On the 7th of August I’ll be in Salt Lake City for a
reunion with the surviving members of Detachment A-214, 5th Special
Forces Group Airborne, who served together in Vietnam in 1964-65. Let me tell you
a little about those men with whom I spent that time and with whom I share a
bond that has tied us together for life.
Special Forces A-Team 214, was a group of 12 men who
had trained together for several months at Fort Bragg, NC,
for their mission deployment to Vietnam.
Upon their arrival in Vietnam in September of 1964 they
were transported to Camp Ban Don, in Vietnam’s Central Highlands which
was an abandoned French Fort close to the Cambodian border. Their mission was
to interdict infiltration from North
Vietnam of enemy personnel and supplies. The
team’s primary job as force-multipliers was to organize and train a group of
Montagnyards – hill tribesmen of the Central Highlands
– into a fighting force of about 400 and lead them in combat operations. Supplies,
clothing, and weapons for the Montagnyards were supplied by the U.S.
Government.
Each 12 man team consists of a Captain, a Lieutenant,
two Intelligence and Operations Sergeants, two medics, two demolitions
specialists, two weapons specialists, and two communication specialists.
There was, at almost all times, a patrol out searching
for the enemy operating in their area of operation. Those patrols typically
consisted of two or three Special Forces Soldiers and between 30 and 50
Montagnyards. They were to engage the enemy when found.
I arrived in Vietnam on December 12, 1964 not knowing
where I would be assigned, but figuring that being a “rookie”, having just
graduated from Special Forces Training Group, I would be assigned to a support
team and be sending and receiving messages all day long from and to A-Team
radio operators. It was rare for a rookie to be assigned to an A-Team.
When I arrived at Special Forces HQ in Nha Trang, I
ran into Sgt. Anderson, a classmate from Training Group. Andy, as we called
him, asked me, “Where are you assigned?” I told him I hadn’t received my orders
yet. He asked me if I would like to be assigned to an A-Team. I said that they
wouldn’t send me to an A-Team on my first deployment. He said, “Follow me.”
We went to the office of a Lt. Colonel – I can’t
remember his name, and Andy said to him, “Sir, Ban Don lost a radio operator
and need a replacement immediately. This man (pointing to me) has a black belt
in karate (I never took a single lesson in karate) and graduated first in his
commo class (they didn’t rank those in the commo class; you either graduated or
you didn’t). Basically he talked the Colonel into assigning me to Det. A-214
and the next day I was on a helicopter flying to my new assignment.
When I arrived at the camp I was very nervous; not
because of the prospect of being in combat, I had trained for that, but about
being accepted by this group of professionals. My reception was cool but
polite. They weren’t happy to learn that this was my first tour in Vietnam, but
they worked me into the team, and after several patrols accepted me as a team member.
It’s difficult to describe how I felt about these men.
They were real live combat-tested and seasoned Green Berets, all serious men. I
kept my mouth shut most of the time and did what I was told. Sgt. Pete Garner,
a demolitions specialist was the first to reach out to me. Most of the patrols
I went on were with Pete. I always felt confident about things when I was with
him. We got along well and he was my favorite on the team. Unfortunately he’s
gone now, having passed away at the young age of 61, but neither I nor anyone
else who knew and worked with him will ever forget him. There is a watering
hole at Fort Bragg named the Pete Garner Lounge.
Captain Mike Mireau (pronounced Mirrow) was the team
leader and his leadership abilities were solidified while we were at Camp Soui
Doi, in Pleiku Province during an operation in which
our team sent a motorized patrol into a place called the Mang Yang Pass where an ambush by a North
Vietnamese Battalion was sprung. During the ensuing battle three Green Berets
were wounded, one mortally, and the other two seriously. More than 60
Montagnyards were killed.
The man who was killed was 23-year-old Sgt. Gerry Rose
from Huntington, West Virginia, a demolitions specialist. He was posthumously awarded a
Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Lieutenant Les Griggs the team XO was shot
through the neck and never returned to the team. For his actions in the Pass, he
received a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the
Medal of Honor in recognition of valorous acts. The Lieutenant will be with us in SLC. The third man was Sgt. Ken “Huey” Long, one of
the team’s medics. His wounds were severe and were the result of being hit four
times with small-arms fire in the leg, shoulder, and chest. Ken received a
Purple Heart and a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with a Silver Star. Ken also
will be able to join us in SLC.
Captain Mireau’s calm reaction to what was going on
and his immediate organization of a relief force showed the kind of leadership
needed in that situation. That he was the real leader of our team was never in
question and I’m happy to say that we will see our leader at the reunion.
The reunion will take place in Salt Lake City because the oldest member of
our team, now in his 80s, lives there and is restricted in his travel. That
man, the best soldier I ever met and our team sergeant, was Don “Hook”
Strieber, a Master Sergeant and one of our two O&I operators. I haven’t
seen him since March of 1965 and I can’t wait to see him again. It would take a
whole new blog to list his awards and accomplishments during his career of
service to this country.
Staff Sergeant Herman Adams was the Chief Radio
Operator on the team, and I was the Junior Radio Operator. Herman was a
pleasantly cocky, confident, and courageous man. Qualifications? This guy could
build a radio out of sea shells, and was one of the most gregarious guys on the
team. Though I graduated from the SFTG as a qualified communicator, S/Sgt.
Adams taught me how to really be a Special Forces Radio Operator, and for that
I’m very grateful.
I’m
actually flying out to Arizona
where he now lives and we’re driving from there up to SLC
together. I’m looking forward to that also. As an aside, S/Sgt. Adams later
became a Delta Force Operator and was on the aborted mission in Iran to rescue
the American hostages taken and held for over a year at our Embassy there.
Lt. Griggs, S/Sgt. Adams, and I buried George
Townsend, our other O&I Sergeant last year in the Sand Hills Veterans Cemetery
at Fort Bragg. It was a beautiful military
ceremony for a man everyone on the team loved. After four tours in Vietnam and at
the end of his career he retired as a highly decorated Sergeant Major.
Sergeant First Class Charlie Scearce was a medic of
the very first order and was the chief medic on the team. We were also on several operations together. A real special guy, Charlie, as did Pete, passed
away at the age of 61. I never again saw either of those men after they left Vietnam.
Sgt. Gene McCann was one of our weapons specialists.
He was a fairly quiet but very efficient professional. He also passed away
several years ago.
Staff Sergeant Larry Manes was the senior weapons
sergeant. Prior to my arrival at Ban Don, S/Sgt Manes was chosen to transfer to
Project Delta, which was created to perform very hazardous cross-border
operations. It was the precursor to Delta Force. Larry lives in Hawaii but a physical
condition restricts his travel. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Larry,
but I do communicate with him by email. Guess I’ll just have to take a trip to Hawaii.
It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
The character and courage of these men will remain
with me for the rest of my life. I feel privileged to have served with them and
to have been made to feel one of them. They were my heroes and remain that today.
This is the first reunion we’ve had as a team, and I’m
certain it will be the last time we will all be together. I expect there will
be emotional moments but I also expect it to be one of the highlights of my
life.
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