Colonel (Ret) Roger H.C. Donlon passed away on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at the age of 89. He first enlisted in the Air Force and then served in the Army. Much of his military service was with Special Forces. During the Vietnam War he deployed with an A-team of the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne); during which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Donlon graduated from high school in 1952 and enlisted in the U.S. military. He attended the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School and qualified in 1955 to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. However, after attending West Point for two years he left to earn his commission through the Officer Candidate School (OCS) in 1959. In 1963 he joined Special Forces. He served for more than 30 years as an Infantry, Special Forces, and Foreign Area Specialist.

On July 6, 1964, his Special Forces detachment (A-726) was attacked by a force of an estimated 900 enemy troops in the early morning hours. The SF team, along with 60 Chinese Nungs and a few hundred South Vietnamese irregulars, defended Camp Nam Dong, South Vietnam. The camp was near the border of Laos. During the battle Captain Donlon repeatedly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire – defending against the enemy, moving ammunition and weaponry, aiding the wounded, and rallying his men. He was wounded several times during the fight.

For his actions that day he was awarded the Medal of Honor. His was the first MoH award for the Vietnam War. On April 10, 2008, he was inducted (swcs.mil, PDF) into the Special Forces Regiment as a Distinguished Member.

In addition to the Medal of Honor, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, CIB, and the Parachutist Badge. He attended the Special Warfare Course, Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College.

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References:

Congressional Medal of Honor Society
Press Release, January 25, 2024

Congressional Medal of Honor Society – Roger H.C. Donlon
https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/roger-h-donlon

Roger Dolan – National Medal of Honor Museum
https://mohmuseum.org/medal_of_honor/roger-donlon/

CPT Roger H. C. Donlon -ARSOF History
https://arsof-history.org/medal_of_honor/recipient_donlon.html

Special Forces Taps
Obituary

Roger Donlon – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Donlon

Battle of Nam Dong – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nam_Dong

“Outnumbered Green Berets Defend Camp Nam Dong”, Military Heritage, Volume 22, No. 3, Fall 2020. https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/outnumbered-green-berets-defend-camp-nam-dong/

53 years ago, a top-secret mission was launched into North Vietnam to rescue American prisoners of war. Operation Kingpin, known as the Son Tay Raid, was the first ever highly classified joint service operation of its kind. Now, US Army veterans turned documentary producers Dan Smith (former Green Beret), John “Stan” Stanfield and Molly Huggins, along with award-winning director and producer Ehren Parks, have teamed up with the Global Special Operations Foundation and a dying breed of legendary American heroes to tell their incredible story, with an exclusive sneak peek community screening coming to Fort Liberty, NC as a part of Modern Warfare Week.

On November 21, 1970, U.S. Special Forces soldiers and U.S. Air Force airmen executed a swift and stunning raid of the Son Tay prison camp with zero American casualties. The Son Tay Raiders were 23 miles from Hanoi, within 5 miles of 112,000 N.V.A. regulars, and flying into the teeth of the most heavily defended airspace in the world. At the same time, Navy carriers executed the largest night carrier operation of the entire Vietnam conflict in rolling seas to suppress the enemy air defenses.

Not a single prisoner was found. Despite this, the raid stands as one of the most significant operations in modern military history. 27 Minutes at Son Tay is the true story of the raid the way the Raiders want it told; thoughtful, compelling first-person account of the planning and execution of a never before attempted rescue mission into the heart of enemy territory.

Director Ehren Parks, whose previous projects include the award-winning documentary My Life in China, was clear on the import of the film, echoing the vision of the mission ground commander COL Bull Simons. “The Son Tay Raid’s greatness lies in the fact that it brought together the separate branches for a greater purpose: to fulfill the pledge of ‘no man left behind.’”

27 Minutes at Son Tay interviewees include CSM (Ret) “Jake” Jakovenko, Ranger Hall of Fame member known for his prowess with the M-60 Machine Gun and often called the real-life Rambo; SGM (Ret) Tyrone Adderly, fellow Ranger Hall of Fame member and 2022 recipient of the U.S. Special Operations Command Bull Simons Award; Col (Ret) Lee Ellis, Hanoi Hilton resident; Col (Ret) Larry Ropka, master Air Force and CIA covert operations mission planner; Col (Ret) John Gargus, navigator and author of the definitive work on the mission, The Son Tay Raid: American POWS in Vietnam Were Not Forgotten, and RADM (Ret) Larry Chambers, the first African American to attain flag rank in the Navy. The film also features post-humous appearances from Col Bud Sydnor, Gen Leroy Manor, Col Frederic “Marty” Donohoe, and CSM Joe Lupyak.

