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

Today I read the outrageous criticisms posted by Donald Zlotnik and Sherman Batman. Instead of attacking them personally, which would be easy to do, I offer these facts in repudiation: First, Sherman Batman claimed much of what I wrote didn't happen, was wrong, etc. He called my writing on the suppressed Swedish K a "stupid statement" and insisted that SOG did not such weapons (as if that were important). Look at the April 2015 American Rifleman magazine, page 91, a photograph of SOG recon man Hurley Gilpin with a suppressed Swedish K. I carried one myself in combat -- Batman was wrong. Another "stupid statement" he cited (which I never wrote) concerned a potential rusting problem with the M16/CAR-15, and insists it was impossible because these are aluminum weapons. What I cited concerned the trigger mechanism which is steel, and was cited in Congressional testimony in 1968 as one of the Colt weapon's problems in Vietnam. Again, he was totally wrong and even misrepresented what I wrote. As for whether we sang in the club to memorialize each lost man, Batman can phone Joe Parnar, whom he knows, and learn that this is absolutely true. The song often was led by the Recon Company commander, Ed Lesesne.
My writing of this book was supported by 3 years of research, which included TAPED interviews with all four living Chief's SOG (the SOG commanders) in their homes, such as Major General Jack Singlaub and General Donald Blackburn. Did they lie? It included TAPED interviews with all seven surviving SOG Medal of Honor recipients. In the 3 other cases, I interviewed the men who were with them when they died earning that Medal. In all, I interviewed more than 100 SOG veterans of all ranks, which generated 10,000 transcript pages, single-spaced. I also relied upon official award citations which described the actions in which men were awarded the Silver Star or Distinguished Service Cross. I challenge anyone to read the online citations and cite how they are different from what I wrote. My interviewees included SOG/Special Forces legends such as Dick Meadows and Billy Waugh, USAF/CIA legend, General Heinie Aderholt, aircrewmen, etc., etc., etc. My own SOG service -- 3 years in SOG, during which I ran 22 missions behind enemy lines, and flew with USAF Forward Air Controllers in support of SOG -- were hardly mentioned. It was this background that helped me write the book. Donald Zalotnik's criticisms are far more troublesome, because he attacks the character of a Medal of Honor recipient -- why, I cannot fathom -- but this has been his obsession for at least a decade. The recipient, Jon Cavaiani, passed away last year and was too much a gentleman to respond to these outrageous claims. I advised Jon to sue Zalotnik, but he did not want to revisit the hell of when he was overrun and the three years he spent as a POW in North Vietnam. Think about this: Everything about his capture and POW years was known to the Defense Department before Jon was submitted for the MOH. If any of Zlotnik's claims had substance, would he have received the Medal of Honor? Does Zlotnik know better? Both General Westmoreland and Dr. Henry Kissinger provided quotes favoring the book and its important contents. Are they liars, too? The criticisms of both Batman and Zlotnik attack the character and ignore the great sacrifices of SOG's warriors. Shame to both of you. JOHN L. PLASTER, U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES, (ret)

I write this review with a 1-star rating with the chief purpose of debunking the only other 1-star rating on this book and a companion 2-star rating. Actually, I rate Plaster's books as 5-star. I was one of the SOG recon men of whom Plaster writes in his books. His account of one of my missions was spot on factual with no exaggerations, no literary license, no embellishment. Were there a few errors in the accounts? Possibly due to the erosion of memories over time. But Plaster interviewed dozens of SOG personnel, and in most cases sought to confirm their mission exploits both from other team members on those particular missions, and from official documents to include after action and command summary reports. In particular, Major Zlotnik (Retired), the only reviewer who rated Plaster's book with one star, claims knowledge that he does not possess. Unlike John Plaster, who was a top-notch recon team leader and possessed first hand knowledge and experience, Zlotnik served as a supply/staff officer who claims to have sat in on debriefings (which in my experience would be unlikely for a supply officer) and had access to after action reports (also unlikely) and possessed vicarious insights only. I will also point out that most of SOG's Medal of Honor recipients came from CCC, so his claims that CCN was the most hazardous SOG operation is uninformed and clearly ridiculous; note also that CCC's casualty rate also exceeded 100%. And Zlotnik's access to mission information from the other SOB forward operating bases was virtually non-existent in a compartmented intelligence environment, so he couldn't possibly pass authoritative judgement on the relative hazards.

In respect to the 2-star review by Sherman Batman, please note that his SOG assignment appears to have been "circa 1968". He appears to be offended by Plaster's account of one of Batman's missions. Plaster's tour at SOG (CCC) brought a different experience. This included a significant ramp-up in enemy operations in the SOG operational areas, with greatly increased hazards and casualty rates as a result. Batman's comments on rusting of the M-16/CAR-15 safety was absolutely wrong. Many American team members used either lubricating oil or WD-40 to prevent the internal components of the safety from rusting in place. Batman is also wrong regarding the inventory of silenced weapons at CCC including pistols in .22, .32 and 9mm; sub-machine guns in .45 and 9mm (including the Swedish K) and suppressors for the M-16 rifle - - and other exotic weapons that may not have been available when Batman was in SOG. Lastly, I can personally attest to "Old Blue" being sung as tribute to fallen SOG personnel in our club. His claims of "untruths" in his review are therefor all false.

