This is Jockel podcast number 401 with echo Charles and me Jockel Willink. Good evening echo. Good evening

The military advisory command of Vietnam studies and observation group Mac V Sog

Don't be misled by the name

We are not an academic group studying the war in Vietnam. We are not advising anyone

Mac V Sog was a top secret group of the most elite special operations warriors in the world

Every time I led my team on a mission it was kill or be killed

Every time hundreds sometimes thousands of people would die

It was not about rules of engagement was this person an enemy does this person have a weapon

Is this person about to kill me or the other questions and rules today's special operators may have to deal with

Sog rules were very different and simple

Everyone was the enemy

The enemy had to be terminated or you would be

And if the enemy caught you the United States government would deny any involvement with you or what you were doing

You had no protection under the Geneva Convention. You were a spy

You were on your own

It has been documented that Sog teams at the highest kill ratio of any unit during the Vietnam era

Sog teams also had the highest casualty rate over 200 percent

This means each Sog member was either killed or wounded multiple times

For example, Staff Sergeant Robert Howard later Colonel Howard was wounded on at least 11 occasions

Was awarded eight purple hearts the distinguished service cross and the Medal of Honor

22 men received the distinguished service cross and 13 received the Medal of Honor on Sog operations

There has never been a war where such small teams of young warriors were set against such overwhelming

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