Tag Archives: The Son Tay Raid

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.

On Patriots Day: America has always had patriots humbly serving.

Army,

50 years ago this week.

Story by Sgt Robert Hobdy, Training Support Element at Eglin AFB

I was one of the Green Berets who guarded the Mockup that the Blueboy, Greenleaf, and Redwine groups trained on. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to be one of the 56. I was chosen to research and train members of the three elements in the use of the radios for the mission.

After the Raiders left for the mission, I remained behind in Florida with other members of the support element. We trained in the Mockup daily—as if the rest of you guys were still there training. We even did some live fire and air support training with the A-1s. Any satellite viewer would think that all us Green Berets were still in training at Aux Field #3, thus hiding the timing of the mission.

The Mockup was made of 2x4s and burlap cloth and was NOT taken down each day. I hope this helps clear up the myth that the Mockup was disassembled each day.

(I did help tear it down once—at the end when we packed up and left Aux Field #3.)

This view of the Mockup is from the northwest corner of the Son Tay POW camp. Looking closely you can see the helicopter in the background. The helicopter is on the south side of the POW camp. The nearest structure likely represents the northwest guard tower.

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.

78 more Green Berets arrive at Eglin AFB…

Army,

Wednesday, September 9th, 1970

…exactly 50 years ago today

On Wednesday Sept 9th, about a week after we arrived as the Advance Team, the other 78 Green Berets arrived and we started our training

The TOC log entry for Thursday, Sept 10th states, “Day 01 of training.”

The first 30 days of training was intense. The training started with PT every morning followed by running the Meadows Mile. Dick Meadows loved to run and he led many of our runs. Now I like to run, but not like Captain Meadows. If you were not in shape, you would soon be.

Training at the Mockup.

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.