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

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.

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!

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.

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.