The producers have partnered with the Global Special Operations Foundation to show a sneak peek community screening of the unreleased film as a part of the Modern Warfare Week, a joint event held for the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community to both educate and connect over the future of warfare from a SOF perspective. Members of the Raid as well as support and planning personnel will be in attendance. Former Green Beret and Executive Producer Dan Smith, whose connections provided the impetus for the film, highlighted what an honor it was to create this film as an educational tool for follow on generations, having served under the legacy of many of these legendary soldiers, sailors, and airmen. Additionally, according to Smith, “The value of the Son Tay Raid cannot be overstated. It is probably one of the most studied special operations since 1970. It has been used as a template to plan, train and conduct high risk missions by international as well as within the US. special operations community.”

The screening will be held Nov. 15th, 3 PM, at the Iron Mike Conference center, Fort Liberty. The event is free and open to the community, but attendees must register here.

The film is in final post-production, but current events has made raising money to complete the documentary a challenge. “Fundraising has been difficult during covid and the film industry labor strikes,” Parks noted, “But as we enter our final stretch to finish the film, we’re hoping the military community will join with us to get this story told the way the raiders want it told without outside influence.” Donations can be made via GoFundMe.

A trailer of the film, exclusive video shorts, and more information are available for preview at
27minutesatsontay.com.

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27 Minutes at Son Tay is a production of Kingpin-27 Minutes at Son Tay Film, LLC; Long Tale; Veritas Art Pictures, producing socially relevant content surrounding current events; and Gepadeaux Media, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business specializing in film and video production and distribution. For media inquiries, please contact Producer Molly Huggins at molly@thegreenglasspen.com or
907-978-4694.

A book published in 2022, SOG Kontum, details the some of the top secret missions that were conducted in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia during the 1968 – 1969 time period. The authors are Joe Parnar and Robert Dumont; with a foreword by John Plaster. The book is an excellent account of the men who served in the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG).

MACV-SOG was very classified, mult-service unit that conducted secret missions during the Vietnam War. The men who served in this unit were members of the U.S. Army Special Forces, U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S Marine Corps recon units, and other specialized units. They were supported by dedicated Airmen who infiltrated and exfiltrated these small teams into dangerous conflict zones via helicopter, flew medical evacuation flights, provided ‘Covey’ forward air controller support (communications and situational awareness), and close air support with rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.

This book focuses on the special operations teams that operated out of FOB-2 Kontum located near the tri-border area (Google Maps) of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia during the a year span from 1968 to 1969. These ‘Recon Teams’ and ‘Hachet Forces’ of Command and Control Central (CCC) conducted missions “in-country” and “over the fence” to gather intelligence, capture enemy assets, recover downed pilots, rescue allied prisoners of war, conduct personal recovery, and conduct psychological operations.

Little was known about MACV-SOG while the Vietnam conflict was ongoing. For several decades the American public and most people in the military had no idea of the secret missions the SOG operators were engaged in. Within the Special Forces community, certainly the word got out over time. Part of the secrecy about MACV-SOG can be traced to the decision to destroy the classified records of the unit and its operations in 1972 when SOG was disbanded. This, of course, has made it difficult to document the activities of MACV-SOG. It has fallen to several book authors to reconstitute the history of MACV-SOG through researching the personal stories of the ground and air participants. This book, SOG Kontum, does this; with the authors conducting numerous interviews of the participants of the SOG operations in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

The book contains the first-person accounts of the ground teams, FACs, close air support (rotary and fixed-wing) pilots and crewmen, MEDEVAC crews, and others. Although several books have been published about SOG, they cannot possibly tell all of the thousands of stories about the activities of the men who belonged to MACV-SOG. SOG Kontum is an excellent oral history of the men of MACV-SOG CCC during a year that spans 1968 to 1969.

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SOG Kontum, by Joe Parner and Robert Dumont, December 2022. Available on Amazon.com.

The Sentinel – a newsletter of the Quiet Professionals is published every month by Chapter 78 of the Special Forces Association serving the SF community in Southern California. Their monthly newsletter is available online and by subscription.

The March 2023 issue has a number of interesting articles and stories:

• SFACON 2023: High Speed – Low Drag. The Special Forces Association National Convention for 2023 will be held in Indianapolis. Read more about this upcoming event.
• Book Review: Budapest to Vietnam. A book by Nick Hun and Michael Jewell is reviewed. It is the story of Nick Hun – who served as an MP, a Green Beret, and in many other roles.
• A Journalist’s First Trip to a Communist Country. Marc Yablonka relates his trip to Laos in 1990.
• Saigon Memories – 1990. The experiences of traveling to Vietnam in 1990 is related in this article by Marc Yablonka.
• Value Added: A/1/19th SFG in Iraq. In September 2002, A/1/19th SFG arrived in Kuwait and immediately set to work. Its primary mission was training and conducting liaison duties with elements of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces.
• Alpha Company, 1/19th SFG(A) At War. A National Guard company went to war shortly supporting the invasion of Iraq.
• The Bolivian Rangers and the Capture of Che Guevara. The final episode of Che’s Bolivian adventure in October 1967 is detailed.
• MACV Recondo School. The history of the recondo school that ran in South Vietnam for a number of years.

