On The Ground

by John Meyer, John Peters

Overview

During the Vietnam War, a "secret war" was fought across the fence in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam, unknown to the media or the public, under the aegis of the Military Assistance Command Vietnam's top secret Studies and Observation Group. SOG's chain of command for missions and after-action reports extended to the White House and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Small Green Beret-lead teams ran missions into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam without assistance from conventional artillery, tank or infantry units. Once on the ground, their sole support was provided by Air Force Tactical Air and helicopter units, U.S. Army and Marine helicopter aviation personnel and aircrews, and from the South Vietnam Air Force's 219th Special Operations Squadron, code named Kingbees.

In Laos, the communists dedicated 50,000 troops to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, including highly trained sappers from the 305th Sapper Battalion, its sole mission: attack SOG teams.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940013848658
Publisher:	SOG Publishing
Publication date:	12/15/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
Sales rank:	198,099
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

John Meyer landed in South Vietnam in April 1968, and arrived at FOB 1 in Phu Bai in May 1968, where he joined Spike Team Idaho. When FOB 1 was closed in January 1969, ST Idaho was helicoptered to FOB 4 in Da Nang, which became designated Command and Control North, CCN. He remained on ST Idaho through the end of his tour of duty in late April. Returned to the U.S. and was assigned to E Company in the 10th Special Forces Group at Ft. Devens, Massachusetts until October 1969, when he rejoined ST Idaho at CCN. That tour of duty ended suddenly in April 1970 after the CCN commander refused Meyer’s first request to pull his four-man team from an A Shau Valley target.

John Peters - Following Special Forces training at Ft. Bragg, he joined MACV-SOG and was assigned to Rhode Island at FOB 1 in Phu Bai. Following its closure, he went to CCC at Kontum, where he continued to run missions. After his release from the Army, he became the Owner’s Representative and Port Captain in Damman, Saudia Arabia for the American steamship company Pacific Far East Lines.