Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

zlotnikde@yahoo.com

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.

I am now reading this book for the second time, having just recently discovered it. I cannot recommend this book enough. In October 1970, as a young wet-behind-the-ears 1LT, I arrived at CCC, Kontum. Within two months I was serving under CPT Bob Howard as the XO of his Recon Company. When Bob left to go to DC to recieve his Medal of Honor, I then served under CPT Jim Storter. As XO, I had the opportunity to join an RT from time to time on a mission as a "straphanger," or extra US. I identify most strongly with RT Montana, whose One-Zero was SSG Mike Sheppard, One-One was SGT Mike Bently, and One-Two was MSG Charles Behler. What an amazing group of soldiers I served with. I remember John Plaster, Fred Krupa, David Mixter, Walter Shumate, and many more. There is no exageration in this book, these soldiers performed extremely hairy recon missions in the face of unbelievable odds, again and again. What really astounded me was reading stories about guys I had served with that I did not know, they themselves did not brag about their exploits at all. Neither McCarley (of Operation Tailwind fame), nor Miller, nor Howard, nor Plaster ever bragged about one mission. They were the consumate professional soldiers who "marched to the sound of the guns." Some were new to Special Forces, like Miller, and some were ex-SF NCO "old hands" with years of SF tours under their belts, like Howard, McCarley and Storter. John Plaster has done an excellent job of giving both the "big picture" along with so many individual stories. I had no idea how comprehensive and effective (and costly in soldiers lives) the SOG mission was overall. I am recommending this book to everyone I know. Regarding the "mole" in Saigon, I have always suspected treachery in the deaths of SSG Mixter and Dai-uy (CPT) Krupa. The NVA were waiting in force when Mixter's RT and Krupa's Hatchet Force company were inserted. The NVA knew exactly when and where to expect them! Shame on the higher-ups at SOG for not withholding the teams/companies exact map grid coordinates from our ARVN "allies." This book is a literate, exciting and highly informatvie account of one of the most incredible groups of solders, ever. Well done, John!

Since the mid-sixties the American media/Hollywood has painted a picture of the American military, and the Americans who populate it, as villians of mythical proportions. Since I was in the Army from '67 to '70 I know this to be not only an untruth but a slander of mythical proportions. However, in the world of popular thought it's hard to fight against NBC, CBS, PBS, ABC an Hollywood ... they have the the loudest propoganda machine the world has ever seen.

That brings me to "reviews". If the Fort Worth Star-Telegram touts a movie or book ... I ain't goin', but if they pan it I'll be there. So I recommend that before you buy Sog: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam, read the reviews. You will find them all to be FIVE STAR and they glow with praise for the detailed account of a true American Warrior and his battles behind enemy lines. No ghost-writer here ... the only ghost in this book are those of the valliant men that died fighting at Plaster's side and the 100:1 (kill ratio) North Vietnamese that died at the end of a SOG AR-15. This book and Mr. Plaster's other VN history, Secret Commandos: Behind The Lines With The Elite Warriors Of SOG was written by the REAL DEAL and it's written in a most readable and entertaining style. If you want to feel really good about America and her military in Vietnam buy this book. I promise that you'll be writing another FIVE STAR review when you're finished. THANK YOU JOHN PLASTER.

Most of the Special Forces operators I've read about do not like speaking about the nitty-gritty world they live in--the tactical level of dealing death. In this book, the author apprently got some of these guys to open up and reveal, at the ground level, the misery and intense emotion associated with killing a smart and determined enemy while losing close friends in the process. The idea of taking multiple bullet wounds and still fighting on...the idea of braving additional fire to carry out a comrade wounded worse than his rescuer...the idea of flying a helicopter into almost certain death--and coming out of all these scenarios alive, when so many did not, is a wonderful tale of persistence, love, dedication, expertise--and gives a deeper meaning to the word honor.

The late USAF General Bob Russ, Commander of TAC and ACC used to say there are two kinds of class...First Class and No Class! Everything involved with SOG (and this book) is first class. While John Plaster's account of these very brave men is anecdotal it also documents their activities in a level of detail you seldom see. Plaster spares no trouble in providing the names of each and every individual associated with each activity. Which results in a remembrance or memorial for many young soldiers that will never get to see a Super Bowl or smell the flowers in the Spring. The book does a wonderful job of providing a complete story around each and every Medal of Honor that was awarded to the numerous SOG recipients.