Sentinel, March 2023, PDF, 20 pages. You can read online or download the PDF.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Eugene Ashley Jr.’s bravery was integral in rescuing Special Forces troops during the Battle of Lang Vei, which marked the first enemy use of tanks in the Vietnam War. Ashley, a Green Beret, never made it home from the war, but his determination earned him unending respect and the Medal of Honor.

Ashley was born on Oct. 12, 1931, in Wilmington, North Carolina, to Eugene and Cornelia Ashley. He had two sisters, Gertrude and Louis. Not long after Ashely was born, the family moved to New York City, where he grew up and attended Alexander Hamilton High School. After graduation, Ashley was weary of going into a dead-end job, so on Dec. 7, 1950, he joined the Army. 

Since the Korean War was in progress, Ashley was initially sent to serve there with the 187th Regimental Combat Team. In the years after he returned, he served in many capacities, including as an infantryman, ambulance driver, anti-aircraft ammunition handler and as a specialist in heavy weapons and parachute repair. He also served as a cavalry and armored battle group squad leader, as well as a company sergeant. 

Ashley was in the 82nd Airborne Division when he volunteered to join the Special Forces. After training, he was assigned to Company C of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces.

At some point, Ashley met and married his wife, Barbara. They had five children before he was sent to Vietnam in January 1968, just as North Vietnam’s Tet Offensive was beginning. 

By February, Ashley was serving as a senior advisor in the 5th SFG’s Detachment A-101 at Special Forces Camp Lang Vei in the northwest corner of South Vietnam. Located about a mile from the Laos border and 8 kilometers west of the U.S. Marine base at Khe Sanh, the camp was established in December 1966 as an outpost where Ashley’s detachment could train and equip locally recruited Vietnamese soldiers.  

According to an Army Center of Military History publication by late Army Col. John A. Cash, the enemy infiltrated Lang Vei in May 1967, so the camp was moved further west that September. From that time on, the area became battered by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong artillery fire, including on Feb. 6, 1968.

Tanks and Trapped Soldiers

That night, shortly after midnight, North Vietnamese troops drove Soviet-built tanks into the camp’s outskirts, marking the first time the enemy had used tanks in combat. According to an Army Special Warfare Center publication, “although the [Lang Vei] team radioed for help, they could not convince anyone in Khe Sanh … that tanks were indeed ‘in the wire.'” Cash said that Khe Sanh’s leaders denied several requests for help because they were concerned about ground relief forces being ambushed, as well as assaults via helicopter not being helpful “because it was dark and the enemy had armor.” 

To the Green Berets and few local soldiers who were willing to fight, that meant they were on their own. And because the camp didn’t have adequate anti-tank weapons, the tanks were able to breach the camp’s inner perimeter, trapping several U.S. soldiers, most of whom were inside the camp’s command bunker.  

Ashley happened to be at the old camp further east as the attack unfolded. Since the enemy had chosen to leave that area largely unscathed, he immediately began coordinating a defense that included high-explosive and illumination mortar rounds. When communications were lost with the main camp, the 36-year-old assumed the additional responsibility of directing air strikes and artillery support. 

Ashley was also put in charge of a small assault force that included two other American soldiers, Sgt. Richard H. Allen and Spc. 4 Joel Johnson, and local friendly personnel. Their mission: to rescue the men trapped inside the main camp. Unfortunately, the local soldiers refused to go into the camp to fight until daybreak. 

When dawn finally came, Ashley led that team on five intense assaults against the enemy. Each time, he put himself in the direct line of fire of grenades, machine guns and automatic weapons, and he had to dodge several booby-trapped satchel charges. He also continued to call for more air strikes. Each attempt diverted the enemy’s attention away from the trapped men in the command bunker.

Eventually, Ashley was hit by machine-gun fire that tore through the right side of his chest and went through the radio on his back. It was a serious wound, but he was only 30 yards from the command bunker, so he refused to give up.  

Shortly after 11 a.m., Ashley adjusted air strikes one more time so they would come down nearly on top of his unit. The move forced the enemy to withdraw and carved an escape path for the men trapped in the bunker.   

As that was happening, Ashley lost consciousness. According to Cash, Johnson and Allen managed to drag him out of the line of fire and, with help from some local soldiers, carried him back to an area of relative safety. When a Jeep arrived, they loaded Ashley into it and drove off. Unfortunately, when the Jeep stopped and Allen jumped out in search of bandages, Cash reported that “an enemy artillery round burst nearby, killing Ashley and knocking Johnson unconscious.” 

