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Chapter 16 Newsle er Organiza on and Responsibili es: Secrets, Denial, and, Decades Later, a Medal of Editor: Glen Craig Honor for a Vietnam Medic Sec ons: By DAVE PHILIPPSJULY 30, 2016 Message from the President: HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Unofficially, in the jungles of Laos in 1970, hundreds Treasurers Report: Kevin Pa on of North Vietnamese troops closed in on a small team of United States Army commandos. Uno cially, as men were shot down, a medic sprinted Sec. Rpt (Staff Mee ng Minutes): Paul Bagshaw ffi through a hail of bullets to help, he ing a man over his shoulder as he fired Sick Call/Obituary: Chaplain Butch Hall back with one hand. Unofficially, even when bloodied by a rocket, the Blast from the Past: Glen Craig medic kept going, not sleeping for days as he cared for 51 wounded Special Recogni on: Paul Bagshaw soldiers. Officially, though, American troops were not in Laos. So officially, nothing Upcoming Events: Paul Bagshaw happened. Calendar: Dave Shell The medic, Sgt. Gary Rose, was part of the secret Studies and Observa ons Human Interest Story: Chapter at large Group, an elite division of Special Forces. A er the assault, the group recommended him for the military’s highest award, the Medal of Honor. SFA Na onal HQ Update: Dave Shell But at the me, President Richard M. Nixon was denying that American A er Ac on Report: Jim Lessler troops were even in Laos. The nomina on was shelved, an example of Membership Info: Roy Sayer what veterans of the group say was a pa ern of medals being denied or downgraded to hide their classified exploits. Adver sements: Glen Craig This summer that decision is poised to be reversed. A er more than a Suspense: decade of lobbying, Congress authorized the medal for Sergeant Rose, who now lives in Huntsville. His will be the rst Medal of Honor to expressly st fi Newsle er published (Web): 1 of each acknowledge the heroics of a soldier on the ground in the so‐called Secret odd numbered month War in Laos. th In the past, medal cita ons for the unit listed men only as “deep in enemy Input due to editor: 20 of each territory,” said Neil Thorne, a researcher and Army veteran who has even numbered month dra ed a number of medal applica ons in recent years for the group. Dra due to President: 27th of each “The Army s ll doesn’t want to admit it,” Mr. Thorne said. “Even to this day, I put in Laos in a cita on, the Army takes it out. It’s almost a game, but even numbered month th it’s not really funny. Rose is unique in that they finally le in the truth.” Final Dra due 29 of each During the Vietnam War, Laos was neutral and off limits to foreign troops. even numbered month But the North Vietnamese used the jungles on the border between Vietnam and Laos to funnel weapons along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The United States secretly sent in Special Forces to disrupt the enemy while not arousing protest from allies or the American public. Since then, veterans of the Studies and Observa ons Group, which had one of the highest kill rates and highest casualty rates in Vietnam, have worked to gain recogni on for men like Sergeant Rose. “Because we were where we weren’t supposed to be, a lot of men never got what they deserved,” said Eugene McCarley, a re red lieutenant colonel who was the medic’s commander. “Rose is one of them. He was a damn good medic and the level of gallantry and disregard for his own safety that he showed — I’ve rarely seen anything like it.” The group operated in Vietnam under the cover story that it was an academic unit evalua ng strategy. In fact, its mission was to sow mayhem. Small teams tapped communica on lines, sabotaged convoys, snatched cap ves and peppered enemy territory with fake documents, counterfeit money and exploding ammuni on intended to confuse, demoralize and kill communist troops. The Special Forces teams paired with indigenous mercenaries who
Page 1 opposed the North Vietnamese. They relied on stealth, many using weapons fi ed with silencers. A few even carried hatchets and bows. “It was a deadly game,” said Fred Dye, a company commander. “A lot of mes we got the hell shot out of us. Some mes teams didn’t come back.” Mr. Dye was recommended for the na on’s third‐highest military honor, the Silver Star. He never got it. To hide American involvement, teams wore Asian uniforms with no rank and o en carried foreign‐made weapons. Even underwear and ra ons were from Asian countries. They called it “going in sterile.” “That’s part of the reason so many awards were never given,” said John L. Plaster, a re red major who was in the group and has wri en books about its deeds. “We couldn’t really say what was going on.” Mr. Plaster was also recommended for the Silver Star. He never got it. On Sept. 11, 1970, the group launched one of its biggest missions of the war,Opera on Tailwind. Helicopters dropped 136 men about 40 miles into Laos to “cause a huge ruckus,” Mr. Plaster said, and draw a en on away from a C.I.A. opera on to the north.
Sgt. Gary Rose, an Army medic who was involved in secret opera ons in Laos during the Vietnam War. A er years of lobbying from members of his unit, he will be awarded the Medal of Honor.CreditJoe Buglewicz for The New York Times Sergeant Rose, who con nued to treat wounded troops in Laos even a er being wounded himself, was helped from a helicopter landing area a er four days of figh ng in 1970.
