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THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION CHAPTER 78 The LTC Frank J. Dallas Chapter NEWSLETTER OF THE QUIET PROFESSIONALS VOLUME 10, ISSUE 3 • MARCH 2019 SOCOM Inducts Medal of Honor Recipients Into the Commando Hall of Honor Profile of a Successful Montagnard Emigrant — Escaping Viet Nam: H’Yoanh’s Story Loc Ninh — Part One From the Editor VOLUME 10, ISSUE 3 • MARCH 2019 Finally, after nearly ten years of editing the IN THIS ISSUE: Sentinel, I get a story that I have dreamed President’s Page ...........................................................................1 of ever since I left Vietnam and South East Pro¤le of a Successful Montagnard Emigrant — Asia after three back-to-back one year tours Escaping Viet Nam: H’Yoanh’s Story .............................................2 and an extension; Mike Benge’s story of BOOK REVIEW — BAIT: The Battle of Kham Duc Special H’Yoanh Buonya and her family, “Prole of Forces Camp By James D. McLeroy and Gregory W. Sanders .......4 a Successful Montagnard Emigrant.” It is Cops Corner ..................................................................................5 a story like this that all Green Beret’s who SOCOM Inducts Medal of Honor Recipients Lonny Holmes served in Vietnam and worked with mem- Into the Commando Hall of Honor .................................................6 Sentinel Editor bers of the Montagnards will enjoy and real- MacDill AFB • 01/29/19 Commando Hall of Honor Induction ize that our work with them was NOT in vain! Her story tells of Ceremony — Why Was I There? .................................................10 their very diicult time in their long journey to become Americans Loc Ninh — Part One .................................................................12 and be assimilated into our way of life. We may have forgotten but February 2019 Chapter 78 Meeting Presentation: Guest of Honor — Yvette Benavidez Garcia ...............................13 somewhere in our own family history our distant relative’s jour- February 2019 Chapter Meeting ..................................................14 neyed to America. I look forward and hope that we may have fur- ther stories of Montagnard success printed in the Sentinel. COVER: CPT Gary M. Rose presented with a commemorative Colonel Paul Longgrear’s invitation to the SOCOM Medal of induction plaque by U.S. Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, Honor Recognition Dinner, "How did I get there" was a story in USSOCOM Commander, and Sgt. Maj. Patrick McCauley, USSOCOM Command Sergeant Major at the SOCOM Commando itself. According to Col Longgrear: Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony. (Photo by SOCOM photographer) “I was not on the original guest list but had a justiable purpose Please visit us at for wanting to be there. A Special Forces soldier that had saved specialforces78.com six of my men and myself was being inducted into the SOCOM and sfa78cup.com Commando Hall of Honor. Eugene Ashley was killed during his at- tempt to save us February 1968. His son, Darrin Ashley was going Sergeant At Arms/ Quartermaster CHAPTER OFFICERS: to be there to receive the honor for his father. Darrin was ve years President Mark Miller / D-8296 John Stryker Meyer / D-238 Coordinator of ROTC Program old when his dad was killed and I had never had the opportunity to Vice Presidents Ed Barrett / M-11188 thank him for what his father did. Don Deatherage / M-13962 Chaplain Brad Welker / M-2319 Richard Simonian / D-7920 “I had been doing a series of interviews with the Special Forces Secretary Sentinel Editor command historians at Fort Bragg so I asked them whom could I Gary Macnamara / M-12789 Louis (Lonny) Holmes / D-6067 contact at MacDill and was given a name in the history department. Treasurer Immediate Past President From the SOCOM history section I was introduced to the protocol Richard Simonian / D-7920 Bruce Long / D-7464 section. “The protocol people were sympathetic but apprehensive. ‘Send us a bio so we have something to work with’, was their response. I was more than overwhelmed! They sent me a personal invitation. 888-923-VETS (8387) • VeteransAordableHousing.org “My wife and I were put up in the same BOQ as the inductees MISSION STATEMENT: The Sentinel will provide interesting and meaningful and had the freedom to tour the post. Everything they did was top information relative to the Special Forces experience — today, yesterday and shelf. Morale was sky high and the event went o without a hitch. tomorrow. Articles will be published that were written by knowledgeable authors who will provide objective and accurate accounts of real world experiences. They were so accommodating and professional — it was a great The Sentinel is published monthly by Special Forces Association Chapter 78, experience. Everything was very professional but it was more like Southern California. The views, opinions and articles printed in this