Duc Lap Camp (also known as Duc Lap Special Forces Camp or Hill 722 ) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base southwest of Buôn Ma Thuột in the Central Highlands of Vietnam .
112-519: The 5th Special Forces Group Detachment A-239 first established a base here in October 1966. The base was located 67 km southwest of Buôn Ma Thuột and approximately 14 km from the Cambodian border. In August 1968, the base was manned by Special Forces, three members of the 403rd Radio Research Special Operations Detachment , 11 ARVN special forces and over 600 CIDG troops. From 23–25 August 1968
224-586: A 10-day state visit to the US . President Eisenhower pledged his continued support, and a parade was held in Diệm's honor. But Secretary of State Dulles privately conceded Diệm had to be backed because they could find no better alternative. Between 1954 and 1957, the Diệm government succeeded in preventing large-scale organized unrest in the countryside. In April 1957, insurgents launched an assassination campaign, referred to as "extermination of traitors". 17 people were killed in
336-541: A AN/PEQ-1 SOFLAM laser target designator to identify targets for airstrikes on the enemy armor and artillery. He set up a series of strikes on the fields of targets around the airbase, guiding wave after wave of precision-guided munitions onto tanks, armored personnel carriers, guns, and fortifications around Bagram. ODA 555 worked closely with Northern Alliance forces under warlord Fahim Khan. They called in airstrikes that dropped 15,000-lb BLU-82 'Daisy Cutter' bombs on Taliban troop positions with devastating effect along
448-648: A Marxist–Leninist political organization which operated primarily in Hong Kong and the Soviet Union . The party aimed to overthrow French rule and establish an independent communist state in Vietnam. In September 1940, Japan invaded French Indochina, following France's capitulation to Nazi Germany . French influence was suppressed by the Japanese, and in 1941 Cung, now known as Ho Chi Minh , returned to Vietnam to establish
560-607: A Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG) to screen French requests for aid, advise on strategy, and train Vietnamese soldiers. By 1954, the US had spent $ 1 billion in support of the French military effort, shouldering 80% of the cost of the war. During the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, US carriers sailed to the Gulf of Tonkin and the US conducted reconnaissance flights. France and
672-554: A psychological warfare campaign which exaggerated anti-Catholic sentiment among the Viet Minh and distributed propaganda attributed to Viet Minh threatening an American attack on Hanoi with atomic bombs. During the 300-day period, up to one million northerners, mainly minority Catholics, moved south, fearing persecution by the Communists. The exodus was coordinated by a U.S.-funded $ 93 million relocation program, which involved
784-572: A 2,000-lb GPS-guided JDAM hitting the ODA's position, killing and wounding several Special Forces and Afghan militiamen. Assisted by the remaining ODA 586 soldiers, with reinforcements from ODA 750 and ODA 524, Karzai was able to negotiate the surrender of Taliban forces around Kandahar and go on to become the first Afghan president. For their bravery, ODA 574 was awarded three Silver Stars , four Bronze Star Medals with "V" device for valor, three Bronze Star Medals , and eleven Purple Hearts . Amerine himself
896-464: A ceasefire with the Viet Minh, and independence was granted to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. At the 1954 Geneva Conference, Vietnam was temporarily partitioned at the 17th parallel . Ho Chi Minh wished to continue war in the south, but was restrained by Chinese allies who convinced him he could win control by electoral means. Under the Geneva Accords, civilians were allowed to move freely between
1008-598: A ceremony marking its departure. In the mid-1980s, the Army decided to move 5th Group from Fort Bragg. The original destination was Fort Bliss, Texas, because of its ideal training environment. In 1986, the Chief of Staff of the Army decided that the training environment should not be the principal factor in determining where to move the Group. He requested another analysis that considered such factors as total cost, military construction cost, and
1120-575: A complete withdrawal of the group by March. On 5 March 1971, 5th SFG returned to Fort Bragg. The 6th SFG at Fort Bragg was reflagged as the 5th SFG with the transfer of colors. Personnel and equipment were not transferred. Sixteen Soldiers assigned to or administratively assigned to 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) during the Vietnam War were awarded the Medal of Honor; making 5th Group the most prominently decorated unit for its size in that conflict. Members of
1232-630: A coordinated uprising in South Vietnam against the government and a third of the population was soon living in areas of communist control. In December 1960, North Vietnam formally created the Viet Cong (VC) with the intent of uniting all anti-GVN insurgents, including non-communists. It was formed in Memot, Cambodia , and directed through COSVN. The VC "placed heavy emphasis on the withdrawal of American advisors and influence, on land reform and liberalization of
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#17328512298871344-512: A more "modest" winning margin of "60 to 70 percent." Diệm, however, viewed the election as a test of authority. He declared South Vietnam to be an independent state under the name Republic of Vietnam (ROV), with him as president. Likewise, Ho Chi Minh and other communists won at least 99% of the vote in North Vietnamese "elections". The domino theory , which argued that if a country fell to communism, all surrounding countries would follow,
1456-557: A number of BMPs ( armored personnel carriers ) armed with autocannons and machine guns, and several ZSU-23 anti-aircraft artillery, along with mortars, machine guns, RPGs, and mines. The armor and heavy weapons were usually manned by the foreign Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters, who fought fiercely and did not surrender readily. To reach the enemy, Dostum's forces needed to cross a 1 mile (1.6 km)-wide open plain cut by seven ridges, each between 50 and 100 feet (15 and 30 m) high, and spaced about 600 feet (180 m) apart, that left
1568-506: A pan-Arab equivalent force larger than six U.S. divisions; as well as conducting civil-military operations training and liaison with the Kuwaitis. The border surveillance mission assigned the 5th Special Forces was key to providing actionable intelligence to the US and Pan-Arab Forces. New military relationships were forged between the U.S. and the Arab states. General Norman Schwarzkopf described
