Interview with Author and MACVSOG Vet (CCN-RT ASP) Gene Pugh
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- My military career started on February 10, 1966 at Fort Polk, Louisiana where I did my Basic Training and AIT. Volunteered for Special Forces. Upon graduation from Airborne School I reported to Fort Bragg. Trained as a radio operator and later assigned to Company C, 6th Special Forces Group (Abn). During this time I was lucky to be mentored by seasoned officers and NCO’s. Crossed trained in Intelligence and as an Assistant Medic. All of us were required to be proficient in light and heavy weapons, camp defense, and small unit tactics.
In Vietnam I was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group with further orders to SOA (Special Operations Augmentation) which meant that I was under MACVSOG (Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation Group). The Studies and Observation Group designation was to draw attention away from the real purpose of the group, under OPS - 35 directive, small reconnaissance teams to infiltrated into denied areas for purpose of gathering information to be that would be later pieced into the mosaic of intelligence. The missions included troop movements, wire taps, location of road parks, fueling stations, command centers, capturing enemy POW’s, and anything else that Saigon wanted or needed. Was posted to C&C Detachment-FOB 4 (Later Command and Control North) in Da Nang. My first duty was in the message center and requested my NCOIC to be transferred to the Recon Teams.
I was assigned to Reconnaissance Team Asp that was comprised of three Americans and eight former NVA soldiers (The only such team in camp at that time). As assistant team leader I was positioned to the rear of the unit to help sanitize the trail and deal with any enemy personnel tracking us. One of the duties of the team leader was to make sure that the assistant team leader was capable of leading the team should he become incapacitated. On my two such missions of leading the team we were compromised on the LZ and never completed the assigned mission.
I was able to complete eight more missions as an assistant team leader.
During December ’68 through April ’69 the team had one in country mission near the DMZ. We were inserted as a stay behind when a Marine company was being air lifted out of the LZ. We were also in line of sight and under the guns of Marine post LZ Hickory which was positioned approximately four kilometers from the inserting LZ. Our mission was to capture an NVA prisoner. The next morning as we were positioning ourselves and unknown to us that we had been spotted by the Marine artillery observers an advance NVA patrol wandered into our position. Caught by surprise a close quarter firefight was started killing all of the NVA and before we could search the bodies for identifying information we could hear the main body of the enemy unit advancing on our position. We called for an immediate extraction. As luck would have it the Forward Air Controller was able to divert the air unit that was returning to base and was able to extract us in less than five minutes or so. We found out later, the Marines on the hilltop couldn’t make out who was who and delayed their fire order. That was lucky for us. From this incident, headquarters got a lessons learned memo, keep special operation missions away from conventional area of influence.
During this time period RT-Asp was one of the lucky teams. Most of the team members had only received minor shrapnel wounds and a few bump and scrapes during extraction as we were some times dragged through the treetops when coming out on strings.
The recon teams were a thorn in the side of the NVA operations along the Ho Chi Ming Trail. It would have been a feather in their cap to capture one of the teams. The mental make up of the team was crucial to the efficiency of the team. It was priority number one to get the information back to headquarters. Of course, it would be a perfect mission if one were able to be inserted, complete the mission, and not be compromised. However, that was the exception and not the rule, and when one had to fight it out with the enemy it was understood that you gave no quarter and received no quarter. During my last three months in country Captain Richard ‘Dick’ Meadows was my Recon Company Commander. Even at that time Captain Meadows was a living legend in the Special Forces and Special Operations community. A very detail oriented officer leaving nothing to chance in case of an emergency was the trait he left with us to insure our chances of survival. In one of the first meeting with the recon teams, he shared his philosophy, “Rule number one: Survive; Rule number two: Win. Number three: Give no quarter; receive no quarter.” Any questions? There were none.
