SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam

403 Pages·2010·9.34 MB·English

by  John L. Plaster

More Outstanding Praise for SOG
“Major Plaster’s book is comprehensive, informative, and often exciting. His effort to
recount American soldiers’ feats of bravery in Indochina is a worthy act of historical
rescue.”
—The New York Times
“SOG played an important role during our operations against the communist enemy
in Vietnam. SOG is a superb and compelling account of their dedication and
heroism.”
—Gen. William C. Westmoreland, U.S. Army (ret.) “The enormous contribution of
SOG in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos is a story that needs to be told.”
—Henry Kissinger
“At last, a quarter century after their top secret deeds, we can recognize the Vietnam
War’s greatest unsung heroes, SOG’s covert warriors. The dramatic true stories in
SOG fill a major gap in special operations history.”
—Maj. Gen. John K. Singlaub, U.S. Army (ret.) “A magnificent book of enormous
power and a milestone in the literature of special operations. SOG is an excellent
account of secret warriors who gave their all for country, for mission, and for each
other.”
—Col. Robert Howard, Medal of Honor winner, the Vietnam War’s most highly
decorated soldier “Authoritative and insightful . . . a true insider’s account.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Indispensable.”
—Booklist
“Engrossing and thoroughly exciting.”
—Library Journal
“Fascinating . . . America’s finest fighters in the Vietnam War.”
—Duluth News Tribune
“An eye-opener of death-defying intrigue, carried out against almost suicidal odds!”
—Naples Daily News (FL)
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Maps: Sog’s Theater of Operations
Epigraph
1. Colby’s Secret War
2. Shining Brass
3. First Blood
4. Code Name Bright Light
5. Prairie Fire
6. Daniel Boone
7. Sog’s Dark Arts
8. Run Through the Jungle
9. The Snatchers
10. Bloody ’68
11. A Pale Blue Ribbon
12. Through the Looking Glass
13. Daniel Boone Again
14. Guns of the Hatchet Forces
15. The Searchers
16. Fighting Soldiers from the Sky
17. Sog Stands Alone
Afterword
Glossary
Photographs
About the author
Bibliography
Index
This book is dedicated to all of SOG’s secret warriors, and especially to the SOG
men captured but never released
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A book of this scope and detail would have been impossible to produce without the
generous assistance of many people. While I thank all who helped, this project was
assisted especially by: Lieutenant Steve Sherman, USA
Mr. Jack Kull
Sergeant Major Jan “Dutch” Wieranga, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major Gene Adcock, USA (ret.) CW2 Stanley
Steenbock, USA
CW2 Richard Madore, USA
Dr. John Brand
Mr. Paul Cornish, Imperial War Museum (London) Mr. Z. Frank Hanner, Curator, National Infantry Museum
Mr. Jim Phillips
Sergeant Bryon Loucks, USA
Sergeant Major Bobby Burke, USA (ret.) Mr. Tim Eldridge, U.S. Forest Service Mrs. Jeanette Worthley
Messrs. Roger Kennedy and Charles Farrow, photographers Almost every SOG veteran I contacted consented to
be interviewed. Many put me up in their homes, loaned me irreplaceable photographs and trusted me with
information that could be declassified only when I submitted the manuscript to the Defense Department.
They are listed alphabetically, with their rank either in SOG or upon retirement: Brigadier General Harry
Aderholt, USAF (ret.) Sergeant Major John Allen, USA (ret.) Staff Sergeant Tony Andersen, USA Mr. Conrad
“Ben” Baker, Dept. of Defense (ret.) Lieutenant Colonel Dean Ballmes, USAF (ret.) Sergeant Major James D.