1680-542: A person knowledgeable in Indochinese affairs who did not agree that had elections been held as of the time of the fighting, possibly 80% of the population would have voted for the Communist Ho Chi Minh as their leader rather than Chief of State Bảo Đại. Indeed, the lack of leadership and drive on the part of Bảo Đại was a factor in the feeling prevalent among Vietnamese that they had nothing to fight for. According to
1792-463: A policy of " Vietnamization " from 1969, which saw the conflict fought by an expanded ARVN, while US forces withdrew. A 1970 coup in Cambodia resulted in a PAVN invasion and a US–ARVN counter-invasion , escalating its civil war. US troops had mostly withdrawn from Vietnam by 1972, and the 1973 Paris Peace Accords saw the rest leave. The accords were broken almost immediately and fighting continued until
1904-505: A supply of lightweight saddles, either McClellan or Australian-style , suitable for the smaller Afghan horses. A supply of saddles was air-dropped in mid-November. A picture of the soldiers on horseback was shown by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during a news conference on 15 November 2001. When sculptor Douwe Blumberg saw it, he was struck by the image and later created what became the only public sculpture to commemorate special forces, America's Response Monument . On 21 October,
2016-526: A third Special Forces team, ODA 534, was inserted by SOAR to assist Northern Alliance General Atta Mohammad . ODA 534 later linked up with the CIA team Jawbreaker, ODA 595 and 555, and General Dostum outside Mazar-i-Sharif. One of the Task Force Dagger's primary strategic objectives was to capture Mazar-i-Sharif and an airfield so the U.S. could use it to bring in supplies and more troops. On about 6 November,
2128-579: Is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare , foreign internal defense , direct action , counter-insurgency , special reconnaissance , counter-terrorism , information operations , counterproliferation of weapon of mass destruction , and security force assistance . As of 2016, the 5th SFG(A) was primarily responsible for operations within the CENTCOM area of responsibility as part of Special Operations Command, Central ( SOCCENT ). The group specializes in operations in
2240-634: Is the most commonly used title in English . It has been called the Second Indochina War since it spread to Laos and Cambodia , the Vietnam Conflict , and Nam (colloquially 'Nam). In Vietnam it is commonly known as Kháng chiến chống Mỹ ( lit. ' Resistance War against America ' ). The Government of Vietnam officially refers to it as the Resistance War against America to Save
2352-516: The 1975 spring offensive and fall of Saigon to the PAVN, marking the war's end. North and South Vietnam were reunified in 1976. The war exacted enormous human cost : estimates of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed range from 970,000 to 3 million. Some 275,000–310,000 Cambodians , 20,000–62,000 Laotians , and 58,220 US service members died. Its end would precipitate the Vietnamese boat people and
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#17328512298872464-597: The Châu Đốc massacre at a bar in July, and in September a district chief was killed with his family. By early 1959, Diệm had come to regard the violence as an organized campaign and implemented Law 10/59, which made political violence punishable by death and property confiscation. There had been division among former Viet Minh, whose main goal was to hold elections promised in the Geneva Accords, leading to " wildcat " activities separate from
2576-645: The Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. Direct US military involvement greatly escalated from 1965 until its withdrawal in 1973. The fighting spilled over into the Laotian and Cambodian Civil Wars , which ended with all three countries becoming communist in 1975. After the defeat of French Indochina in the First Indochina War that began in 1946, Vietnam gained independence in the 1954 Geneva Conference but
2688-777: The Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) played out on television worldwide. It was the closest the Cold War came to nuclear war . The Kennedy administration remained committed to the Cold War foreign policy inherited from the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. In 1961, the US had 50,000 troops based in South Korea, and Kennedy faced four crisis situations: the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion he had approved in April, settlement negotiations between
2800-555: The French Navy and the US Seventh Fleet to ferry refugees. The northern refugees gave the later Ngô Đình Diệm regime a strong anti-communist constituency. Over 100,000 Viet Minh fighters went to the north for "regroupment", expecting to return south within two years. The Viet Minh left roughly 5,000 to 10,000 cadres in the south as a base for future insurgency. The last French soldiers left South Vietnam in April 1956 and
2912-651: The Ho Chi Minh trail to supply and reinforce the VC. By 1963, the north had covertly sent 40,000 soldiers of its own People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), armed with Soviet and Chinese weapons, to fight in the insurgency in the south. President John F. Kennedy increased US involvement from 900 military advisors in 1960 to 16,300 in 1963 and sent more aid to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), which failed to produce results. In 1963, Diem
3024-638: The Korean War in June convinced Washington policymakers that the war in Indochina was another example of communist expansionism, directed by the Soviet Union. Military advisors from China began assisting the Viet Minh in July 1950. Chinese weapons, expertise, and laborers transformed the Viet Minh from a guerrilla force into a regular army. In September 1950, the US further enforced the Truman Doctrine by creating
3136-521: The Panjshir Valley , north of Kabul, on 26 September, only 15 days after the 11 September attacks. They brought three cardboard boxes filled with $ 3 million in $ 100 bills to buy support. Known by the callsign Jawbreaker, the team linked up with Northern Alliance commanders and prepared for the introduction of Army Special Forces into the region. Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 555 and 595, both 12-man teams, plus Air Force combat controllers , were
