A Snatch Team of Medics and SF Operators hauled him back to the US Medical Detachment at Sarajevo where he was stabilized, MEDEVACED to Landstuhl General Hospital, and then back to Walter Reed for 8 months of recovery.

Following his recovery, Mac then worked as a Senior Operations Analyst for RDR, INC. from 1995–1996 developing and running scenarios and exercises execution for U.S. Joint Special Operation Forces exercising the joint crisis action planning system.

From 1996–2002, Mac was the Program Manager and Senior Analyst for System Planning

Corporation’s (SPC’s) Technology/Land Systems Engineering Group supporting of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) efforts which improved military unmanned systems in the war on terror.

Mac was then a Business Development Manager, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) form 2002-2009, establishing and supervising a subcontract team providing special logistical support for military units and other government agencies in the Global War on Terror.

Since leaving SNC in 2009, Mac has been a Consultant to the DOD and other agencies, He’s been active in the leadership of Chapter XI (the National Capitol Area Chapter) of the Special Forces Association, rising to Vice President in 2013 and being awarded the Chapter’s Crerar Award for sustained and exemplary leadership in 2022. He has diligently kept contact with his Marine Squad, Special Forces, and Intelligence friends throughout- with many trips to reunions with all of them.

Mac is survived by his wife of 47 years, Karen. He is predeceased by his father and mother, Mercer and Alice Dorsey and his two sisters, Pat and Ginger.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation “IMO Colonel Mercer Dorsey, Jr.” to: The Grace Card Rescue; 14000 Flagtree Pl / Manassas, VA 20112; 703-477-4497; https://thegracecardrescue.com/ .

Colonel Mercer M. “Mac” Dorsey, Jr. will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be determined.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.demainefunerals.com for the Dorsey family.