According to interviews and Army documents, North Vietnamese forces hit before the team even landed, piercing the helicopters with bullets. Three were shot before any boots hit the ground. When the choppers touched down, the team swept into the jungle to escape enemy fire. The lone medic was Sergeant Rose, a so ‐spoken 22‐year‐old from Southern California wearing a floppy jungle hat and camouflage face paint that did not quite hide his nerves. It was his second real combat mission. He had been wounded on his first. Over the next four days, the company blew up ammuni on bunkers and set fire to a supply camp, chased by an ever‐increasing enemy force. By the end of the opera on, a third of the company was wounded. When a soldier was shot down in a clearing raked by machine guns, others yelled to stay down un l the team could set up cover fire, But Sergeant Rose ran forward, firing as he went. He shielded the man to treat his wounds, and then carried him to safety. “How or why Sgt. Rose was not killed in this ac on I’ll never know,” one platoon leader wrote in a statement at the me. A few hours later a rocket‐propelled grenade hit the command team, blowing the medic off his feet and punching shards of metal into his hand and foot. Ignoring his own wounds, he patched up the other men, stopping only later to fix his bloody boot. That evening in the steaming forest, Sergeant Rose, already exhausted, dug long foxholes so the wounded could lie under cover. “All the night the enemy pounded us,” Mr. McCarley recalled. “Rose went from posi on to posi on, offering medical help and words of encouragement. I never saw him stop to eat, rest or treat his own wounds.” Mr. McCarley was recommended for the na on’s second‐highest military honor, the Dis nguished Service Cross. He never received it. By the third day, Sergeant Rose was all but out of morphine and bandages. He had rigged li ers from bamboo for the worst off and ed the wrists of delirious men to other soldiers so they would not get le behind. By the fourth day, when helicopters came to extract the team, enemy troops were so close that American planes dropped tear gas on their own men to drive the enemy back. Sergeant Rose was one of the last on the last helicopter, firing as he hobbled aboard. When they li ed clear of the trees, he slumped to the floor of the helicopter, his marathon mission complete. Then a bullet pierced the neck of a door gunner, and the medic was up again. Out of bandages, he stopped the bleeding with a spare piece of cloth. As he worked, enemy fire hit the engines. The crippled aircra crashed on a riverbank, spi ng out men as it rolled. Sergeant Rose, bleeding from his head, crawled into the wreckage. “Fuel was leaking everywhere, that thing was ready to blow,” Dave Young, a sergeant in the company, said in an interview. “Rose went back in repeatedly un l everyone was out.” Few details of Sergeant Rose’s ac ons were ever made public. When his name was submi ed for the Medal of Honor in 1970, Adm. John S. McCain, the father of Senator John McCain and commander of all forces in the Vietnam Theater, turned it down. He was awarded the Dis nguished Service Cross in 1971. Opera on Tailwind stayed secret un l 1998, when CNN and Time magazine erroneously reported that the mission’s aim had been to kill American defectors, and that the team had massacred hundreds of villagers while pilots dropped nerve gas. Tailwind veterans united in fierce protest, then began pressing for recogni on of men like Sergeant Rose. They spent years submi ng applica ons and sworn statements. Now the sergeant’s medal just awaits the signature of the president. A 68‐year‐old grandfather, the former medic lives in a dy one‐story brick house, and spends much of his me volunteering with poor and disabled people. On a recent morning, as he gave a tour of his church, he was more eager to talk about the congrega on’s Tootsie Roll fund‐raiser than about his role in a top secret commando raid. “I just try to go through life doing as much good as I can,” he said with a shrug. Over the decades, he has rarely thought about Opera on Tailwind, he said, and is a bit embarrassed about the Medal of Honor. “I didn’t do anything heroic,” he said. “I was just doing my job like everyone else.” “It’s all a blur,” he con nued. “I was oblivious. I was just so focused on the wounded that I didn’t see the machine guns.”
Page 2 He paused, and then added: “I don’t want to make it sound like I’m brave. The trembling, the throwing up, the fear that always happened, but only a er everything was over. In the moment, I was just concentra ng on what I had to do. I didn’t want to let anyone down.”
