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

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

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Major John L. Plaster, a three-tour veteran of Vietnam tells the story of the most highly classified United States covert operatives to serve in the war: The Studies and Observations Group, code-named SOG. Comprised ofvolunteers from such elite military units as the Army's Green Berets, the USAF Air Commandos, and Navy SEALs, SOG agents answered directly to the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs, with some missions requiring approval from the White House. Now for the first time, the dangerous assignments of this top-secret unit can at last be revealed!

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

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Plausible Deniability, October 07, 2008

MACV's Studies and Observations Group was once so secret that the U.S. government denied its existence.

MACV-SOG-Military 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.S. government. The group reported directly to the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and much of its history and exploits were concealed for years from the general public by a veil of secrecy and confidentiality. John L. Plaster served three one-year tours with MACV-SOG, and his book SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam is a true insider's account, revealing much about this top-secret commando unit and its covert missions in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

The all-volunteer MACV-SOG (most were U.S. Army Special Forces "Green Berets") carried out some of the most dangerous and challenging special operations of the Vietnam War. MACV-SOG made high-altitude, low-opening parachute jumps behind enemy lines, routinely carried out reconnaissance missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, penetrated deep into Laos and Cambodia, recovered downed pilots and attempted several POW rescues. Ranging deep in the enemy's rear, MACV-SOG reconnaissance teams forced Hanoi to divert 40,000 troops-about four divisions-to rear security missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

From his own personal knowledge of MACV-SOG operations and from interviews with more than 100 MACV-SOG veterans, along with recently declassified documents, Plaster has crafted a heavily anecdotal and riveting account. He offers tales of close, violent combat actions between MACV-SOG teams and large numbers of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops. While some infantrymen in Vietnam despaired of ever seeing the enemy, MACV-SOG teams often found themselves fighting their way out of a hornet's nest of angry NVA battalions. Plaster recounts some of the most extraordinary tales of the Vietnam War. Some stories will lie to rest old rumors; others will just raise more questions. For example, Plaster describes how two Chinese advisers were killed when reconnaissance team (RT) Maine ambushed an NVA company command element, killing the commander, his three platoon leaders and two Chinese advisers as they gathered for lunch. Plaster also tells about the "crazy Canadians" who served in the U.S. Army with MACV-SOG, including Robert Graham, who once carried a Simpsons (Sears) 55-pound hunting bow and shot broadhead-tipped arrows at the NVA during a firefight.

Plaster relates some of MACV-SOG's lighter moments as well. Mixed in with the pathos of combat is some great humor. Readers will not be disappointed; the book is worth its cover price just for one very funny story about a bicycle. In another amusing anecdote, Harvey "Hippie" Saal walks buck-naked into an NCO club after he is refused entrance for wearing a dirty uniform. There are a number of stories about the legendary Walt Shumate, and Plaster explains why there were so many Walt Shumate stories.

Indeed, MACV-SOG is the stuff of legends. Legends such as the 14 men of RT Kansas who held off an NVA regiment; the captured NVA "Earth Angels" used against their former comrades; the combat high-altitude, low-opening jumps into NVA redoubts; and the men of RT Colorado's who faced nearly 300 NVA formed in ranks in front of the team's eight Claymore mines. Another MACV-SOG legend and one of its well-known characters, Jerry "Mad Dog" Shriver, received his sobriquet courtesy of Radio Hanoi. Resplendent when off duty in his derby hat and blue-velvet smoking jacket, his closest companion was Klaus, a German shepherd. Shriver, who often ended up in situations where he was in danger of being overrun, once told his air cover: "No, no. I've got `em right where I want `em - surrounded from the inside." Like many MACV-SOG recon men, Shriver's luck ran out eventually. Last seen assaulting an NVA bunker line, he was declared missing in action.

MACV-SOG had more than its share of MIAs. One of the most well-known was Larry Thorne, a Finnish veteran of the so-called Winter War against the Soviet Union during the prelude to World War II and a recipient of the Mannerheim Cross. Thorne was carrying a bolt-action .30-06 Springfield when he became MACV-SOG's first MIA in Laos. Stories abound of teams that disappeared without a trace, though sometimes circumstances and evidence (such as proof that NVA concussion grenades had been used) led MACV-SOG to believe that the men were captured. A dozen entire teams are still unaccounted for.

Of the men known to be prisoners of war, only a few returned home alive. No MACV-SOG POWs were released from Laos. Of the 58 MACV-SOG MIAs in Laos, only one returned-Charles Wilklow. Wilklow escaped captivity after being staked out by the NVA as human bait for rescuers for several days. His captors had thought he was too close to death to need a guard, but he managed to crawl off into the jungle and evade recapture until rescued.