3248-608: The Pentagon Papers , which commented on Eisenhower's observation, Diệm would have been a more popular candidate than Bảo Đại against Hồ, stating that "It is almost certain that by 1956 the proportion which might have voted for Ho - in a free election against Diem - would have been much smaller than 80%." In 1957, independent observers from India, Poland, and Canada representing the International Control Commission (ICC) stated that fair elections were impossible, with
3360-585: The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 95C Regiment attempted to overrun the base . The assault was defeated at a cost of six U.S., one ARVN, 37 CIDG, 20 civilians and over 303 PAVN killed. The 20th Special Operations Squadron used Duc Lap as a forward base for operations into Cambodia. In October 1969 the PAVN again besieged Duc Lap and Bu Prang Camp , with the siege only being broken by the ARVN in December. In December 1970
3472-741: The United Nations Special Service Medal (UNSSM) for service with the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan (UNOCHA). The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) added to its combat history during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm . In August 1990 the group was called upon to conduct operations in Southwest Asia in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait . During this crisis,
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3584-587: The Viet Minh , an anti-Japanese resistance movement that advocated for independence. The Viet Minh received aid from the Allies , namely the US, Soviet Union, and Republic of China . Beginning in 1944, the US Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) provided the Viet Minh with weapons, ammunition, and training to fight the occupying Japanese and Vichy French forces. Throughout the war, Vietnamese guerrilla resistance against
3696-483: The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne); and Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Dennison. In 1989, Operation Salam established United Nations demining training camps for Afghans at Risalpur and Quetta in Pakistan. By 1995, these camps trained 17,055 mine-clearance personnel. Operation Salam also aimed to help Afghan refugees identify mines and undertake due precautions. 5th Group soldiers who participated in this operation received
3808-816: The 5th Special Forces Group to best employ the speed and firepower of the Aircat airboats. When used with armed helicopters, Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle hovercraft, and support from Air Force reconnaissance planes, Navy river patrol boats , and artillery , these watercraft enabled "telling victories over the Viet Cong" and turned the flood season into a tactical advantage for the United States. The use of watercraft, increases in troop strength, and introduction of other tactics—deploying more soldiers to Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) bases, distributing improved handbooks to commissioned and non-commissioned officers, etc.— allowed
3920-456: The 5th Special Forces Group was ordered to stand up a forward headquarters to conduct operations in Afghanistan. The unit received its orders in mid-October. Their mission was wide-open: to assist General Abdul Rashid Dostum in conducting unconventional warfare to make key Taliban-controlled areas unsafe for terrorists and Taliban activities. Task Force Dagger, established on 10 October 2001,
4032-600: The 5th Special Warfare Group to take the fight to the enemy, capturing large swaths of territory in the Delta, making the 50 percent of the territory and CIDG bases that were previously too overrun with Viet Cong to enter safe enough to operate in, and mounting operations and establishing CIDG bases deep in Viet Cong territory. These gains were not without cost, however: 55 Special Forces and 1,654 Vietnamese were killed during 1967, as well as an estimated 7,000 Viet Cong. The June 1969 killing of suspected double agent Thai Khac Chuyen, and
4144-666: The Al-Qaeda near the Pakistani border. The high-level command of Task Force Dagger remained in the country until the unit was finally redeployed to the United States in April 2002. Major Mark E. Mitchell of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry in November 2001 at Qala-i-Jangi Fortress , Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. During Operation Iraqi Freedom 5th SFG(A) assisted in
4256-545: The Army's First Special Operations Task Force consisting of elements of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), comprising 106 special operations teams, performed a wide variety of missions. These spanned a wide scope of operations, including support to coalition warfare; conducting foreign internal defense missions with the Saudi Arabian Army ; performing special reconnaissance, border surveillance, direct action, combat search and rescue missions; and advising and assisting
4368-511: The British were opposed. Eisenhower, wary of involving the US in an Asian land war, decided against intervention. Throughout the conflict, US intelligence estimates remained skeptical of France's chance of success. On 7 May 1954, the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu surrendered. The defeat marked the end of French military involvement in Indochina. At the Geneva Conference , they negotiated
4480-765: The CIA team and Sherzai and pushed towards Kandahar . The 583 set up observation posts overlooking Kandahar International Airport and over the next few days, called in ongoing air strikes on the Taliban positions. On 7 December, ODA 583 helped Sherzai's forces capture the airport and very soon the city of Kandahar. ODA 585 from Bravo Company, 3rd Btn, 5th SFG inserted by helo on 23 October into Kunduz to support General Burilla Kahn . Despite initial missed air strikes that left Burillah unimpressed, 585's senior enlisted member Master Sergeant Bolduc called in another wave of F/A-18 Hornet strikes that in four passes obliterated several Taliban command bunkers and collapsed several sections of
4592-452: The GVN, on coalition government and the neutralization of Vietnam." The identities of the leaders of the organization were often kept secret. Support for the VC was driven by resentment of Diem's reversal of Viet Minh land reforms in the countryside. The Viet Minh had confiscated large private landholdings, reduced rents and debts, and leased communal lands, mostly to poorer peasants. Diem brought
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4704-576: The ICC reporting that neither South nor North Vietnam had honored the armistice agreement. From April to June 1955, Diệm eliminated political opposition in the south by launching operations against religious groups: the Cao Đài and Hòa Hảo of Ba Cụt . The campaign also attacked the Bình Xuyên organized crime group, which was allied with members of the communist party secret police and had military elements. The group