An Addendum to the above ar cle on Opera on Tailwind. More detailed in some areas and fills in some missing details. Green Beret Medic Could Be Next Vietnam War MOH Recipient Stars and Stripes | Jul 14, 2016 | by Travis J. Tri en WASHINGTON ‐‐ The story of Green Beret Gary Michael Rose's heroism is an epic of classified warfare and a s nging media scandal, but it might soon end with a Medal of Honor. In 1970, Rose was the lone medic for a company of Special Forces soldiers and indigenous Vietnamese fighters during a risky, four‐day assault deep into Laos. The badly injured Rose helped bring all the soldiers back alive and received the Dis nguished Service Cross, the na on's second highest military honor, during a ceremony at the me in Vietnam. "He is not a gung‐ho person, he is very though ul, but he was a hell of a medic and I trusted him with my life," said Keith Plancich, 66, who was a Special Forces squad leader on the mission. But Rose and the other men were wrongly accused of taking part in war crimes in 1998 a er the mission, called Opera on Tailwind, was declassified and unearthed for the first me by CNN and its partner Time magazine. Stunning claims that Rose and the Green Berets were sent to Laos to kill American defectors and that the military used sarin gas during the mission were fully discredited. CNN and Time retracted the story, which was co‐wri en and presented by famed journalist Peter Arne , but it cast a shadow over the mission that s ll remains. The highest recogni on of heroism is close for Rose and the Green Berets. The so ‐spoken former medic might be the next Vietnam veteran to receive the Medal of Honor, a er President Barack Obama presents the medal to re red Army pilot Lt. Col. Charles Ke les on Monday. 'CREATE SUCH HAVOC' In September 1970, Rose and 15 Green Berets along with more than 100 Vietnamese tribal fighters called Montagnards were dropped into the Lao an jungle by CH‐53 Sea Stallion helicopters. The elite soldiers were with the Army's opaquely named Studies and Observa ons Group based in southern Vietnam. Far from studying intelligence, the Special Forces unit was leading groups of the indigenous fighters on classified raider missions into Laos, where the United States was waging a covert war against North Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. "They were going to create such havoc," said re red Maj. John Plaster, a former Special Forces sniper and military historian who also served with Rose in the SOG. Rose declined interview requests for this story. The Green Berets and their company of indigenous fighters were tapped to take pressure off the CIA, which was running opera ons in the Lao an highlands, by drawing the a en on of at least two North Vietnamese Army regiments in the area, Plaster said. 'GARY KEPT THEM MOVING' Once off the helicopters, the company almost immediately heard telephones ringing in the jungle. It found and overtook a 500‐yard‐long string of bunkers stocked with enemy rockets, according to a history of Opera on Tailwind wri en by Plaster, who said he interviewed many of the troops involved. The soldiers wired the bunkers with demoli on charges. As they pushed on, 30 bunker explosions – and the rockets that con nued to cook off through the night – went up like a challenge to the North Vietnamese. Rose and the unit, backed by constant U.S. air power, almost never stopped moving for the next four days while taking small arms, mortar and rocket fire. They had firefights with platoon‐ and company‐size enemy units, then called in air strikes before moving deeper into Laos. By the first dawn, about half of the Green Berets were wounded. Many more of the Montagnards had injuries. The company con nued a acking by calling in an air strike on 12 trucks and a group of infantry troops it discovered moving along a highway. "The key was not to be overrun by the North Vietnamese," Plaster said. "Gary kept them moving, it was emergency medicine on the go. Think of how many people could have put up with that much stress and stay organized and cool and treat all of those people." 'HE JUST KEPT WALKING' As the casual es mounted, the company called for medevac flights. Rose a empted to hand up Montagnards to two hovering helicopters amid heavy enemy fire but both aircra were shot down. "God knows how many mes he risked his life to make sure as many guys as possible came out alive," Plaster said. The bloodied and worn‐out soldiers dug into a hillside the second night. But Rose, who was wounded twice, worked through the night a ending to the injured as NVA rockets exploded in the surrounding jungle. "Gary was actually covering the wounded with his own body," Plaster said. While helping so many, Rose was suffering through his own injuries including a badly wounded foot, Plancich said. "Every once in a while he would get wounded but we would keep going on, and he just kept walking on that foot and I know it must have been horribly painful because it was mangled," he said. 'EVERY AMERICAN WAS WOUNDED' Rose was also caring for the Montagnards, who were famously recruited into the war by the Green Berets and known as fierce fighters. Plancich said he was helping Rose with one of the wounded fighters when a tank round exploded nearby. "It peppered me and Rose, and tore open the Montagnard. It split him right open to the bone," he said. Rose wrapped the fighter's leg in banana leaves a er adding maggots, and by the me the Montagnard reached a hospital there were "10 pounds of maggots" on the wound, ensuring a full recovery, Plancich said. "The last me I saw him he was playing basketball," he said. Over four days, the Green Berets and Montagnards moved 15 miles through the jungle and spent about 30 percent of that me engaged with NVA forces, according to Plaster. "Every single American was wounded and some of them twice," Plaster said.
