Military assistance command vietnam macv study and observation group sog was the joint service high commands unconventionalwarfare task force engaged in highly classified clandestine operations throughout southeast asia. From that point, vietnam was mainly the 5ths show until 1971 when it returned to fort bragg. Navy naval advisory group vietnam navy veteran locator. During the vietnam war and in its legacy, perhaps no group of men has created more interest or exhibited more heroism.
Newman on 18 february 1971 a special forces reconnaissance team assigned to the military advisory command vietnam studies and observations group macvsog was being exfiltrated under intense hostile fire from a hillside overlooking the infamous a shau valley on the laotian border in what was. The league of families for the prisoners of war in southeast asia. Naval advisory group raid70 atf211 naval advisory group raid72 atf211 naval advisory group raid73 atf211 naval advisory team 159. The list is then in order by location, with a list of units assigned to that location. He was an exploitation platoon leader with command and control south, macvsog military assistance command, vietnam studies and observation group. During the vietnam war, the military assistance command, vietnam studies and observations group macvsog was a highlyclassified, u. Army engineer command provisional and then served as a sort of holding unit until closed. Unit, 5th special forces group, studies and observations group. Fast patrol craft patrol craft fast pcf, also known as swift boats, were allaluminum, 50foot 15 m long, shallowdraft vessels operated by the united states navy for counterinsurgency coin operations during the vietnam war.
Usasoc honors clandestine sf unit from vietnam war article. Flour mill at ba ria vung tau province, southern vietnam mekong flour mills ltd mekong was established in the socialist republic of vietnam in june 2000 as a 100% foreign owned company of mfm international ltd, a whollyowned subsidiary of mfmb. But in september 1964, the first step was taken in making vietnam the exclusive operational province of 5th group when it set up its provisional headquarters in nha trang. This site is dedicated to the worlds military elite. The presidential unit citation army was awarded to macvsog military assistance command, vietnam studies and observations group, during a ceremony at ft. A small group of highly trained, resourceful us special forces sf men is asked to go in teams behind the enemy lines to gather intelligence on the north vietnamese army units that had infiltrated through laos and cambodia down the ho chi minh trails to their secret bases inside the cambodian border west of south vietnam. Vietnam convoy trucker by william patterson vietnam. Operations in southeast asia ainslie iii 8311967 9211967 1st australian task force, vietnam hq. He wears his green beret, leaf camouflage fatigues and zippered jungle boots. This book covers the fighting done by special operations groups sog during the vietnam war. List of allied military operations of the vietnam war. Vietnamese naval shipyard vnnsy vung tau provincial reconnaissance.
In may 2015, office of history staff continued the project. Army support group, vietnam, which served under the 9th logistical command in okinawa. List of allied military operations of the vietnam war 1970 list of allied military operations of the vietnam war 1971 list of allied military operations of the vietnam war 1972 list of allied military operations of the vietnam war 19731974 list of allied military operations of the vietnam war 1975 by name see also. John stryker tilt meyer born january 19, 1946 is an american author and u.
The military assistance command vietnams studies and operations group macvsog was the united states largest and most complex covert operation since world war ii. Officially activated september 1961 fort bragg, nc september 1962 teams from the 5th special forces group began serving temporary duty tours republic of vietnam. A decorated vietnam war veteran who served in the covert studies and observations group sog. Since the yearlong american punitive campaign failed to deter the north vietnamese, the johnson administration decided that a massive effort was. Fredrick was known as huckleberry due to the straw hat he wore and both were part of a mission, which is credited as being the first to attempt to recover an american pow usaf captain carl e. The group includes veterans from world war ii, korea, vietnam, panama, grenada, the balkans, somalia as well as those from our most recent conflicts in afghanistan and iraq. A result of cia covert military commanders in vietnam. Please consider donating any amount you desire to help cover my server costs. Dec 10, 2001 inside the cias covert forces death of a young american by douglas wallerwashington. The 4th psyop group in vietnam was based on the cruz compound. Earlier a detachment had deployed to mali, africa, and south american operations were on the near horizon. Danang 80th general support group vets vietnow locator. Between october 2014 and march 2015, members of the usace veterans curation program digitized approximately half of the slides and worked with caption lists to create a finding aid for the collection.
This photograph of rick caplin was taken in the summer of 1964 outside of vinh loi, the village where his special forces detachment was located. Nov 12, 2012 we could call this book special operations recon mission impossible. Army engineer activities in southeast asia, 19661972. Usaf units serving in south vietnam 19651973 air force. I was stationed at ubon from july 1971 to may 1972.
