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Book Review: SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam
by Maj John L. Plaster, US Army (ret) -reviewed by Chris Wahla
Book cover
In Vietnam, a war where the "traditional" way of fighting (large mass movement of troops and material and winning through overwhelming power) met up against a determined guerilla adversary, the term "fighting fire with fire" took on new meaning as Special Operations troops fought the Viet Cong and NVA and won in often spectacular fashion.

In his book, SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam, John L. Plaster reveals the exploits of the innocuously code-named Studies and Observations Group, which contained only volunteers from elite units as the Army Green Berets, USAF Air Commandos and Navy SEALs. Answering directly to the Joint Chiefs and with some missions requiring White House approval, SOG took on the most dangerous assignments, going behind enemy lines to penetrate North Vietnamese military facilities in Laos and Cambodia and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail where only air support - and sometimes no support at all - was available. Their missions included counter-intelligence operations that included sabotaging NVA ammunition, identifying targets for B-52 bombers and daring attempts to rescue downed U.S. pilots from behind enemy lines. With teams that seldom exceeded ten men, SOG tied down at least 40,000 enemy soldiers in Laos and Cambodia. These colorful and heroic soldiers were some of the most decorated in Vietnam, including ten Medals of Honor, hundreds of Purple Hearts and the most highly decorated American soldier of the Vietnam War. They were a most formidable enemy, with SOG killing as many as 150 enemy soldiers for every trooper lost.

Well written as only a three-tour SOG veteran can, Plaster takes us into the personalities that made up this unit of supreme warriors and vividly recounts their tales of bravery. Plaster, a retired Army Major, is well-known for his book, The Ultimate Sniper, and is a expert instructor in police and military sharpshooting.