Nearly 44 years ago, 50 U.S. Special Forces Soldiers took part in a military operation to raid a Vietnamese prison and rescue American Prisoners of War. Each volunteered to take part in a secret mission, each hand-picked by Col. Arthur "Bull" Simons to be a part of Special Forces history, in the Son Tay Raid.
Members of the team gathered for their 44th anniversary reunion in early October 2014, in Kansas City, where they were honored during pre-race ceremonies of the NASCAR Hollywood Casino 400 held at Kansas Speedway. The ceremony was the culmination of weekend activities honoring the veterans of the raid.
In Nov. 1970, more than 500 Soldiers showed up for Simons' initial call out for volunteers. The group was briefed that they had a secret mission, and there was a 50-50 chance they would not come back. Interviews followed and a select few made the final cuts to be a part of the mission.
The mission was a well-orchestrated plan that blended air, sea and land capabilities. After several months of training, rehearsing and planning for the raid, it was time to take action. As the group loaded cargo and prepped for the final movement, their minds were focused on the mission. "We knew we were going in after guys who had been there for six or seven years," said Terry Buckler, one of the veterans who took part in the raid.
While the objective of the raid was to rescue POWs at the Son Tay prison, when U.S. forces landed and infiltrated the camp they found that the POWs had been moved. Buckler described the emotion that came over the group, "disappointment, what happened -- where did we go wrong?"
Buckler said that while the team was disappointed that the raid failed to rescue the prisoners, he later found out the raid was successful in helping the POWs.
"We really scared the Vietnamese -- they consolidated all of their prisoners, moral improved, and those who were sick got healthy," said Son Tay Raid veteran John Gargus, adding, "tactically, we were successful." Some of the POWs knew right away that Son Tay was being attacked, they were close enough to hear the helicopters flying overhead. At that time, the Son Tay Raid was the biggest nighttime battle over North Vietnam.
The Combined Arms Center Special Operations Cell at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth worked with the veterans on several of the reunion activities. At the CGSC, veterans were able to view a static display by Soldiers from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command's 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), who interacted with the Vietnam veterans and POWs, briefing them on the latest technology and weaponry for today's Special Forces teams.
Even after 44 years, the veterans were sharp on tactics and weaponry. Students from the college were given the opportunity to participate in open-forum discussions asking questions about the raid, comparing today's technology with what was available during the Vietnam War.
The Hollywood Casino 400 pre-race activities at the Kansas Speedway included a special tribute to the veterans. The USASOC command parachute team, the Black Daggers conducted a combat equipment jump demonstration in honor of the veterans. The overall intent of the weekend activities was to honor the Vietnam veterans and thank them for their service to our country.
The reunion allowed the veterans to reconnect with each other, talk, share stories and bond and to finally get recognition of the mission. "This is so much better than what we had when we came home from Vietnam," said one of the raiders.
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