MACV-SOG recon casualties exceeded 100 percent, the highest sustained American loss rate since the Civil War. In 1968, every MACV-SOG recon man was wounded at least once, and about half were killed. But despite such high losses, MACV-SOG boasted the highest "kill ratio" in U.S. military history, topping out at 158-to-1 in 1970.

SOG reads like "who's who" of Green Berets. There are several names that many Vietnam veterans and most Special Forces veterans will recognize: Billy Waugh, Larry Thorne, Dick Meadows, Jerry "Mad Dog" Shriver, Fred Zabitosky, Walter Shumate, Jon Cavaiani, Roy Benavidez, Norm Doney and Robert Howard. Some like Benavidez, Cavaiani, Howard and Zabitosky, are remembered for the deeds that earned them the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor was awarded to nine MACV-SOG men, including Lieutenant Tom Morris, a sea-air-land forces (SEAL) officer, and Lieutenant Loren Hagen, the last U.S. Army member to be awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.

With small reconnaissance teams numbering less than 10 men, MACV-SOG tied down thousands of NVA troops, provided invaluable intelligence information to the Pentagon, rescued downed pilots and destroyed large amounts of enemy materiel while inflicting grievous losses on the NVA. Earning their place in history with daring exploits and exemplary accomplishments, the men of MACV's Special Operations Group have been brought out of the shadows by John L. Plaster's illuminating book.

Caveat: reviewer knows the author, John Plaster

Rob Krott is the author of: Save the Last Bullet for Yourself: A Soldier of Fortune in the Balkans and Somalia

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

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Outstanding, June 21, 2008
This exceptional story of US commandos and their allies the Montagnards, called the Yards, who were fiercely enemies of the North Vietnamese communists, is written by one of a three tours veterans in the SOG.

John Plaster is particularly good in the way he reveals the magnificent acts of heroism, of chivalry, of gallantry, of comradeship these commandos lived.

These true elite fighters who always fought behind the enemy lines inflicted tremendous damages to the NVA forces. As the author quotes in the book : " SOG recon men consistently killed more than one hundred NVA for each list Green Beret, a ratio that climbed as high as 150:1"
Moreover: "At one point each American Green Beret operating in Laos was tying down six hundred NVA defenders, or about one NVA battalion per SOG recon man in the field".

These soldiers are the quintessence of qualities of the USA. As a French citizen (with some family having fought in the French Para Legion in Indochina) I could not think otherwise than them being of the true nobility.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

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SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam, May 30, 2008
I am a veteran of SOG having served with CCC, FOB-2, Kontum RVN. After being assigned to ST Illinois I pulled several missions and suddenly found myself One-Zero (Team Leader) after the One-Zero quit Recon and moved on to the Hatchet Force.

I have conversed with John Plaster on several occasions and have purchased all his books. In this particular book I am mentioned on pages 89-90 where he (Plaster)tells what he says is the story of the "Bright Lights" mission that recovered the body of SP5 John Kedenburg MOH. I and my assistant Team Leader, One-One,Mike Tramel have read this tale and were absolutely astounded to learn from Plaster's book what a couple of bumbling heroes we were. In short, the only truthful details is our names. The date, and details of the mission are l00% BS.

In addition to our mission Plaster makes several stupid statements in his book that defy the imagination. For example:

He states that Thunderstorms in VN (SE Asia) do not produce lightning only thunder.

He was issued a Silenced Swedish K SMG. To the best of my knowledge and belief we had a plethora of Silenced Sten Guns/.22 cal colt woodsman pistols, a conex container of Swedcish K"s but none had silencers.

He always checked his safety just prior of getting out of the Helicopter to insure, due to humid weather in VN, that it had not rusted solid. Now this would be a real trick since the receiver of the CAR-15 was aluminium alloy and did not rust.

Going to the Club and singing "Old Blue" everytime a US SF soldier was lost. This never happened while I was at the FOB ,again to the best of my knowledge and belief. However, SFC James McGlon was known as "Old Blue" because he was always singing "Old Blue" at the Club.

This is just a few of the untruths I found in his book and I don't have it in my possession so I might extract other parts of his tales that I know to be incorrect. Suffices to say, that every SF Soldier (circa1968), that I have spoken with have the same opinion of the Plaster's Books.BTW Neither Mike or myself were interviewed by Plaster prior to the publication of his book

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

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Superb!, April 06, 2008
This is a book I bought based on the VERY high reviews on Amazon. To me this one lived up to the high praise. I had no idea what SOG was - now I do ...& I am very impressed. There are so many great stories in here - almost all incredible life & death situations. I have the highest respect for the men who served in SOG. Worth buying for sure.

What a great book., January 11, 2008
Well researched and well written. If you want to know about Special Forces recon teams in Vietnam, don't pass this one up.

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