Tag Archives: The Son Tay Raid

Construction of the Mockup at Eglin AFB begins today…

Army,

Labor Day, Monday September 7th, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago.

I and about 25 other Green Berets comprised the Advance Party and one of our tasks was to build this large Mockup of buildings using target canvas as the walls with doors and with cut-outs for windows.

We began constructing it on Monday Sept 7th and it took us several days to complete. We didn’t know why we were having to build it. It wasn’t until we did our first walk-through during our initial training that I realized how it would be used.

We built it on what is known as Range C-2, formerly a strafing range used by the Air Force.
Below is its never-before-revealed, secret location.

We had no idea it was a dimensionally perfect replica of all the buildings and walls of the POW camp in Son Tay, North Vietnam.

Auxiliary Field #3 (today it’s called Duke Field) is on the left.
The green circle shows the location of Range C-2, where we were building the Mockup exactly 50 years ago today.

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

Click Here:  The book.

The aircrews arrive at Eglin AFB on Labor Day weekend…

Air Force,

Sunday September 6th, 1970
…exactly 50 years ago today.

Story by USAF Major Ryland “Roy” Dreibelbis, Apple 4

I was stationed at the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Da Nang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, when Major Royal Brown and I were ordered to come back from Vietnam to Eglin AFB for some special training. We did not know the real purpose, only that we were going to Eglin to receive some additional operations training that could be implemented in Vietnam.

We arrived at Eglin on Labor Day weekend and were told to attend a meeting on base. As soon as I walked in the room, I realized that this was not going to be a normal training program. Several of the attendees were HH-53 instructors stationed at Eglin who had checked us out in the HH-53. It made sense that they would be at the meeting, as I assumed they would probably be our flight instructors.

But then, one of the officers on the stage told us that this was going to be a classified program and that a classified mission may (or may not) be flown at the end of a preparation effort. The officer added that the mission may involve considerable risk and if there is anyone in the room that does not want to participate, please leave the room immediately. No one left the room.

Those of us who came from outside the local area were told to obtain off base accommodations and to limit coming to the base except for meetings and scheduled preparation flights.

Our operational training began immediately. We started with familiarization flights that included flight line familiarization and a look at the local flying area where most of our future flights would take place. The flights were with instructor pilots that were part of the training staff at Eglin. We soon realized that some of them were actually going to participate in the mission in-country with us.

Read Major Dreibelbis’ full story in Who Will Go.

Click Here:  The book.

Aircrews arriving

Air Force, Army,

Saturday Sept 5th, 1970

The aircrews are arriving at Eglin AFB this weekend…

…exactly 50 years ago.

Tomorrow’s post will be USAF Major Roy Dreibelbis’ story of his helicopter crew arriving at Eglin AFB this holiday weekend.

Have you told the next generation about what you did in the military?

Think of one child, or a niece or nephew that you could write your military story for.  AND also… choose at least one grandchild or grandnephew for whom you could write your story.  You need to capture those stories.  Good stories.  Bad stories. 

Fifty years from today, your future generations will wish you had.

We can help.  We’ve captured over 40 veterans’ stories and we’re just getting started at www.TheSonTayRaid.com

(You don’t have to be involved with the Son Tay Raid—but it’s great example of how to start capturing your story.)

Terry Buckler explains in his book Who Will Go that his father earned a Bronze Star in the Pacific in WW2.  But Terry will never know how that Bronze Star was earned.  The military records were all lost to fire.  It’s a very sad story of the saddest day of his life.

These gentlemen were in the Son Tay Raid (I’ll list their names in the next post.) The children and grandchildren of each of these men need to have this great photo.

Today is the day to write down a story, back it up on a computer for posterity, and share it (we can offer to capture it here on our website so that you can easily share it with the younger generations.)

Contact us to help capture your veteran’s story by clicking here:  Contact us.

The Green Berets at Eglin AFB…

Army,

Friday September 4th, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago

Being in good physical shape is important to any solider who is going into combat.  One of the Raiders, Sgt 1st Class Jake Jakovenko, went beyond the rest of us.  I believe there was a good reason why Jake was selected to carry an M-60 machine gun, our heaviest gun.  Jake was what you would think of when you think of a Special Forces soldier.   He was over 6 foot, with a big barrel chest and shoulders about two axe handles across with a waist of maybe 30 inches. 

After our morning PT and the two- or three-mile run, while the rest of us where resting up from the PT, Jake would add more as his own personal workout.  We would watch Jake place his feet on the second or third step and knock out fifty or one hundred push-ups, depending on how he felt.  To say Jake was in good shape would be an understatement.

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

Click Here:  The book.

The Green Berets at Eglin AFB…

Army,

Thursday Sept 3rd, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago this week

Our orders were that no one was allowed entrance to the TOC (Tactical Ops Center) building without checking their ID.  Our job was to confirm that they were who they said they were.  No matter who they were or how many times they had been in the building we had to check their ID every time they entered the building.  After confirming their identity, we would call into the building on the field phone and would verify whether they were authorized to enter the building at this time.  Someone from inside would come out and escort them into the building.

Now, the Bull wasn’t the only legendary officer attached to the Son Tay Raid.  Captain Dick Meadows would lead Blueboy Assault Group, which would land directly inside the POW camp walls.  Enlisted in 1946, a paratrooper in the Korean War, in the early 1960s, Meadows served a stint with British Special Air Service.  In Vietnam, Meadows captured video footage proving North Vietnam Army was infiltrating South Vietnam and impressed General Westmoreland so much that, in 1967, he received a battlefield commission directly to Captain.  He was the commanding officer of Ranger School when Bull Simons recruited him for the Son Tay Raid. 

Lieutenant Colonel Bud Sydnor was selected by Bull Simons to serve as the Ground Forces Commander (whereas Bull Simons’ role would be the on-scene eyes and ears of the Joint Contingency Task Group, in constant contact with General Manor.)  Sydnor had the reputation of a gentleman and a consummate professional.

One day, Brigadier General Blackburn from the Pentagon, Brigadier General Manor (Commander of USAF Special Operations Forces), Bull Simons and Captain Dick Meadows (both Simons and Meadows have statues at the Army’s Special Forces Museum today—see images at the end of Appendix 4) showed up as a group and requested access to the Operations Center.  I checked their IDs and called in for someone to come out and escort them in.  Out walks Lieutenant Colonel Bud Sydnor.   Can you image how I felt?  Here I am a 20-year-old buck sergeant standing in the midst of some of the most notable Special Operations Forces officers ever.  I remember they treated me as one of them and made small talk with me until LtCol Sydnor escorted them in.  This is one of the great things about Special Forces.  The officers and enlisted men treat each other with respect.  I believe it is because we have to depend on each other when you operate in small teams like Special Forces.

Brigadier General Donald Blackburn, who first developed the concept of the Raid with BGen James Allen, Colonel Norman Frisbie and their Pentagon feasibility study group.

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

Click Here:  The book.