Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2016 December 15

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December 15

Oldest commando ever

Who was the oldest person to ever serve in the special forces of any nation? Was it Bull Simons of the Green Berets (who led the air assault on Son Tay prison camp at the vibrant young age of only 52), or was there someone even older? 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:F88D:DE34:7772:8E5B (talk) 13:37, 15 December 2016 (UTC)

What counts as "special forces" - Leonidas I of Sparta was about 60 at the Battle of Thermopylae, and the royal bodyguard which he led in that battle were certainly among the elite troops of the period. Wymspen (talk) 17:33, 15 December 2016 (UTC)

For this question, special forces are elite troops trained for unconventional warfare and for operations in the enemy rear, in the context of modern warfare (mid-19th century to today), since their mission parameters have changed a great deal over the centuries. 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:F88D:DE34:7772:8E5B (talk) 08:23, 16 December 2016 (UTC)

What is the difference between this and the second part of Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2016 December 8 (starting at 02:30, 10 December 2016 (UTC))? CambridgeBayWeather, Uqaqtuq (talk), Sunasuttuq 06:33, 16 December 2016 (UTC)

The difference is that I never received either a confirmation that Bull Simons was the oldest or any info about any older commando, so I decided to ask again just in case. 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:F88D:DE34:7772:8E5B (talk) 08:03, 16 December 2016 (UTC)