Category Archives: Army

Learning what the Chainsaw was for…

Air Force, Army,

Thursday Sept 24th, 1970
…exactly 50 years ago this week

During our early walkthroughs, we learned that a couple of our men from Redwine were going to have to bring down some power poles to make the LZ safer for when the helicopters return to pick us up.

<<Fast forward to the actual Raid.  Here’s how bringing down the poles turned out to be more complicated than we thought.>>

“0228 hours, November 21st, 1970
Son Tay, North Vietnam

One of Redwine’s roles was to clear the planned LZ by cutting down light poles. That task revealed one frustrating surprise.

We had brought a chainsaw to cut down certain wooden telephone poles, but Sgt 1st Class Charles Masten and Sgt 1st Class Ronnie Strahan were to blow up a tall, concrete light pole.
The moment that Masten and Strahan had finished placing the four one-pound packets of C-4 explosive, were ready to blow, and were confirming that they should activate the fuse, Apple 1 was arriving (it had been delayed)! They waited until Apple 1 had landed, offloaded Greenleaf, and departed.

Ensured of safety, they detonated the C-4. BAAMM!

As the pole rose into the air in a huge flash of light, Masten and Strahan could see that this was NOT a light pole—it had four large high-tension power lines! Dancing sparks were everywhere as the four huge power lines hit the rice paddies—the very rice paddies in which our soldiers and POWs would be marshalling to load the returning choppers!

Were we going to have to find a new location for the LZ?

Masten, Strahan, and Capt Jim McClam, as MACO (Marshalling Area Control Officer), immediately set about ensuring they understood the location of all the lines and whether they were hot. After assessing the situation and ensuring there were no other potential hazards, they began placing the “beanbag lights” in an area suitably distant from the power lines.

Life Lesson 7: Don’t be a Complainer. The world is moving on and needs people to solve problems. Evaluate your situation, make a decision, and execute any new plan without complaining and feeling sorry for yourself.”

See the “BLOWN POWER POLE” in the reconnaissance image, after the mission.

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

Click Here:  The book.

Walking through the mission’s RTO role…

Army,

Wednesday Sept 23rd, 1970
…exactly 50 years ago this week

Capt Dan Turner and I were a two-man team. As the RTO (Radiotelephone Operator) for Redwine Security Group, my job was (in Capt Dan’s words): “I want you an arm’s length from me.”

The primary job of our two-man team was to make our way to the Communications Building as fast as we could to neutralize the people inside the building before… they could radio for reinforcements.

We had two buildings to clear (Buildings 11 and 12 on the Diagram in Chapter 16 in the book Who Will Go) before we could get to the Communications Building (7A in the diagram in the book).

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

Click Here:  The book.

Overhearing the words “rescuing prisoners”…

Army,

Tuesday Sept 22nd, 1970
…exactly 50 years ago this week

Story by Capt Tom Jaeger, Blueboy

When we volunteered for the Son Tay mission, we were only told it was dangerous. We trained hard for three months without being told what the actual mission was.

However, one morning in the second week of training at Aux Field #3 (mid-September), Capt Dick Meadows, my roommate, asked me to assist him and LtCol Sydnor at the Mockup training site. While at the training site I overhead Dick accidentally say “prisoners” three separate times talking with LtCol Sydnor. That afternoon Dick asked me to not mention his “prisoner” slip-up to anyone. I told him I would not.

From that morning on, I tried to think about what mission would involve rescuing prisoners. American POWs in North Vietnam obviously came to mind, but I thought it was impossible to put a 56-man raiding force on the ground deep into the heart of North Vietnam and expect that we could get out with the POWs. I thought the more likely mission would be to rescue American POWs thought to be held in caves in the Laotian tri-border area, something my FOB-2 recon team had attempted several times but were shot out each time. I guessed wrong.

Read the rest of this and two more of Tom Jaeger’s memorable moments in Who Will Go.

Click Here:  The book.

The Green Berets’ initial walkthroughs of the mission…

Army,

Monday Sept 21st, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago this week

Our training began with us walking through our positions over and over again in daylight. During the first month, there were several changes to how we performed our mission. Each person had specific tasks to perform. Not only did we have to know our own role, but we had to know the role of the man to our left and right and where they would be when the firing started.

Capt Dan Turner and I were a two-man team. As the RTO for Redwine Security Group my job was (as Capt Dan put it): “I want you an arm’s length from me or I will be the one who’ll shoot you!” And if you knew Capt Dan, he would have, so you can bet I stayed damn close to him.

Capt Glenn Rouse (Greenleaf), Major Keith Grimes, Sgt 1st Class Leroy Carlson (Greenleaf). Notice the Deuce-and-a-Half truck that brought the Green Berets to the Mockup each day this week.

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

Click Here:  The book.

The Cut.

Army,

Friday September 18th, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago today.

What the Bull told me yesterday came true. Things did change.

The first cut was made on Friday, September 18th. They selected 51 men (see the Log below), and an additional 10 men were identified as backup that could be used in any of the different elements. I was selected to be a part of the Redwine Security Group. I would be the RTO for Captain Dan Turner. No more guard duty for me! The three Groups were each placed in their own areas in the barracks building to help build the team concept.

Life Lesson 4: Have Patience and Aggressiveness and Contentment. Guarding the TOC, we were not allowed to know the “Why.” As I saw my opportunity slipping away, I was aggressive, hungry to be in the middle of the action. That’s OK—it’s not a fault to be aggressive. It’s a virtue—if you can choose in your heart and in your mind to be at peace and to be thankful, trusting God with the outcome.

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

Click Here:  The book.