Category Archives: Air Force

Somewhere, people were in chains…

Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy,

Wednesday Sept 16th, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago this week

Back in mid-August at Fort Bragg, Sgt Major Pylant and Sgt Major Davis were running the interviewing process to select Green Berets as candidates to go on this secret mission. Because of the large number, they divided up the volunteers. I was there bright and early on the morning of the interview, which lasted about ten minutes.  

They asked me if I had ever been in combat.  Well, I knew they had my 201 file, so they knew I had no combat experience. 

They asked me if I knew how to weld.  Now, growing up on a farm you learn a lot of different skills.  One of our neighbors Sam Chism could weld anything we broke.  Over the years on the farm I had watched Sam weld several things for my dad.  I thought, If Sam can weld, I can too.  So, I told them, “Yes, I can weld.” 

They asked if I could scuba dive, to which I answered that I could not.  (Years later, I did become certified to dive.)

After a few more questions, they told me that would be all. 

I left unhopeful thinking, “Well, at least they let me interview.” 

Recall that the interviewers asked me if I could weld. In the photo you can see how we put chains on some “walls” to practice freeing people using cutting torches. (USAF photo)

Read Sgt Terry Buckler’s full story in Who Will Go.

Click Here:  The book.

The Green Berets and Air Force Helicopters…

Air Force, Army,

Tuesday September 15th, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago today


By Tuesday Sept 15th, there were “Helio… Landing Sites #1 and #2” with white tires dug into the ground to mark the landing sites. (The de-classified TOC log is shown below. Notice that Dick Meadows was already exploring the use of ArmaLite Singlepoint Sights.) The Green Berets had begun work on LZs for the helicopters Sept 10th. Now they were ready.

Master Sgt Thomas Kemmer (Blueboy), and Sgt 1st Class David Lawhon (Greenleaf).
The white tires were the markers of the landing zones for the helicopters.
(USAF Photos provided by John Gargus.)

Read Sgt Terry Buckler’s full story in Who Will Go.

Click Here:  The book.

The Code Word: Given exactly 50 years ago today.

Air Force, Army,

Monday September 14th, 1970

7am: Colonel Bull Simons’ staff meeting inside the TOC (Tactical Ops Center).

Noon: Brig General Manor arrives and briefs the Green Berets on the Cover Story and on the use of the code word IVORY COAST.

2pm: Colonel Bull Simons departs for Washington DC.

3:15pm: At the close of this day of meetings, all participants are briefed by OSI that the information shared in the TOC theater today is classified SECRET Sensitive.

8:30pm: Sgt Major Davis (handpicked as the courier from Washington DC) arrives at the TOC with the OPLAN. It is labeled “IVORY COAST TOP SECRET Sensitive.”

This week, the walk-throughs were in the daylight. No helicopters needed. The Green Berets were driven the 4 miles in deuce-and-a-halfs.

At the Mockup are Master Sgt Joe Lupyak (Redwine) and
Sgt 1st Class Donald Wingrove (Blueboy)
(USAF photos provided by John Gargus.)

Read Sgt Terry Buckler’s full story in Who Will Go.

Click Here:  The book.

The Green Berets and Aircrews inside the high-security Tac Ops Center at Eglin AFB.

Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy,

Thursday Sept 10th, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago today.

In addition to the “buildings” that we constructed for the Mockup, there were roads made that simulated the area surrounding the POW camp. Earthmoving equipment was brought in which completed a “road by the Son Tay compound and a canal/river” on September 10th. This was recorded in the Log.

Below, you can read a page of that Log kept in the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s top secret TOC (Tactical Operations Center) building at Aux Field #3, recording the events of each day.

The official name of the Log is “Record of Events (Log), US Army Element, JCTG (JCS)”

Translation: Record of Events (Log), US Army Element of the Joint Contingency Task Group (Joint Chiefs of Staff).

The Son Tay Raid was the first mission directly controlled by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The reason: there was no organization in the US military that could manage all the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps assets involved in the Son Tay Raid.

[Today, we have the USSOCOM, the US Special Operations Command, for this very purpose. USSOCOM’s commanders teach the Son Tay Raid as a textbook example of excellence.]

Read Sgt Terry Buckler’s full story in Who Will Go.

Click Here:  The book.

Was the Mockup taken down each night?

Air Force, Army,

Tuesday Sept 8th, 1970


The Green Berets are constructing the Mockup at Eglin AFB…

…exactly 50 years ago this week

Multiple books and historians perpetuate an inaccurate story that we took the Mockup down every day. The concern was that the Soviet reconnaissance satellites passing over Eglin AFB each day might be able to determine what we were planning.

But I can clear up the misconception—we never took it down.

It is true that we were concerned, but those concerns were satisfied by a simple experiment (simple if you have an SR-71 Blackbird at your disposal.) An Air Force reconnaissance aircraft took some high-resolution photos for us while the Mockup was installed. Those photos proved that the Mockup could not be seen clearly enough by even the best high-res imagery.

I can tell you as one who constructed it and who used it for months: From the time that we arrived (Wednesday September 2nd) on through at least the end of our time at Aux Field #3 (November 16th), we did not take down the Mockup.

(Also see Sgt Robert Hobdy’s and Sgt Pat St. Clair’s explanations of this in Appendix 4 of Who Will Go.)

This photo was taken by a USAF reconnaissance jet to help in the determination that we WOULD NOT need to take down the Mockup. The photo was taken from an aircraft northwest of C-2 looking to the southeast. (Photo provided by John Gargus.)

Read Sgt Terry Buckler’s full story in Who Will Go.

Click Here:  The book.