By the end of the battle, Lang Vei was lost to the enemy. Of the 24 Americans stationed at the camp, 10 were killed or missing, including Ashley, and 11 more were wounded.  

Ashley’s valor and his disregard for his own safety inspired the men around him. According to an Army Special Warfare Center publication, many of his fellow soldiers considered him a fatherly type of man, and they said that without his steadfast commitment that day, there likely would have been no survivors.  

For paying the ultimate sacrifice, the Medal of Honor was posthumously bestowed upon Ashley. His family received it from Vice President Spiro Agnew during a Dec. 2, 1969, ceremony in Washington. Two other men who gave their lives in Vietnam — Army Staff Sgt. Clifford Sims and Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Terrence Graves — were also honored with the medal that day.  

Ashley’s body was eventually returned to the U.S. He was buried in Rockfish Memorial Park Cemetery in Fayetteville, North Carolina. 

The Green Beret’s legacy has lived on in the Army and in his hometown. In 2001, the Eugene Ashley Jr. High School, located south of Wilmington, was dedicated in his honor. In 2013, a Fort Campbell operations complex for the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was named Ashley Hall. In 2019, Ashley was inducted into the U.S. Special Operations Command’s Commando Hall of Honor. 

Ashley’s son, Darrin, who was 2 in 1968, said his hero father’s legacy led him to become a soldier, according to a 1991 South Bend (Indiana) Tribune article. Darrin Ashley served during the Gulf War and retired in the early 2000s. 

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This story by Katie Lange was first published by DoD News on February 6, 2023. DoD content is in the public domain.

A new website has arrived that covers the history of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG). This secretive unit was activated in 1964 as a joint special operations task force.

About MACV-SOG. Studies and Observations Group (SOG) was commanded by a U.S. Army Special Forces colonel. Although many of the personnel in the unit were Green Berets, some personnel came from a range of organizations. In addition to U.S. Army Special Forces, members came from organizations such as the Central Intelligence Agency, Navy SEALs, Force Reconnaissance, and the Air Force.

Once established, some Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) programs were transferred to SOG. The missions of SOG included personnel recovery, reconnaissance, direct action, PSYOP, bomb damage assessments, sabotage, and more. Many dangerous missions involved cross border operations into Laos and Cambodia to observe the ‘Ho Chi Minh Trail’.

After 1967 three main components of SOG consisted of Command and Control North (CCN), Command and Control Central (CCC), and Command and Control South (CCS). Each command had its own area of responsibility in North Vietnam, Laos, and / or Cambodia. The three commands had teams and elements that conducted surveillance, raids, exploitation, reaction, and other missions.

About the Website. The History of MACV-SOG (website) tells the stories of special operators who conducted very dangerous operations during the Vietnam War. The mission of the History of MACV-SOG is to educate, inspire, and engage the public at large about this secretive yet important special operations unit that existed during the Vietnam War.

The pull-down menus on the website are user friendly and well organized. The different sections provide pictures and information about:

• Organization of SOG
• SOG Missions
• SOG Teams
• Supporting Units
• Medal of Honor recipients
• Pictures
• Videos
• SOG equipment
• and much more

The website is currently in the final stages of development (Spring 2021). New content is added continuously. One of the more interesting aspects of the site are the personalized stories by former SOG members of their missions in Southeast Asia. These stories, with more being added as time goes on, make for fascinating reading.

The History of MACV-SOG is a great resource for those interested in the special operations conducted during the Vietnam War. Worth a visit!

By Francis A. Abram.

Nam Dong, Lang Vei, Dak To, A Shau, Plei Mei – these were just some of the place’s SF troops fought and died during their 15-year stay in South Vietnam. It was a stay that began in June 1957, when the original 16 members of the 14th SF Operational Detachment deployed to Vietnam to train a cadre of indigenous Vietnamese SF teams. The first and last American Soldiers to die in Vietnam due to enemy action were members of the 1st SF Group. On Oct. 21, 1957, Captain Harry G. Cramer Jr. was killed, and on Oct. 12, 1972, Sgt. Fred C. Mick was killed.

Throughout the latter years of the 1950s and early 1960s, the number of Special Forces advisers in Vietnam steadily increased. Their responsibility was to train South Vietnamese soldiers in the art of counterinsurgency and to mold various native tribes into a credible anti-communist threat. Initially, elements from the different SF groups were involved in advising the South Vietnamese. In September 1964, the 5th SF Group was formed exclusively to conduct operations in Vietnam. The 5th Group set up its provisional headquarters in Nha Trang. Nearly six months later, in February, Nha Trang became the 5th’s permanent headquarters. From that point on, all SF Soldiers in Vietnam were assigned to the 5th until 1971, when the group returned to Fort Bragg.

