Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Pennington, USA, Retired
CW4(R) “Bob” Pennington served over 30 years in the US Army, 26 years as a Green Beret. He served as both an Assistant Detachment Commander and Detachment Commander. He also held positions at the Company level as an Operations Warrant, Executive Officer and Company Commander and the Battalion level as a Senior Warrant Officer Advisor.
As America’s response to the 9/11 attacks, then CW2, Pennington served as the Assistant Detachment Commander for Operational Detachment Alpha-595 during their historic campaign, conducting textbook Unconventional Warfare operations while on horseback against a formidable Taliban and Al Qaeda Force, 10-times the strength of the allies.
Now featured in several books (“The Hunt for Bin Laden”, “The Horse Soldiers” and others), and films (major motion picture “12 Strong” and the documentary films “Legions of Brothers” and "The Pasha"), Bob has been a guest speaker numerous times for the Special Forces Qualification Course, educational briefings and charity events. Bob has co-authored books and manuals covering Special Forces operations in the conduct of Unconventional Warfare.
Bob is the recipient of many combat and peacetime awards, to include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device and two oak leaf clusters, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, and Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters. He is a 2020 inductee as a Distinguished Member of the
Special Forces Regiment, as well as a 2020 inductee into the Georgia Military Veteran’s Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the 2018 MG Shachnow Award (Special recognition for combat actions), and the 2014 Bronze Order of Saint Philip Neri (20+ years outstanding achievement in Special Forces). He also received a Special Commendation from the Governor of Georgia and honored through a State Resolution by the Georgia House of Representatives for his military service. He is a lifelong member of the distinguished Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
Bob, Mark, and their former SF team mates and business partners, now operate a veteran owned, craft distillery brand, American Freedom Distillery in St. Petersburg, FL featuring their premium award-winning, Horse Soldier Bourbon. Bob is married to the former Lisa Hemstreet of Sanford, North Carolina and has been blessed with three sons and two step sons.
