Bro PHO, et. al.
 

FYI:

SOG stories
California journalist John Stryker Meyer is out with a new book on SOG, the "studies and observation" group that ran covert operations from Vietnam into Laos in the 1960s and 1970s.
In "Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam," Mr. Meyer gives an eyewitness account of some of the war's most dangerous reconnaissance and intelligence missions.
Mr. Meyer, a SOG operator from 1968 to 1970, recalls signing a document in 1968 pledging to not write about SOG for 20 years.
He writes in the acknowledgements that Robert K. Brown, the former Green Beret who founded Soldier of Fortune magazine, was the first person to pay him for writing about SOG.
His first book is available through www.realwarstories.com. He has begun work on a second.

Your thoughts?........
Brice

SS
 

Those guys were a little to gun-ho for me, Although we needed and were thankfull for them, Walking out in the woods with 50 or so guys is one thing, but going out with 5, no thank you.
I don't think I ever worked with any SOG guys, Heard about them, But I remember hearing they were with MACV. No one we worked with called themselfs SOG. Some LRRPs, some sp forces, I think some Ausies once, they wern't real talkative, But I did hear a "Bloody" or two.

Ron

I never knew
 

To what unit I was assigned when I was with SOG, Didn't know it was named SOG. Was simply told that If I wanted the Job I would be a Recon team leader doing highly classified missions and not to discuss it. When I left they gave me a plaque with the SOG emblem on it with my RT designation and my Time with them and said we didn't really exist. I Started finding out about 10 years ago that several SOG members were writing books and telling about their missions and stories. It is my opinion that several of the SOG members may now be telling some of their stories but it is also my opinion that they are only just skimming the surface. The truth is stranger than fiction and I am sure that if some of us told a fully truthfull account of our missions most would not be believed. I think most of these stories of SOG have a somewhat factual base but are glorified and Truthfully streched. The best way to gain knowledge into what a SOG mission may have been like is to read the Citations for MOH, DSC and SS of SOG members. A perfect SOG mission was to get in and accomplish your mission with no contact with the enemy unless the mission called for it. Just remember that we were working in an area that meant death if captured, there were no rules of war and there was no God. We did what had to be done.

Sid
 

OK, here's the offer: we take up a collection, buy the book for you, ply you with adult beverages, if necessary, get you to read it, and then report back to us. And you get to keep the left-over adult beverages, if any!

As I see it, the very nature of the covert ops surrounding SOG may now work against a proper telling of their grand and obviously honorable history. Would really like your interpretation of Meyer's book, as a means of better understanding.
Scouts Out!!

Already ordered the book
 

And made a new discovery, I have a book titled "Special Forces of the United States Army" By LTC Ian Sutherland. Although I did not serve with him I know LTC Sutherland. This book was given to me by my wife and 2 sons several years ago. A section of the Book tells about the organization of MACV SOG and shows the RTs and their CCN, CCC or CCS assignment. I looked up RT Idaho and that RT was the Halo Team (did not know that). I quote " The majority of members were killed on operations". FLASHBACK

About 8 or so years ago I was contacted by a person from the State Department asking if he could come speak to me. He arrived and introduced himself and his credentials and he was with the JPRC (Joint Personnel Recovery Center) He wanted to know if I had ever been in operations in Laos at a RR LEGHORN. (Radio Relay Station Leghorn) I answered No and he started to bring out pictures of what appeared to be a well consealed site and wanted to know if I could Identify anything about it. Again I answered no that I had not been there. He then brought out a folder and looked at it and wanted to know if I was Cpt Sidney G. Herndon and had I been, as a LT the RT leader of CCN RT Lighting. I said no, I was with CCS RT Lighting. Seems that there were 2 RT Lightings both with the same Team Motto "Lighting Team-We Strike Deep". He thanked me for my time and appologized for the error and left. His name was Ed Chamier, I later called the Department of State and they claimed no knowledge of a Ed Chamier.

OK Guys,....
 

...put away your wallets! Bro. Sid done save us a couple of bucks, but now, we're quietly awaiting his review and comment.

Been watching his 6 for awhile but he ain't never been quite

My first impression
 

I downloaded the authors background and my first impression is that he is not a SOG member, he may have been associated with them but there are a lot of improbables, For instance; he entered the army on 1 Dec66 and went thru basic, AIT, Jump School and three pases of SFQC in 1 year then was immediately assigned to SOG, BS is my first impression. In 66-67 you could only join the SF on a re-enlistment at rank of E5 or above. Officers went to a different course. He went to Ft gordon for radio training after SFQC. doubtful. He went directly to an RT. Highly unlikely, RTs were very experienced, I spent a year on a project DELTA RT before going to SOG, I would never take an untried, inexperienced person on a cross border operation. The CCN commander did not exert personel control of RTs. And To my knowledge CCN RTs did not operate in the A Shau. 5th group company E C5 ran project Delta B52 which included in country RTs. Look closely at the timelines, In order to do what he said all of the schools would have to be immediately open and available with almost no leave time. The authors background is below.

Born 1 January 1946, John Stryker Meyer entered the Army on 1 December 1966. He completed basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey, advanced infantry training at Ft. Gordon, Georgia, jump school at Ft. Benning, Georgia, and graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in December 1967. After a 12-week training session in Ft. Gordon, on radio teletype, 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. He returned to the States, completed his college education at Trenton State College, where he was editor of the school newspaper, The Signal, for two years, worked at the Trenton Times for 10 years, eight years at the San Diego Union and has been an editor at the North County Times for 10 years in Oceanside, California, where he also writes occasional columns. Meyer received his 20-year membership pin from the Special Operations Association in 2002. He and his wife Anna have five children and live in Oceanside, Ca.

Thanks!
 

Invariably, checking one's bona fides with timelines, reality, and common sense is a foolproof way of assigning weight to reading matter, speeches, sermons, or just plain ol' opinions. Thanks Sid, for bouncing his bio against the aforementioned criteria.

Used the same methodology for exposing a wannabee at the Veterans Center in Austin several months ago. He had claimed, in addition to other things, having completed two tours, and was a POW for six years. Started adding up the time, mirrored against our history in SEA and came to the conclusion that (1) he had enlisted at age 11, (2) was viewed as totally indispensible by the entire US Army, in his opinion, (3) suffered from a major case of equinitus excrementus.

My guess is
 

This guy was a radio operator and was assigned to a signal unit in Phu Bai. He probably was associated with the SOG FOB in Some way or Monitored their Radio transmissions. I read the excerpt of the book on the web site and he refers to a Covey. Covey riders were airborne Radio Relay Stations. He also described a RT engaging a Regiment sized unit later described as about 3,000 men. Dream on.