Very well written account of SOG's birth and development into the most feared fighting force put into Vietnam. Small, heavily armed reconnaissance teams dropped way behind enemy lines into Cambodia, Laos and North Vietnam who's missions were to extract downed pilots, gather intelligence or snatch enemy prisoners.

John L. Plaster recounts mission stories for us as told to him by those who were part of the missions, and/or, eye witness accounts by those men also on the mission. He uses plain language and recounts the stories as best he can given the sources. He doesn't try to paint a picture of invincibility around the Green Berets but more tries to relay to us the circumstances under which these men operated.

Always outnumbered, always in the enemy's back yard, these men volunteered time after time to put themselves into almost suicidal situations to rescue a buddy, American or indigenous, and bring him back to safety. Awesome heroism and brotherhood.

Plaster breaks the book up by chapters detailing the evolution of SOG in Vietnam then, by chapters, he details the missions by their code names, "Prairie Fire" and "Bright Light" to name just two.

By the very nature of their top secret missions these men had trouble receiving the military awards they were so deserving of. The majority of the missions were, top secret and denied vehemently if compromised thereby making mention of the men and the mission impossible. I feel the men were more about the mission than the medals so, maybe, this technicality was of no great importance to them?

Very well written book with the right amount of detail. These men are all guts for little glory.

Side Note: I was in a coffee shop in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin early in 2011 and I got talking to the owner. We chatted and got to talking about personal interests. I mentioned I loved to read memoirs written by Vietnam Vets and currently I was reading SOG. "Oh" he said, "Do you know the Ballad of the Green Berets"? When I answered in the positive he told me his Uncle was SSgt Barry Sadler the writer/performer of the ballad.

I could go on and on about this book. SOG is the stuff of legends and I would definitely recommend this book so you can figure out why. I actually couldn't put it down the first time I started reading about 6-9 man teams penetrating into the NVA's backyard in Loas and Cambodia to conduct raids, ambushes and prisoner snatches. The modern special forces community was built upon the foundation SOG created in Vietnam. The author also presented a side of the war that was unheard of in the modern context of the Vietnamese conflict. He was able to provide "on the ground" assessment of exactly what the NVA were doing "across the fence." The heroism and bravery that American green berets displayed during these missions is nothing short of astonishing.

Bottom line:

Buy it, you will come away with a sincere appreciation for what these men did for their country.

Finished this book in a few short weeks and I wanted to say that this is an excellent book! I've read many excellent written books in my lifetime, but this one is definitely the, or one of the, best books I've read. I joined the Army in '85 and was in Spec Ops by mid '88. I served with guys who were in Vietnam and listened intently to their stories. This book brought back the memories of those guys. Definitely will take it off the shelf at some point for a re-read.

My tour in Nam was in 66-67. In my capacity I heard the term "SOG" whispered but I never did understand quite what it was that they did. Now that I know, I am in complete awe of those guys. I don't read fictional accounts of the Vietnam conflict. I believe they only serve to hurt Vets of that conflict and have no purpose other than to give the general public who have no clue a further jaundiced view of vets in general.

Based on what I know to be true, I feel the book is considerably accurate. It's hard to understand what makes men do what they do in war, but what these guys accomplished in spite of the odds they faced, is truly phenomenal. Even if you have no experience in war, reading this book will have your jaw dragging on the pages. At times you will shake your head wondering why, and how, men would knowingly, and willingly, enter into a situation in full understanding that they might not come back. And you will be pissed off when you read of situations where these warriors were not supported by our own people while fighting for their lives.

I would suggest reading Plaster's "Secret Commandos" before this book, but either way this is an awesome read. I am not often grabbed by a book to the point that I find it hard to put down. This is such a book

What the soldiers who served in SOG during the Vietnam war went through makes for some thrilling stories. The stories told in this book are no exception. My primary complaint about this book is that the author is disconnected from the action. I usually find logistics and top of the chain of command stories fascinating but what makes SOG so abnormally interesting is the lack of upper echelon support. Because of this the harrowing tales of the special observations group are best told as boots on the ground recollections. If you are only casually interested in the Vietnam war, this book is not for you. It might be worth considering but it might be worth considering after you have run out of John Stryker Meyer books, just don’t be expecting the same quality.

Served with MACVSOG at CCN in 1970 as weapons specialist and recon team member. John Plaster's account is the real deal.

When I first started to read SOG, I found the book dry, very technical, and a little on the political side. There were terms I had no idea as to the meaning, and I too am a Vietnam Combat Vetern. At first I found the book difficult to read, cosequently I put the book down, not thinking it was what I was looking for. After a while I tied one more time. In this second attempt I began to learn things that I had never imagined. I feel the book is a good read once you finally get geared up and started. There are many examples as to how we the ground pounders wern't allowed to win the war.It also exlimplifies the resourcefullness of the American soldier, as well as his willingness, and bravery. I commend the author for a book well written, and a book that educates one of yet a different facet of the Vietnam War. William E. Mattatall, Author of Thirteen Months Fourteen Days The journey Co B 20th Engineers Vietnam

If you ever wanted to know what it was "behind the lines" with the Special Ops Group doing clandestine work for the CIA this book is the one to read. Two other books that are highly recommended for Viet Nam war are Chickenhawk and Low Level Hell. There are others but those stand out.