4816-464: The Japanese grew dramatically, and by the end of 1944 the Viet Minh had grown to over 500,000 members. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt was an ardent supporter of Vietnamese resistance, and proposed that Vietnam's independence be granted under an international trusteeship following the war. Following the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Viet Minh launched the August Revolution , overthrowing
4928-649: The Japanese-backed Empire of Vietnam and seizing weapons from the surrendering Japanese forces. On September 2, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV). However, on September 23, French forces overthrew the DRV and reinstated French rule. American support for the Viet Minh promptly ended, and O.S.S. forces left as the French sought to reassert control of
5040-764: The Middle East, Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and the Horn of Africa. The 5th SFG (A) and two of its battalions spend roughly six months out of every 12 deployed to Iraq as Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula. The 5th SFG (A) traces its lineage to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 1st Special Service Force , a combined Canadian-American organization that was constituted on 5 July 1942 and activated four days later on 9 July at Fort William Henry Harrison , Montana. The 1st Special Service Force disbanded on 5 December 1944 in Villeneuve-Loubet, France. 5th Group
5152-423: The Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV). The unit would eventually consist primarily of personnel from the United States Army Special Forces. Others assigned to MACV-SOG came from the United States Navy SEALs, the United States Air Force, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Special Activities Division, and elements of the United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance units. The Studies and Observations Group
5264-403: The Nation. It is sometimes called the American War . Vietnam had been under French control as part of French Indochina since the mid-19th century. Under French rule, Vietnamese nationalism was suppressed, so revolutionary groups conducted their activities abroad, particularly in France and China. One such nationalist, Nguyen Sinh Cung , established the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930,
5376-572: The Northern Alliance broke through the Taliban defense in the valley of Darah Sof District , 200 kilometres (120 mi) from Mazar-i-Sharif. The three teams reunited near Mazar-i-Sharif and participated in its capture. They guided hundreds of GPS-guided 2,000-pound JDAM precision-guided munitions dropped by USAF B-1B Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers onto Taliban and Al-Qaeda positions near Mazar-i-Sharif. By 18 November 2001, 10 ODAs from 5th Special Forces Group were operating in Afghanistan. ODA 534 from Charlie Company, 1st Btn, 5th SFG
5488-422: The Northern Alliance led by General Dostum prepared to attack the fortified village of Bishqab. Dostum's forces were equipped with AK47s , light machine guns, and Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers (RPGs) . The Northern Alliance totaled about 1,500 cavalry and 1,500 light infantry . They were assisted by the 12-member U.S. Special Forces team and American airpower. Bishqab was defended by several T-54/55 tanks,
5600-409: The Northern Alliance side. Over two months they destroyed several hundred enemy vehicles, liberated about 50 towns and six northern provinces comprising hundred square kilometers. The well-placed ordnance dropped on the Taliban by the airpower controlled by Task Force Dagger forced the Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces to continually pull back. The rapidity with which the enemy resistance crumbled eliminated
5712-461: The ODA teams were the first U.S. soldiers to ride horses into battle since 16 January 1942, when the U.S. Army's 26th Cavalry Regiment charged an advanced guard of the 14th Japanese Army as it advanced from Manila. The Afghan horses were all stallions and tended to fight one another which made riding especially difficult for those still learning. They rode trails alongside cliffs which dropped off nearly 1,000 feet (300 m), often at night. During
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#17328512298875824-409: The PRC also completed its withdrawal from North Vietnam. Between 1953 and 1956, the North Vietnamese government instituted agrarian reforms, including "rent reduction" and "land reform", which resulted in political oppression. During land reform, North Vietnamese witnesses suggested a ratio of one execution for every 160 village residents, which extrapolates to 100,000 executions. Because the campaign
5936-722: The Shomali Plain. ODA 555 accompanied Khan's militia and fought alongside them in numerous engagements. They sometimes called in airstrikes danger close to stop Taliban attacks. They were with the Northern Alliance militia when they captured Mazar-i-Sharif on 9 and 10 November, and with the assistance of ODA 595 and Jawbreaker, accompanied the militia when they captured Kabul on 13 and 14 November. ODA 574 ("Texas One-Two") from Alpha Company, 3rd Btn, 5th SFG, commanded by Captain Jason Amerine , deployed from K2 just outside of Tarin Kowt on 14 November, along with Pashtun militia leader, Hamid Karzai . As Karzai's forces pushed south towards Kandahar, an error by an attached USAF TACP resulted in
6048-478: The Special Forces as "the eyes and ears" of the conventional forces and the "glue that held the coalition together." During the period of 2 August 1990 – 30 November 1995, selected unnamed members were awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal , Saudi Arabia Kuwait Liberation Medal , Kuwaiti Kuwait Liberation Medal , National Defense Service Medal and the Valorous Unit Award reference General Orders 14. On 3 December 1992, U.N. Security Resolution 794 authorized
6160-408: The State of Vietnam, with Bảo Đại as Emperor, and Ngô Đình Diệm as prime minister. Neither the US, nor Diệm's State of Vietnam, signed anything at the Geneva Conference. The non-communist Vietnamese delegation objected strenuously to any division of Vietnam, but lost when the French accepted the proposal of Viet Minh delegate Phạm Văn Đồng , who proposed Vietnam eventually be united by elections under