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I was recruited by a SF NCO during my infantry AIT at Ft Ord in the latter part of the Fall of 1967. 16 of us signed up. I found out much later that SF was losing many troops along the border with Cambodia and Laos at that time. Just prior to graduation we were told that those of us who were draftees could not go on in the program. We would not have had enough time in service to spend much time in Vietnam. I ended up with The Old Guard in Ft Myer, VA. I was too short in stature to meet their requirements so I became a clerk. When I eventually ended up in Vietnam they used me as a clerk. I only got in one firefight during my tour and did not experience anywhere the horror that you guys did. Thank you for all you did brother and may God show mercy on those of you that did not make it home.
He sure has a good sense of humor, ya got to love his stories ♥
HOT DAYYYMMM BUD!!!! You know your stuff!!! It’s truly impressive how knowledgeable and accurate you are about SOG history!!! Bravo Brother!!!!!
👍👍👌👏👏
Books ordered.. Another great reflection of that horrific august night... The emotions still raw with this guy.. Great vlog again Bud.. Thanks 🙏
You’ll love them book one is NON STOP SOG action! All based on real missions n men as you heard and book to literally picks up where 1 ends . I did not expect Gene to go that deep for us! I’m so honored he shared the sapper attack in depth
@@budgibson185 your passion for this shone through in this edition of the cast.. Very emotional and feel blessed he said those words... Your carrying on where some of these heroes left off and documenting it for our and others future 🙏
Such a fantastic interview 10/10
Thanks brother this was one I’d been wanting to do for awhile
Unbelievable interview really heart wrenching. What is combat vets go through and they never really talk about like my father in the South Pacific in World War II.
Bud this is so ironic, like all I've thought before,but after Ed W. Episode other day,I want to talk to you about the future of SOG films,then next one was this so ironic,& the honor he gave you so spot on,I got your back to the fullest, I'll be getting at you on email
Gene isnt the only man w a script or screen play ready to go!! I can’t go in to detail but a few of our favorite books have scripts written for them and I’m going to try to start getting them seen ! I hope we can get them to setup a SOG studio for films like we spoke of. I think that would be the greatest development in the movie business since colorized film and CGI
I appreciate all your support 🙏
Excellent interviews. Keep up the great work 👍
Thank you sir 🙏
kudos bud and gene!
Thank you brother 🙏
Yes you men sure as heck were superman
I tell them every time they start that “I’m no hero , I’m just a normal guy” stuff!!! BS you are living legends
Gene looks awfully good... he must have his own personal airborne track on which to shuffle around... I would if I could... but... Airborne Gene...
Apologies, I'm recipient of TBI so I get confused easily... there was discussion re the number of messages, what was the upshot of that...?
Bud don’t talk so much. Let your guests speak. Please
I’m not being mean at all but I suppose this is your 1st time watching my channel. So two things. 1, I always remain quiet to listen because this is an oral history show. If you have watched my others I only chime in ti help or get another story going. 2, Gene didn’t want to talk the entire time. We spoke OFFLINE specifically about this.
Not being a dick but when the guest ask me to stay involved I listen. I’m sorry if that ruins this particular interview but Gene loved and it along with my other interviews are being put in the 5th Group archives. Appreciate the feedback though 🫡
Howdy…
Releasing a bunch of low budget stuff would do only one thing, and it would let the big dogs know that you’re a low budget entity and they won’t touch it. However, I agree with Bud about releasing your own projects through your own studio. Also it should be mandatory from the get-go that those projects from the start be high-quality, and ultra realistic. High quality will get the attention of the Hollywood big-dogs, or even better the attention of the Indie and/or outside of Hollywood types (Tarantino, Rodriguez, Eastwood, Wahlberg, Gibson, etc) and that sort of clout and pedigree of having projects of distinct quality would garner BIG distribution deals which is what’s important when it comes to securing profit returns.
YOU don’t want to be known as an entity of second rate / B/C/D rate media.
My two ¢.
Bud is his first book about ccn and sog is that a novel or real non fiction I’d love to read his book if it’s real I’m not a big fiction reader thanks Bud
It’s a novel but it’s all real stories about Larry Gene Tony and Frank M. If I was you I’d try it. I can understand not liking novels but this is so real and you can recognize who is who and what’s going on
@@budgibson185 alright great thanks I’ll definitely look for it thanks Bud great show