Page 3 Rose was wounded mul ple mes and had treated about 60 injured troops. The Marines had lost three Sea Stallions. But all of the soldiers had survived. As helicopters li ed the last Green Berets out of Laos, the NVA forces were closing in around them and they had a cache of hundreds of pounds of documents seized from an enemy command center, which ended up being one of the biggest intelligence hauls of the Vietnam War. 'I WAS DISGUSTED' The story of Opera on Tailwind remained locked away for a quarter‐century before it was declassified. In June 1998, Mike Hagan, his mother and members of his family were tuned into a CNN program called News Stand. Hagan, a Green Beret who fought with the SOG in Vietnam, had been interviewed by the network and assumed the debut episode would be about veteran benefits, according to a video interview published online in 2009. But the inves ga ve expose, which was tled "Valley of Death" and hosted by Pulitzer Prize‐winning journalist Peter Arne , instead made a series of hard‐hi ng allega ons about the mission all those years ago in Laos. CNN claimed that Rose, Plancich, Hagan and the other Special Forces soldiers were sent in to kill American military defectors, and during the mission they destroyed a village, killed women and children, and dropped deadly sarin gas, a chemical weapon banned under interna onal law, according to a detailed examina on of the repor ng by the Defense Department. The same claims were published by CNN's partner Time magazine in a story wri en by Arne and April Oliver, who was a CNN producer. "I was disgusted. All of a sudden, now instead of helping with my benefits I'm a goddamn baby killer," Hagan said in the earlier interview. 'IT WASN'T A VILLAGE' The claims threw the Pentagon into ac on. The defense secretary at the me, William Cohen, ordered the leaders of the Army, Air Force and Navy as well as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to conduct their own full‐scale inves ga on, which included interviewing witnesses and digging into military records and historical archives. Rose and Lt. Col. Eugene McCarley, the officer who led the Green Berets on the ground during Opera on Tailwind, were among those called to the Pentagon in late June 1998 for interviews about the CNN allega ons. The Vietnam veterans flatly refuted claims of killing women and children in a village as well as the use of chemical weapons. "It wasn't a village we went into, as CNN said. It was a compound," Rose told Pentagon officials. "I came up a er the fight was over. I only saw two bodies, both dead from small arms fire, and I've seen enough dead people from small arms fire to know what that looks like." McCarley said the military had decided to drop tear gas – a common crowd control substance – around the landing zone as the Green Berets a empted to board the helicopters at the end of the mission. He declined to be interviewed for this story. "We were almost out of ammo. We were exhausted. He could see that once we got to the extrac on zone, we would be overrun," McCarley said during his interview at the Pentagon. The forward air controller "called for the gas. I never requested it." 'THAT MADE US WAR CRIMINALS' The Pentagon inves ga on shot down the other claims in "Valley of Death" as well. CNN and Time conducted an internal review and a er the findings were reported, they retracted the story. "The report concludes that NewsStand's broadcast on Opera on Tailwind cannot be supported. There is insufficient evidence that sarin or any other deadly gas was used," the network said in a statement. "Furthermore, CNN cannot confirm that American defectors were targeted or at the camp as NewsStand reported." The incident became one of the biggest media scandals of the late 1990s and triggered a flurry of lawsuits by Plancich, Hagan and others against CNN. Arne , famed for his dispatches from the Vietnam War and Desert Storm, was reprimanded and later pushed out of CNN with his reputa on damaged. It caused him to leave the TV news business and search out a job in other media, he told the Washington Post in 1999. "I realized last year that because of the notoriety I got from Tailwind, it seemed unlikely the networks would be interested," said Arne , who did not return Stars and Stripes requests for comment le at his home in California. Oliver was fired from the network a er the story was retracted. When reached by phone, she said she would not comment. The retrac on never erased the allega ons in the view of soldiers who conducted Opera on Tailwind. In his interview a decade later, Hagan angrily remembered a woman hi ng him with a purse and calling him a baby killer in an airport a er the CNN report aired. McCarley, whom Plaster described as built like a stevedore with a friendly small‐town demeanor, said in a video interview also posted online in 2009 that the "Valley of Death" story painted the Special Forces unit in the worst possible light. "We were accused of killing civilians and possibly killing some of our own people who were POWs," McCarley said. "That concerned me because that made us war criminals." 'SHOULD HAVE GOT IT WAY BACK WHEN' Earlier this month, Congress began hammering out a final version its annual defense policy bill. Tucked away inside the current proposal is legisla on that clears the way for Rose to receive the Medal of Honor. Lawmakers remain deeply divided on many defense and veteran issues, but there is agreement that the Green Beret medic should have his Dis nguished Service Cross upgraded. The House and Senate passed ini al versions of the Na onal Defense Authoriza on Act that include a waiver, allowing the White House to award Rose even though his combat heroism on Opera on Tailwind happened too long ago to make the five‐year cutoff for eligibility. Congress passed the same waiver last year for Ke les, 86, a helicopter pilot who rescued ambushed soldiers during the Vietnam War and will be awarded the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama during a White House ceremony Monday. The Defense Department has backed Rose for the medal upgrade and the defense secretary sent the recommenda on to the president, according to the House staff members. Department spokeswoman Lt. Col. Gabrielle M. Hermes declined to confirm the recommenda on or to comment. The White House also declined to comment. If lawmakers do approve the Rose legisla on later this year, the next president could be set to make a final decision on the medal early in 2017.
