Here is our loading screen advice which was contributed by MACV SOG veterans
Some were involved in technical discussions and points arose from there.
Some were asked - "what advice would you give a cherry recon guy?"
"The Military Assistance Command Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group (MACV SOG) operated between 1964 and 1972"
"Operating outside the Army chain of command Chief SOG reported directly to the Pentagon and the US President"
"SOG operations in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam were deniable - the men carried sterile equipment and weapons"
"US SOG personnel was made up of US Special Forces Airborne, US Navy SEALs, US Marine Force Recon, USAF and CIA personnel - all volunteers"
"SOG operated out of 6 main Forward Operating bases, FOB1-6, and launched recon operations from many other launch sites"
"The strip of eastern Laos sharing a border with Vietnam was called the Prairie Fire area"
"SOG recon missions usually lasted between 3 and 5 days, usually ending after enemy contact. In bad weather they could last for up to 10 days"
"Emergency extractions were usually carried out using Swiss seats, Macguire Rigs, STABO rigs or ladders"
"The NVA often knew in advance when a recon team was coming, and 12 whole recon teams disappeared without a trace"
"SOG's fighting heart came from its indigenous warriors - Montagnard tribespeople, Chinese Nung, Cambodian and Vietnamese mercenaries"
"Each Spike Team (later called Recon Team) had 3 US personnel and 9 indigenous troops. A typical recon mission would see 6-8 of the team deployed"
"One-zero is the team leader, experienced and cool in a fight. One-one is the assistant team leader, and one-two is the team radio operator. Zero one is the indig team leader, hard as nails"
"Covey is the forward air controller piloted by USAF in O-2 or OV-10 aircraft. Covey Rider is a former SOG recon man in the aircraft assisting the team on the ground"
"MACV SOG suffered a 100% casualty rate in the War, meaning every man was injured once. In battle they inflicted up to 100:1 losses on the enemy"
"A call of Prairie Fire on the radio summons all available US aircraft from hundreds of miles around to help the team on the ground"
"Later in the war the NVA deployed Dac Cong commandos as counter-recon units hunting SOG teams with the aim of wiping them out"
"The 219th Helicopter Squadron from the Viet Nam Air force (VNAF), callsign Kingbee, flew ageing CH-34 helicopters in support of SOG"
"Gunship callsigns assisted SOG teams - Scarface, Eagle Claw, Thunder Chicken, Hare Lead, Hawk, Comanchero, Condor, Musket, Minutemen - were much loved by the men on the ground"
"The Recon bar was off-limits to non-recon men but had an open door for indigenous troops. Winding down after a mission usually ended in drunken pranks and singing Hey Blue for each man lost in action"
"SOG missions included planting sabotaged ammo, mining trails, deploying seismic sensors, tapping phone lines, raiding HQs, snatching prisoners, and finding and fixing whole NVA regiments"
"The SOG Naval Advisory Detachment operated heavily armed PTF Nasty Boats out of Da Nang. They ran covert missions along the North Vietnamese coast"
"The enemy knows your tactics as well, if not better, than you do. Learn THEIR tactics and use them against them. Do what they don't expect you to do (William T. Barclay)"
"Don't be afraid to move. The longer you stay where you are the bigger target you become (John Kinstrey)"
"Show me where we are on this map... (John Kinstrey)"
"Cold camps, no fires... you can smell cooking and shit from miles away in the jungle..... (Jim Jackson)"
"Go slow, take breaks to listen. It's not how much ground you cover, it is how much ground you cover without being seen... (Jim Jackson)"
"Tracers work both ways (Ken Van Arsdel)"
"My side-arm was a sawed of M79 with a vest of 24 rounds. Used many times" (Rob Graham)"
"Watch and listen and ask questions! (Tom R Waskovich)"
"Shit dude, you're in for an eye-opening experience. I'm Jim Jones, 1-0 of Rt. Delaware, you can call me 'Wild-Carrot' (Jim Shorten Jones)"
"Keep your fucking mouth shut, your eyes open, and learn as fast as you can if you want a half-ass chance of getting out of this shit alive (Haroldwayne Hamlin)"
"Modern society doesn't recognise its warriors, but they expect to be protected (James Acre)"
"STABOs were not fun, but trying to climb a ladder with a 75lb ruck and LBE was not fun, especially when you were climbing horizontal instead of vertical (Troy Gilley)"
"The rope was tied into the floor of the slick in a bag and we would hover the pilot over the hole in the trees and throw it out to them (Don Haase)"
"The point on a team would carry a full mag of tracers so when they executed immediate action drill to break contact it looked like more than six or eight people (Don Haase)"
"When we worked with B-52 Delta they had a roadrunner platoon. Three indigenous would dress up in NVA uniforms and weapons. We had to dress them in ponchos to load them on the helicopter. We would go into three LZs and they would get off in one (Don Haase)"
