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

John L. Plaster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

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!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Plaster (The Ultimate Sniper), a retired Army major, served three tours with the secretive "Studies and Observation Group," aka SOG, during the Vietnam War-a background he has put to good use in this authoritative and insightful look at the now defunct commando unit. Plaster does much to illuminate both this frequently misunderstood group and its extraordinary participants. Made up entirely of volunteers, SOG tackled a wide range of vital and dangerous duties, including missions deep into enemy territory and rescues of downed American pilots. Special Forces veterans in particular will delight in the descriptions of America's old tribal allies, the Montagnards of Vietnam. Specialists in poison-arrow warfare, the primitive "'Yards," Plaster explains, were both fierce fighters and a constant source of wonderment to the Americans. Plaster reveals the core of the relationship between 'Yards and Yanks in a telling anecdote in which two Green Berets win over a village chieftain with the help of some pipes and two cans of Prince Albert tobacco. Elsewhere, on a more somber note, Plaster sheds light on part of the ongoing mystery of POWs and MIAs in Southeast Asia. The secretive nature of SOG, he writes, was such that its members were accounted for via a "double bookkeeping" system. The method "proved so confounding that the Pentagon had understated casualties, a fact that became evident when families of MIAs demanded more information." A true insider's account, this eye-opening report will leave readers feeling as if they've been given a hot scoop on a highly classified project. Photos not seen by PW. Military Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

For all the negative imagery attached to Americans who served in Vietnam, an unbiased and sober review of the historical accounts reveals an astonishing record of valor and sacrifice. Largely unknown outside of military circles, the Studies and Observation Group (SOG) was a U.S. Special Forces detachment formed to penetrate the Ho Chi Minh Trail and to rescue downed airmen. Plaster (Ultimate Sniper, Paladin, 1993), a veteran of three tours of duty with SOG, has written the most complete account of the missions to date. Together with their Montagnard and Nung allies, these small-raiding, observation, and rescue parties were inserted within enemy strongholds on uniformly perilous missions. Always outnumbered, SOG volunteers suffered catastrophic casualty rates. They also earned ten Congressional Medals of Honor. Written as a tribute to the memory of fallen comrades, Plaster's narrative is an engrossing and thoroughly exciting account of this unknown aspect of the Vietnam War. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.?John R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451195086
• ISBN-13: 978-0451195081
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Strategy
  • #22 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Vietnam War
  • #49 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > General

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam, May 30, 2008

By 

Sherman R. Batman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam (Paperback)

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

50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Just Tell the TRUTH!, January 29, 2010

By 

Donald E. Zlotnik "Novelist" (Allentown, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam (Hardcover)

When Plaster's book first came out I was very excited--finally!--someone researched and wrote about some of America's finest warriors. After having read the "novel" I was very disappointed. The exploits of the men in SOG do NOT need to be exaggerated like Plaster has done.

There are three Medals of Honor coming out of the Vietnam era that are what I call sewer covers to military cesspools; ironically all three are from Top Secret operations; LT Joseph "Bob" Kerrey's, SSG Jon Cavaiani's and Captain MacGonagle's. There is nothing better to cover-up; war crimes (Murdering civilians in cold-blood and cutting the throats of children.), military disasters (RRS Hickory) or political failures (USS Liberty) than a shiny Medal of Honor.

I cannot speak for all of John Plaster's book, but the parts where I have some knowledge and where I have conducted EXTENSIVE research--I find his non-fiction writing absolutely highly exaggerated fiction; specifically pages 325-330 where he writes about SSG Jon Cavaiani's Medal of Honor.

Fact: Sergeant John Jones was killed after killing two NVA soldiers as he charged from the command bunker firing a M-60 machine-gun--NOT trying to surrender.

Fact: Cavaiani was captured on June 5, 1971 by the North Vietnamese ON RRS Hickory hiding in a bunker behind some cardboard and sandbags; NOT 10 days later at FSB Fuller as told in Plaster's book.