6272-519: The Taliban threw away their weapons and ran, or made a secret pact with Dostum's forces to join his forces as soon as the attack began. The next day, the Northern Alliance prepared to attack Cobaki. The U.S. Special Ops teams used SOFLAM Laser Target Designators to identify targets for air strikes on the enemy armor and artillery. The Northern Alliance followed this with a horse cavalry charge. When it looked like Dostum's cavalry charge would fail, several members of ODA 595 rode into action and helped win
6384-551: The U.S. led intervention "to use all necessary means to establish a secure environment for humanitarian relief operations in Somalia as soon as possible." Select members of the unit were awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the United Nations Medal . After 11 September attacks, the U.S. government acted quickly. The following day, President Bush called the attacks more than just "acts of terror" but "acts of war" and resolved to pursue and conquer an "enemy" that would no longer be safe in "its harbors". By 13 September 2001,
6496-514: The U.S. military's plans to deploy significant conventional ground forces. The Taliban and Al Qaeda forces were defeated within two months. It could have happened more quickly, but the Bush administration was fearful that without a provisional government to take over Kabul, the Northern Alliance would commit atrocities as they had when they had previously occupied the capital. The ground forces who eventually entered Afghanistan were left to pursue high-value targets, including Osama bin Laden , among
6608-453: The US discussed the use of tactical nuclear weapons , though reports of how seriously this was considered and by whom, are vague. According to then-Vice President Richard Nixon , the Joint Chiefs of Staff drew up plans to use nuclear weapons to support the French. Nixon, a so-called " hawk ", suggested the US might have to "put American boys in". President Dwight D. Eisenhower made American participation contingent on British support, but
6720-473: The Vienna summit with Khrushchev, "Now we have a problem making our power credible and Vietnam looks like the place." Kennedy's policy toward South Vietnam assumed Diệm and his forces had to defeat the guerrillas on their own. He was against the deployment of American combat troops and observed "to introduce U.S. forces in large numbers there today, while it might have an initially favorable military impact, would almost certainly lead to adverse political and, in
6832-439: The advancing forces completely exposed to enemy fire. To the U.S. Special Forces, it looked like "the Charge of the Light Brigade , Battle of Fredericksburg , and Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg all rolled into one". Supported by American air power and precision-guided munitions , the teams were able to call down accurate fires on the enemy; in one 18-hour battle, they destroyed over 20 armored and 20 support vehicles. Many of
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#17328512298876944-526: The altitude and icing in the Hindu Kush. The Direct Action Penetrators were forced to turn back when they were unable to negotiate a pass. At certain altitudes, the troops had to use single-use " bailout bottles " because of the lack of oxygen. As there were only enough bottles for the outbound flight, the mission was "one way" for the soldiers. Due to the length of the journey, the pilots needed to refuel mid-flight ; these refuelings were carried out at low altitude under black out conditions and radio silence. By
7056-455: The attempt to cover it up, led to the arrest in July of seven officers and one non-commissioned officer of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) including the new commander, Colonel Robert B. Rheault in what became known as the " Green Beret Affair ". Chuyen was working with the 5th on Project GAMMA when the Green Berets learned he might be a double agent. He underwent about ten days of rigorous interrogation and solitary confinement before he
7168-444: The base was transferred to the Vietnamese Rangers . The base has reverted to jungle. 5th Special Forces Group (United States) The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (5th SFG (A), 5th Group) is one of the most decorated active duty United States Army Special Forces groups. The 5th SFG (A) saw extensive action in the Vietnam War and played a pivotal role in the early months of Operation Enduring Freedom . 5th Group
7280-443: The battle. Within the first two weeks, ODA 595 was joined by two more special forces soldiers, bringing their number to 14. They split the team into four three-man teams and spread out over 60 kilometres (37 mi) of mountainous terrain, in some cases 12 to 18 hours apart from each other by horseback. Each team of NCOs advised senior Northern Alliance commanders and called in airstrikes and resupply for their forces. On 2 November,
7392-743: The border. About 500 of the "regroupees" of 1954 were sent south on the trail during its first year of operation. The first arms delivery via the trail was completed in August 1959. In April 1960, North Vietnam imposed universal military conscription for men. About 40,000 communist soldiers infiltrated the south from 1961 to 1963. In the 1960 U.S. presidential election , Senator John F. Kennedy defeated incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon. Although Eisenhower warned Kennedy about Laos and Vietnam, Europe and Latin America "loomed larger than Asia on his sights." In June 1961, he bitterly disagreed with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev when they met in Vienna to discuss key U.S.–Soviet issues. Only 16 months later,
7504-523: The capital city of Taloqan on 11 November. Khan's troops, supported by airstrikes called in by ODAs 585 and 586, eventually took the city and provincial capital of Konduz on 26 November. ODA 595 from Charlie Company, 3rd Btn, 5th SFG was, along with ODA 555, one of two ODAs inserted on 19 October. They helped General Dostum outside Mazar-i-Sharif. ODA 595 were instrumental in helping the Northern Alliance to capture several thousand foreign and Afghan Taliban and bringing hundreds more local Afghans over to
7616-867: The capture of Saddam Hussein and was deployed throughout Iraq as part of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula (CJSOTF-AP). 5th Group teamed up with various National Guard support groups from many different states: Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin and others. Vietnam War ≈860,000 (1967) ≈1,420,000 (1968) Total military dead/missing: ≈1,100,000 Total military wounded: ≈604,200 (excluding GRUNK / Khmer Rouge and Pathet Lao ) Second Third American intervention 1965 1966 1967 Tet Offensive and aftermath Vietnamization 1969–1971 1972 Post- Paris Peace Accords (1973–1974) Spring 1975 Air operations Naval operations Lists of allied operations The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975)