By the time the 5th left Southeast Asia, SF soldiers had earned 17 Medals of Honor, one Distinguished Service Medal, 90 Distinguished Service Crosses, 814 Silver Star Medals, 13,234 Bronze Star Medals, 235 Legions of Merit, 46 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 232 Soldier’s Medals, 4,891 Air Medals, 6,908 Army Commendation Medals and 2,658 Purple Hearts. It was a brilliant record, built on blood and sacrifice.

Not to be overlooked, other SF training teams were operating in the 1960s in Bolivia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. Counterinsurgency forces of the 8th SF Group conducted clandestine operations against guerrilla forces, carrying out some 450 missions between 1965 and 1968. In 1968, SF-trained Bolivian rangers were involved in tracking down and capturing the notorious revolutionary, Che Guevara, in the wilds of south-central Bolivia.

Southeast Asia, however, was the SF’s primary focus. Through their unstinting labors, SF troops eventually established 254 outposts throughout Vietnam, many of them defended by a single A-team and hundreds of friendly natives. But fighting in remote areas of Vietnam – publicity to the contrary – wasn’t the only mission of SF. It was also responsible for training thousands of Vietnam’s ethnic tribesmen in the techniques of guerrilla warfare. SF took the Montagnards, the Nungs, the Cao Dei and others and molded them into the 60,000-strong Civilian Irregular Defense Group, or CIDG. CIDG troops became the SF’s most valuable ally in battles fought in faraway corners of Vietnam, out of reach of conventional back-up forces.

Other missions included civic-action projects, in which SF troops built schools, hospitals and government buildings, provided medical care to civilians and dredged canals. This was the other side of the SF mission, the part of the war designed to win the hearts and minds of the people.

SF personnel were instrumental in the covert war against North Vietnam. The Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observation Group, or MACV-SOG, conducted cross-border operations into Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam to disrupt the enemy’s use of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. SF-led teams ran in-country long-range reconnaissance patrols under the Delta, Sigma and Omega projects.

In one of the most daring missions of the war, Special Forces Soldiers (many from the 6th and 7th Groups) under Colonel “Bull” Simons launched a raid to rescue 70 American prisoners of war from the Son Tay Prison outside Hanoi. Staged out of Thailand, the assault was successful, but unbeknownst to the U.S., the prisoners had been relocated due to the flooding of a nearby river. The valiant attempt, known as Operation Ivory Coast, raised the morale of the POWs and forced the North Vietnamese into improving the treatment of the captives.

On March 5, 1971, the 5th Group returned to Fort Bragg, although some SF teams remained in Thailand, from where they launched secret missions into Vietnam. But by the end of 1972, the SF role in Vietnam had diminished.

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Author: Francis A. Abram served in the 5th and 6th Special Forces Groups, U.S. Army. Francis is a member of the Cape Ann Veterans Writers Circle, Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Image: Map, CIA, 1972.

CSM (R) Bennie Adkins, a Medal of Honor recipient, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on December 14, 2020. Bennie Adkins died in April 2020 from complications with COVID-19 after a 23-day battle against the virus. The 5th Special Forces Group provided rendered honors at the burial ceremony. The story below is provided by the 5th SFG(A) Public Affairs Office.

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Arlington National Cemetery, VA – Green Berets, assigned to 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), assisted Soldiers of The Old Guard with rendering honors to Medal of Honor recipient, Command Sgt. Maj. (Retired) Bennie G. Adkins, at Arlington National Cemetery, 16 Dec.

Adkins died in April at the age of 86 in Opelika, AL from complications with COVID-19 after a 23-day battle against the virus.

Green Berets of The Legion, escorted CSM(R) Adkins and members of his family, from Opelika, AL to the Arlington National Cemetery. The Soldiers also assisted with the dignified transfers on and off Adkins’ honor flight to his final resting place.

“The experience was an absolute honor,” said MSG Kevin, a Green Beret with 5th SFG(A). “At 5th SFG(A), we are standing on the shoulders of giants when it comes to those in the past that have paved the way forward for this country and [The Legion]. Adkins was one of those giants. There is not much that I can say other than it was a true honor and privilege to act as a small part in escorting a warrior like him to his final resting place.”

Command Sgt. Major (R) Adkins, is considered an Army legend, surviving three combat tours in Vietnam, as a Green Beret. In September of 2014, he was finally awarded the nation’s highest award for valor, by President Obama in recognition of his actions in Vietnam 48 years earlier. During a thirty-eight-hour battle, and forty-eight hours of escape and evasion in 1966, Adkins battled against machine-gun fire, mortars, small-arms fire, grenades and more.

Adkins’ medal citation states that, “It is estimated that he killed between 135 and 175 of the enemy, while sustaining eighteen different wounds to his body.”

Following his Military service, Adkins earned a bachelor’s degree, and two master’s degrees, which inspired him to start the Bennie Adkins Foundation which continues to support transitioning Green Berets with college scholarships.