While there are numerous outcomes in the book that will "break your heart" the saddest for me was the failure of the USAF to support Cavaiani at Outpost Hickory with air support that was available and en-route when ordered home. To all the senior leadership in this country (both civilian and military) with either self-serving or political agendas that resulted in less that 100% support for these brave men throughout all their endeavors..."May you burn in hell".

I drank with several of the men mentioned in this book on Hon Tre Island, RVN when the SF used it as an initial in-country training site. They used the barracks and facilities that were vacant after the HAWKs went home. I saluted them then and I continue to have nothing but respect for their deeds and bravery. Now you can sit at home in a comfortable chair and read about these deeds thanks to the efforts of John Plaster.

Essential reading for anyone interested in learning about those that went over the fence.

Actually, Navy SEALs are undoubtedly the best. But unfortunately, they were underused in Vietnam because their existance as a guerilla warefare unit was still relatively short at that time. This book gives us continual action throughout the book because green beret operations were frequent and consisted of an unlimited supply of Montangard volunteers to keep the fight going. Also, unlike the SEALS, whose area of activity existed mainly in central Vietnam, the Green Berets were almost indegenous to areas such as Laos and Cambodia where the NVA possessed its most heavy concentrations of fighting forces. As a result, the Army Special Forces activty in Vietnam as described in this book gives a whole new meaning the term "suicide missions". Before I read this book, I knew only of the SOG missions that were portrayed on the syndicated television show "Tour of Duty" if you can remember. On the show, a regular army infantry platoon eventually ascends to the status of "SOG" team probably as an attempt to revive the shows falling ratings and bland plot line. As a "SOG" team, I don't believe the TV soldiers ever set foot in hot spots like Cambodia or Laos; and, as with every TV show, noone ever really dies. That is not the case as you will come to realize after reading this book. I don't think you could show what real SOG mission was like on TV not because of the SOG's secret nature, but because SOG mission were gorier than gory and would probably look like something out of Saving Private Ryan. What strikes me as most peculiar is the fact that the son of the owner of Walgreen's served three (or was two tours) as a SOG agent in Vietnam when he could've stayed home with his family's millions. That's dedication. Not to say that everyone else wasn't dedicated, but I'm sure that not everyone had that kind of option waiting for them back home.

This is an unusually good book. It is the true account of the Studies and Observations Group that operated in Viet Nam from the mid sixties until the end of the war. I have not read a better book about war. John Plaster's book documents the operations and assignments of various teams within the group. It is a hair raising tale of heroism and death in the tall grass and jungles of Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Laos. The story ends when the war ends.

This is also a sad book about the death of brave men, and MIA's most of whom never returned. If you keep a timeline in your head as you read the book you begin to sense a sort of smoky dread that our troops are fighting a war that cannot be won within the rules of engagement, limits on operations, and political road blocks put up by our own government. Despite the best efforts of our fighting men and the military of South Viet Nam, North Viet Nam's army continues to dominate more and more terrain until the dissappointing and inglorious end of the war. I know about the concern of our political leaders in Washington who worried that broadening the scope of the war enough to allow US Forces to use their superior power and technology toward a victory over North Viet Nam might bring China or the USSR openly into the war. However, if that was a major concern, what the hell were we doing there in the first place?

If this book teaches any lesson it is that we should never get involved in a limited war.

Now we need a book of this scope and range about CIA operations in Viet Nam.

Major John Plaster reveals the truth behind some of the most gallant episodes and valliant soldiers in America's history. Kept quiet by rules of secrecy, death of participants and frank disinterest on the part of many Americans, Plaster allows us to look inside the super-secret unit that carried the war in Vietnam into the enemy's back yard. With his brisk prose Plaster brings to life combat situations that the ordinary reader can not even imagine. The men of SOG and Special Forces have been consistently misrepresented. Now you can find out the truth. In those days 'running recon' was the ultimate challenge and even within the elite of Special Forces only few soldiers accepted the life. In this book Plaster shows the reader just what it was like to be one of the best of the best. This book is extremely valuable for recording a piece of American military history in danger of being lost. In addition it shows the reader who may have been led to believe that the men who fought for this country in Vietnam were somehow unworthy that they deserve every bit of respect and gratitude that we willing bestow on other veterans. Buy this book, read it and believe it.