I was a captain in MACV for a year deep in the Delta, and when I rotated back to Bragg fall, '72, checked into the JFK Center, which then had 5th and 7th SF Groups, plus some PSY Ops units and probably others I can't remember, Personnel clerk asked what I wanted to do, said there was an A Team CO vacancy down in A company, first BN, of the the 5th,, so walked over to Smoke Bomb Hill, to a WWII wooden barracks and signed in. So was CO of ODA I, ie, the first A Team in the Group. Soon took the 3 or 4 month Officer's SF course, and then sewed a full Flash on my Beret. You could only wear the full Flash if you were fully qualified, otherwise a half Flash.
It was a fun 15 months, brief TDY's all over the Globe, took the SF Jumpmaster course at Bragg. Back then the only place in the army where any troops actually wanted to serve, the rest of the Military was in sad shape and worse morale.
Was a refuge for us. For awhile HQ assigned two troopers to my Team, who had been awarded the MOH but they were broken men, so I went back up to HQ and asked that they be reassigned back to HQ, as they were of no use to my Team, which HQ then did to take care of them. I knew I think four or more other SF who had been aware the MOH, and many who had been on the Son Tay Raid, which is a whole 'nother story. Just before I got out, some HALO guys came over to us and asked us to sign up for a year of then HALO then HALO jump master, but it was time to resign or commit to a full career.
loved it, travel, single, pay, adventure, but by then I was beginning to think about some sort of career in Medicine, so resigned my Regular Army commission, out of Nebraska ROTC in '69, and transferred to the Reserves in Lincoln to begin that path. Was back to Bragg as a physician in '82, for two years, met old friends, was invited with the SF guys to go overseas with them to Africa and a few other place's.
In later '89, in the Reserves, was sent 300 miles out in the SA desert where I was Chief of Staff of the busiest hospital in that conflict, by then a LTC, later a full COL.
Squeezed in becoming a Flight Surgeon during that time.
In the early '80's, when I was then Chief of Pediatrics at Womack, they were just bringing the assorted special ops forces under one command, called Delta Force. I thought about going over there, but decided to once again return the reserves, then to Topeka, KS.
I don't know about all the chaps who we meet nowadays who claim to have been some sort of Special Op's person, but I assure you, I have had the pleasure of working with many "real ones". They are a different breed of man. They are not like you and me, God makes them different.
What a wonderful career I was blessed, and privileged to have. NAM VET
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