Fact: There were NO living American witnesses to support Cavaiani's MOH action for the 5th of June and CCN HQ thought Cavaiani was DEAD, so the portion written up by Plaster in Cavaiani's MOH action covering the 5th of June is fiction. (There was a thick fog covering the area--so even observation from the air was not available.) The NVA commander claims he had 42 men in the attack and lost 4 KIA and 7 WIA. Please note: BOTH sides exaggerated how many of the enemy they killed, but both sides reported ACCURATELY their losses to their HQ.

Fact: Cavaiani joined the infamous anti-American Peace Committee at the Plantation Gardens POW camp and made written statements against the United States and made anti-American radio broadcasts over Radio Hanoi above and beyond statements made by POWs who were actually tortured. (Not disclosed in Plaster's book, but well documented in traitor James Daly's book; "A Hero's Welcome". Plaster should have researched Cavaiani's POW conduct before making him a "hero.")

In my personal opinion--Jon Cavaiani's Medal of Honor should be revoked--almost ALL of the combat action in the citation is without any American witnesses and does not meet Medal of Honor criteria or is highly exaggerated and the combat action that does have witnesses is Cavaiani performing his basic DUTY as the senior NCO.

Sadly--and filled with irony--many of the names Plaster "drops" throughout his book are REAL SOG heroes, but he tells their stories using the exaggerated "bar room" versions and in MANY cases he writes about them without every having talked to the actual living participants--yet--with the few men he did communicate with like Cavaiani--he takes their lies at face value without making even the most cursory of investigations producing extremely bad non-fiction. If Plaster would have just checked with the internet website [...] he would have seen Cavaiani was captured on June 5, 1971 not ten days later and could NOT possibly have done the things he claims to have done! He did NOT mow down 125 NVA with a machine-gun; kill two NVA with a Gerber knife or E&E for ten days with 120 frag wounds, two gunshot wounds and flesh dripping from his hands from burns to FSB Fuller TWENTY miles away! That is absolute bovine excrement!

For someone with a journalism degree Plaster did not learn to separate fiction from non-fiction and he TOTALLY failed in his investigative skills.

Having served with SOG-CCN as the logistics officer and a member of the senior staff, I was WELL-INFORMED having personally sat in on many debriefings and having personally read many of the now mysteriously "missing" After Action Reports. I can decipher the differences when Plaster drifts away from the truth in his writing--but sadly--the average reader cannot and must accept everything he has written as it is presented.

My criticism is NOT against many of the fine men who served in SOG--but against the way Plaster has chosen to embellish their stories and the ever present "glory-grabbers" who rush forward to have their heads patted. He did a much better job with his picture book.

Sadly, all he needed to do was tell the unembellished truth and leave the "fiction" writing to authors like me.

Donald E. Zlotnik, Major (Ret.) Special Forces

Author of ten war NOVELS.

[e-mail]

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fast-paced, excellent book..., June 4, 2003

By 

Ryan Jones (Cos Cob, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam (Paperback)

I haven't written a review in a while, perhaps because my search for more engaging literature on the military and special forces has not been fruitful lately. This is the first piece of writing in some time that I read cover to cover without putting it down. I first heard of Plaster's work when I heard of Robert Howard, the most highly decorated living soldier. I have the utmost respect for men who have more medals than their age, and so I decided I needed to find out more about Howard and his unit in the Special Observation Group (SOG) during the Vietnam War. I was told that this book was the best on the subject, and now I can safely say that I completely agree. Plaster has the unique perspective of an individual who served side by side with men like Bob Howard and Frank Zabitoski, two winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor. All of the men of SOG are truly the epitome of heroism. They were deployed deep behind enemy lines in teams of two and three, along with a group of indigenous Montagnards who were resisting the NVA. Though outnumbered in almost every fight, these SOG squads were able to wreak havoc upon the North Vietnamese. Plaster's work is commendable because it is a full look into this unit which was only recently declassified by the Department of Defense. It gives the reader extremely interesting details through an insider account of SOG's actions in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The book does a great justice to a group of individuals who have yet to be appreciated by the general public.