issue do a family reunion than a military event.” v not necessarily reect the views of the United States Army or the United States Special Operations Command, the Special Forces Association, or Special Lonny Holmes Forces Association Chapter 78. Please address any comments to the editor, Sentinel Editor “Sentinel” to [email protected]. The President’s Page | March 2019 Gentlemen, Mike Keele, will pick up nes from anyone who attends without a beret or Chapter 78 coin. We will have some unique ra°e items. v Our February 9 meeting was one for the record books, featuring Yvette Benavidez Meeting details: Garcia — daughter of SF MOH Recipient Roy Benavidez, author Eric Blehm who Time: 8:30 a.m., March 9, Breakfast will be served. penned the book Legend (reviewed in the Location: Embassy Suites July 2015 Sentinel), and Hank Eylicio. On 3100 East Frontera, Anaheim, CA 92807 a very personal level, it was also the rst John Stryker Meyer (The SE Corner of Hwy 91 & Glassell St.) meeting of Yvette with Chapter member President SFA 78 Lee Martin. John Stryker Meyer Here’s what Yvette wrote that night: “I was fortunate enough to President, SFA Chapter 78 meet the medic, Lee Martin, from the May 2, 1968 mission. Lee told his story about what happened the day my dad almost lost his life by suocating to death in a body bag. To hear what really happened from the medic who saw it rst hand was incredible. “Lee's story: He said there were a ton of bodies being brought in A HERITAGE in body bags. They discovered that several of them were not our soldiers but were NVA. One after another, as they unzipped more OF VALOR and more bags, they kept nding enemy soldiers zipped up. They got to one of the last ones and unzipped it only to nd that it was my dad. They didn't recognize him because he had no identication Special Operations Medals of Honor* tags on him and he was dressed in fatigues (remember, he wasn't supposed to be on that mission so he wasn’t geared up for it). Colonel Roger H.C. Donlon ...............................5th SFGA He was in bad shape. His eyes were bloodied and he was caked in mud. They did the "eye lid" test to see if he'd respond to them 1st Lt Charles Q. Williams ..................................5th SFGA touching his eyelids. He did not. Then, they noticed that his front 1st Lt George Sisler ...........................................5th SFGA teeth were broken and had a hole in them. They saw his tongue wiggling through the teeth. Lee said, ‘I knew he was alive because Master Sergeant Charles E. Hosking, Jr. ...........5th SFGA a dead man's tongue doesn't wiggle.’ After that, my dad was §own to the states for immediate help. Lee had no idea who my dad was Major Drew D. Dix ................................................... MACV until years later when he had heard of his story. Sergeant First Class Fred W. Zabitosky .............5th SFGA “Lee Martin saved my dad's life, and ultimately mine. Had my dad not been recognized, he would have suocated to death. He had Specialist Fifth Class John J. Kedenburg...........5th SFGA about an hour left before he lost all oxygen. Master Sergeant Jose Rodela ............................5th SFGA “I have lived for many years with the fact that my life's purpose was sealed on May 2, 1968. Had my dad lost his life on that day, Sergeant First Class William M. Bryant .............5th SFGA I would have never been born. This is why I help to carry on his legacy! It's my life's purpose.” Sta Sergeant Franklin D. Miller ........................5th SFGA Our March 9 speaker will be SF oicer Mitch Utterback, who Sergeant Brian L. Buker .....................................5th SFGA served with A/5/19. I met Mitch when he was the oicial SF liaison with the Bank family after Col Bank reported for duty in the big LZ Sta Sergeant Jon R. Cavaiani ...............................MAAG in the sky. He recently traveled to Iraq as a reporter/videographer, which provides some remarkable stories and surprising insights 1st Lt Loren D. Hagen .............................................MAAG into Iraq. *These are Green Berets previously inducted If you plan to attend our March meeting, please e-mail VP Don into the Commando Hall of Honor. Deatherage at: [email protected]. We need an exact head- count. Chapter 78’s Special Deputy Assistant to the Treasurer, March 2019 | Sentinel 1 THE FORGOTTEN WARRIORS Updates on the Montagnards Harriet Hill and H’Yoanh Buonya worked together for three years on Prole of a Successful their book Escaping Viet Nam; H'Yoanh's Story documenting the history Montagnard Emigrant — of the Montagnards and their struggle for freedom. Escaping Viet Nam: Unrelenting pursuit by H’Yoanh’s Story the Vietnamese com- By Michael D. Benge munists, occasional betrayal by collabora- On April 4, 1975, as the Republic of South tors, and day-to-day Michael D. Benge Vietnam was crumbling under commu- survival were major nist Hanoi’s blitzkrieg, George Jacobson, problems, so FULRO Special Assistant to U.S.