Bath, USA (ret.) Master Sergeant Rick Bayer, USA (ret.) Brigadier General Donald G. Blackburn, USA (ret.)
Sergeant Michael Buckland, USA
Staff Sergeant Frank Burkhart, USA Commander W. T. “Red” Cannon, USN (ret.) Sergeant Major Jon Cavaiani,
USA (ret.) Colonel Steve Cavanaugh, USA (ret.) Colonel J. H. “Scotty” Crerar, USA (ret.) Staff Sergeant
William Curry, USA Sergeant Charlie Dodge, USA
Sergeant Major Norman Doney, USA (ret.) Master Chief Petty Officer Barry Enoch, USN (ret.) Colonel James
Fleming, USAF
Staff Sergeant Ancil “Sonny” Franks, USA Sergeant Bob Garcia, USA
Staff Sergeant Robert Graham, USA Major Don Green, USA (ret.)
Sergeant Major Billy Greenwood, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major Richard Gross, USA (ret.) Staff Sergeant Ray Harris,
USA
Staff Sergeant Oliver Hartwig, USA Sergeant Major Sammy Hernandez, USA (ret.) Sergeant Tony Herrell, USA
Sergeant Major James Hetrick, USA (ret.) Colonel Robert Howard, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major Rex Jaco, USA
Sergeant Major James Hetrick, USA (ret.) Colonel Robert Howard, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major Rex Jaco, USA
(ret.) Lieutenant Colonel Frank Jaks, USA (ret.) Colonel Don James, USAF (ret.)
Sergeant Major David Kahaahaa, USA (ret.) Staff Sergeant Steve Keever, USA (ret.) Sergeant Mark Kinsler, USA
Sergeant Major Ronald Knight, USA (ret.) Colonel Edward Lesesne, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major Dale Libby, USA
(ret.) Staff Sergeant Ben Lyons, USA (ret.) Captain Larry Manes, USA (ret.) Lieutenant General Leroy Manor,
USAF (ret.) Staff Sergeant Jeff Mauceri, USA Sergeant Major Kenneth McMullin, USA (ret.) Major Dick
Meadows, USA (ret.)
Staff Sergeant John Meyer, USA
Sergeant Major Luke Nance, Jr., USA (ret.) Sergeant First Class Cliff Newman, USA (ret.) Colonel Charles
Norton, USA (ret.) Master Sergeant Lloyd O’Daniels, USA (ret.) Colonel Bill O’Rourke, USA (ret.) Staff
Sergeant John Padgett, USA Colonel Bill Page, USAF (ret.)
Sergeant Major Robert Parks, USA (ret.) Colonel Roger Pezzelle, USA (ret.) Colonel Bob Pinard, USAF (ret.)
Colonel Bobby Pinkerton, USA (ret.) Sergeant Larry Predmore, USA
Master Sergeant Eulis Presley, USA (ret.) Colonel Jim Rabdau, USA (ret.)
Colonel Don Radike, USAF (ret.) Colonel Galen “Mike” Radke, USA (ret.) Secretary of the Army Stanley R.
Resor Colonel Robert Rheault, USA (ret.) Lieutenant Commander Don Richardson, USN (ret.) Colonel
Martin “Bill” Rose, USAF (ret.) Sergeant Major Newman Ruff, USA (ret.) Master Sergeant Richard Ryan,
USA (ret.) Colonel Ed Rybat, USA (ret.)
Master Sergeant Harvey Saal, USA (ret.) Colonel John Sadler, USA (ret.) Captain Hammond Salley, USA
Specialist Five Craig Schmidt, USA Sergeant Major James Scurry, USA (ret.) Major General Richard Secord,
USAF (ret.) Major General John K. Singlaub, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major Lowell W. Stevens, USA (ret.) Staff
Sergeant Bryan Stockdale, USA Major James Storter, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major John Trantanella, USA (ret.)
Sergeant Major Joe Walker, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major Billy Waugh, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major Larry White,
USA (ret.) Staff Sergeant Ted Wicorek, USA Mr. Charles Wilklow, Jr.
Mr. Randy Wilklow
Lieutenant Colonel Edward Wolcoff, USA (ret.) Sergeant Major Fred Zabitosky, USA (ret.) Although I alone
take responsibility for the book’s accuracy and content, I thank my editor at Simon & Schuster, Bob Bender,
whose insights and advice decisively helped to shape and refine it.