Page 4 The Medal of Honor could be a final vindica on for the elite soldiers who pushed through Laos 46 years ago and remain bi er over the controversy and pall CNN's "Valley of Death" cast over one of their greatest military achievements. In the wake of the scandal, the SOG received a presiden al unit cita on in 2001 for heroism in Vietnam from 1964‐1972, which is equivalent to the Dis nguished Service Cross for all Green Berets who served during its existence. But Rose's lifesaving ac ons on the ba lefield will become the new face of Opera on Tailwind and turn a na onal media spotlight on the mission if he receives the medal. Some of the soldiers, including Plancich, s ll believe that Rose was shorted in 1970 when the U.S. commander in Vietnam, Gen. Creighton Abrams, pinned him with the Dis nguished Service Cross instead of the na on's highest military honor. "He should have got it way back when," Plancich said. "It is very hard to get the medal in Special Forces because as far as they are concerned, you are just doing your job. But Rose certainly deserves the Medal of Honor." Special Forces Soldier Denied Medal of Honor: System May Be 'Broken'
Sgt. 1st Class Earl D. Plumlee of the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) is presented the Silver Star Medal by Maj. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl during a May 8, 2015, ceremony at Joint Base Lewis‐McChord, Washington. (Photo by Codie Mendenhall/U.S. Army) Fox News | Jun 29, 2016 A Green Beret credited with figh ng off Taliban a ackers in Afghanistan spoke out Monday in his first interview since the Army denied his commanders' recommenda on for a Medal of Honor, awarding him a Silver Star instead. "I kind of have a lot of trust in the system, but if somebody says it's broken, maybe it is," Staff Sgt. Earl D. Plumlee told The Washington Post. "But I'm always leery of decisions like this ge ng reversed." He said senior commanders in Afghanistan ‐‐ including Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, now Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ‐‐ wrote that he deserved the Medal of Honor, but the Army's Senior Decora ons Board recommended the Silver Star, an award considered two levels lower. Army Secretary John McHugh approved the Silver Star. Plumlee rushed to the site of a car bombing outside a coali on military base in central Afghanistan in the summer of 2013, the Post reported. As many as 10 armed Taliban a ackers reportedly tried storming Forward Opera ng Base Ghazni through a damaged wall. At least one a acker detonated a suicide vest. Troops including Plumlee returned fire. One soldier died and other troops were injured, the newspaper added. Plumlee said he later helped the wounded receive medical aid. Other troops received Silver Stars, including a posthumous award for Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, who died in the a ack. Plumlee said some of his friends had a "bi er" reac on to hearing that the Army opted to give him the Silver Star instead of the Medal of Honor. "I think there are plenty of Medal of Honor recipients out there whose ac ons surpassed mine. But I think a downgrade to the Dis nguished Service Cross wouldn't have got everyone s rred up." The Dis nguished Service Cross is one level below the Medal of Honor. It was unclear why the Army's leadership did not select that award for
Green Beret Kills Four Terrorists in One Fight, One Bare Handed
Master Sgt. Anthony S. Pryor of Company A, 1st Ba alion, 5th Special Forces Group is the type of man they make movies about. Only he’s the type of solider that can kill four insurgents–one in hand to hand combat–and never men on it to anyone, not even his own team. In January 2002, with Opera on Enduring Freedom having just begun, small groups of Americans were being deployed on covert missions all over Afghanistan. These men moved quickly and without the full support of the American military machine, which was s ll in Kabul, the so‐called Global War on Terror. On Jan. 23, 2002, U.S. Central Command sent Pryor and his group to conduct raid an al‐Qaeda compound in southern Afghanistan. They were to take an old school house while the insurgent inside slept. But that didn’t happen. Someone was awake, and as the commandos entered the enclosure, the shoo ng started. “A er the ini al burst of automa c weapons fire, we returned fire in the breezeway,” Sgt. 1st Class Sco Neil, told an Army reporter. “It was a mental spur – a er we heard the words ‘let’s go,’ everything just kind of kicked in.” Pryor and one other commando moved forward, and into a doorway. As they did, an insurgent stepped through the door. Pryor shot him and entered the room alone. “I went in, and there were some windows that they were trying to get their guns out of to shoot at our guys that hadn’t caught up yet,” Pryor said. “So I went from le to right, indexed down and shot those guys up. I realized that I was well into halfway through my magazine, so I started
Page 5 to change magazines. Then I felt something behind me….” Pryor assumed it was his teammate, the one who had been with him in the doorway. It wasn’t. “That’s when things started going downhill.” I’d forgive you if you were surprised by Pryor’s assessment of when, exactly, things “started going downhill.” It wasn’t when the mission was compromised, or when the automa c gunfire started, or even when he had to kill a man who was trying to kill him. The man behind Pryor, though–he wasn’t friendly. He hit Pryor with something that broke his collarbone and dislocated his shoulder, and Pryor fell to the floor. “[He] jumped on my back, broke my night‐vision goggles off and started ge ng his fingers in my eyeballs,” Pryor remembered. “I pulled him over, and when I hit down on the ground, it popped my shoulder back in.” When he stood again, it was to fight this man. Pryor killed him, barehanded. “I was trying to feel around in the dark for my night‐vision goggles, and that’s when the guys I’d already killed decided that they weren’t dead yet.” With the ini al threat neutralized, Pryor was able to go back to his rifle and dispatch the other two men in the room. “As soon as he le that room, he came running up to me and wanted to know if everybody was okay,” Neil recalled. “He never men oned anything about what went on … and during the whole objec ve and as the firefight con nued, he never stopped.” At the end of the mission, 21 insurgents were dead. All of the Americans were alive. Pryor was awarded the Silver Star in 2007. Maj. Gen. Geoffrey C. Lambert, commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Forces Command, praised Pryor, saying, “This is the singular hand‐to‐hand combat story that I have heard from this war. When it came me to play, he played, and he did it right.” “Receiving this award is overwhelming, but… this isn’t a story about one guy,” Pryor told an Army reporter. “It’s a story about the whole company instead of an award on the chest. If the guys hadn’t done what they were supposed to do, [the mission] would’ve been a huge failure.” It is this sort of spirit that has made this country great. Humility. And it makes us like Pryor even more. “I just did what I had to do,” he said. “It wasn’t a heroic act – it was second‐nature. I won, and I moved forward.”