Officially, it was known as the studies and observations group. It will appeal not only to those with an interest in the u. A small group of highly trained, resourceful us special forces sf men is asked to go in teams behind the enemy lines to gather intelligence on the north vietnamese army units that had infiltrated through laos and cambodia down the ho chi minh trails to their secret bases inside the. Activated 15 april 1960 fort bragg, nc designated as headquarters and headquarters company 5th special forces group airborne, 1st special forces. Understanding special operations and their impact on the. Best books on special forces missions these nonfiction books are related to u. Viet cong, the guerrilla force that, with the support of the north vietnamese army, fought against south vietnam late 1950s1975 and the united states early 1960s1973. The battle of ia drang was the first major battle between regulars of the united states army and regulars of the peoples army of vietnam pavn nva of north vietnam during the vietnam war. Military assistance command vietnam studies and observations group. The 1st special operations squadron traces its heritage back to the 1st pursuit squadron which activated on aug. Just in from batman onezero, ccc st illinois, fob2, kontum return to vietnam by clifford m. In existence from january 1964 through may 1972, the military assistance command, vietnam studies and observations group macvsog was a topsecret multiservice unit which conducted covert operations in laos and cambodia, where conventional u. Codenamed the studies and observations group, sog was the most secret elite u.
Their mission was to gather information about enemy troop movements and. List of former united states special operations units wikipedia. Secret wars of americas commandos in vietnam by john. With any order above, while stocks last, you can purchase up to three 3 sets of five humorous books. Army special operations command in a ceremony here, oct. February 1965 total forward deployment of the group was completed to south vietnam. Behind enemy lines in vietnam vietnam war, vietnam, vietnam. Plaster born 1949 is a former united states army special forces officer regarded as one of the leading sniper experts in the world. Full deployment of the group was completed in february 1965. Vietnam warera deep reconnaissance and raider units. Duty station timeline duty station photos member photos. Lists of allied military operations of the vietnam war. The citation is awarded to units for extraordinary heroism in action.
The special operators of the special operations command socom have a history of being competent military members with deep beliefs and codes of behavior and confidence in their actions. Complete list of members and nonmembers who have passed are listed below these. In the midst of these events a terrible famine had been raging since the fall of 1944. President johnson and the cia teamed up to investigate the protests on college campuses and throughout the united states. Miller, a green beret from the 5th sfg, who was assigned to macv sog was awarded the medal of honor for actions conducted as a longrange reconnaissance team. Project delta, detachment b52, 5th special forces group. Headquarters and headquarters company 4th psychological. Among the many decorations detachment b52 soldiers received were two distinguished service crosses, 18 silver stars, 58 bronze stars with v devices, 53 purple hearts, the valorous unit award, the republic of vietnam cross of gallantry, the republic of vietnam civil actions honor medal with palm. Activated 9 july 1942 at fort william henry harrison, montana. The youngest special forces captain in vietnam was a war. List of former united states special operations units. Inactivated 2 october 1971 at fort lewis, washington. The years of combat, 19651968 by march 1965, the government and armed forces of south vietnam were on the verge of collapse under the weight of the enemys politicalmilitary offensive. Air force units in south vietnam, 19651973, was compiled by colonel john schlight, office of air force history, 1980.
Before it popped off, there hadnt been a war like it. Constituted 7 november 1967 in the regular army as headquarters and headquarters company, 4th psychological operations group. Whenever tan son nhut air base came under rocket and mortar attacks, the 19th would operate for up to two weeks at a time from phan rang air base. Other eyewitness accounts detail peasants eating roots and bark and bodies littering city streets and the. Just one year later, elements of the 5th special forces group began serving temporary duty tours in the republic of vietnam. Creed and mottos of special operations command socom.
In the mid1960s, public disapproval of the vietnam war was widespread. During the vietnam war, the military assistance command, vietnam studies and observations group macvsog was. Macvsogmilitary assistance command, vietnam special operations group later renamed studies and observations group was the elite military unit of the vietnam war, so secret that its existence was denied by the u. Macvsog was a joint service high command unconventional warfare task force engaged in highly classified operations throughout southeast asia. We could call this book special operations recon mission impossible. The pentagon created sog in 1964 as a secret joint services unit under the military assistance command, vietnam.
Originally designated as the 80th ordnance group, the organization was activated on 25 january 1945 at luneville, france and then later that year inactivated at ft. I do remember that the unit received the outstanding unit award, with v device for valor while i was there, and i just missed eligibility for the presidential citation. In 1967, the 4th psyop group published a page report titled 4th psychological operations group republic of vietnam. Vietnam special ops macvsog weve had several requests to discuss a special operations group from the vietnam war, macvsog. The real reason for transplanting the mad kurtz from the congo to the nomans land beyond vietnam can be found in the cias covert operations in laos and cambodia. Jim burns, usaf retired i was flying as a flight mechanicdoor gunner on a u. About 11 years after its birth, the marine corps was officially separated from the vietnamese navy. This book endlessly recounts the wanton thievery that special forces men.
