Presidential Unit Citation

Michael Bishop, Military Rep to Congressman Boyd,
pinning Ranger with his Presidential Unit Citation,
2/17/09

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Ranger was awarded his Presidential Unit Citation this week for his service with B53/5th Special Forces group, in a "highly classified mission in 1970."

I remember asking him what he did in Vietnam when I first met him. When he said he was with "B53" I pressed -- "So, what was that?" He shrugged his shoulders and said that's what they called it. This secret name of a letter and numbers sounded a bit fishy to me, until he explained it was a part of the MACVSOG project (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group.)

Ranger was glad to be in the SOG environment at B53 versus Command and Control South, Central and North [CCS-C-N]. B53 was the training camp of the Special Operations Augmentation. As all SOG assets passed through his camp, he saw everything that was being performed by them.

It was a heady experience for a young man. Ranger met, worked with and befriended some great people in SOG -- Bob Howard, Jon Caviani, Franklin Miller, Fred "Lightening" Wunderlich, Frank Norbury and Billy Waugh, among many others.

However, the fact that Ranger's PUC -- officially awarded to the unit in 2001 -- was initially denied, though he provided the Army Awards branch with all necessary documentation, is an indicator that the Army still does not prioritize Special Forces or COIN, despite the lip service. Or, it is a sign of extreme inefficiency.

The award was made 29 years after SOG closed shop. Why so long? The official answer is, "classified missions." (Good luck to those in Gitmo hoping for documentation.) If the Army really cared to recognize us, they could have sanitized the PUC, as they did with Howard's and Miller's Medal of Honor (MOH) citations.

Why was SOG classified anyway? We were no secret to the North Vietnamese Army who had watchers along the entire Ho Chi Minh Trail dedicated to spotting SOG teams. Answer: It was classified because the unit violated Laotian and Cambodian neutrality every time they entered these countries.

The NVA killed hundreds of SOG men: 10 teams disappeared, 14 others were seriously compromised, with every indigenous SOG agent inserted into the NVA compromised and captured. It is safe to say the NVA knew our mission. But because the unit was not a conventional entity, the Army did not and does not consider SOG's recognition a priority.

Dick Meadows, arguably the most famous SOG NCO/officer, had difficulty being retained and promoted. Only repeated intervention by General Westmoreland saved Meadows' career, allowing him to retire as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Imagine: Bull Simons and Charlie Beckwith retired only as 0-6's. SF MOH winners Howard and Donlon both retired as 0-6's in an Army that rewards West point football players 0-6 if they are still breathing after 20 years service.

Yes, Singlaub and Healy made General Officer, but that was only on the conventional airborne side of the house. The Reduction in Forces (RIF's) following the Vietnam war were heavy with Special Forces officers. There was no career protection for Special Forces officers in the Vietnam era.

Ranger is fortunate to have a Vietnam vet congressman who takes a sincere interest in veterans issues, and whose vet rep assisted him in getting his PUC individually authorized. This hoop-jumping with congressional support is par for the course.

It is the same formula Ranger experienced in receiving his Department of Veterans Affairs Service Connection compensation and his Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC).

Note to young soldiers: Expect the yellow ribbons to stop shortly after your service viability expires.