7728-438: The country . Tensions between the Viet Minh and French authorities had erupted into full-scale war by 1946, a conflict which soon became entwined with the wider Cold War . On March 12, 1947, US President Harry S. Truman announced the Truman Doctrine , an anticommunist foreign policy which pledged US support to nations resisting "attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures". In Indochina, this doctrine
7840-403: The country as civilian operators. In the southern portion of Afghanistan, a company-sized element of about 200 Rangers from the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment were flown in on four Lockheed MC-130 aircraft and captured a desert landing strip south of the city of Kandahar in Operation Rhino . Once they arrived in-country, the Northern Alliance troops provided the US forces with horses,
7952-438: The country to the Virgin Mary . In the summer of 1955, Diệm launched the "Denounce the Communists" campaign, during which suspected communists and other anti-government elements were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, or executed. He instituted the death penalty in August 1956 against activity deemed communist. The North Vietnamese government claimed that, by November 1957, over 65,000 individuals were imprisoned and 2,148 killed in
8064-618: The demilitarized zone, between North and South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese Communist Party approved a "people's war" on the South at a session in January 1959, and, in May, Group 559 was established to maintain and upgrade the Ho Chi Minh trail , at this time a six-month mountain trek through Laos. On 28 July, North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao forces invaded Laos, fighting the Royal Lao Army all along
8176-470: The end of 1965, and to 536,000 by the end of 1968. US forces relied on air supremacy and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations in rural areas. In 1968, North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive , which was a tactical defeat but convinced many in the US that the war could not be won. The PAVN began engaging in more conventional warfare . Johnson's successor, Richard Nixon , began
8288-537: The end of the flight, the MH-47 crews had set a world record for combat rotorcraft, refueling three times over 11 hours of flight. After refueling, they flew into a sand storm and heavy fog which created near-zero visibility conditions. ODA 555 was dropped off in the Panjshir River Valley just 20 miles north of Kabul, where they linked up with warlord Fahim Khan and his Northern Alliance forces. The Northern Alliance
8400-556: The enemy's trench lines. The display of coordinated airpower by 585 earned General Burillah's respect and proved their value to the Afghans. ODA 586 eventually joined 585 and General Burillah's men for the final assault on the provincial city of Konduz, seizing it on 11 November. ODA 586 from Bravo Company, 3rd Btn, 5th SFG was in Farkhar supporting General Daud Khan in the Takhar province, who took
8512-515: The entire way intact. As General Dostum and the others caught up, the General looked at him somewhat strangely before saying Summers was the "finest horseman he has ever seen". The appellation stuck and afterward he was known as "the bravest horseman in all of Afghanistan". Captain Nutsch soon requested replacements for the traditional small, hard, wooden saddles used by the Afghanistan soldiers. He specified
8624-457: The impact of unit moves and activations on post populations. After this analysis, he decided to move the Group to Fort Campbell by the end of 1988. The Secretary of the Army approved the plan. The colors were uncased on 16 June 1988 at the unit's new home at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, by Maj. Gen. Teddy G. Allen , Commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell , Kentucky ; Col. (now MG ret.) Harley C. Davis, Commander of
8736-660: The insurgency entitled "The Road to the South" to the Politburo in Hanoi. However, as China and the Soviets opposed confrontation, his plan was rejected. Despite this, the North Vietnamese leadership approved tentative measures to revive southern insurgency in December 1956. Communist forces were under a single command structure set up in 1958. In May 1958, North Vietnamese forces seized the transportation hub at Tchepone in Southern Laos near
8848-497: The landlords back, people who had been farming land for years had to return it to landlords and pay years of back rent. Marilyn B. Young wrote that "The divisions within villages reproduced those that had existed against the French: 75% support for the NLF, 20% trying to remain neutral and 5% firmly pro-government". In March 1956, southern communist leader Lê Duẩn presented a plan to revive
8960-467: The larger Indochina refugee crisis , which saw millions leave Indochina, an estimated 250,000 perished at sea. The US destroyed 20% of South Vietnam's jungle and 20–50% of the mangrove forests, by spraying over 20 million U.S. gallons (75 million liters) of toxic herbicides; a notable example of ecocide . The Khmer Rouge carried out the Cambodian genocide , while conflict between them and
9072-479: The long run, adverse military consequences." The quality of the South Vietnamese military, however, remained poor. Poor leadership, corruption, and political promotions weakened the ARVN. The frequency of guerrilla attacks rose as the insurgency gathered steam. While Hanoi's support for the VC played a role, South Vietnamese governmental incompetence was at the core of the crisis. One major issue Kennedy raised
9184-453: The next few weeks they traveled 10 to 30 kilometres (6.2 to 18.6 mi) per day. A stallion ridden by Summers was especially strong and spirited. During one especially harrowing ride off of a high mountain pass, zig-zagging down multiple switch-backs, his horse took his own lead and leaped straight down the mountainside. Galloping down the cliffside, Summers was barely able to stay in the saddle but, miraculously, he and his horse made it down
9296-416: The only suitable transportation for the difficult mountainous terrain of Northern Afghanistan. Only ODA 595 commander Capt. Mark D. Nutsch had any significant experience on horseback, but all readily accepted. Capt. Will Summers, Special Forces team leader, said "It was as if The Jetsons had met The Flintstones ." The last U.S. Army unit to receive horseback training had been the 28th Cavalry in 1943 and