"We went into some nasty spots to get the recon guys out. In an LZ at night with red and green tracers going back and forth while the team guys fight their way through the bad guys (Don Haase)"
"We all have a joke amongst the recon teams. We think they were crazy for getting off the helicopter. They think we were crazy for staying on. They say we could hide behind things. We say we hid behind our tracers (Don Haase)"
"I did have a door gunner shoot a rocket as it was fired and the motor exploded knocking out everyone and causing damage but I woke up and pulled out of my dive. Just a lucky day! (Gordon Denniston)"
"Out of the jungle, about sunrise, Came four squatty yards and three round eyes, They didn't make a sound, They didn't make a squeak, Cause they knew their shit was weak - Recon!! (Ken Bowra)"
"A wiretap mission - in slang we referred to it as a 'Ma Bell', for our US phone system at the time (Ken Bowra)"
"RPDs were great, but heavy. By 1970 more teams had at least one American carrying an RPD or M-60 (John Stryker Meyer)"
"Our grenadier could stick it up a gnat's ass at 300yards. Our weapons maniacs also rigged a 40mm round with flechettes. Nasty little buggers (John Stryker Meyer)"
"Team player, or fuck off. We had a 101st Rambo-type transferee come into FOB 1. On his first mission he called an air strike in on his team (John Stryker Meyer)"
"The best thing about the B3 cookie can was that it fit perfectly when empty on the left side feed tray of the M60. Linked ammunition went over it and prevented ammo from twisting and jamming. Every M60 gunner worth his salt did this (Ken Bowra)"
"We carried indigenous rations made specially for SOG. They consisted of freeze dried rice, and then either dried fish, sausage stick and some others. Also had a small spice bag to add (Ken Bowra)"
"For our commo check with Moonbeam, Hillsborough, Covey or Hickory Radio Relay site, I simply broke squelch twice for absolute minimal commo (John Stryker Meyer)"
"The issue black gloves would get black dye on your hands the first time they got wet. Lowest bidder! I cut down middle finger also past the first joint in fingers and down to thumb joint. (Ken Bowra)"
"The Frenchman doubled back with a 22 standard silenced. When the dog came over the hill he put a round between his stupid eyes. He planted a toe popper which the NVA tracker found a little while later. (John Stryker Meyer)"
"Dogs. Some Anti-recon teams had them. We had CS powder in a small squeeze spray container to squirt behind us if needed. Dogs were in every village area. I was in point once and came around a bend off the trail and came face to face with a dog (Ken Bowra)"
"I packed a handgun until one mission when I fired my last magazine as we rushed to the Huey. THE MOST HELPLESS FEELING YOU CAN HAVE IS TO EXPEND ALL YOUR AMMO. After that I left the handgun and took another rifle mag (John Plaster)"
"NVA LZ watchers used tree platforms to detect where a SOG insert or extract helo was landing (John Plaster)"
"The Hueys were based at Pleiku, and the Kingbees at our Kontum compound. Each day the Hueys (and Cobras) flew up from Pleiku, the pilots were briefed, then together the Hueys and Kingbees flew up to the Dak To launch site (John Plaster)"
"USAF Coveys flew O2 Skymasters, the rear seat crammed with radios, the pilot in the left and Covey Rider in the right seat. Only the right window could be cranked open while in flight – I actually shot out an open window while supporting a team (John Plaster)"
"My backup weapon was cut down M79, which I carried in a holster on my web belt. Spare 40mm rounds were carried in two 1-quart canteen pouches on my belt (Ken Bowra)"
"The Commando Vault, 15,000-lb bomb, intended for cutting LZs, was used by SOG for LZ prep, in case a team’s insert location had been compromised by a mole in Saigon. I was flying Covey for two. Looked like a nuke when they detonated (John Plaster)"
"I have been closer than anyone should be to impacting napalm. From the ground, you see a bright aluminum pod rolling end-over-end, and you hear it crash through the treetops. Then comes a low-sounding 'W-h-u-m-p-f!' as it ignites (John Plaster)"
"CAR 15 magazines: I tied a loop on the bottom with 550 cord to permit ease in pulling out from pouch. I never taped two magazines together. Awkward and dirt could get in (Ken Bowra)"
"Montagnard resistance groups fought on post-1975. For a number of years the Hanoi press reported fights between the NVA and 'bandits' especially in the South's Central Highlands (John Plaster)"
"I had all linked RPD ammunition in the drums. One drum in a 2-quart canteen cover on my belt. Total 4 on pistol belt. Another in ruck flap (Ken Bowra)"
"MACV-SOG was the most highly-decorated Vietnam unit, receiving 11 Medals of Honor and 22 Distinguished Service Crosses. Bob Howard received 8 Purple Hearts along with the MOH and DSC. Billy Waugh had six. (Don Haase)"
"A team 1-0 convinced a pilot to drop bombs on his team to keep from being overrun. The NVA were so close we could hear them saying 'come out GI we kill you quickly.' It worked. All wounded, no medals, no Purple Hearts. A normal day in SOG. (Don Haase)"