In the Vietnam War, the most important piece of equipment we carried on missions was the CAR-15. It was the preferred weapon of choice by everyone on ST Idaho. The sling for it would vary: Sometimes I used a cravat or a canvas strap taped tightly to both ends of the weapon for soundless movements. The only exceptions to the CAR-15 were an AK-47 carried by "Son" when he was our … [Read more...] about What Gear Did Special Forces Recon Men Carry on the Battlefield?
John Stryker Meyer Articles
Operation Tailwind: The Special Forces-led assault force launches
Note: This is part of a series. You can read part one here. After seven days of weather delays, false starts, and enemy rocket attacks at the top-secret Military Assistance Command Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) compound in Kontum and at the Dak To launch site, Green Beret Capt. Eugene McCarley gave the order to move out to 15 Green Berets and 120 … [Read more...] about Operation Tailwind: The Special Forces-led assault force launches
Operation Tailwind: Special Forces operators aid CIA op deep inside Laos
One of the most successful operations conducted during the eight-year secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War was conducted south of the Bolovens Plateau in southern Laos, 45 years ago. Lead by Green Beret Capt. Eugene McCarley, 15 Green Berets and 120 Montagnard mercenaries executed a hair-raising, four-day mission deep inside enemy territory to take the pressure off of a … [Read more...] about Operation Tailwind: Special Forces operators aid CIA op deep inside Laos
The weapons and gear Special Forces recon teams carried in the Vietnam War
I’ve received many inquiries about the equipment that I and fellow Special Forces soldiers carried when we ran top-secret reconnaissance missions into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam during the eight-year secret war under the aegis of Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), or simply SOG. Most are curious about the state-of-the-art … [Read more...] about The weapons and gear Special Forces recon teams carried in the Vietnam War
A hot MACV-SOG Christmas Day in Laos
Christmas Day, 1968 was just another day for MACV-SOG Spike Team Idaho. Early that morning ST Idaho was loaded onto Kingbees and flown to the Quang Tri launch site. That day’s target was one of the MA targets west of the DMZ in Laos, along the river that ran through the DMZ. In the briefing room there was a large map with all of the DMZ targets and all of the MA targets in … [Read more...] about A hot MACV-SOG Christmas Day in Laos