15 Months In Sog: A Warrior's Tour (Mass Market Paperback)

by Thom Nicholson (Author) "The air was sticky -humid and hot, just as I remembered-as I stepped off the big silver bird chartered from Pan Am..." (more)
Key Phrases: extraction choppers, point squad, recon teams, Special Forces, South Vietnam, Major Skelton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"When we cross the border: no ID, and it's kiss yourself good-bye if Charlie gets ahold of you."

In Vietnam, the Military Assistance Command's Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) fielded small recon teams in areas infested with VC and NVA. Because SOG operations suffered extraordinary casualties, they required extraordinary soldiers. So when Capt. Thom Nicholson arrived at Command and Control North (CCN) in Da Nang, SOG's northernmost base camp, he knew he was going to be working with the cream of the crop.

As commander of Company B, CCN's Raider Company, Nicholson commanded four platoons, comprising nearly two hundred men, in some of the war's most deadly missions, including ready-reaction missions for patrols in contact with the enemy, patrol extractions under fire, and top-secret expeditions "over the fence" into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam. Colonel Nicholson spares no one, including himself, as he provides a rare glimpse into the workings of one of the military's most carefully concealed reconnaissance campaigns.

From the Inside Flap
"When we cross the border: no ID, and it's kiss yourself good-bye if Charlie gets ahold of you."

In Vietnam, the Military Assistance Command's Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) fielded small recon teams in areas infested with VC and NVA. Because SOG operations suffered extraordinary casualties, they required extraordinary soldiers. So when Capt. Thom Nicholson arrived at Command and Control North (CCN) in Da Nang, SOG's northernmost base camp, he knew he was going to be working with the cream of the crop.

As commander of Company B, CCN's Raider Company, Nicholson commanded four platoons, comprising nearly two hundred men, in some of the war's most deadly missions, including ready-reaction missions for patrols in contact with the enemy, patrol extractions under fire, and top-secret expeditions "over the fence" into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam. Colonel Nicholson spares no one, including himself, as he provides a rare glimpse into the workings of one of the military's most carefully concealed reconnaissance campaigns.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press; 1st edition (June 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804118728
• ISBN-13: 978-0804118729
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #417,341 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Fictional Account of Duty in Vietnam, February 20, 2003

By A Customer

The author of this book served in MACVSOG in a support role. His account of having served with the recon troops has many inaccuracies -- and he has acknowledged some exaggeration to those of us who led MACVSOG recon teams. This is an enjoyable work of fiction, but John Plaster and Richard Shultz have written excellent historical accounts of MACVSOG.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good read but not without flaws., October 10, 1999

By	robert g. snite (Arcadia, SC) - See all my reviews

As a member of CCN (Jul-Dec '70) I do know some- thing about life as a "sogger". Col. Nicholson's account is, for the most part, accurate. However, discrepances exist; e.g. there are no leopards in either South Vietnam or Laos, and an indigenous soldier, whether Nung or "yard" was never assigned to carry the team radio. Remembering things 30 years after the fact is very difficult and probably accounts for these errors. Still, a book well worth the time.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A good docudrama..., May 16, 2000

By	Ken Van Arsdel (Modesto, CA) - See all my reviews

The book is entertaining, but as an historical work is disappointing. I was a NCO on a recon team during the period referenced in the book, but sorry, I just don't remember this guy. I know from other sources he was there, but there are many factual discrepancies that cast doubt on the rest of his recollections. Anyone who remembers the C-Team being "south" of the CCN compound, or Marble Mtn. being to the "north" must be related to the director of the John Wayne movie "The Green Berets" in which John Wayne watches the sun set in the South China Sea. (For those of you who are geographically challenged, get a map. Col. Nicholson, get a clue.) Nevertheless, the book did evoke some memories, and for that, I'm thankful.