Adkins is preceded in death by his wife Mary, who passed in 2019. He is survived by a daughter, two sons, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the foundation said in a statement.

Adkins’ legacy will live on through the work of the Bennie Adkins Foundation, the foundation stated in a Facebook post.

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Top Photo: Green Berets, assigned to 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), conduct a dignified transfer for the final flight of Medal of Honor recipient, Command Sgt. Maj. (Retired) Bennie G. Adkins, to his resting place at Arlington National Cemetery on December 14, 2020. Photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Knowles, 5th SFG(A) PAO.

Original Story: “5th Special Forces Group (A) renders honors to MOH Recipient CSM(R) Bennie Adkins”, by Staff Sgt. Aaron Knowles, 5th Special Forces Group Public Affairs Office, December 18, 2020.

Bennie Adkins Foundation
https://www.bennieadkinsfoundation.org/

“CSM Bennie Adkins – RIP”, SOF News, April 17, 2020
http://www.sof.news/vietnam/bennie-adkins/

SOF News Update 20200114 – Curated news, commentary, and analysis about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world. New 7th CSM, bodyguards in Hollywood, Delta Force, new IDF unit, IDF drones, IS video about the Sahel, audiobook about SF in Vietnam, and Afghan conflict lessons learned.

Email Formating. We are doing a little bit of experimentation with our email format. If you notice some odd things going on over the next few weeks then we managed to muck something up. Bear with us; we will get it straightened out and hopefully provide an improved reading experience.

SOF News

SF “Day on the Hill”. The Special Forces Association is looking for SFA members to support a planned “Day on the Hill” at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on February 5, 2020. The intent is to visit Congressional offices to advocate for the bipartisan passage of the 116th U.S. Congress House Resolution 906 and Senate Bill 743 – “Merrill’s Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act”. The bill seeks to recognize the valor and contributions of the U.S. Army’s 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional). The unit conducted long-range special operations jungle warfare during World War II in the China-Burma-India Theater against Japanese forces. For more information on how to help contact the Special Forces Association.

Death of 5th Group Officer. Douglas Ndole Odera, a member of the 5th Special Forces Group, died on December 23, 2019 at age 36. He was a graduate of West Point and had completed several deployments with Special Forces. Obituary.

SEAL Heading off to Space. An active-duty Navy lieutenant with an interesting career (SEALs, Silver Star, Harvard Medical School, etc.) finds himself in the astronaut program. Read “SEAL, Doctor, Astronaut – Navy Lt. Jonny Kim achieves your childhood dreams so you don’t have to”, Task & Purpose, January 13, 2020.

Promotion for Cdr 1st SOW. Air Force Colonel Michael Conley has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. He is currently serving as the commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

Bio of Gary Gordon – 1SFOD-D KIA in Somalia 1993. The official blog of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published a biography of MSG Gary Gordon. See “Gary Gordon: A Real American Hero”, VA, January 9, 2020.

Former Green Beret Pleads Guilty. A former Special Forces NCO of the 3rd Special Forces Group will be sentenced in his role in stealing money while deployed to Afghanistan. He faces 15 years in prison. (Army Times, January 13, 2020).

CMO Capacity Building in Africa. James P. Micciche, a U.S. Army Civil Affairs office, has written a lengthy essay on the need to stay for the long haul in Africa to ensure regional stability. Read “A Cause of and Solution to Extremism: A Case for Civil Military Operation (CMO) Capacity Building in African Partner Forces”, Small Wars Journal, January 13, 2020.

New 7th Group SEA. The 7th Special Forces Group has a new group Senior Enlisted Advisor. A change of responsibility ceremony was conducted on Friday, January 10, 2020 at Camp Simons, Florida with CSM Alexi Ortiz taking the reigns. (NSF Daily News, Jan 11, 2020).

SEAL Arraigned on Murder Charge. A Navy SEAL charged with murder in the strangulation death of an Army Green Beret in Mali has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Read more in “Navy SEAL arraigned on murder charges in death of Green Beret”, Army Times, January 13, 2020.

SOF Vets Work as Bodyguards in Hollywood. A firm providing protection to high-profile Hollywood actors relies on former and current members of law enforcement organizations and special operations units of the military. Read more in “Inside the Secret Service of Hollywood That Guards Stars Like Post Malone and Jennifer Lopez”, The Daily Beast, January 12, 2020.

Delta Force – Staying Elite? Sebastien Roblin explains how the selection and training process prepares its members for the difficult and dangerous missions it conducts around the world. But it also does more. Read “How does the Delta Force Remain So Elite?”, The National Interest, January 12, 2020.

Soldierstone. “Hidden high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, in a remote and unmarked field, is a secret monument honoring war veterans. The lonely pillar of polished granite sits at more than 11,000 feet, in a clearing among majestic peaks.” LTC (Ret) Stuart Allen Beckley, a former Green Beret and Vietnam Veteran, is the man behind “Soldierstone”. Read more in “Visiting Soldierstone, a hidden memorial in Colorado honoring forgotten war veterans”, CBS This Morning, December 2, 2019.