Tommy Prince Was So Quiet, Some mes Instead Of Killing Germans He Would Steal Their Shoes.... (War History online)
Tommy Prince was born on October 15th, 1915, in Scanterbury Manitoba Canada in a family of eleven siblings. He le school at an early age (8th grade) and followed his father in his hun ng expedi ons around the Indian reserve, and was thus able to provide a meal for his younger siblings. At the me, hun ng was just a means to put food on the table; li le did he know that it would come in handy during his career as a soldier. He later joined the cadets as a teenager, where he perfected his rifle handling skills un l he could easily put five bullets on a small target. He is o en described as a quiet man whose moves were always well calculated. In 1939 at the onset of World War II in Europe, Tommy Prince volunteered to fight for the Canadian Army but was turned down mul ple mes un l he was finally accepted in 1940 in the Royal Canadian Engineers. He trained here for two years and later joined the paratrooper service and a er enduring rigorous training, he was among the few people who were sent to join the parachute school in Manchester, England. Due to his earlier acquired hun ng and tracking skills, he excelled at the parachute school and was promoted to Lance Corporal. He returned to Canada in 1942 and joined the Canadian Parachute Ba alion, where he was made a sergeant. This Canadian unit joined forces with the US Special Force, to form the 1st Special Service Force. The first mission of the First Special Service Force was in January 1943, to fight the Japanese in the Pacific when they had invaded an island known as Kiska, but they did not even have to put up a fight because, by the me they reached the island, the Japanese had already withdrawn. Later, Tommy Prince with the First Special Service Force was sent on some missions and his commanders no ced his exemplary tracking skills and made him a reconnaissance sergeant. Whenever the team wanted to make an a ack, Tommy Prince would be sent to track enemy posi ons and describe the surrounding landscape. However, it was during the Italian mission when they were figh ng for the libera on of Rome, that Tommy Prince would shock everyone when his bravado far outshone what you usually see in films. It was on February 8th, 1944, and the Special Force was engaged in a furious ba le with the German Nazis for three months con nuously. He volunteered for a solo reconnaissance mission to the enemy lines and hid in a farmhouse from where he would provide informa on about the enemy whereabouts and their movements. The informa on would be radioed back to the Allies using a 1,500‐meter transmission cable. The informa on he sent back ensured that the Allied forces hit enemy targets accurately, destroying four key enemy posi ons. During a rapid‐fire exchange between the two forces, Tommy Prince’s communica on with his team was interrupted, and he knew that the transmission cable had been tampered with. This is where he pulled one of the bravest moves of his career. Tommy Prince got rid of his military uniform and put on rugged farmer’s a re which he found in the abandoned farmhouse. He disguised himself as a farmer, and ventured into German occupied territory, pretending that he was working on the farm. Armed with only a hoe, it was difficult for the Nazis to dis nguish him and other Italian farmers, and he was thus able to spot where the cable had been cut. He pretended that he was tying his shoe, and repaired the damaged cable. A erward, he returned to the farmhouse which was his observa on post and con nued to provide enemy posi ons. So accurate were the
Page 6 targets he provided to the Allied forces, that within a short me the Germans were forced to withdraw. When he returned, Lieutenant‐Colonel Gilday recommended Tommy Prince for a medal for, “excep onal bravery in the field.” A er the libera on of Rome, the Special Service Force was sent to Southern France. At one me when he was on his way back from a reconnaissance mission, he and a private were caught in a fierce ba le between the French forces and the Nazis. They took up a posi on and started shoo ng at the Germans, taking out so many of them that the rest had to withdraw. The French commander was shocked to realize that it was just Tommy Prince and a Private who were behind the forced German retreat; because he thought the rapid fire was coming from a group of fi y Allied soldiers. He was impressed by Prince’s bravery, and recommended him for a medal, the Croix de Guerre, but the message never reached the French Commander‐in‐Chief because the commander was killed en‐route. Tommy Prince is usually described as a weird yet entertaining character. His colleagues knew that he used to carry a pair of moccasins in his bag, and during the night he would take off his boots and wear the moccasins. He was thus able to creep quietly into the enemy camp, and some‐ mes he would do crazy things like stealing the Germans’ shoes. Other mes he would go with a few of his colleagues, and they would apply shoe polish to their faces, then creep into the German sta on at night and slit the throat of every third German soldier when they were sleeping. In the morning, the Germans would wake up to find their colleagues dead, plus missing shoes and this would totally freak them out. The Germans thus nicknamed the Special Force Service as the ‘Devil’s Brigade.’ Tommy Prince was awarded some of the most dis nguished medals during his career as a soldier, including the US Silver Star. He served in various military posi ons un l September 1954 when he was respec ully discharged, due to Arthri s in his knees. He died on November 1977, at the age of 62. He le a living legacy as one of the most decorated Na ve American soldiers of World War II.