I recall an incident in the early 1970s when it was found that vc flags were being made in an american advisory compound in the mekong delta and that the flags were being sold to the vc. From 1964 to 1972, far beyond the battlefields of vietnam and the glare of media distortions, american green berets and their indigenous troops fought a deadly secret war in laos, cambodia and north vietnam under the aegis of the top secret military assistance command vietnam studies and observations group, or simply sog. Six months later in february, nha trang became the 5ths permanent headquarters. Ho chi minh was later to tell oss major archimedes patti that a million vietnamese died of starvation during the autumn and winter of 194445. Xulan, a christianbased press, guided bill patterson through the process of writing his memoir, vietnam convoy trucker 202 pp. As early as the late 1950s, intensified guerrilla activities had been observed by the cia in south vietnam. Find people you served with from naval advisory group vietnam. Apr 30, 2006 special agent, vietnam is the only book that addresses this aspect of the vietnam war.
Colonel kings inspirational and handson leadership drove us to excel. I was half expecting this book to have a little more of some of the operators. It was again reactivated at red river arsenal, texas in 1954 and redesignated as the 80th general support group in 1966 when it moved to vietnam. Military assistance command, vietnam studies and observations group macvsog aka macsog or just simply sog was a top secret, diversely functional us special operations team that practiced clandestine and some black ops untraditional combat missions before and during the vietnam war 1. The program grew as the concept became a matter of interest to the marine command, who early on saw the need for a winning hearts and minds pacification program, as opposed to the kill everything that moves large unit warfare concept favored by gen westmoreland, commander. Constituted 5 july 1942 in the army of the united states as headquarters and headquarters detachment, 1st battalion, third regiment, 1st special service force, a combined canadianamerican organization. Air force uh1f huey helicopter, assigned to the 20th helicopter squadron known as the green hornets. Groupm is wpps consolidated media investment management operation, serving as the parent company to agencies incl. Special operations group sogsite military and law enforcement collectibles specializing in special operations units. Military assistance command, vietnam studies and observations group macvsog was a highly classified, multiservice united states special operations unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the vietnam war established on 24 january 1964, the unit conducted strategic reconnaissance missions in the republic of vietnam south vietnam, the. The unit was redesignated the 1st pursuit squadron interceptor dec. Macvsog the black operators of the vietnam war the.
Danang 80th general support group vets in reply to. Plaster, a threetour veteran of vietnam tells the story of the most highly classified u. A magnificent book of enormous power and a milestone in the literature of special operations. Books examine special operations forces during the vietnam war. The name is said to have first been used by south vietnamese president ngo dinh diem to belittle the rebels. The vietnam center and sam johnson vietnam archive. Headquarters and headquarters company 4th psychological operations. Mostly composed of indigenous tribal vietnamese soldiers, the teams regularly suffered horrific casualties yet brought back critical information about guerrilla troop movements that immeasurably aided the u. The list is in chronological order by date beginning in june 1965 and ending in march 1973. More commonly referred to as sog special observation group, the agency conducted secret operations for eight years. Allied reaction to the tet offensive, first of a series of massive operations combining the assets and operations of the arvns iii corps and the american ii field force to maintain the posttet pressure on the enemy and to drive all remaining pavnvc troops from iii corps and the saigon area. Hq 921 st engineer group was in vietnam 1 oct 1966 to 25 may 1968, but never operated as a command organization.
Activated september 1972 at fort bragg, north carolina. Army 80th general support group, army support command, danang. The 10th special forces group airborne is the armys original special forces. While i was in vietnam, the government of vietnam restricted the sale of red and blue cloth in order to try to keep the viet cong from being able to make flags. Our focus remains in providing information whether delivered in print, cdrom, via web or from our own servers. In the early 1970s, his crew led raids and intelligencegathering operations in enemycontrolled areas of vietnam, laos, and cambodia. The operations database includes over 0 operations, but does not include every operation conducted during the course of the war. Army in vietnam was supplied by the armys pacific command through the small u. The last army division to leave vietnam, the remaining elements of the 101st airborne division returned to fort campbell, kentucky, where today it is the armys only airmobile division. The secret wars of americas commandos in vietnam by john l. Special operations group is your leading source for special operations, military and public safety collectibles, including hard to find special operations items. Air commando chronicles the air commando association. Marines in 1965, originally from a single infantry platoon.
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