Human Domain and PSYOP. Some fascinating, futuristic reading by the Mad Scientist Laboratory (army.mil). Read Psychological Warfare in the Human Domain: Mixing AI-Powered Technology wit Psychosocial Engagement, TRADOC, January 13, 2020. The plot is about a multifunctional special operations team that infiltrates into the Ad Dali’ Province of western Yemen as part of a coalition effort that supports the UN recognized government of President Mansour Hadi, based in the southern capital of Aden in the year 2025.

The ‘New’ SOF M110K1 Sniper Rifle. A sniper rifle used by Special Operations Forces is getting an upgrade that will allow it to remain in the SOF arsenal for a few more years. Read “The U.S. Special Forces ‘New’ M110K1 Sniper Rifle: The Best on the Planet?”, The National Interest, January 11, 2020.

Crash of SOF Drone Cause Revealed. The cause of a September 2018 crash of a MQ-9 Reaper was revealed in a recently released Air Force accident investigation. The aircraft was assigned to the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB, N.M. Thirty-four MQ-9s have been destroyed (by various means) during the 2009-2019 time frame. Read “Report: MQ-9 Crash Caused by Faulty Engine Design”, Air Force Magazine, January 13, 2020.

International SOF

Israel’s Drones. Seth Frantzman, a Jerusalem-based journalist, enlightens us on “How Israel Trains Its Elite Drone Warriors”, The National Interest, January 11, 2020.

India’s VIPs Losing NSG Security. The government of India has decided to withdraw the security details provided to VIPs by the National Security Guard Black Cat Commandos. Read “Govt to Withdraw NSG Commandos From All VIP Security Duties”, Indian Defense News, January 13, 2020.

IDF Establishes New ‘Multidimensional Unit’. The Israeli Defense Forces announced the formation of a new unit that will help Israeli ‘strike the enemy faster’. Personnel assigned to the new unit will come from a variety of other IDF units to include intelligence, special forces, reconnaissance, paratroopers, air force, and others. The new unit will be led by a former commander of the elite Duvdevan special forces unit. Read “IDF Launches New Combat Unit”, Arutz Sheva, January 1, 2020.

Military News and National Defense

Contractors Supporting Military Operations. Russia, China, and the United States are increasingly using private military contractors to accomplish national security objectives. Read more in “The Dark World of Private Military Contractors”, Inside Over, January 7, 2020.

Hearings on Lessons Learned. Mr. John F. Sopko, the head of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) will be testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives’s Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 10:00 am (EST). The hearing is about the U.S. Lessons Learned in Afghanistan. You can watch the testimony live.

Norway and SSA. Two Norwegian Army officers collaborate in an essay describing the Security Sector Assistance capabilities of Norway – touching on the use of Unconventional Warfare, Military Assistance, Security Force Assistance, and Security Sector Reform. The article describes how small states can punch above their own weight. See “Small States – Big Gains: Understanding the Dynamics of Security Sector Assistance (SSA)”, Small Wars Journal, January 13, 2020.

Turkey, Diplomacy, and Operation Peace Spring. Turkey’s ambitious involvement in Syria is causing domestic and international problems for its leadership. Read more in “Turkish Public Diplomacy and Operation Peace Spring”, by Ozlem Kayhan Pusane, War on the Rocks, January 13, 2020.

Books, Pubs, and Papers

Audiobook – SF in Vietnam. John Stryker Meyer has published an eleven hour long audiobook entitled Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam. His audiobook details the deadly and secret war in Laos and Cambodia fought by Special Forces men assigned to the top secret Military Assistance Command Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group or SOG. The audiobook is available on Audible – an Amazon company.

Journal of Military History. The latest issue is posted online. Must be a current member of the Society for Military History to access.
https://www.smh-hq.org/jmh/online.html

TV, and Videos

68 Whiskey. James Clark of Task & Purpose reviews a new CBS comedy about medics serving in Afghanistan. He says “Don’t bother”. Read “CBS’s new dark comedy ’68 Whiskey’ is everything that’s wrong with network military shows”, Task& Purpose, January 13, 2020.

Video – IS Operations Across the Sahel. A new Islamic State video details the jihadist group’s varying operations across the Sahel over the past few years. The group, known as the Islamic State’s West African Province, is also known as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). The operations that are presented in the video take place in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Read more in “Islamic State video details operations across the Sahel”, FDD’s Long War Journal, January 10, 2020.