The Government Of The Philippines A acks Twenty One Muslim Jihadists, And Kills Every Single One Of Them In Intense Fire Fight. Not A Single Filipino Soldier Dies by Ted on August 28, 2016
The government of the Philippines has been conduc ng a very severe policy against Islamic terrorists. Recently Filipino fighters killed 21 Muslim jihadists who were members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. Here is the report: More than 20 Abu Sayyaf militants have been killed in the past five days as the military con nues to try to purge the southern Philippines of the Daesh‐linked group. On Sunday, Military sources at Western Mindanao Command confirmed that 21 of the militants had been killed since figh ng began in Pa kul town in the predominantly Muslim province of Sulu since Wednesday, following the group’s beheading of an 18‐year‐old Filipino hostage. President Rodrigo Duterte subsequently earlier ordered troops to destroy the Abu Sayyaf. Lt. Gen. Mayoralgo dela Cruz told reporters Sunday that sporadic figh ng con nues with the recovery of ten more bodies at several encounter sites. He added that no government troops had been injured during the latest skirmishes, a er 17 were wounded in clashes Friday. Among the fatali es, are reported to be three group sub‐leaders, including the high‐ranking Mohammad Said, alias Ama Maas, who has five standing murder warrants out for his arrest. However Abu Sayyaf spokesperson Abu Rami has denied that Said was among the fatali es. The Abu Sayyaf con nues to hold a number of hostages in Sulu, including Indonesian sailors, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, and Dutchman Ewold Horn who was abducted off Panglima Sugala, Tawi‐Tawi in February 2012. Said had been tagged as involved in the kidnapping of three foreigners from the luxurious Samal Island resort off Davao City in September last year. Two of the foreigners — Canadians — were subsequently beheaded a er a ransom failed to be paid while the Norwegian — Sekkingstad — remains in cap vity. Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., WesMinCom spokesman, underlined that the offensives con nue in an effort to secure their release. “We expect more troops from the na onal headquarters will be deployed in Sulu in the next days,” said Tan. He added that rescuing the cap ves remains a priority amid the intensified military opera ons. Since 1991, the Abu Sayyaf — armed with mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automa c rifles — has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassina ons and extor on in a self‐determined fight for an independent province in the Philippines. It is among two militant groups in the south who have pledged allegiance to Daesh, promp ng fears during the stalling of a peace process between the government and the country’s biggest Moro group that it could make inroads in a region torn by decades of armed conflict.
Note: Daesh is another Name of ISIS or ISIL as Obama calls them. Unfortunately this Radical Jihadist Organiza on is spredding world –wide. glen
Page 7 J. K. Wright Memorial Breakfast, 7‐2‐16 The following Chapter 16 members and guests were present: Jim Brown, Walt & Lynda Hetzler, Richard Reilley, Ted Wircorek, Elaine Lessler, Glen Craig, Pa Lakey, Dennis Guiler, Mike & Joy Cassidy, Ed & Erma Booth, and Nick Marvais.
Chapter 16 North (Recon), 7‐9‐16 The following Chapter 16 North members and guests were present there may be some not men oned and I am sorry if I missed you: Jim Corcoran and Sharon, Willi & Liz Lindner, Rick Furhman, Bob & Mimsy Smith, Dan Chu, Nate & Kathrine Wells, Jim Harris, Gene Finney, Bob Smith, Bryan Rowe, Chris Young, Rick Orlando & wife, Dave Adkins, Glen Craig, Pa Lakey.
Dinosaurs Luncheon, 7‐29‐16 The following Chapter 16 members and guests were present: Glen Craig, Pa Lakey, Jim & Elaine Lessler, Walt & Lynda Hetzler, John Bi ers, Ted Wicorek, Ken Garcy, Mike & Joy Cassidy, Ed & Erma Booth, Jesse Bash er, Carey Pennington, and Roland Nuqui.
J. K. Wright Memorial Breakfast, 8‐6‐16 The following Chapter 16 members and guests were present: Walt & Lynda Hetzler, Ted Wicorek, Ed & Erma Booth, Ken Garcy, Dennis Guiler, Alvin Li le, Vivian Lee, Glen Craig, Pa Lakey, Nick Marvis (IMO Jerry Hampton), Ron & Marion Hale, Roland Nuqui, Jim & Elaine Lessler, and Mike Barkstrom.