9408-446: The other communists and anti-GVN activists. Douglas Pike estimated that insurgents carried out 2,000 abductions, and 1,700 assassinations of government officials, village chiefs, hospital workers and teachers from 1957 to 1960. Violence between insurgents and government forces increased drastically from 180 clashes in January 1960, to 545 clashes in September. In September 1960, COSVN , North Vietnam's southern headquarters, ordered
9520-632: The pro-Western government of Laos and the Pathet Lao communist movement in May, construction of the Berlin Wall in August, and the Cuban Missile Crisis in October. Kennedy believed another failure to stop communist expansion would irreparably damage US credibility. He was determined to "draw a line in the sand" and prevent a communist victory in Vietnam. He told James Reston of The New York Times after
9632-412: The process. According to Gabriel Kolko , 40,000 political prisoners had been jailed by the end of 1958. In October 1956, Diệm launched a land reform program limiting the size of rice farms per owner. 1.8m acres of farm land became available for purchase by landless people. By 1960, the process had stalled because many of Diem's biggest supporters were large landowners. In May 1957, Diệm undertook
9744-676: The second and third groups of Task Force Dagger and the first American military personnel to enter Afghanistan. An initial insertion was tried on October 17 but was aborted due to weather conditions. Two days later, on 19 October, the two teams were flown from the former Soviet Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan more than 300 kilometers (190 mi) across the 4,900 metres (16,100 ft) Hindu Kush mountains. They flew in two 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH-47E Chinook helicopters, escorted by two "DAP" (Direct Action Penetrator) MH-60L Black Hawks . Conditions were marginal due to
9856-817: The supervision of "local commissions". The US countered with what became known as the "American Plan", with the support of South Vietnam and the UK. It provided for unification elections under the supervision of the UN, but was rejected by the Soviet delegation. The US said, "With respect to the statement made by the representative of the State of Vietnam, the United States reiterates its traditional position that peoples are entitled to determine their own future and that it will not join in any arrangement which would hinder this". US President Eisenhower wrote in 1954: I have never talked or corresponded with
9968-511: The two provisional states for a 300-day period. Elections throughout the country were to be held in 1956 to establish a unified government. However, the US, represented at the conference by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles , objected to the resolution; Dulles' objection was supported only by the representative of Bảo Đại. John Foster's brother, Allen Dulles , who was director of the Central Intelligence Agency , then initiated
10080-587: The unified Vietnam escalated into the Cambodian–Vietnamese War . In response, China invaded Vietnam , with border conflicts lasting until 1991. Within the US, the war gave rise to Vietnam syndrome , a public aversion to American overseas military involvement, which, with the Watergate scandal , contributed to the crisis of confidence that affected America throughout the 1970s. Various names have been applied and have shifted over time, though Vietnam War
10192-533: The unit continued to conduct intelligence operations in Southeast Asia until the collapse of the South Vietnamese government on 29 April 1975. Soldiers of the 5th were some of the last U.S. troops pulled out of Vietnam . The Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) was a joint unconventional warfare task force created by the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a subsidiary command of
10304-525: The unit was redesignated as the 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces Regiment . In 1961, President John F. Kennedy began activating special forces units, including 5th Special Forces Group, to fight the growing Viet Cong insurgency. The 5th SFG was first deployed as a battlefield advisory group for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). In 1964, the Group hired Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian producers to make fatigues, boonie hats, and other items of Tigerstripe fabric. By February 1965,
10416-509: The war was in full swing and the Group was deployed as a mainstay battle force using unconventional and conventional warfare. From 1961 to 1963, the group wore a black flash bordered in white, designed primarily to provide visibility against the Green Beret. The group's personnel in Vietnam adopted a variant flash, which added diagonal yellow stripe with three narrow red over-stripes to the existing black background and white border. This version
10528-577: Was an armed conflict in Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China , while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina Wars and a major proxy war of
10640-468: Was anticipated to be a year-long mission. The teams were extremely isolated, hundreds of miles from any allied forces. In the event of injuries or retreat, any possible extraction would take hours or days to arrive. On arrival, both teams linked up with the Northern Alliance and 'Jawbreaker' CIA advisers. Several of the CIA team members previously served in U.S. military special operations, but were in
10752-486: Was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart . ODA 583 from Bravo Company, 3rd Btn, 5th SFG deployed late on 21 November to the Shin Narai Valley supporting Gul Agha Sherzai near the Shin Narai Valley. During their infiltration, one of the helicopters experienced a mechanical failure and made an emergency landing. Another helicopter was dispatched but dropped the team in the wrong location. The 583 finally joined
10864-592: Was built around the 5th SFG with helicopter support from the 160th SOAR , and assigned to infiltrate northern Afghanistan in order to advise and support the commanders of the Northern Alliance . The first group of Task Force Dagger included seven members of the CIA's Special Activities Division and Counter Terrorist Center (CTC) led by Gary Schroen , who formed the Northern Afghanistan Liaison Team. The CIA team infiltrated Afghanistan into
10976-444: Was constituted on 15 April 1960, concurrently consolidated with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion (activated 1 September 1943). The consolidated unit was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. Organic elements were constituted on 8 September 1961. 5th Group was reactivated 21 September 1961 at Fort Bragg , North Carolina. On 1 October 2005,
