Today in Marine Corps History. O'Grady is rescued by the 24th MEU (SOC).

Today in Marine Corps history, the Marines of 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable rescued a downed USAF pilot in Bosnia.

Read about it here and here....a short tidbit from Wikipedia...

Just after midnight on June 8,[8] he spoke into the radio. An F-16 pilot from the 555th responded and, after confirming his identity, the rescue was set in motion. At 4:40, Admiral Leighton Smith, commander of NATO Southern Forces, called US Marine Colonel Martin Berndt aboard the USS Kearsarge with orders to "execute."[5]
Two CH-53 Sea Stallions with 51 Marines from the 3rd Battalion 8th Marines within the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, lifted off the USS Kearsarge to rescue the pilot. The two helicopters were accompanied by two Marine AH-1W SuperCobra helicopter gunships and a pair of Marine AV-8B Harrier jump jets. These six aircraft had support from identical sets of replacement helicopters and jump jets as well as two Navy EA-6BProwler electronic warfare planes, two Air Force EF-111A Raven electronic warfare planes, two Marine F/A-18D Hornets, a pair of anti-tank Air Force A-10 Warthogs and a NATO AWACS radar plane.[4]
At 6:35 a.m., the helicopters approached the area where O'Grady's signal beacon had been traced. The pilots saw bright yellow smoke coming from trees near a rocky pasture where O'Grady had set off a flare. The first Stallion, commanded by Major William Tarbutton, touched down and 20 Marines jumped off the aircraft and set up a defensive perimeter.[5] As the second Sea Stallion landed, a figure with a pistol who turned out to be the missing pilot appeared running towards the Marines and immediately went to the Sea Stallion.[9] As the side door opened, he was pulled in before the second 20 Marines poised to leave by the rear ramp could even move. They were called back to their seats, and those who had formed the defensive perimeter reboarded the other helicopter. After a quick head count, the Stallions took off. They had been on the ground no more than seven minutes.[4]

These were not Recon, Force Recon, MARSOC, or a fanciful Maritime Raid Force.

These were Infantry Marines that had the training and the confidence of their commanders to perform the mission.

Quite honestly the mission was the textbook on how it is done, even today.  Years later we would hear how a simple TRAP mission suddenly is the province of RECON/Maritime Raid Force.

Utter bullshit.  You're seeing mission creep.  SOCOM is stealing missions to justify its existence.  The Marine Corps MUST reinvigorate its MEU concept to push for a return to the robust capabilities it once had.