Tampa Bay Frogman Swim. Watch a video from the January 12, 2020 event that raised money for the Navy SEAL foundation. (six minutes).
https://www.facebook.com/RonCollins/videos/10157674298002092/

1917. This movie is about two young British soldiers who are given a seemingly impossible mission to cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers. Watch the official movie trailer by Universal Pictures, posted December 18, 2019 on YouTube, 3 minutes long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZjQROMAh_s

Merrill’s Marauders. The 530th Composite Group conducted special operations missions in the Asian theater against Japanese forces during World War II. Watch a 3 minute long video about their missions.
USASOC PAO, YouTube, 28 August 2019.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wacNdAi8OBA

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Photo: A Soldier assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group participates in Wet Silk Training at the Iron Horse Physical Fitness Center on Fort Carson, Colorado, on September 9, 2019. Photo by Special Christopher Stevenson, 10th SFGA.

The movie The Green Berets, starring John Wayne in the lead role, was released in on July 4, 1968. It depicted the role of U.S. Army Special Forces missions during the Vietnam War. It was viewed as a patriotic film and proved to be an excellent recruiting tool for Special Forces as well as the U.S. Army in general.

During the Special Forces Association annual convention held in June 2018 in El Paso, Texas the SFA members were treated to a special showing of The Green Berets. The event, held on the 50th anniversary of the release of the movie, took place at a theater in downtown El Paso and was preceded with a cocktail hour where actors of the movie were on hand for photographs. Many of the SF soldiers attending the event were retired and veterans of the Vietnam War.

The Green Berets also starred David Janssen – a reporter with some serious doubts about the war – who is embedded with a Green Beret A-Camp in Vietnam. Although very cynical at the onset of the movie Janssen experiences a bit of an awakening as he learns more about the SF mission and gets ‘eyes on’ the situation in Vietnam. Other actors included Jim Hutton (team supply / engineer NCO), Aldo Ray (team sergeant), Irene Tsu (honeypot), and Jack Soo (South Vietnam Army officer). Most of the movie was filmed in the summer of 1967. Three of the actors in the film were present prior to the showing of the movie during a ‘meet and greet’ reception at the theater – Bill Olds, Irene Tsu, and Fred Balderrama.

The movie begins stateside when Colonel Mike Kirby (John Wayne) finds out he is going to Vietnam. He recruits a couple of SF teams to go with him. One of the teams is shown in the film demonstrating the capabilities of the Green Berets to the press at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. SF veterans will recall the Gabriel Demonstrations of the past. [1]

The next stop in the movie is Vietnam where an incoming SF team is relieving an outgoing SF team at an A camp. The camp comes under attack and John Wayne flies in to the rescue with ‘Mike Force’ [2] and ‘Puff the Magic Dragon‘. Order is restored and the camp is reoccupied by SF and their host nation partners.

Then the movie depicts Col Kirby leading a select team of SF soldiers to kidnap a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) general played by Bill Olds – now a retired U.S. Army colonel. Olds played the part of General Phan Son Ti.

A ‘honey trap‘ is used to put the NVA general at the right place at the right time. This mission goes according to plan – a Fulton Extraction is featured – but along the way the team takes some losses.

The military put a lot of support behind the movie – providing access to military bases, use of aircraft, and with the participation of U.S. Army soldiers. Many soldiers were ‘extras’ – marching in formation, in the background – while others had some minor roles. Fred Balderrama was in the movie along with many other soldiers. He was present for the SFA Convention in June in El Paso.

SGM (Ret) Fred Balderrama served a tour in Vietnam (68-69). He saw service in several U.S. Army units to include the 1st and 7th Special Forces Groups, 101st Airborne Division, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and the 3rd Civil Affairs Group. He retired after 31 years of Army service.

The film was very anti-communist and supportive of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. It was a financial success but not very well-received by the Hollywood insiders and film critics of the U.S. media – many who opposed the war. The movie was based on the book by Robin Moore entitled The Green Berets and features the song by Barry Sadler entitled Ballad of the Green Berets. It is a movie revered by SF soldiers young and old. It was an inspiring event to watch the 50th anniversary viewing of the film with so many Special Forces Vietnam veterans present in the audience.

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Footnotes:

[1] Watch an abbreviated filmed version of what the Gabriel Demonstration looked like in the 60s and 70s. Features a Special Forces A Detachment from the 5th Special Forces Group.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccrvI7rz_L0

Kevin O’Brien (a former SF NCO, now deceased) provides details on the video in his post entitled “The Gabriel Demo Team circa 1983-84”, WeaponsMan, November 20, 2013.

[2] The Mike Force’s mission was to act as a country-wide quick reaction force composed of U.S. Army Special Forces personnel and indigenous soldiers – many from minority groups of Vietnam.

References:

The Green Berets (film) Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Berets_(film)

The Green Berets – Movie Trailer
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPB-Rt2U7jg

Images:
Top: John Wayne image from promotional poster.
50th Anniversary image – SFA Chapter IX, El Paso, Texas

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