11088-451: Was defeated in April following a battle in Saigon . As broad-based opposition to his harsh tactics mounted, Diệm increasingly sought to blame the communists. In a referendum on the future of the State of Vietnam in October 1955, Diệm rigged the poll supervised by his brother Ngô Đình Nhu and was credited with 98% of the vote, including 133% in Saigon. His American advisors had recommended
11200-433: Was divided into two parts at the 17th parallel : the Viet Minh , led by Ho Chi Minh , took control of North Vietnam, while the US assumed financial and military support for South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diem . The North Vietnamese began supplying and directing the Viet Cong (VC), a common front of dissidents in the south, which intensified a guerrilla war from 1957. In 1958, North Vietnam invaded Laos , establishing
11312-863: Was first proposed by the Eisenhower administration . John F. Kennedy , then a senator , said in a speech to the American Friends of Vietnam : "Burma, Thailand, India, Japan, the Philippines and obviously Laos and Cambodia are among those whose security would be threatened if the Red Tide of Communism overflowed into Vietnam." A devout Roman Catholic, Diệm was fervently anti-communist, nationalist, and socially conservative. Historian Luu Doan Huynh notes "Diệm represented narrow and extremist nationalism coupled with autocracy and nepotism ." Most Vietnamese were Buddhist , and alarmed by Diệm's actions, like his dedication of
11424-656: Was first put into practice in February 1950, when the United States recognized the French-backed State of Vietnam in Saigon , led by former Emperor Bảo Đại, as the legitimate government of Vietnam, after the communist states of the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China recognized the Democratic Republic of Vietnam , led by Ho Chi Minh, as the legitimate Vietnamese government the previous month. The outbreak of
11536-643: Was in Herat supporting General Ismail Khan . ODA 555 ("Triple Nickel") from Bravo Company, 2nd Btn, 5th SFG was, with ODA 595, one of two ODAs inserted on 19 October. They supported General Shariff in the Panjshir Valley, and linked up with General Fahim Akhtar Khan in the Bagram/Kabul area of the Panjshir Valley, near the fortifications surrounding Bagram Air Base . Air Force Combat Controller Sgt. Calvin Markham used
11648-583: Was in a stalemate with Taliban forces near Bagram Airfield and it was hoped that the ODA would be able to help tip the balance. The second Chinook dropped off ODA 595, led by Capt. Mark D. Nutsch, onto a farmer's field at 0200, in the Dari-a-Souf Valley , about 80 km (50 mi) south of Mazar-i-Sharif . The teams arrived only 39 days after the Al-Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center for what
11760-566: Was in fact controlled and missioned by the Special Assistant for Counterinsurgency and Special Activities (SACSA) and his staff at the Pentagon. After 1967 the HQ 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), provided administrative support to MACV-SOG Special Forces soldiers in Vietnam. The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was headquartered at Fort Bragg until 10 June 1988, when the Group colors were cased at
11872-468: Was killed in a US-backed military coup , which added to the south's instability. Following the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, the US Congress passed a resolution that gave President Lyndon B. Johnson authority to increase military presence without a declaration of war. Johnson launched a bombing campaign of the north and began sending combat troops, dramatically increasing deployment to 184,000 by
11984-464: Was mainly in the Red River Delta area, 50,000 executions became accepted by scholars. However, declassified documents from Vietnamese and Hungarian archives indicate executions were much lower, though likely greater than 13,500. In 1956, leaders in Hanoi admitted to "excesses" in implementing this program and restored much of the land to the original owners. The south, meanwhile, constituted
12096-613: Was shot and dumped into the sea. National newspapers and television picked up the story, which became another lightning rod for anti-war feeling. Finally, in September 1969, Secretary of the Army Stanley Resor announced that all charges would be dropped since the CIA, which may have had some involvement, refused to make its personnel available as witnesses. In April 1970, 5th SFG began reducing its number of personnel in Vietnam. Later in November and December, further reductions in personnel and extraction of companies ensued, ending in
12208-553: Was split between the Darya and Balkh Valleys supporting General Atta Mohammad . ODA 553 from Bravo Company, 2nd Btn, 5th SFG was inserted on 2 November. The ten-man team in Bamyan supported General Karim Khalili and his militia in the northern regions of Afghanistan. Together the men worked to flush Taliban forces from the region with a number of cities quickly falling to Kahili's tribal forces. ODA 554 from Bravo Company, 2nd Btn, 5th SFG
12320-638: Was unique in the Vietnam War for its heavy usage of watercraft, particularly Hurricane Aircat airboats . It launched a wide-ranging campaign against Viet Cong forces in the Mekong Delta in July 1967. Conducted with the South Vietnamese Army, civilian irregulars, and the U.S. Navy and Air Force, the campaign was built around the use of some 400 watercraft, including 84 airboats, as well as helicopters, Navy warships, and civilian vessels. The extensive naval operations required an overhaul in tactics to allow
12432-518: Was whether the Soviet space and missile programs had surpassed those of the US. Although Kennedy stressed long-range missile parity with the Soviets, he was interested in using special forces for counterinsurgency warfare in Third World countries threatened by communist insurgencies. Although they were intended for use behind front lines after a conventional Soviet invasion of Europe, Kennedy believed guerrilla tactics employed by special forces, such as
12544-565: Was worn from 1963 to 1970. These colors symbolize the 1st and 7th SFG soldiers who served under 5th SFG during the Vietnam War . From 1970 to 1985, the variant flash was adopted by the entire Group, rather than just those serving in Vietnam. The unit's flash reverted to the plain black version on 16 January 1985. On 23 March 2016, the 5th Special Forces Group once more changed over to the Vietnam-era flash. The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
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