Chapter 16 Picnic 8‐13‐16 Our annual picnic was held at Cpt. Ron’s Team House and was a rousing success with at least 75 a endees. Cpt. Ron’s Family helped out with the serving of Beer, So Drinks and the wonderful food. There was a large Bounce House for the kids, a display of WWII and Korea Vehicles and Weapons, and the evening was topped off by the West Sea le Big Band providing music and dancing. There was a large auc on of many varied items as a fund raiser for the Chapter and the winner of the raffle of 5 weapons was Alvin Li le.
Page 8 Dinosaurs Luncheon, 8‐26‐16 The following Chapter 16 members and guests were present: Walt & Lynda Hetzler, Butch & Regina Hall, Ed & Erma Booth, John & Jenny Gebbie, Roland Nuqui, John Bi ers, Ted Wicorek, Glen Craig, and Ken Garcy.
The Ba le of the Somme "For every yard captured, two men are casual es"......
Here are some of the key numbers from the ba le of the Somme, which began 100 years ago on July 1: 7 ‐ days of ar llery bombardment of the German lines before the ba le started, aiming to cut the barbed wire and destroy trench defenses and ar llery. 1,500,000 ‐ ar llery shells fired by the Allies in that week, to li le overall effect. 57,470 ‐ Bri sh casual es on the first day. 19,240 ‐ Bri sh first‐day casual es who died. 60 ‐ percentage of Bri sh officers involved on the first day who were killed. 141 ‐ days the ba le lasted, from July 1 to November 18. 419, 654 ‐ official number of Bri sh dead, missing or wounded 1,300,000 ‐ approximate number of casual es on both sides 6 ‐ miles that Bri sh soldiers had advanced by the end of the ba le. 49 ‐ Victoria Crosses awarded for valour during the ba le. 150,000 ‐ graves in the area cared for in more than 250 military and 150 civilian cemeteries in the Somme area by the the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. 72,000 ‐ number of Bri sh and Commonwealth soldiers who died at the Somme with no known graves and whose names are recorded on the Bri sh memorial at Thiepval. (Press Associa on) Those were the shocking facts, here are the final le er home of the three young men who gave their lives for their country...
A Sobering image shows a Famous WWI Battlefield as it is a century later.
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Chapter XVI Special Forces Associa on Quartermasters Store
The Quartermasters Store has Special Forces Crest Uniform and Blazer Bu ons for Sale. They can replace the Army Dress Uniform or the SF Associa on Blazer Bu ons. They really look sharp. The Bu ons are $5.00 a piece. A set of 4 Large and 6 small are $50.00. If you would like them mailed there is a shipping and handling cost of $4.50. We also have a number of other Items of SF interest. We also have SF T‐Shirts, hats, jackets, SFA Flashes, SF Door Knockers, Belt Buckles, Money clips and numerous other Items of Special Forces interest.
1st SFG(A) Ar facts
The current 1st SFG(A) Commander is solici ng support from former 1st SFG(A) unit members for dona on of ar facts that could be displayed in the units Regimental Mess area at Fort Lewis. He has his PAO officer working on the project and he is asking for items that could be secured in display cabinets for viewing by guests who use the facility for ceremonies, re rements and other ac vi es. Hank Cramer is planning to donate some uniform items that his dad wore in Vietnam and others from SFA Chapter and First In Asia Associa on are pu ng out feelers to our community. If interested, please contact Major Jason Waggoner at [email protected]
Looking For Historical 10th SFG(A) Items ‐ Assistance Requested ‐ for Group Foyer POCs: SSG Ryan Sabin OR Andy Tyler Public Affairs NCOIC [email protected] 10th SFG (A) 719‐524‐4528 [email protected] We are looking for any historical items and photos that will cover the following areas. I a ached the history outline that we will be following. These items will be used in the HHC foyer and we are trying to tell the 10th SFG(A) story. ‐ 1952‐ Ac va on of 10th SFG (A) ‐ 1953‐ Bad Tolz ‐ 1954‐1955 Authoriza on of the wear of the Green Beret ‐ 1962‐ CPT Roger Pezzelle Trojan Horse Unit Insignia ‐ SF Soldiers opera ng in; western and eastern Europe, clandes ne organiza ons in England, France, Norway, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. ‐ Fort Devens ‐ JOINT ENDEAVOR and PROVIDE COMFORT ‐ Opera on Desert Storm ‐ Panzer Kaserne ‐ Task Force Viking
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I am delighted to invite you to join me in I am looking forward to seeing you all enjoy celebra ng the recent publica on of my and share my work. book. Titled “To Order” Captain Ron Books will be sold for $66.00 + $20.00 Flying Life’s Longitudes and Latitudes Shipping. The book Explores the fascina ng life and Call (253) 670‐2760 Or mes of Ron Rismon. E‐mail: [email protected]
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