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Title: SOG: A Photo History of the Secret Wars by John Plaster, JOHN L. PLASTER ISBN: 1-58160-058-5 Publisher: Paladin Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $79.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: This is a fascinating book
Comment: This book tells the story of secret ("black") military operations run by the United States during the Vietnam War. Under the name Studies and Observations Group (SOG), the secret was kept so well that few veterans ever heard of it until long after the war.
It was composed purely of volunteers from the best of the American military, including Army Special Forces and Navy SEALs. Their missions involved going behind enemy lines in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam, areas officially off limits to US ground troops. That's why all of their missions were classified.
The North Vietnamese went to great lengths to keep the Ho Chi Minh Trail open at all times. Special military units, stationed from one end to the other, had the task of maintaining and defending a 20-30 mile stretch. If the US bombed a particular area one day, it would be fixed and open the very next day as if nothing happened.
The task of a SOG team could be practically anything, from prisoner snatching, to confirming something seen in aerial reconaissance to placing sensors on a road to give Intelligence an idea as to the traffic level. Every mission was meticulously planned and rehearsed. From the moment they were on the ground behind enemy lines, the team members could assume that the enemy was seconds, or minutes, away. A number of teams made it out safely (the only escape route was by air), but they had to shoot their way out. Some teams were never heard from again.
Since their missions were secret, nothing the soldiers wore or carried could be traced to America. There were no dogtags, no obviously American uniforms, and, in many cases, their weapons were foreign modified weapons.
This book also profiles the people who risked their lives day after day. To most people, they wer just American soldiers who served in Vietnam, but, to those who were there, the following names are practically legend: Larry Thorne, Billy Waugh, Walter Shumate, Jerry "Mad Dog" Shriver and Dick Meadows.
When SOG was disbanded in 1972, all the photo files were ordered destroyed. The interesting thing about this book is that the several hundred photos here are not the "official" photos. The photos were taken by the men who were there and kept in trunks and shoeboxes for many years. The author also knows something about SOG, having been a three-tour veteran.
For military historians and those interested in special operations, this book is a requirement. For the rest of us, this is a fascinating look at an unknown part of the Vietnam War. It is highly recommended.
Rating: 5
Summary: A precious visual reference...
Comment: If you already own John L. Plaster's 'SOG - The Secret History...' book then the text will be nothing new for you, but the photos most certainly will be. A unique and precious visual record of SOG classified ops' and fighting heroes. It truly would have been a tragedy if, as the US Government intended, none of these photos had ever seen the light of day, nor outlasted the end of the war. Thats what really makes this book so special I think. It's great that these photos have been brought together and published now, so they can serve as another vital and precious piece of SOG's 'public' history. A great addition to anyone's SOG collection.
Rating: 5
Summary: When Giants Walked the Earth
Comment: Some years ago one of my friends from 3rd Battalion, 12th Special Forces Group, and I were talking about the men we knew who served in SF during the war in Southeast Asia. My friend, an old sergeant with a lot of time "downrange," commented that it was a time when giants roamed the earth. The giants he was referring to were the old-timers in 3/12, some of whom were SOG veterans, a few of which are mentioned in John Plaster's second inspiring book.
These giants don't talk much (even in a "safe bar") about their excursions across the battlefield, but Plaster has told their story again, even better than before. The photographs add a depth and detail that is nothing short of stunning. What he has given us is a big family album of the hardest of the hardcore SF community. This book gives you an idea of what kind of stress the experience of long-term direct combat with a skillful enemy is actually like, something no American units have encountered for nearly two decades.
US Army Special Forces is a different kind of place today, and still a home for giants. But there was something about the pressure-cooker of Southeast Asia that filtered and distilled the very best qualities of the American soldier and turned him loose with lethal effect on the NVA and VC. They were ultimately betrayed by their chain of command, but before they were pulled out, they became the stuff of legend. John Plaster has preserved that legend twice, and this photo history is a wonderful contribution to the history of these amazing men and their accomplishments.
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Title: Sog: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam by John L. Plaster ISBN: 0451195086 Publisher: Onyx Books Pub. Date: July, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Secret Commandos : Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG by John L. Plaster ISBN: 0684856735 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 04 May, 2004 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: 15 Months In Sog: A Warrior's Tour by Thom Nicholson ISBN: 0804118728 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 28 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Project Omega: Eye of the Beast (Memories Series) by James E. Acre ISBN: 1555715117 Publisher: Hellgate Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Gone Native : An NCO's Story by ALAN CORNETT ISBN: 0804116377 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 06 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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